Kane

by Sawyer Bennett

  I go on and on.

  But I finally run out of things to say, which is okay since Baden has stopped engaging in the conversation.

  I stop talking, allowing an uncomfortable amount of time in pure silence to unfold, hoping he’ll engage on his own.

  And then, to my surprise, he does.

  “You’ve talked about everything but hockey,” he accuses with a pointed look. “Training camp started this week. And not one word about it.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I ask bluntly. “Because there’s plenty to tell.”

  Baden’s gaze goes back out the window, and it almost seems as if his body shrinks in on itself. He answers me with one simple word. “No.”

  Christ, I want to reach out and hug the guy, but I think he still has enough upper-arm strength left that he would probably deck me. At a loss over what to say now, I decide it’s time to make my exit, but there’s a knock at his door.

  Baden answers, “Come in.”

  I expect to see a medical professional walk in—perhaps an aide to see if he wants to move back to his bed. Maybe a therapist coming to take him for rehab. Even a visiting Vengeance member.

  Instead, a young woman, quite pretty with curly blonde hair that trails down her back, enters. She’s carrying a plant.

  She steps in hesitantly, looks at me first with an uncertain smile before her eyes drag slowly over to Baden.

  I glance at Baden, whose eyes have flared slightly with recognition.

  “Do you remember me?” the woman asks.

  I can see by Baden’s expression he does, but he doesn’t say a word.

  She takes another step into the room. It’s obvious she’s really nervous. The plant she’s holding shakes slightly. “I’m the woman you saved from those men attacking me.”

  Holy shit.

  My eyes practically bug out of my head. I’ve never asked Baden the details of what happened. The police had provided Dominik Carlson with the details, and he had relayed them to the team. But I never bothered to put a face to the woman who would have inspired such heroism from Baden.

  “I’ve been wanting to come visit you for a while now,” she admits in a quiet voice. “I had to work up a lot of nerve to do this.”

  Baden still hasn’t said one word, and it’s painfully awkward.

  But what I do know is that I do not need to be a part of this reunion. So I push out of my chair, glancing down at Baden. “I’ll see you sometime next week, okay?”

  I get nothing from him as he continues to stare at the blonde.

  I give her a polite nod of my head, then move past her to exit the room. When I glance over my shoulder, I see Baden and the woman continuing to stare at each other silently.

  I slowly back out of the room and pull the door shut behind me, wondering with extreme curiosity what that conversation is going to be like.

  CHAPTER 14

  Mollie

  “So how do we play this?” Kane asks as he brings the rental car we’d picked up at the airport to the curb before my parents’ house. We drove with the windows down, and the salty ocean scent in the air affected me deeply.

  In all my travels, nothing has spoken to me like the California coast.

  I let out a long exhale, unaware I’d just taken in a deep breath of that delicious briny smell.

  Shrugging, I say, “Act like we normally do.”

  “Normally as in ‘your best friend is coming to visit your parents,’ or normally as in how we’ve been acting the past week?” he prods.

  My eyebrows rise, and I smirk. “Oh, you mean how we’ve barely been able to keep our hands off each other for the past week?”

  “We have had a lot of sex,” he admits, chest all puffed out with pride.

  “I’ve had more sex this past week with you than I’ve had in the past decade.”

  That only makes his chest stick out more, his eyes lighting with interest. “Really? Do tell.”

  I slap his arm. “I’m not making your head any bigger.”

  “You already make a certain head quite big enough on frequent occasions,” he replies, waggling his eyebrows. But then his face turns somber as he suggests, “Let’s act like a couple from the start. Might as well get that part out of the way. Besides, it will make them ridiculously happy and soften the blow for when you tell them about what happened with Matthew.”

  “Okay, that sounds like a plan,” I say with a firm nod.

  After we exit the vehicle, I wait for Kane to round the front to come to my side. I hold my hand out, palm up. It’s an invitation of solidarity in our new romantic relationship.

  Smiling, he takes my hand. We head up the small walkway that connects to the sidewalk but make it no more than three steps before my parents fling open the front door to welcome us, bright and happy smiles plastered to their faces.

  My mom’s smile falters first when she sees the way we’re walking toward her. Not just hand in hand but standing close to each other—a unit.

  She appears befuddled, but she always remembers her manners as she studies Kane. I hadn’t told my parents he was coming, knowing they would enjoy the surprise. “Kane,” my mom exclaims. “What a wonderful surprise.”

  We make it to the base of the porch steps and up one step before my dad bluntly asks, “Why are you two holding hands?”

  When my dad is blunt about something, it’s not in a tactless or aggressive way. He’s a geologist—a scientist—so he looks for the unexplainable and seeks to find out more about it. His tone is nothing but light and curious.

  I grin, releasing Kane’s hand and slipping my arm around his waist. When he reciprocates, I say, “Surprise! We’re together now.”

  “Oh my,” my mom exclaims, eyes round with wonder as she clutches her hands to her chest. “That’s wonderful. How did that happen? I need all the details.”

  My dad merely scratches his head, still not quite understanding. Which is hilarious because he’s one of the smartest men I know, but he’s never really had to deal with me having a love life since I’ve been gone and traveling so much. Plus, I’ve never been so deeply involved with anyone that I’d considered introducing my parents to them.

  “What do you mean by ‘you’re together’?” my dad asks, his eyes moving back and forth between Kane and me.

  I’d bet good money that Kane wants to blurt out, “We’re having sex, Mitch. We’ve taken the relationship to the next level.”

  Instead, it’s my mom who gives Dad a tender pat on his back and explains, “They’re dating now, honey.”

  “Oh,” my dad says, the light bulb turning on and burning brightly over his head. Then again, with more understanding, he draws out the, “O-o-o-h-h.”

  Kane and I break apart, hurrying up the steps to greet my parents, Mitch and Suzy Callister. I hug my mom while Kane and my dad shake hands and slap backs. We switch, and Dad squeezes the breath out of me with a tight hug. Kane kisses my mom’s cheek before she pulls him into a death grip of a hug herself.

  “Come in, come in,” my mom announces, pulling the screen door open and ushering us inside. “I made some appetizers and sangria. We can have nibbles while you tell us all about how this happened. Which I’m glad it did. I mean, I knew it would happen one day.”

  Really? Because it never crossed my mind. I might have wistfully wondered, but I never thought Kane and I were a real possibility since our lives were so different.

  My mom is a chatterbox as we move into the kitchen. She has shelves built in front of the window above the sink, potted with her garden herbs she cooks with. So simple, yet it’s such a welcome sight.

  “Where’s Samson?” my dad asks as he settles in at the wooden kitchen table that seats six. Kane sits next to him while I help Mom carry food and wine from the counter to the table.

  “One of my teammates is watching him,” Kane replies. “Jim Steele. He has a thirteen-year-old daughter who has been begging for a dog, so he thought it would be a nice test run.”

  “The only
problem is that he’s allergic to dogs,” I say with a laugh as I take a seat opposite Kane.

  My mom sits next to me, urging us to fill the little plates she set out while my dad pours the sangria.

  She beams across the table at Kane, then twists to look at me. Back to Kane. Then to me. “So, dish… how did all this happen?”

  “Oh, leave them alone, Suzy,” my dad admonishes.

  My mom waves him off, leaning in toward me. “Seriously… what made you two decide to take this step?”

  Kane answers for me. He doesn’t hold back any of the truth, at least from his point of view. “She came to visit. Met one of my teammates. He asked her out on a date, and she accepted. The sad byproduct was that it drove me to insane jealousy—”

  My mom gasps. “And you beat him up?”

  “No, he didn’t beat him up, Mom,” I exclaim.

  Kane laughs, shaking his head. “No. I merely kissed your daughter when she came home from the date. And, apparently, she likes my kisses.”

  My mom claps her hands, giggling in delight. “I love it. So romantic. Isn’t it romantic, Mitch?”

  My dad has his mouth stuffed with a sausage and cheddar ball, and he merely grunts his agreement.

  I’d have thought my mom won the lottery with as much as she’s smiling from ear to ear as she bounces her gaze back and forth between Kane and me. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s probably already plotting our wedding and how many grandkids we’ll give her.

  “You know…” she says, lowering her voice and giving my dad a sly glance. “Your father and I were close friends before we became lovers.”

  “Ewww,” I exclaim in horror, clapping my hands over my ears. “No, Mom. Just no. You can’t use the word lovers in reference to you and Dad. No. No. No.”

  Rolling her eyes, my mom merely gives her attention to Kane. “I’m just saying, the foundation you two have built over the years is invaluable. That strength and bond you already shared will keep you going while Mollie travels for her blog or Kane travels for hockey. Long-distance will be hard, but you two have so much going for you.”

  There’s no stopping the smile that was on my face, amused at my mom’s antics and clear happiness for me and Kane, from disappearing. Because she’s a mom, she notices it immediately.

  “What’s wrong?” she asks.

  I look across the table at Kane. While his expression might not reveal much to the normal person, I can see it within his eyes. He’s giving me the mental push and encouragement to tell my parents what happened to me.

  “Well, first… I’m taking a break from traveling,” I say as a means to sort of ease into the subject. “I’m going to stay with Kane for a while.”

  My dad tilts his head, ever the curious individual. “Are you thinking of giving it up or is this just a break?”

  When Kane and I exchange a glance again, my parents notice it. I do nothing but shrug to my father’s question.

  My mom moves from joyous mother to over concerned mama bear in a nanosecond. Always astute, never letting me get by without revealing a truth, she demands. “What happened? And don’t deny it. I can see it written all over your face.”

  I reach for her hand and squeeze it, a pitiful attempt to give her pre-comfort. “Something did happen to me on the road.”

  A small sound of distress comes out of my mom’s throat—a warble that sounds like a dying bird. Her biggest concern has always been that I’m a woman and could be an easy rape victim. I know that’s where her mind went.

  I rush to reassure her. “It’s not what you’re thinking,” I say quickly, but it doesn’t lessen the worry in her expression. “But I was attacked by—um, let’s just call him a disgruntled ex. He’s not even an ex. A guy I had a fling with who wasn’t happy when I called it quits.”

  I go ahead and spill all the details, ripping off the band-aid holding back the terrifying information every parent must dread. Their child being in life-threatening danger. I quickly explain about the attack and Samson saving me, then the need I felt just to settle down somewhere. They didn’t once question my choice to go to Kane rather than come home to them. I think they’re still too satisfied we’re together to rock that boat.

  There are long moments in the conversation where my parents get pissed at the situation and feel the need to rant. I let them do it while Kane sits quietly as he listens. My mom cries, and I hug her hard.

  “What do the police say?” my father asks.

  It’s Kane who answers that one, because he’s beyond frustrated that nothing is being done. “They’re doing nothing. Matthew couldn’t be found in their initial search, so they’re just sitting on their asses with a warrant in hand, hoping he’ll just show up somewhere.”

  This starts a new round of fretting from my mom, while Dad and Kane bitch about the police, who, in my opinion, have done all they can at this point.

  “Do you think he’ll come after you again?” my mom asks. “Because maybe you’re better off staying here with us until this is all over.”

  I reach for my mom’s hand again, staring meaningfully at my father. “I know you’re worried, but I want to stay with Kane. We’re starting something good, and, well, I want to be with him. Besides that, I don’t want you in danger.”

  “Fuck danger,” my dad says, using a very uncharacteristic use of the “F” word. “I can protect you.”

  “No offense, but you’re a geologist, Dad. And a pacifist. You don’t own a single weapon.”

  “I’ll arm myself if I have to,” he grumbles.

  It’s Kane who steps in to reassure my parents. He had agreed with me that we would not worry them with my “did I or didn’t I” see Matthew occurrence, which was good. If we had, they probably would have tied me to my bed to prevent me from leaving.

  “Mollie has an entire group of people looking out for her now,” Kane explains. “She’s going to have someone with her at all times. She has Samson, and she’s a badass gun-toting woman. Plus, I’m hoping she’ll travel as much as she can to away games with me. Maybe that will even satisfy some of her wanderlust at the same time.”

  I gasp in surprise. “I can do that?”

  “Of course you can,” he assures me. “Not on the team plane, but I’ll fly you first class to any game you want. Especially extended road trips if you’re up for it. Jim’s daughter, Lucy, will be more than happy to take care of Samson. You can come to our game Tuesday in Denver if you want.”

  “Or maybe,” my mom suggests, tears welling in her eyes just a bit for effect, “you could stay past the weekend to visit with your parents a little longer. It’s been forever since you’ve been home for a good visit.”

  My gaze moves to Kane, and he gives me a slight nod. I should give my parents that at least.

  “Okay,” I say with a bright smile. “I’ll stay here until at least Wednesday to visit before heading back to Phoenix.”

  This pleases my mom to the extent she launches herself at me, nearly strangling me with her tight hold. Still, I smile because I love my parents so much. It’s worth staying a few extra days to make them happy.

  ♦

  Kane moves inside of me slowly, but not because he’s afraid of my bed squeaking. No, we moved to the floor so as not to create any potential noise. Besides that, he’s had his hand clamped over my mouth the entire time because I do tend to get vocal when he makes me feel so good.

  With the moonlight bathing us through my window and my soft comforter between us and the carpet, I’m immersed in a lovely cocoon of lovemaking that I don’t want to end.

  But it feels so freaking good, it has to end right now. Kane pushes in extra deep, presses his hand harder against my mouth, and absorbs the impact of my orgasm as it rockets through me. He grins down, I’m sure loving the way he has me in captivity and picks up the pace of his thrusts. In moments, with my orgasm still causing tingles up and down my spine, he erupts inside me with a groan he manages to contain deep in his chest.

  He holds his we
ight off me while we pant, regaining our breath. Slowly, he removes his hand from my mouth.

  I whisper, “That was so damn good.”

  “Told you sex in your bedroom would be amazing,” he says with a smirk.

  “Sex with you anywhere is amazing,” I reassure him. And I know deep down in my heart that it’s because of the bond we shared long before we became romantically involved.

  Kane’s face softens. “Even though I’ll miss you, I’m glad you’re going to stay a few extra days with your parents. They really need the time with you to assure themselves you’re okay, especially since we’re going to be spending most of tomorrow at my parents’.”

  We had decided earlier in the week to pay them a visit as well to break the news of our relationship in person. They’re going to be as thrilled as my parents are.

  “Thanks for understanding,” I reply, lifting my hand to brush away a lock of hair hanging over his forehead. “But I’m sad I’ll miss your first game.”

  “There will be plenty of games for you to attend,” he assures me. “I’ve already got a season-ticket seat with your name written all over it in the section where the Vengeance families sit.”

  Kane rolls slightly, taking me with him. He tugs a corner of the comforter over our bodies as our damp skin starts to chill, then wraps his arms around me.

  While the sex is explosive, this is my favorite part. Call me a girl, but I love cuddling with Kane. I’m beyond happy he’s not averse to it. It’s where we have some of our best conversations.

  “I need to tell you something,” he says, his somber tone making me stiffen in his arms. I have to lean back a bit so I can see his face. “I know there’s danger out there, that what we have is amazing and we want to spend all our time together, but I also know you love what you do. The traveling and blogging. I just want you to know if you want to hit the road again, I’ll fully support it. I don’t ever want you to quell who you are to be with me.”

  I love Kane.

  Have for years, through one of the best friendships a person could hope for.