And now he was pissed at both himself and at her.
Kane drew a deep breath. It didn’t matter why he’d come into her life. The fact remained that he had, and in the process, he’d compromised himself, his principles, his case, and his job. Not bad for a night’s work, McDermott.
The same part of him that wanted to kick himself for getting in too deep also needed to know. Could it all have been one-sided?
What was he to her? The question resurfaced along with the reason he was supposed to have gone out with her. Find out if her business was a front.
He’d been a quick fuck for her. She’d been a job to him. That was the way it had to be.
He shoved his hand into his pants pockets and fished through his wallet, then turned toward her. “We never agreed on a price, but I’m sure this will cover last night’s…lessons.” Lessons they hadn’t discussed even once.
Still, she might not think she’d taught him anything. But she had. A very expensive and painful lesson. He tossed the wad of bills onto the bed.
Don’t take the money. His heart seemed to hammer out the words in rapid beats. Furious with himself, he still needed to see her reaction, needed to know what he’d meant to her.
She paused mid-pulling the jean jacket onto her shoulders.
“What…is…that?” she asked, her voice hoarse, her pretty eyes wide in disbelief.
He shrugged. “Before we went out, you said we’d see how things go before we discuss payment.” He thrust his hand toward the bed where the money lay on the mattress.
Glaring.
Harsh.
Wrong.
“That’s for services rendered,” he said, wanting to take back the words as soon as they escaped. Before he’d seen the hurt look cross her face.
Because in his mind, the case had been closed long before he slept with her. He knew she wasn’t a prostitute, knew she had no knowledge of any ring that might exist.
He’d wanted to find distance from his feelings for Kayla Luck and from the horrified look on her face, he’d accomplished his goal.
Chapter Four
Kayla shrugged her jacket on and stared at the money on the bed in disbelief. “Payment.” She forced the words from her dry throat.
Things had been unbelievable, or so she’d thought. Special, sensual, incredible, fun—she couldn’t come up with enough adjectives to describe how being with Kane had felt. Because he was leaving, she’d decided to slip out before he awoke. No goodbyes, nor forced smiles. No questions, like will I see you again? She’d been foolish enough to hope he’d look her up again on his own, no prompting.
She turned toward the bed. The money marred the mattress where she’d come close to falling hard. For a stranger. Her stomach cramped, and she was reminded of another morning after. It’s been real, Kayla. Catch you around sometime. Different man, another notch in some guy’s bedpost. Kane had just been so much better at seducing her into denial before slapping her with reality. Men didn’t want anything real with Kayla Luck. They never had, never would.
She squared her shoulders and forced a brave front. She refused to let him know how deeply he’d wounded her. “You’re right, we never agreed on payment.”
Unable to look into those dark eyes, she kept her gaze trained on a point behind him. “I said we’d see how things went…and…” The green bills caught her eye, mocking the instincts she’d trusted as well as her attempt at composure.
She paused, wanting to slam him, wanting to say last night hadn’t been good enough to accept payment in return. But that wasn’t her nature; though Catherine might have had a choice word or two for a man who’d crossed her, Kayla was different. She bent and grabbed her bag. Perhaps she no longer trusted her judgment in men, but she respected herself enough to be strong until she walked out that door. No man had the right to treat her like a prostitute.
Straightening, she met Kane’s unreadable gaze. “Know what, McDermott? You and your payment can go to hell.” She didn’t know him well, but she’d learned enough last night to catch a flicker of emotion in his eyes now.
Relief mixed with regret? She shook her head, realizing she’d been searching for something to hold on to despite his blatant insult. Apparently, she harbored unhealthy illusions. For all his suave charm, Kane McDermott was no better than the rest.
Gathering her pride and her jacket, she ran for the door.
Kane didn’t try to stop her.
* * *
“No cash exchanged hands last night. Unless you can claim success, McDermott, I’d say case closed.” Reid approached Kane from behind.
Kane eased back in his chair and forced himself to turn and look his superior in the eye. “She’s clean, boss.”
“Damn.” Captain Reid crumpled a sheet of paper and slammed it into the trash. “Waste of manpower,” the older man grumbled.
“Seems like,” Kane agreed.
“Our informant could be blowing smoke, playing both sides for cash…but the teasers he gave us sounded legit. I really believed some of our politicians were frequenting that place on the down low.” The captain paced the short length of Kane’s desk and back again before coming to a halt. “Any chance things happened before Ms. Luck took over?”
Kane shook his head. “Doesn’t seem possible. Not without her knowing. She was around during the aunt and uncle’s days; she helped them out once in a while with classes and handled the books. Now she’s running the place herself. If there was anything going on then or now, she’d know.”
“Any chance she was tipped off, then turned those lovely charms your way?”
“Hell, no.”
“Yeah? Then any chance she got to you last night?” Reid pushed on.
Kane raised an eyebrow. “You mean conned me? Also no. She’s innocent. I’d bet my badge.”
“Really.” The captain smirked before settling himself on the edge of the metal desk. “Now that’s a first.”
“What is? I always trust my instincts,” Kane
