Together. The word caused an involuntary shiver. She liked the sound. Too much. But once again he was right. After her pathetic shower attempt, a trip to the office seemed ridiculous.
“Thank you.” She hated ceding control to Kane, but she had no choice for now.
She focused again on his large hand still covering her thigh. His thumb moved back and forth, his finger gliding over her skin. What was meant as comfort her body read as sensual. The rhythmic motion of his hand released a steady beat between her thighs.
His touch ruled her senses, but she still had presence of mind. He had set her up and used her in the name of his job. For him, it was a professional relationship after all.
She glanced at his taut jaw and his darkened gaze. Or was it more than professional? Her heart kicked into faster speed as the past twenty-four hours came back to her in a rush. The minute he’d slept with her, he’d compromised his job. He’d taken time off to care for her when his boss vetoed protection. He’d talked her sister into spending time with a friend. And he’d crawled into her bed to keep her warm. In Kayla’s book, that went beyond police protection.
The answers about Charmed! might have to wait, but the ones about Kane would not. “You could have left. Even your boss wouldn’t authorize this kind of protection.”
His hand stilled and his eyes cleared. “My gut told me the case wasn’t over yet.”
She swallowed hard and forced herself to continue. She might never get another chance to find out the truth. “And that’s the only reason you’re here?”
“If I’d trusted my gut instinct I wouldn’t have left you alone. You wouldn’t have been attacked.”
She tiled her head to the side. “So it’s guilt.”
“Reality,” he countered.
“Whatever.” Let him think what he chose. Neither answer accounted for the more intimate aspects of their relationship…like the hard arousal pressed against her belly each time she’d awakened in his arms last night.
“So you’re making up for…what?” she asked.
“Sleeping with you made me lose my focus.” His grip on her leg loosened and he stood. “It won’t happen again.”
“I see,” she murmured. A mixture of understanding and awe filtered through her. She’d gotten to him. She’d penetrated the tough exterior and made Kane McDermott feel. She didn’t know what women had come before her, but she doubted he’d ever lost focus because of a night of hot sex.
And hot sex with Kane wasn’t enough. The realization came to her as clear and strong as the sunlight streaming through the window. She blinked against the harsh glare. He walked across the room and drew the shades.
Kayla folded her arms over her chest and lay back against the pillows. If she’d gotten to him once, she could do it again. She had as much to prove to Kane as to herself. Her ability to trust her instincts was at stake. She’d read him so wrong that first night. She had to know she was right about him now.
Exhaustion threatened, but she couldn’t give in. She intended to test his resolve. He might think he was here as her protector to atone for his sins. He was in for a surprise.
She glanced across the room. He stood, legs braced apart, staring out the space in the blinds. She knew the muscles in those legs, the feel of him pulsing in her hand. She knew how it felt to be comforted and held through the night.
She wanted more from Kane than his guilt-induced protection. She wanted the opportunity to see if they had a chance. To see if this man was the one to breach her walls, and show her men—and relationships—had potential. To do that, she had to get past his barriers.
And Kayla intended to get what she wanted.
Chapter Six
Kayla suspected Kane would fight her by erecting barriers so high, she’d have to learn to mountain climb to achieve her goal.
“Kane?” He turned at the sound of his name, his hands tucked in his front jeans pockets.
“Thank you.”
“For?”
“If you’d come over here, I’d tell you.” She couldn’t trust herself to stand, and she couldn’t talk to him if he stood so far away. She had more than physical barriers to breach. She just hadn’t yet learned what the others were.
He walked over and lowered himself onto the bed, causing the mattress to dip beneath his weight. Kayla drew her legs up and scooted closer to the edge. Closer to him.
She placed a hand on his arm. Muscles tightened beneath her fingertips. She didn’t loosen her grip. “I appreciate your being here.”
“Why? I lied to you from the second we met.”
She’d expected to have to force truths out of him. Instead, he’d given her the opening she sought. “Because you were doing your job. I realize that now.”
“If I was doing my job, you’d have been protected before you got hurt.”
She laughed but knew better than to shake her head. Eating had helped, but she still felt drumbeats when she moved too fast. “Sometimes we mistake what our jobs are. I remember one night when I was younger. Catherine wanted to go out with her friends. I knew these friends were trouble, that she was headed in the wrong direction. So I snuck into her room and stole her wallet and what little money she had inside. She went anyway, and got caught sneaking out of a restaurant without paying the hefty bill.” Kayla gnawed the inside of her cheek, remembering the night the police officer had brought her sister home.
His strong hand touched her cheek. “What’s your point?” he asked in a gruff voice.
“We raised each other. It was my job to look out for her and I blew it.”
“Was she arrested?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. The owner refused to press charges. He gave her a job washing dishes instead.
