sprawled all over John.
She broke away abruptly and scrambled off his lap, turning her back on him and heading for the other side of the porch.
Damn it. Gods damn it, why this man? Why now?
“Kaine.”
He rose from the chair and headed her way but stopped when she held up one hand.
“No. Kyle’s coming and I don’t…”
“What? Don’t want him to know about us?”
Fat chance of that happening. Kyle already knew she’d slept with John. And if she hadn’t told him, he’d be able to smell John all over her.
She knew she’d worried everyone who cared for her in the past few months. Nic, Duke, Tira, Kyle, Tamra. Even her dad, though he hadn’t been around to see how she was handling everything. He was off who-knew-where-doing-who-knew-what for the lucani king.
Par for the course, there.
“No,” she said. “He already knows.”
“Then what?”
“I don’t want him to go primeval on your ass, okay? He can be a little overprotective.”
“You’re a grown woman.”
“Yes. But he’s my commanding officer. He takes his responsibilities more than a little seriously. And I’m a responsibility.”
As she spoke, Kyle’s jeep came into sight down the road leading into the streghe ’s village of New Tarquin.
In the haze of dawn, she could see Kyle in the front seat, as well as Dane Dimitriou.
And when the Jeep finally pulled to a stop, Kyle stepped out then reached into the back to help Tam.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to reach for just a little bit of peace, a tiny bit of calm in the face of Kyle’s take-no-shit attitude.
She straightened as he reached the porch, her chin lifting, her arms stiffening at her sides until Kyle had reached the bottom of the porch steps. Then she saluted with her right fist to her left shoulder.
She didn’t give his rank, knowing he wouldn’t want John to know anything more until Kyle decided on a course of action. And it would be Kyle’s decision how much to tell John and when.
She’d already fucked up enough.
Kyle just shook his head as he came up the steps. “Kaine, gods damn it, don’t—”
“Kyle, honey.” Tam none too gently elbowed her mate out of the way to get to the porch, linking her elbow through Kaine’s until they stood side by side. “I think you should take John and go with Dane to see Nica while Kaine and I have a little talk, okay?”
Tiny and fierce, with baby-fine blonde hair and an expression that could cow a grown man in seconds, Tam took shit from no one. Including her older, tattooed hard-ass of a mate.
With a sigh, Kyle held Kaine’s gaze for another few seconds before he motioned to the man waiting behind him.
“We’ve got our orders, Dane. Let’s go see what’s what. You and I,” he made sure she knew he was talking to her, “will talk later.”
She nodded. She knew this was only a brief reprieve.
“We’ll be in in a minute.” Tam shooed the men away with one hand as she tugged on Kaine’s arm and pulled her toward the other end of the porch. “I just want a few minutes.”
Kaine chanced a look over her shoulder at John, who was watching her with a steady gaze.
“He’ll be fine,” Tam whispered, knowing Kaine would be able to hear her. “He’s a big boy and Kyle doesn’t bite. At least not unless I ask. And then only if I can bite him back.”
A slight smile tugged at Kaine’s lips. “You know I really don’t want to have those images about my commanding officer in my head. And I know why you said it. I’m fine, Tam. Really.”
“Well, we can all use a time-out now and then. You looked a little, um, flustered.”
“Kyle told you I slept with John, didn’t he?”
Tam’s nose crinkled as she frowned. “Well, it was more like he started ranting about cutting off a particular appendage of John’s for daring to touch you. But yeah, I got the general idea.”
The men still stood on the other end of the porch and Kaine couldn’t help but hold her breath until Kyle stuck out his hand to
She broke away abruptly and scrambled off his lap, turning her back on him and heading for the other side of the porch.
Damn it. Gods damn it, why this man? Why now?
“Kaine.”
He rose from the chair and headed her way but stopped when she held up one hand.
“No. Kyle’s coming and I don’t…”
“What? Don’t want him to know about us?”
Fat chance of that happening. Kyle already knew she’d slept with John. And if she hadn’t told him, he’d be able to smell John all over her.
She knew she’d worried everyone who cared for her in the past few months. Nic, Duke, Tira, Kyle, Tamra. Even her dad, though he hadn’t been around to see how she was handling everything. He was off who-knew-where-doing-who-knew-what for the lucani king.
Par for the course, there.
“No,” she said. “He already knows.”
“Then what?”
“I don’t want him to go primeval on your ass, okay? He can be a little overprotective.”
“You’re a grown woman.”
“Yes. But he’s my commanding officer. He takes his responsibilities more than a little seriously. And I’m a responsibility.”
As she spoke, Kyle’s jeep came into sight down the road leading into the streghe ’s village of New Tarquin.
In the haze of dawn, she could see Kyle in the front seat, as well as Dane Dimitriou.
And when the Jeep finally pulled to a stop, Kyle stepped out then reached into the back to help Tam.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to reach for just a little bit of peace, a tiny bit of calm in the face of Kyle’s take-no-shit attitude.
She straightened as he reached the porch, her chin lifting, her arms stiffening at her sides until Kyle had reached the bottom of the porch steps. Then she saluted with her right fist to her left shoulder.
She didn’t give his rank, knowing he wouldn’t want John to know anything more until Kyle decided on a course of action. And it would be Kyle’s decision how much to tell John and when.
She’d already fucked up enough.
Kyle just shook his head as he came up the steps. “Kaine, gods damn it, don’t—”
“Kyle, honey.” Tam none too gently elbowed her mate out of the way to get to the porch, linking her elbow through Kaine’s until they stood side by side. “I think you should take John and go with Dane to see Nica while Kaine and I have a little talk, okay?”
Tiny and fierce, with baby-fine blonde hair and an expression that could cow a grown man in seconds, Tam took shit from no one. Including her older, tattooed hard-ass of a mate.
With a sigh, Kyle held Kaine’s gaze for another few seconds before he motioned to the man waiting behind him.
“We’ve got our orders, Dane. Let’s go see what’s what. You and I,” he made sure she knew he was talking to her, “will talk later.”
She nodded. She knew this was only a brief reprieve.
“We’ll be in in a minute.” Tam shooed the men away with one hand as she tugged on Kaine’s arm and pulled her toward the other end of the porch. “I just want a few minutes.”
Kaine chanced a look over her shoulder at John, who was watching her with a steady gaze.
“He’ll be fine,” Tam whispered, knowing Kaine would be able to hear her. “He’s a big boy and Kyle doesn’t bite. At least not unless I ask. And then only if I can bite him back.”
A slight smile tugged at Kaine’s lips. “You know I really don’t want to have those images about my commanding officer in my head. And I know why you said it. I’m fine, Tam. Really.”
“Well, we can all use a time-out now and then. You looked a little, um, flustered.”
“Kyle told you I slept with John, didn’t he?”
Tam’s nose crinkled as she frowned. “Well, it was more like he started ranting about cutting off a particular appendage of John’s for daring to touch you. But yeah, I got the general idea.”
The men still stood on the other end of the porch and Kaine couldn’t help but hold her breath until Kyle stuck out his hand to
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