Her Delta Force Protector, page 12
She looked at him as if she couldn’t figure him out. He wished her luck with that because he couldn’t figure himself out.
“Okay, I’ll get my things.”
His eyes tracked her as she left the room. Was this attraction to her simply because they’d been thrown together in a dangerous situation? High-octane situations got tense, got the adrenaline going. If that was what this new wanting her was, adrenaline lust, then he’d cut off his arm before touching her. She was special and deserved more than... She just deserved more.
He slid his hand into his pocket and touched the hair tie he’d never given back to her. What if she was the—
He shut that what if thought right down. She was not the one. There was no denying a head doc would have a field day with him, from the time his father had walked away, then a few years later when his mother decided she’d rather be free than be a parent to her sons, and then his years as a special operator, experiences that would screw with any man’s mind.
But he wasn’t going to try to fix the unfixable. No head doc for him. He was just fine with his life and his acceptance that he’d always be alone. Sure, there would be hookups, but they’d forever be just that, a few fleeting hours when he lost himself in a woman’s body and forget that he’d never have what his brothers did. He’d never see a woman wearing his engagement ring like Tristan with Skylar. He’d never have a beautiful daughter like Everly.
There’d never be the one for him.
“You look... I don’t know, a little sad,” Harper said, walking up to him with her duffel over her shoulder and rolling a suitcase behind her.
“Me sad? Never.” There was nothing to be sad about.
Chapter Twenty-One
After all the cops left, Harper gave Tristan her laptop and password, then zipped her duffel bag back up. “I’m ready.”
Kade held his hand out. “Give me your phone.”
She pulled it from her pocket and handed it to him, curious why he needed it when he had his own phone.
He gave it to Tristan. “Destroy it.”
“What? I need it.” How was she supposed to make her scheduled calls to her dad?
“There’s another one waiting for you.” He picked up a small black device and trailed it over her duffel and then the suitcase. When he finished, he dropped it into his jacket pocket.
“You have a bug detector?”
“He has all kinds of toys,” Tristan said. “Wait until you see all his goodies at his cabin.”
Kade shrugged. “Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Words to live by.” He whistled. “Let’s go, Duke.”
Duke raced into the room, followed by Everly. “Where’s Duke going, Uncle Kade?”
“With me and Miss Harper.”
“No!” She wrapped her arms around Duke’s neck. “He has to stay with me.”
“Duke is Miss Harper’s dog, Everly,” Kade said, his voice gentle.
“But he loves me.” She glared at Harper. “He doesn’t love you.”
Harper wasn’t sure why Kade wanted Duke to come with them, especially if it was going to upset Everly. She glanced at Kade and raised her brows.
“He comes with us,” Kade said with no room for argument in his voice.
“Sweetie.” Harper kneeled in front of Everly. “I know he loves you so much, but he has to go to work now. You know, like when your daddy and uncles have to go to work. They might not want to, and I’m sure Duke wants to stay with you, but he has a job to do.”
“Is it an important job like my daddy’s?”
“So important. I promise you, though, that when he finishes his job, he’ll come right home to you.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Well, probably not tomorrow, but soon. Okay?”
Jellybean strolled into the room and let out a drawn-out meow.
Parker stepped to Everly and put his hand on the top of her head. “Why don’t you go feed Jellybean, then we’ll go to the Kitchen for dinner.”
“And ice cream after?”
“Sure.” Parker grinned as Everly ran to the kitchen.
“You’re a pushover, Daddy,” Skylar said. She glanced at Harper and smiled. “Actually, all three of them are softies where that little girl is concerned.”
“Well, she is a hard one to say no to.” Being around Everly—this family actually—only confirmed her wish to have a big family herself someday. The problem was, she was now picturing her children with Kade’s eyes.
After saying their goodbyes, and getting hugs from Tristan, Parker, and Skylar, she and Kade loaded her things in his truck. Kade opened the back door, and Duke jumped in.
As they were pulling out of the driveway, Kade powered down one of the rear windows to halfway, and Duke stuck his head out. Tristan and Skylar, driving separate cars, left with them, Skylar in front, and Tristan behind them.
“Are they escorting us?”
“For a little while to make sure we’re not being followed.”
“I feel like I’ve caused everyone—”
“Don’t. Not a one of us blames you or wishes you hadn’t come to us for help.”
Maybe so, but she had disrupted their lives, especially Kade’s. It occurred to her that he hadn’t brought a suitcase. “You aren’t taking anything? Extra clothes or anything?”
“No, everything I need is at the cabin.”
Except for the gun in the holster inside his jacket she’d noticed earlier. He probably had more weapons stashed on him. That was how those special ops guys rolled. How had she gotten into this mess? Well, she knew how, she just hadn’t expected to have to run for her life. She would do it again to save Lisa, but she’d do it differently. She definitely wouldn’t have gone inside that warehouse. If she hadn’t done that, they would have never known about her. She just hoped “curiosity killed the cat” wasn’t going to be true in her case.
Kade’s attention was focused on the road and on the car’s mirrors, and she didn’t try to talk. Was this intensity Kade the operator? The danger aside, it fascinated her to observe him in action. She didn’t know how she knew, but all his senses were on high alert, and all possibilities had been considered, as well as actions to be taken should one of those events occur.
“Why are you staring at me?”
How did he know? He hadn’t even darted a glance at her. “I was just thinking that your intensity and awareness must be what you’re like on an operation.”
He did look at her then. “It’s called staying alive.” His eyes returned to the road and mirrors.
What she didn’t tell him was that the power and confidence radiating from him was hot. What would he be like in bed? Her body heated just thinking about it. Maybe once they got to his cabin, away from his family, she could get him to do something about this chemistry between them.
A few miles outside of town, Kade followed Skylar a short way up a dirt road. Harper glanced back to see if Tristan was still behind them. He was, but he’d stopped and was turning his car around to face the road.
“What’s going on?”
“Picking up groceries.”
Huh? “There’s a grocery store up here?”
“No, groceries are being delivered.” He stopped his truck next to an SUV with the sheriff’s department logo on it. “Don’t want to go to a store and risk us being seen.”
When had they planned all this?
“Stay here,” he said, then hopped out of the truck.
Holy moly bologna. If she hadn’t been impressed enough by Kade—and she really had been—what she was seeing was a special operator at work, a mission well planned. An expertly choreographed operation took place before her eyes. Kade and a deputy went to the rear of the SUV and moved five coolers to the bed of Kade’s truck.
After the coolers were loaded, Kade stopped at the open window of Skylar’s SUV. A few words were exchanged, and then he smiled at something she said. Harper knew this scene playing out didn’t come close to the planning of a special operations mission, but it gave her an idea of how Kade prepared for all possibilities.
She didn’t know when he’d arranged everything, and he hadn’t asked her what food she wanted, so she was curious to see what was in those coolers. She was really looking forward to seeing his cabin, curious about the place where he was able to decompress.
When they reached the paved road again, their escorts turned in the opposite direction. There had been comfort in knowing they were being guarded by police officers, and now that they were alone, Harper couldn’t help worrying a little, and she watched the road as intently as Kade.
After driving for a while, the lake appeared, then came and went as they traveled on the curvy road. The houses on the lake were big and expensive, and she couldn’t imagine Kade owning one of them. Even if he had the money, they just weren’t him. Then she lost sight of the lake altogether and they left the houses behind.
Her tension eased as traffic became sparse. If anyone tried to sneak up on them, they would be easy to see, and it helped that Kade seemed to relax, too. Eventually, he turned onto a gravel road, and she guessed they’d traveled about two miles before a small log cabin came into view. The covered porch looked out over the lake, and there was a dock with a boat on a lift. The cabin was isolated, not another house in sight.
Duke, who’d had his head out the window the entire trip, barked, and his tail furiously wagged.
“He loves it here,” Kade said. “Watch. As soon as I open the door, he’ll head straight for the lake.” He got out, opened the door for Duke, and sure enough, the dog raced to the lake, down the dock, and took a flying leap off the end.
Funny that she was jealous of her dog for getting to spend time with him here. She could see why this was Kade’s peace place. After exiting the truck, she took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air and smiled at Kade when he came around the truck and stopped next to her. “It’s beautiful here.”
“You think so?” Mischief flashed in his eyes. “You’re only the third female I’ve brought here.”
Seriously, Kade? She did not need to know that.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kade hadn’t missed her nose wrinkling—her tell when she didn’t like something—and he chuckled as he headed for the cabin. He glanced over his shoulder. “You coming?” He jogged up the steps to the porch, and when she joined him, he said, “The other two were Skylar and Everly.”
“Oh.”
He shouldn’t like that it mattered to her to know that. He unlocked the door, pushed it open, and held out his arm for her to enter. As soon as he deactivated the alarm, he leaned against the wall and watched her. What would she think of his home away from home, the place he was most at peace? He wasn’t sure why it mattered, but he wanted her to like it here.
She stopped a few feet inside and looked around, then spread out her arms. “This is perfect. Not too rustic and not too fancy. Just perfect.”
Pleasure expanded in his chest “Thanks.” He scanned the room, trying to see it through her eyes. His cabin had two bedrooms and one bath, one more bedroom than he needed unless Everly was spending the weekend with him, which she did a few times during the summers.
Even though Skylar occasionally came over for the day to go out on the boat with him and fish, she never spent the night. Other than Everly, he’d never let anyone sleep over, not even his brothers. Guess Harper was now on his sleepover list. He’d wondered if he would feel antsy with her in his sanctuary, but he didn’t. Interesting.
The living room, small area for a dining table, and kitchen were open...no walls. He didn’t like walls. When he’d bought the place five years ago, it had been a fixer-upper the owner was almost paying someone to take off his hands. Every room had been walled in. Damn claustrophobic. It had taken the years since taking possession to complete his DIY project, only finishing last spring.
The original wood floors had thankfully only needed refinishing, the smoke-blackened floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace a lot of scrubbing, and the log walls a good clear coat. The kitchen had been his biggest project as it had to be gutted. It wasn’t huge and hadn’t needed oversize appliances, but he’d gone with the best, along with new cabinets and light gray soapstone countertops.
Everything had been done by his hands, and although some of it was by trial and error, the work had been therapeutic. His brothers had offered to help, but he’d declined. If they were here in his space, he’d have to talk. He loved them and would go after anyone who hurt them, but he didn’t always want to talk to them...to anyone. Especially when coming right off a mission. He was almost sorry he didn’t have more to do because working on this place kept his mind busy and off things he didn’t want to think about.
For furniture, he’d gone basic but comfortable. A light brown leather couch and matching recliner, wood and steel coffee table and side tables, and, of course, a big-ass TV. A small two-people dining table, beds—king-size for his room, and twins for the second bedroom—and dressers. That was it.
As he took in the great room, seeing it through Harper’s eyes, he decided he needed a few things to make it homier. A throw rug, maybe, something for the fireplace mantel, a picture or two for the walls. Parker would probably paint something for him, and thinking about it, he liked the idea of having some of Parker’s art in his cabin. Some of Parker’s art in the bedrooms, too.
“I’m surprised you don’t live here,” she said.
“A little too far out.” That wasn’t the full truth. He was afraid if he lived here, it would stop being special, would no longer feel like his place to find peace. “I’m going to unload the truck.”
“I’ll help.”
“No need, but you can start putting the groceries away.” He took the burner phone Skylar’s deputy had given him out of his pocket. “Here you go. A replacement. It’s safe to use.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Their fingers brushed together when he handed her the phone, and she lifted her eyes to his. The air crackled between them as their gazes held. Damn. He dropped his hand. It was going to be torture having her share his space and not touching her. He really wanted to touch her, wanted his mouth on hers again. Hell, there were a lot of places he wanted his mouth.
“I’ll start bringing in the groceries.” And try to cool down.
“What about Duke? Is he okay out there?”
“He’s part fish. He’ll come in when he’s worn himself out.”
“I don’t have a bathing suit.”
That stopped him in his tracks. Harper in a bathing suit—and his brain went straight to her in a bikini—would be his undoing. “It’s too cold. Your lips would turn blue if you got in the lake right now.” And here he was thinking about her mouth again. Not only did he want his mouth all over her, but he also wouldn’t be averse to having her mouth all over him. Eff him. He should go jump in the lake himself before she noticed the way his pants were tenting.
As soon as he stepped outside, he blew out a breath, sent a curse into the air, and adjusted his jeans. She was a girl who deserved the man of her dreams, he reminded himself. He didn’t know how to dream and sure as hell didn’t know how to give someone else theirs.
What he knew how to do was kill bad guys, keep people safe, and use his muscles to carry in the food. Those were pretty much his specialties. He paused at the bottom of the steps to watch Duke playing in the lake, and he smiled at the silly dog. If only humans had the traits of a dog. Dogs loved unconditionally. They didn’t care about skin color, or gender, or social status. They just loved.
Kade picked up a stick and threw it past Duke’s bobbing head. Harper’s dog barked a sound of joy as he swam after the stick. When this was over, she would leave and take her dog with her. Best to ignore this urge to find a way to keep them in his life.
He carried in two coolers, one stacked on top of the other. “Here’s the first load.” Two more trips and he had all the coolers, along with her suitcase and duffel bag in. He took her things to the second room. When he returned to the kitchen, Harper had put all the cold items in the fridge and was busy stocking the pantry.
“You got me yogurt with cherries on the bottom and pepper Jack cheese.” She came to him, lifted on her toes, and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for remembering.”
“You’re welcome.” She’d always been easy to please, and he liked making her happy. He liked her kissing him, too, even if it was only on the cheek. Before he shared that little fact with her, he grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, something to keep his mouth busy before words he shouldn’t say slipped out.
“We should be friends with benefits while we’re here.”
His water went down wrong, and he choked. She had her back to him as she organized the pantry to her liking, and she’d said that no differently than if she’d said it was a nice day out. Maybe he’d heard her wrong. Maybe she’d said she wanted eggs Benedict.
She glanced over her shoulder. “You okay?”
No. He was far from okay. He hadn’t heard her wrong, but he was going to pretend he hadn’t heard her at all. “I’m going to get Duke out of the water. He’ll stay in the lake all day if you let him.”
“Okay.”
Coward, he thought as he walked outside. Give him guns shooting at him any day of the week and he wouldn’t blink twice, but his best friend offering something he desperately wanted, and he was running for cover.
He grabbed the towel he’d left draped over the railing the last time he was here, then walked to the lake. He whistled for Duke, and the dog swam to shore, shook so hard to displace the water on his coat that he fell off his feet. “You’re ridiculous,” Kade muttered with a chuckle. Duke got himself upright, then knowing the drill, raced to Kade.
“Man to man, what would you do if a girl you really liked wanted to be friends with benefits?” Kade snorted. “Yeah, silly question to ask a dog. If you still had your balls, you wouldn’t even have to think about it. Am I right?”
