by Jen Davis
Money.
There was no level they wouldn’t sink to for money. For fuck’s sake, look at what they were doing right now.
Whether the fire was intentional or not, he’d probably never know.
“I never thought you were a part of any of it,” she said quietly. “Doubting you never came into the equation.” She climbed to her feet and moved toward him, blocking his path. Her fingertips ghosted over his cheek, touching him, but not. “I couldn’t take the risk your life would be over.”
He clutched her hand, holding it firmly against his face. “But that’s exactly what happened. My life—was over.”
Her eyes searched his, and he let her see the truth in his words.
“I would have wanted to deal with bogus charges a hundred times over before facing a future without you.” He released her hand. “You didn’t give me the choice.”
“Because I knew.” Her voice cracked. “I knew if I told you, you would have said to ignore it. You would have put yourself in front of a moving train to keep us together. I loved you too much to let you do it. No matter what it cost me.” She whispered, “They could have locked you up for the rest of your life.”
He tried to make sense of the distant look in her eyes. There was grief there, the kind he knew all too intimately. It may have dulled over time, but it never truly went away.
Good God.
She’d never wanted to leave him.
His heart stuttered. His chest literally hurt. There were a thousand things he wanted to say, but his mouth couldn’t form the words. Hell, his brain couldn’t even line them up into coherent thoughts.
There was only want. Need. Mine.
Who needed words? It was just time wasted when he could be kissing her.
Maybe something gave away his intention in his eyes because she moved at the same time he did. They met in a clash of teeth and tongue. The softness of their kiss on the sofa was gone, replaced with desperate greed impossible to satisfy.
He wanted to consume her or burn her alive with the same kind of fire scorching his soul. Growling, he tangled his hand in her hair, holding her to him.
But Mandy made no move to get away. Instead, she gripped his shirt so fiercely her knuckles dug into his back.
His body was as tight as a bowstring ready to pop. With two steps, he had her crowded against the wall. He released her hair to lift her up, and she wrapped her legs around him, pushing her core against the almost painful ridge of his erection.
Only some denim and probably a tiny scrap of lace separated him from her pussy. He groaned, now obsessed with the idea of seeing what kind of panties she wore. Would it be a thong? Black? Pink? Would it be soaked with her want?
Did she need this as much as he did?
He pulled back. The answer would be in her eyes.
Sure enough, her gaze mirrored the hunger driving his every move. Her mouth was slightly open, and her chest rose and fell quickly as she panted for breath. The skin around her lips, darkened further from the scrape of his beard.
Yes, her body wanted his. But did she want more? Gone was the man he’d been when he’d dreamed of making her his wife. Could she want this Kane? Or were they both chasing a dream better left dead in the past?
The default chime of a cell phone sounded nearby, but she made no move to answer it.
As he released his grip on her thighs, she slid down the front of his body until her feet hit the floor. The need to touch every part of her consumed him. Starting with her hair. He’d always loved her beautiful hair. He ran his hands over it gently, sliding over the thick locks to her shoulders. He feathered his thumbs over her collarbone before continuing his path down her arms.
The phone rang again, and he fought the urge to grab it from the table and toss it against the wall. He kept his focus on the prize in front of him.
Where was he? Oh yes. Now to her hips. Her tiny waist.
The phone rang again. And again. And it suffocated the fire in her eyes.
“Ignore it,” he gritted.
She shook her head and tugged his hands away from her body. “I can’t. I know who it is. And this is something I need to put right.” She kissed his knuckles before she let him go and moved away to silence the phone.
He wanted to argue or to demand an explanation but he did neither. His stomach was in knots; too much rattled around in his head.
Mandy slipped on the pristine sneakers on the floor next to the door and grabbed a thick navy cardigan from the table where she had her purse and keys. “We’ll talk again soon, okay?” Her eyes searched his, and he nodded without thinking. Her smile wasn’t quite right when she stepped backward out of the door, leaving him alone in her condo, but what did he know? Nothing could have made him walk away from a chance to make love to her again.
What the hell could be more important than what was happening here?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Amanda
Amanda’s pulse pounded in her ears as she slid behind the wheel of her red Prius. Kane Hale had just kissed her into oblivion.
In the years since they split, she’d tried so hard to convince herself his mouth hadn’t been as amazing as she remembered. He’d been her first love. Of course, she’d built him up in her mind.
But after tonight, she’d never be able to lie to herself again. If anything, time and distance had dulled the memory of how fucking phenomenal it was. He kissed her like she was the sun and the moon. His hands were like firebrands on her body. No man had ever turned her on so much, and none had ever made her feel, well, anything. Certainly not the overwhelming rush of hope and fear, need and abandon Kane inspired.
She would have made love to him tonight without a moment’s hesitation. Hell, she was tempted to turn around, even now, and finish what they’d started, but if she didn’t deal with Nathan, it would only come back to bite her in the ass later.
The insistent ringing on her phone told her it was him before she even needed to check the display. No one else would act like they were so entitled to an immediate response.
She glanced at the phone as she pulled to the exit of her parking garage. The screen was filled with texts.
Nathan: Pick up.
Nathan: Where are you?
Nathan: Why aren’t you answering the phone?
Nathan: You push me too far.
Swiping through several more without even reading them, she cleared his messages and sent one in return.
Amanda: I’m on my way to your place.
Barely a second passed before his response.
Nathan: Good.
Shivering, she turned up the heater. The fire in her veins Kane’s arms had ignited turned to ice with the prospect of facing Nathan tonight, but at least after this, it would all be over. The four weeks she’d promised her father weren’t nearly finished, but he’d changed the terms of their deal once. Now it was her turn. It’s not like he could take the money back now. He’d completed the wire transfer less than an hour ago.
She hovered on the cusp of starting over with Kane. He deserved honesty. God knew, keeping secrets from him had only led to heartbreak. She would not have the shadow of her ties to Nathan jeopardize her chance at happiness.
If she wanted a clean slate, she needed to break up with him now and for good.
Idling in front of Nathan’s building, tendrils of doubt crept in. Maybe she should have met him in a public place. He’d never lay a finger on her in front of an audience. It was too late to change the plan now, but she wouldn’t be a sitting duck. Leaning to the side, she unlatched the glove compartment and slipped the contents into her purse.
With a deep breath, she surrendered her car to the valet and forged on into the elegant lobby. Each step towards the elevator felt like walking through molasses, but she forced one foot in front of the other. The fingers on her left hand gripped her purse, while she lifted the right to knock.
Nathan swung the door open before her knuckles met the wood. His normally perfect blond hair was
slightly askew, one gelled lock falling over his forehead. His mouth twisted, and the dim light from the single lamp in the corner cast shadows across his face. As he tugged her into the room, the unmistakable whiskey scent of Chivas Regal came off him in waves.
“Do you have any idea how many times I have called you over the past few days?” he snarled.
At least fifty. “I’m sorry, Nathan.” She willed herself to sound contrite, but his grip on her arm didn’t ease. “I’ve been working on a deal for Cooper, and it’s kept me very busy.”
“I don’t give a damn about your silly little company. You have an obligation to me, Amanda. Ignoring me is very disrespectful.” Even in the low light, his eyes gleamed with malice.
Rip off the Band-Aid. “You’re right. You deserve someone who can give you the time and attention you deserve.” She cleared her throat. “Right now, I don’t think I can.”
Nathan released her arm with a dark chuckle and gave her his back. He moved to the kitchen and flipped on the light to refill his highball glass. “You don’t think you can,” he echoed, knocking back his drink, then pouring another. He murmured something unintelligible as he refilled the glass.
She stepped closer. “I appreciate the time we’ve spent together, but I think we’d be better off as friends.”
He was smirking when he turned back to respond, but in seconds, his eyes bulged, and his cheeks mottled. The thick crystal glass cracked as he slammed it on the countertop and amber liquid pooled around it. “Friends?” he thundered. “As if I would lower myself to be friends with a two-bit whore like you.”
She took an involuntary step back, expecting him to advance.
Instead, he bellowed, “Lights. Full.” His smart-home features followed his command, triggering the can lights in the ceiling. He dropped his voice. “Who is he?”
She shook her head. There was no way he could know about Kane.
Nathan slammed his hand on the counter next to his abandoned glass. “You barely let me touch you. All your pretty words about waiting for the right time, and you were out fucking some guy tonight. Don’t you dare deny it. The evidence is all over your goddamn face.”
Her fingers flew to her lips.
“I should’ve realized you’d like it rough, baby. Maybe I should grow a beard and see what I can do to your delicate skin. Or maybe I’ll take it out on your ass. See how much your sidepiece wants you after I’m done with you tonight.” With a sweep of his arm, he sent the glass crashing to the floor. He unbuckled his belt as he moved toward her.
He stopped when she pulled the Colt out of her purse and pointed it at his chest.
“No.” The steadiness of her own voice shocked her. “You won’t touch my ass or any other part of me. Not tonight. Not ever again.”
Nathan narrowed his eyes. “You expect me to believe you would shoot me?”
“You expect me to let you abuse me?” She scoffed. “I was a fool to take it for as long as I did. I promise you, it’s over. Don’t call me. Don’t text me. And for damn sure, don’t touch me. Or I will do whatever is necessary to protect myself.”
“You’re going to regret this,” he hissed.
“Not as much as I regret ever taking your shit to begin with.” She edged backward toward the exit and kept the gun trained on Nathan as she used her other hand to open the door.
Then she was free.
***
Amanda eyed her brother.
Mike Cooper excelled at celebrating good news. Generally, because he loved any excuse for a celebration and predictably partied with beer, fried food, or both.
His medications had ruled out any alcohol for weeks now, but he could still put away French fries like nobody’s business. One after another, he shoved the ketchup-laden potatoes into his mouth, barely taking a moment to chew.
“Stop staring at me, and eat your own damn food,” he grumbled, but he didn’t seem terribly bothered. He got to pick the restaurant, and Zaxby’s topped the list of his favorites.
Conversations overlapped across the room. A variety of people enjoying their lunch breaks filled the seats, from the corporate-type guy next to them in a suit and tie, to the table full of utility workers in their Georgia Power Company uniforms. Fried chicken, it seemed, was the great equalizer.
She raised her hands in surrender. “Forgive me, Oh Great One. I couldn’t help but watch you suck down those fries. Somebody had to be ready in case you needed the Heimlich.”
He snorted and kept eating. The return of his appetite had to mean something good for his recovery, as did his willingness to come out and celebrate their official groundbreaking at the new site.
“So,” Mike drawled, smearing his chicken through the mountain of ketchup he’d mixed with the Zaxby sauce, “I don’t suppose you know if Kane is going to be at the new development today.”
She shook her head. Even though she knew it was far-fetched, part of her had hoped to find him waiting when she returned to her condo last night. The first thing she did when she woke was call Robby Jordan, the foreman’s assistant, to find out who was on the crew sheet. Kane had been assigned to the nearly finished project a few miles away.
“I, uh, did see him last night. Kane, I mean. He came over to my place.” Her cheeks burned as she sipped her Arnold Palmer. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember why she’d ever stopped drinking these.
Wonder of wonders, Mike looked up from his food. His jaw was slack. “You said Kane was at your condo?”
She hummed against her straw. “I took your advice. I told him the truth.”
He spun his hand in front of him, urging her to say more.
“It’s complicated.” She sighed. “Or maybe I made it complicated. I wanted to protect him. I still do. His stupid fucking biker gang is about to ruin his life all over again. You know they’re getting into drugs now?”
Mike blinked slowly. “Too much information and not enough.” Shaking his head, he took a sip of his soda.
“We kissed.”
Her brother choked on his drink, and Dr. Pepper sprayed out of his nose onto the remnants of his meal.
With a shudder, she pushed her napkins toward him, but he was already wiping his face with the back of his arm.
“Forget the napkins. Tell me everything, and don’t skip a single detail, or Cindy will never forgive me.”
She didn’t doubt it. Cindy had always been a romantic. “Some guy approached my dad, pretty much offering him money if he helped get the Skulls out of the running to deal drugs in some neighborhood where he wants to do it.”
Mike nodded. “And your dad took the deal.”
“No one seems surprised.” Was she the only one? “Anyway, they’ve got something planned to take Kane’s crew down. Of course, I had to warn him.”
“Of course.” Mike batted his eyelashes at her.
She didn’t take the bait. “He came over, and we got to talking. I told him why I left, and I think he understood because then he was kissing me. God, Mike, it was like I was alive for the first time in years. He—”
“No.” Mike covered his ears with his hands. “I’m still your brother. I don’t need those kinds of details. Save the dirty bits for my wife. You can expect the full inquisition tonight.”
“Nothing too dirty,” she said primly. “Nathan called and interrupted us. I left to end things with him. He didn’t take it well.”
Nodding, Mike rummaged around in the food still in front of him before making a face and pushing it away. “So now what?”
“The million-dollar question, isn’t it?” She gathered the trash from the table and tossed it in the can.
They made the ride to the new development quickly and without much conversation, which gave her time to relive Kane’s kisses over and over again. When they got out of the car, she stood behind Mike’s wheelchair, ready to push.
He reached up and touched the back of her hand. “You’re going to figure this out. I don’t know if the man Kane is now is still right for you, bu
t I do know you have unfinished business together. I’m glad you’ve finally stopped running from it. I love you, sis, and I will be there for you any way I can.”
She made a noise acknowledging his words as she patted down the strands of hair the chilly breeze threatened to pull from her simple twist. Time to be professional. Her Ice Queen mask in place, she pushed her brother toward the crew assembled at Lot 258. Not too many guys yet, since the work hadn’t started. Only Xander, the foreman, his assistant Robby, and three other guys. The clean-cut African American guy with a polo she recognized as Matt York. The guy with the burns on his neck was the latest recruit, Evan something. And next to him was his Ranger buddy, Cyrus Amir. The man was of Middle Eastern descent, and more than a little good looking, with sharp cheekbones and wavy dark hair longer than she’d ever seen it, which was to say it was no longer in the buzzcut he used to sport.
Robby, Matt, and Cyrus all eyed her with—not hostility, but maybe suspicion or wariness. Obviously, the guys were aware of some of the dynamics between her and Kane. But she was still the boss, and some lines they couldn’t cross, even for their friend.
The corners of Xander’s eyes crinkled when he saw Mike. “Michael Cooper. What an unexpected surprise.” He crossed the short distance from the trailer on the side of the property to shake Mike’s hand.
“I wouldn’t miss the chance to be here for the kickoff of the new project, or to see you, old friend.” Mike had worked with Xander since before Charlie died. It was one of the reasons Kane was assigned to Xander’s crew: minimum interaction with Amanda. It made total sense for everyone here to look to him as their boss. She was just the bitch who dumped their buddy a hundred years ago.
She stepped back to let everyone catch up with Mike and for him to meet Evan. They still had another five minutes before Jared Berringer’s scheduled arrival to give his official blessing on the start of the project.