Khane
There shouldn’t have been any emotions attached to me carrying Desiree, but my heart expanded to about twice its size as the warmth of her weight pressed on me. The fast rhythmic pulses she set off in me warmed my blood with the electric heat she radiated.
She and Arjen were an arrangement. They didn’t have any real vows or allegiance to each other, but in our family, you followed rules and guidelines, or suffered the consequences.
I didn’t always follow the rules. I was notorious for breaking them, but I didn’t want Desiree to face hardships because I was too weak to keep my hands to myself. For the life of me, I couldn’t wipe what happened between us on my balcony from my head. I had also revealed to her my deepest secret where it concerned her, and she still hadn’t turned away from me.
In me, Desiree had gained her most loyal protector, even after she became my brother’s wife. She hadn’t yet grasped the concept of becoming a Vallin. It painted a big target on her back, an even bigger one than the Evans name would bring. Although we kept things low-key, it didn’t matter, enemies lurked, and someone was always gunning for us.
Disappointment hit when the slanted edge of the cabin’s roof came into view. It meant releasing her and having to face the loss of her caressing warmth, of her heart beating against my back, and of her legs wrapped around me. The heat between her legs had stirred my lust into a frenzy as her warm breath on my neck had the unusual ability to calm me.
Once we stepped up the five steps that led to the wide, low-slanted porch covering the front of the cabin, I eased Desiree off my back, being careful so that her robe wouldn’t fly open. I didn’t need to add another piece of her to my imagination.
Tywin did the same with Patrena. It had stunned me to see him crack a smile when he shook Patrena’s hand and at the knowledge that she would be a passenger on his back. Tywin wasn’t one to deal with a woman. Like me, he used them for sex when he wanted it, and that was about as far as it went.
I believe it was him hearing Patrena stand up to me to protect Desiree that may have gotten him to dish out a little extra personality. We had been linked through our earpieces from the moment the women had arrived at the spa. I had no idea we would be leaving with Desiree’s friend, but I couldn’t leave her there to face the unknown group.
With my hand on Desiree’s back, I eased her closer to the door. Standing behind her, I took her right hand, positioning it so that her finger sat atop the six digits that would open the door. Then, I directed her to look into the small black lens that looked like a door peephole, so that it could scan her eyes.
I repeated the wordless sequence so that she would remember it before I allowed her to do it on her own. Becoming a member of our family meant that she would more than likely see this safe house and others we owned in the future.
First try, the door sprang open. Once we were secured inside, Tywin walked over to where I stored the computer equipment. When he pressed the right notch on the wall painting, the floor shifted apart and lifted a portable workstation. The women stood staring at the scene. They were getting a peek into my world, where tech had become just as big a part of my job as the physical training.
Desiree had no idea that Arjen had programmed her fingerprints and retinal scan into his and my house’s security systems, otherwise she would not have been able to gain access into either.
“Ladies, I’ll go and find you something to wear,” I stated before I headed to one of the two bedrooms. Patrena was just as small as Desiree so my large T-shirts and basketball shorts would swallow them.
When I re-entered the living room, I was stopped in my tracks at the sight of Patrena sitting in a chair next to Tywin, observing him as he worked. Neither spoke and although I doubted she understood what was displayed on the screen, she appeared interested just the same.
“I think she likes him, which is rare for her. She hardly likes anyone that easily,” Desiree offered, eyeing her friend sitting next to Tywin.
“Same for him,” I volunteered, handing Desiree her stack of clothes with a pair of socks I had never worn. A few steps more, and I was handing Patrena an identical stack. I stood at Tywin’s side as the women headed to the bathroom to change.
“I like her,” Tywin offered, aiming his head towards the bathroom the women had entered. His words left me in awe as I cast a curious glint at him. “And I know what you’re going to say, so let me save you the trouble. I like her because any woman brave enough to stand up to you has balls. Also, she’s witnessed five murders, has been dragged from a spa in nothing but a robe, shot at, and trekked through the woods on a strange man’s back, and she hasn’t complained once.”
My brow lifted. I was used to the mayhem, and even Desiree to a certain point, but Tywin was right, Patrena was handling this situation better than most would have.
He released a low chuckle. “I feel sorry for you.”
“Why?” I questioned, perplexed by his statement.
He aimed his head towards the bathroom. “She is the only woman I have ever seen you interested in, and she’s marrying your brother. What’s even worse, it’s not one-sided. Arrangement or not, Arjen is going to lose his fucking mind if he sees the way you two look at each other.”
“What?”
Desiree and Patrena came into the room dressed in the clothes I had given them just when I was about to ask Tywin for an explanation. As soon as Desiree filled my view, my words dissolved on my tongue. I no longer had to ask Tywin for an explanation, my reaction to seeing Desiree had proven his point.
I diverted my eyes and pretended indifference, lest everyone bear further witness to me losing my shit over a woman that didn’t belong to me.
The light touch of her hand against my bare arm sent a chill through me, but I managed to hide my reaction. It was perplexing that not even an active and unknown threat was enough to stop the hulking power Desiree held over me.
“Do you guys know who’s after me yet? Do you know if my cousin’s all right?” she questioned.
Her hand remained wrapped around my bicep. Tywin’s insinuating gaze landed on our connection before he flashed a smirk.
“Not yet, and we don’t know why either, but I can assure you, we will find out. Your cousin is protected. She’s fine.” I couldn’t even lift my gaze from her once our eyes met. “You can rest assured, whoever’s after you will die. As far as I’m concerned, they have personally asked me to kill them.”
Her lips fell apart at my words as her big eyes searched mine.
“The kitchen is stocked. Try to relax. If you want to lay down, you two take the larger of the two bedrooms.” I pointed out the door for her.
“Is it okay if we sit there on the couch? I don’t. I-I…” she stuttered, still a bit shaken up over what had happened. “I’ll feel better if I can see you,” she stated, dropping her head like she was ashamed to admit something that I took as a compliment. Tywin shot another crooked smirk in my direction as if to say, see what I mean.
“It’s okay. We’re going to be right over here, collecting data,” I lied. Truth was, I had full range on anything security-related, and I didn’t half-ass it with the men I worked with or what they bought to the table.
Our tech guy, Rhino, was running the faces of the guys from the spa through facial recognition. We were hoping CCTV and traffic cams would give us a clue as to where they were staying, are where they came from. Once we found out who was behind the failed kidnapping, we would beat or siphon the why from someone.
Desiree joined Patrena on the oversized brown leather couch. They huddled together under the thick white blanket that was draped across the back.
Why was such a big part of me thrilled that Desiree wanted to be in my sights? Why couldn’t I shake my attraction, knowing I could never be anything more than protector and family?