Stronger Than You Know by Lori Foster

CHAPTER SEVEN

“YOUSUREYOUknow what you’re doing?” Del asked. He was damned tired of hanging around this run-down excuse for a cabin with nothing to do but smoke and think. He wanted to get back on the street, get his connections going and start acquiring girls he could rent out. Until then, he was bleeding what little cash he’d saved.

“You need to learn patience,” Golly said, probably for the hundredth time. “With patience comes great rewards.”

Hearing that nonsense, Del was fairly certain he and Golly had little in common. To him, selling women was a business. Not so for his cohort in this miserable scheme. Golly was obsessed with a scrawny girl and had some sick, twisted plans for when he captured her.

He was also completely repulsive. Throughout his life, Del had met some real disgusting characters, but none were as unbalanced as this one. It was bad enough that many of his teeth had rotted out, that his bald head was perpetually sweaty and that his shirts seldom covered his gut. Did he have to continually smile as if his brain had malfunctioned?

Sick prick.

Making a decision, Del stubbed out his cigarette and stood glaring at the man. “I’ll wait a little longer, then I need to move on.” Yes, he wanted Kennedy. He wanted to make her sorry for having crossed him. Mostly he wanted to remove her as a threat. The rest of the world had forgotten about him, but Kennedy?

She would never forget; he was fairly certain of that. It had taken him a while, but he’d finally located her here in Colorado. He was that close to ending her for good, but he had to move with caution, which was why he’d agreed to team up with the sick fuck now rocking in a wooden chair and humming.

What bothered him even more than the unnatural manner of the guy? That face. Del would bet the man had always been butt ugly, but an unhealthy fixation gave him the appearance of a demon from hell.

And that goddamned smile made it all the worse.

Yeah, if they didn’t find Kennedy soon, Del would cut his losses and move on. He lit another cigarette.

No bitch was worth this much trouble.

THATNIGHT, AFTER debating with herself for far too long, Kennedy reluctantly returned to the living room instead of staying in the guest room, as was her norm. She’d tried to stick to her plan of giving Reyes as much space as she could so her time spent at his home wouldn’t feel so invasive.

Already he’d reordered his life to accommodate her. She’d never known anyone like him. Who did that for a mere acquaintance?

Obviously, a man of Reyes’s caliber.

He might act irreverent at times, and there was no denying he had a high opinion of his ability, plus his blatant sexuality was as much a part of him as his height and good looks.

And he was so much more than that. Smart, caring, gentle, practical, efficient.

Proud.

Gorgeous.

She’d brought so much trouble to his door, and it was all amplified by Jodi’s volatility. Asking for anything more was unforgivably selfish, and yet here she was.

She found Reyes half sprawled over the couch, his head in the corner of the armrest, one muscled leg stretched along the cushions, the other braced on the floor. He had a laptop balanced on his hard abdomen and was focused on something he read.

Of course he noticed her silent approach. He missed nothing.

Glancing up, his expression went wary. “Hey.”

After dinner, she’d insisted on doing cleanup, where she’d lingered as long as she could, too unsettled to want to be alone. Finally, around eight thirty, she’d gone to the guest room. That was over an hour ago. Clearly, given her current habits, he hadn’t expected to see her again until the morning. But for every second she’d spent pacing the room, her agitation had grown. She’d been unable to calm her rioting emotions.

And she’d been unable to stop thinking about Reyes.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Jodi, because overall she did. She didn’t think Jodi would ever hurt her. As Reyes had said, Jodi was clearly obsessed with her.

But what if she hurt Reyes? He’d deny even the possibility, though people couldn’t dodge bullets. Did Jodi own a high-powered rifle?

She honestly didn’t know.

Another worry worm that had crawled into her brain was the idea that Jodi didn’t understand boundaries, and she was so single-minded about protecting Kennedy that she didn’t seem to distinguish right from wrong.

Would Jodi do something completely over-the-top that, in effect, could end up hurting her? Yes.

Now here she was, afraid for Reyes, riddled with guilt, worried for Jodi—and for the women Reyes visited.

Closing his laptop and setting it aside, Reyes sat up. “Everything okay?”

Now that she stood before him, she felt far more awkward than she’d anticipated.

She shook her head. No, she wasn’t okay.

He was on his feet instantly, his hands clasping her shoulders, drawing her close. “Jodi has you rattled?”

“Yes.” God, it felt good to let him hold her. Too good. It would be dangerous to depend on him that much, so she pressed back, robbing herself of his physical comfort. “I’ve been thinking.”

He waited, and when she couldn’t seem to vocalize the rest, he prompted her with, “Okay.”

That made her smile. Silly Reyes. Always trying to comfort her. Always succeeding. “Can we sit?”

“Sure, yeah.” He cleared a spot, then eased down with her, still keeping her close.

Such a big, badass guy, who always took care with her. Knowing she’d confused him—heck, she had herself confused, too—Kennedy leaned into his side.

So warm and strong. Resting one hand on his chest, she settled against the curve of his shoulder. “Let me get this said, okay?”

“All right.”

“If you want to visit a woman, you should.”

Arrested, he went perfectly still. But not for long. “Damn it, Kennedy—”

“Let me finish,” she urged.

Frowning down at her, his mouth flattened, he gave one firm, annoyed nod.

“I know you think you need to stay here with me, but it’s enough that you let me stay. Even if you’re not here, it’s safe, right? I promise I won’t step outside. You shouldn’t be locked down just because I am.”

“My turn, yet?”

“No.” God, this was difficult. “If you’re staying in tonight—”

“You know I am.”

Yup, that was relief turning her bones to noodles. Had she really thought he might race out the door just because she gave him permission?

Maybe she should do more than that.

Maybe she should encourage him to go...have his needs met.

God, that idea galled her, but she was determined to be fair to him. “I already knew you didn’t spend your nights at home. Jodi confirmed it, therefore there’s no reason for you to be discreet about it. You have a right to live your life.”

“Damn right I do.” He levered her up and across his lap as easily as he would have moved a throw pillow. She landed on his hard thighs with startling awareness. “No one tells me what to do or not do. Cade tries sometimes. Dad often gives it his best shot. Even Bernard has put in the effort a time or two.”

She was on Reyes’s lap. Everything he’d just said breezed in one ear and out the other.

The position was unlike anything she’d known. When was the last time anyone had held her?

So long ago that she couldn’t remember.

“Are you listening to me?”

Not really. For some reason, he was running down the list of his family members as if they had some bearing on the situation. For the life of her, she didn’t know why.

Kennedy sat stiffly, trying to give him the attention he demanded. But...

This was not at all what she’d expected when she ventured from the guest room.

His big hand came up to cradle the side of her face. “Pay attention, okay?”

She nodded. “Yes, okay.”

Showing his doubt, he slipped his thumb under her chin and tilted her face up more. “If I wanted to go out, I’d go out.”

“You can’t want to stay cooped up here with me.”

“Why not? You’re good company.” The thumb under her chin began a slow caress. “At least you are when you’re not hiding in the other room.”

Hiding. That summed it up nicely. “This is all so different. I’m used to being alone. I don’t know what to do.”

“With me?”

The way he asked that, it sounded sexual. Funny, but it caused a flutter in her stomach that didn’t come close to resembling panic or even discomfort. “I don’t date, Reyes. I don’t sit around having casual conversations with men. I never sit on a guy’s lap.”

“So?”

Right. What exactly was her point? “I do my speaking, I engage with the audience, I answer questions, and then I go home to work on my book.”

“Alone.”

“It’s what I prefer.” Or rather, what she used to prefer. The fact that she was here now, sitting on Reyes’s lap, proved that being alone didn’t appeal as much at the moment.

His gaze searched hers. “Are you saying you’d rather I go out? That you want time away from me?”

“No!” Good God, running him out of his own home was the very last thing she wanted. Unsure what to do with her hands, she folded them together in her lap. He might be casual about their current position, but she wasn’t. “Actually, I was going to ask you something.”

“Shoot.”

It would be better to just get it out there rather than keep agonizing over it. In a rush of words, she asked, “Since you’re staying in, could I sleep with you again?”

The house got so quiet Kennedy could hear the steady thumping of her heart.

He cleared his throat. “You’re ready for bed now?”

It was barely ten, but... “Yes?”

“No problem.” In rapid order, he set her on her feet, moved his laptop to a table and began turning off lights.

Watching him, Kennedy said, “I guess after speaking with Jodi, I’m a little more nervous than I thought.”

“That chick could spook anyone.” He stood beneath the only remaining light near the stairs.

“I don’t think I’d be able to sleep on my own. My brain would just keep churning over problems. But that first night here, with you, I slept well.”

He held out a hand. “I know what you’re saying, and what you’re not. Don’t worry that I’ll take it the wrong way, okay?”

She took two steps toward him before pausing again. “I know it doesn’t make sense for me to tell you to go out, then ask you to sleep with me.”

“Makes perfect sense because I’m not going out, so we might as well share the bed.”

He was the most confounding man ever, the way he just rolled with a situation, no questions asked. Surely, nothing like this had happened to him before.

Could he really know her that well?

She couldn’t resist taking his hand. God knew he offered it often enough.

They started up the steps, with him measuring his stride to match her own.

Part of her shopping expedition had included warm pajamas. She wore the snug-fitting thermal bottoms with a looser matching top. After her shower, she’d left her hair free to ward off the headache trying to claim her. Her teeth were brushed, she’d applied lotion to her skin, and now...now she really wanted her thoughts to settle instead of jumping in a dozen different directions, each one more unsettling than the last.

At the bedroom door, he said, “I need to brush my teeth. Go ahead and get under the covers.” He stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.

She knew he’d showered at the gym, and she assumed he wore his jeans out of deference to her. He’d adopted that habit ever since she’d moved into the guest room.

Maybe he thought she’d opted for a different room because his casual near-nudity made her feel threatened.

In truth, she enjoyed looking at him. Sure, she might be forever affected by her experience, but that didn’t make her blind. In many ways, Reyes was like a work of art. A living sculpture of long bones, pronounced muscles and delectable body hair.

The door opened and he stepped back into the room to find her still standing there.

Smile going crooked, he chided, “You haven’t moved.”

“I got lost in thought.”

“Yeah? About Jodi?”

Shaking her head, she asked, “Why are you wearing jeans all the time?”

Coming to a halt, he looked down at his jeans as if he’d forgotten he had them on, then he scratched his jaw. “I figured it was the polite thing to do.”

She gave an exasperated sigh. “Because you think it makes me uncomfortable?”

“I thought it might, and didn’t want to take the chance.”

Heading to the bed, she said, “Well, it doesn’t. But even if it did, I don’t want you adjusting things for me. Your comfort should come first. That’s what I’d prefer, okay?”

“So if I just go naked around the house, you’re okay with that?”

She had the covers lifted in her hand, one knee on the mattress about to climb in, but at his statement she almost fell in face-first. “Naked?” Straightening back to her feet, she dropped her hands to her hips and eyed him with suspicion. “You’re just messing with me. No way do you prance around here naked.”

“Prance, no.”

Her mind conjured an image... “Be serious, Reyes.”

He laughed at her sharp tone. “Sorry. Gotta take my pleasures where I can.” Sporting a big grin, he shucked off his jeans but left on his boxers, turned off the light and got into bed.

Leaving her standing there feeling foolish. “So you don’t walk around here without clothes?”

“Not often.”

This time she rudely huffed, sure that he was only baiting her to get a reaction. She slid between the cool sheets, and immediately Reyes tugged her close, curving his body around hers.

His minty breath teased her cheek. “Get comfortable in whatever way works for you, as long as it’s near me, and then we can get some sleep.”

“I want you comfortable, too,” she whispered.

“So you know, I’m a hell of a lot more comfortable like this than with us sleeping in separate rooms.”

She turned her head enough to face him, but her eyes hadn’t yet adjusted. She had the sense of him being very near, yet she couldn’t make out his features. “You said you’ve never brought a woman here.”

“Haven’t.” His hand smoothed over her hair, then tucked it back behind her ear with a tenderness she felt in her heart. “There’s a difference in being home alone and knowing a woman sleeps just downstairs.”

His temperature seemed to have risen, sending his heated scent to envelope her. “This is nice,” she murmured.

“Very.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Now sleep.”

Held against his body, listening to his deepening breaths, Kennedy felt his hold loosen as he fell asleep.

There couldn’t be another man like Reyes anywhere.

Without thinking about it, she whispered, “It’s a good thing you don’t want me, or we wouldn’t be able to do this.”

His arm immediately snuggled her closer, and his husky voice, low and rough, sounded very near to her ear. “I’ve wanted you from the first time I saw you. Make no mistake about that.”

Her eyes popped open wide.

“Since we enjoy sharing the bed, from now on you sleep with me. Only sleep. And if you ever want more, just let me know.” Putting a final kiss to her ear, he breathed, “Now sleep. If we talk about this much longer, I’m gonna get hard and that’ll bother you and we’ll never get any rest.”

He wanted her. Enough that he could get an erection from talking? Kennedy had no idea what to say. She stared into the darkness, her eyes rounded, her heart galloping...and the strangest sort of thrill curling around her heart.

Huh. Reyes McKenzie had done the impossible.

He’d sparked her interest. Now she needed to figure out what to do about it.

THEWEEKENDROLLEDAROUND, and Reyes walked through the house whistling. Who knew he could be so happy with sexual frustration? Being celibate with Kennedy made all the difference. For several days now she’d slept with him each night.

Each day, she tried to figure out when and how she could leave. He understood that. Their investigation had come to a grinding halt with no new clues and no new leads to follow. She wanted to get on with her life.

Each day he became more determined to keep her around a little longer.

How long, he didn’t know. Sooner or later, she’d need her own place, yet every time he thought of it he got a bad feeling. Something wasn’t right. Whoever had come after her was just lying low. Eventually they’d crawl out of the shadows again, and when they did, he wanted to be with Kennedy so he could ensure her safety.

Sitting at the kitchen table, sipping yet another cup of coffee, Kennedy looked lost in thought.

He’d learned to make an entire pot instead of only a few cups. Sometimes it seemed she sustained herself on worry and caffeine, along with the determination to help others avoid her fate.

“It’s Saturday,” he said, aware of her gaze lifting to his body. As she’d requested, he’d gone back to wearing only his boxers in the morning, at least until he dressed for the day. More than a few times, he’d caught her looking him over.

He wasn’t quite sure what her intense scrutiny meant. With another woman, yeah, he could assume. But this was Kennedy, and she had a troubled past.

“I know.” She smiled at him. “The pancakes were amazing. Give me a few more minutes and I’ll clean up.”

“You’ve done all the cleanup, lately. It’s my turn.”

“I clean because you always cook.” As if that bugged her, she said, “I know how to cook, too, you know.”

As he carried plates to the dishwasher, he said, “No biggie. You can do dinner whenever you want.”

“That’s not what you said the last five times I asked.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t want you to feel obligated. But sure, if it means that much to you, I don’t mind. Just not tonight. It’s Saturday, so I figured we’d go out.”

She perked up at that. “Out? Out where?”

He heard the excitement in her voice and felt like a dope. Of course she wanted to get out. Other than their one breakfast at a restaurant, the entirety of her social life had been going to the gym and back. Her life was literally on hold, the danger still out there with no way for them to address it.

“Dinner and a movie?” he suggested.

Standing, she carried her now-empty cup to him. “I’d rather visit this Bernard person so I could see Chimera. You keep telling me you still have the cat, but in all this time, I haven’t seen her. And,” she stressed, when he started to speak, “you refuse to take me to see her.”

“Because it’s complicated.”

Adorably cute in her pajamas, she growled, “Either you have the cat or you don’t.”

“Fine.” He gave up. “You want to see Chimera? I’ll talk to Bernard today and see when we can visit.”

Narrowing her eyes, she looked at him askance. “You make it sound like some grand concession.”

Yeah, because he’d wanted to take her out, not drag her to his father’s house, where she’d be dissected and where his relationship with her would be up for discussion. He could already hear his dad lecturing him.

Who needed that shit?

“Look,” he said, ready to launch into something, probably something obnoxious, that was interrupted by the doorbell.

Before Kennedy could get all panicky, he cursed. “My sister. And damn it, it looks like she has Sterling with her.” More or less stomping out of the kitchen, he went to the door and shouted through the intercom, “I’m not dressed. Give me five.”

“I won’t look,” Sterling said, then she snickered.

Aware of a blur behind him, Reyes watched Kennedy dart toward the guest room. “No hiding,” he called after her.

“Just getting dressed,” she assured him, seconds before she disappeared from sight.

Fuck it. He opened the door to let in his sister and sister-in-law. “Coffee’s in the kitchen. Kennedy is changing out of her pj’s. I’ll be right back.”

Sterling boldly stared at him, then snorted. “Those boxers are no different than the shorts you wear for working out.”

Madison, not in the least interested in what her brother wore, headed to the couch with her laptop. “I’m here to see Kennedy anyway.”

That brought him away from the stairs and back into the living room area. “Why?”

“The cops did a massive, coordinated statewide search of missing youths. Found a lot of them, too, and in the process, they also arrested several suspected traffickers. I want Kennedy to check out the photos to see if anyone looks familiar.”

That sounded interesting. “Got it.” He rushed upstairs to take a speed shower, clean his teeth and shave. He dressed in a long-sleeved pullover and worn jeans. Carrying his shoes and socks, he headed back down.

Kennedy was already neatly dressed in a flannel shirt, skinny jeans and thick socks. She’d pulled her hair into a high ponytail and put on a touch of makeup.

Cute. She wanted to impress his family.

She was going about it the wrong way, but he wouldn’t tell her so.

Sterling now had a cola, and Madison had a bottle of water. Curled in a chair, Kennedy asked numerous questions, which Sterling fielded like a pro, telling her only so much without admitting to anything private.

They were mostly questions on fighting styles, and Kennedy seemed duly impressed with their answers.

Reaching to the small of her back, Sterling pulled a wicked blade from a sheath. “Check out my new knife.”

Gingerly Kennedy accepted it, handling it like a live grenade.

Madison’s laptop was open, but so far no one was looking at it. Reyes lifted it, going through the photos with a practiced eye. He didn’t see anyone familiar to him, but then, that was the problem with the ever-growing trade.

When the women started talking about fashion or, in Sterling’s case, the lack thereof, Reyes decided this might be a good time for him to dodge out. He could talk to his dad, let him know that he might have to bring Kennedy by, and he could warn Bernard not to be so damned possessive of the cat.

Yes, the cat was Bernard’s now. Reyes had relinquished ownership when Bernard turned to comical mush over the critter. Pretty sure if he’d pressed the issue, Bernard would have challenged him.

Then his dad would be pissed, and probably Madison, too, because they all considered Bernard one of the family.

Shaking his head, Reyes said, “If you ladies are going to hang out here awhile, I think I’ll head over to Dad’s to check on...things.”

Madison shooed him away. “I’ll give you three hours while Kennedy and I get better acquainted.”

Better acquainted? What the hell did that have to do with searching through arrest photos? He didn’t like the sound of it and was about to protest when Sterling got to her feet in a rush.

“No way.” She pointed at Reyes. “You’re going to the house to spar with Cade and I want to take part.”

Why couldn’t his sister-in-law just go along like Madison had? She never let anything slide, and she never missed an opportunity to sharpen her edge.

Reyes tried a smile that felt like a snarl. “I thought you were going to visit.”

“Ha!” Sterling narrowed her eyes on him. It was an effective look for her, both mocking and, for some, intimidating. “You know I don’t get into the whole girl-talk thing.”

Madison glanced up with indignation. “I hardly think researching traffickers fits that description.”

“You’re talking clothes, not creeps.”

“They’re going to search through arrest photos,” Reyes reminded, trying to divert her.

Sterling huffed. “And that’ll take how long? Once they’re done, we both know the chitchat is going to veer to female stuff.”

“News flash, Sterling. You’re female.”

She rolled her eyes. “Barely.”

Of all the... “My brother would disagree with that assessment.”

“Your brother is incredibly unique.” She shrugged it off. “So far, he’s the only one I know who makes it worthwhile to be female.”

Kennedy’s fascinated gaze took it all in. “Why don’t you like being female?”

Just to irritate Sterling, Reyes answered before she could. “Being smaller and weaker grates on her. She’d rather kick ass than fix her hair.”

“Hey.” Madison glared at him. “Some of us enjoy doing both.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Reyes said, with enough inflection to insinuate that Sterling did not. “You happen to be both lethal and feminine. Apparently, most can’t figure out that balance.”

Slowly smiling, Sterling said, “Oh, now I’m really going to enjoy sparring. Plan to bleed.”

He groaned. When Sterling got in that particular mood, she could be a total bear. He wouldn’t actually bleed, but he would be wearing a few new bruises before they wrapped it up. “I didn’t agree to spar with you.”

“You will.”

He narrowed his eyes. “So maybe I’ll give as good as I get.”

“You can try.”

Damn it, they both knew he could flatten her—if he wanted. The problem was that she was his brother’s wife. Cade loved her more than life, and if his scuffling got too rough, Cade would take it out on him. “I’m sparring with you,” Reyes stated, emphasis on sparring. “Save that painful shit for your husband.”

“Chicken.”

Ignoring Sterling, he made an impulse decision and bent to press a kiss to Kennedy’s forehead. “Call if you need me, otherwise I’ll be back before Madison is ready to go.”

It took her a few seconds to recover from the affectionate peck. She blinked several times, then lifted her chin. “I’m getting curious about all this sparring stuff. I think watching would be fun.”

“Another day,” he said easily, and moved on before she could challenge that dismissal. He leveled a severe look on his sister. “Don’t overdo it.”

After giving him another airy wave, Madison situated the laptop on the coffee table and gestured Kennedy over to sit beside her so they could look at the images together.

Sterling turned to Kennedy with a quick apology. “Sorry to visit and run—”

“I understand,” Kennedy assured her.

Still, Sterling explained, “Sparring with the guys is special. I always learn something new.”

“I’m in no way offended,” Kennedy promised. “Go have fun.”

Fun. Frustrated, Reyes walked out of the room with Sterling dogging his heels. He literally felt her behind him as he went down the hall and out into the garage. If he thought he could leave her behind, he would.

But one thing he’d learned about Sterling—dealing with her was never easy. In her current challenging mood?

It’d be downright impossible.