“A few weeks ago, I had the feeling that someone had been in my house,” I admitted in a small voice. I definitely didn’t want to volunteer this information, mostly because of the reaction I expected—and the one I got—but also because I wasn’t convinced that a ‘feeling’ was even worth mentioning. It seemed so alarmist. But I also knew that not mentioning this could be worse.
“What the fuck?” Kace hissed. “Why didn’t you say shit about this?”
I should’ve told Cade in private. I did not need this response. Not in front of anyone, and not at all. His response demonstrating his belief that he was entitled to this information because he was fucking me. I hadn’t said anything to Kace sooner because I did not want to awaken the alpha male protection curse.
I glanced to Kace, my eyes hard. “Because I thought I was just being paranoid. Nothing was taken, nothing was changed, no one jumped out of a closet. I figured I was just overreacting.”
“You don’t overreact to shit,” Kace argued in a clipped tone.
There was too much ownership in that statement. Too much knowledge.
So I focused on Cade. “I don’t know if anyone was even there, but if they were, they were only trying to scope things out.”
Cade nodded. “We got you, Lizzie.”
I smiled. “I know, Cade.”
“We’ll leave you to it,” Cade said as he stood to leave. He leaned forward and brushed the back of his hand across my jaw. “We’re gonna figure out who did this. And we’re gonna make sure that no harm comes to you. Promise you that.”
Here I was. Right where I hadn’t wanted to be. Reliant on the club. On men. To protect me. Though I wasn’t going to try and argue against it. I’d been in this life far too long, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. Plus, there was real danger here. Danger that I surely couldn’t handle on my own. Danger that the club knew how to handle. It was my responsibility as a mother to let them take care of it.
“I’m stayin’,” Kace said, voice rough.
Cade glanced backward, his face not betraying a thing. His eyes found mine. “You okay with that?”
Of course I wasn’t okay with that. I didn’t want to be alone with Kace. Not now while I felt so vulnerable, so shaken. Especially not with him in protective, macho man mode. Things felt too raw. Too real.
But I knew far too well that arguing about this kind of shit, throwing sass, was a sure-fire way to shout from the rooftops that we were not only sleeping together but something else was going on too.
However Ashley kept her and Wire a secret for as long as she had, it was nothing short of a miracle. I made a mental note to pick her brain.
“Sure,” I replied to Cade, glaring at Kace. “That’s fine.”
Something moved in Cade’s eyes. Something I didn’t at all like. He nodded once, did the whole chin lift with Kace and then left.
“You really had to be the one to volunteer for babysitting duty and do it in an intense, alpha male way that totally just spelled out we’re sleeping together?” I snapped as soon as Cade left.
“Someone is after you,” Kace ground out.
“Yes, I have a headache and the makings of a scar that prove that,” I replied.
“So all bets are off now. I kept my distance, played by your rules ‘cause I didn’t really care about how I had you, it just mattered that I had you.” He paced the room like a caged animal. “Could’ve lost you today. We all could’ve lost you. Your kids could’ve lost you.”
His aim hit true, hitting me right in the heart.
“You can bet your beautiful ass I’ll be acting alpha as fuck for as long as it takes us to figure out who the fuck was stupid enough to try to hurt you. Then you can steer us back in whichever direction you want.”
Kace had stopped pacing now. He was staring at me, daring me to challenge him. There was so much aggression in his words. A fury. But I could see through it. He was scared. Because he cared about me. He hadn’t ever hidden that. From the start, he’d made it clear that he’d wanted to know me. Then, that he wanted to fuck me. Then, after that, that he wanted more than fucking.
But he hadn’t ever pressured me. Pushed me. He only dominated me when he was inside me, otherwise, I made the rules. But I guessed someone cutting the brakes in my car was the point where all of that stopped.
As much as I wanted to argue, just because I was scared about all of this, scared that I would get attached to another man taking care of me before I truly knew how to take care of myself, I didn’t. I needed the club on this. My kids needed the club. And Kace.