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KAYLEE MOVED AROUND Nick’s bedroom the next morning, quietly getting dressed. She heard him already cooking breakfast in the kitchen, but he tended to wake up earlier than her to start the day. Too early, in her opinion, but she supposed it was thanks to his years of military service. He’d kiss her quietly and then get up, letting her catch up on another precious hour of sleep.
They’d left the dinner celebration shortly after the news of the leaked photo, and she’d slept fitfully. Kaylee had briefly spoken with her parents on a secure line from Jett’s home, promising that she was okay and not to worry about any emails they may receive. A second photo had been posted, according to West, but she hadn’t seen it. It was humiliating to know Jarid Cronin and Kyle Levins had been watching her the entire time she’d been with them in the safehouse. It was even worse knowing they were wanted men, charged with assault and rape. She knew how lucky she was that they hadn’t harmed her.
Then again, they’d been promised a large sum of cash that had kept them at bay.
And now?
They’d be looking for her. She knew it. Although Cornwell hadn’t been able to tie her to the leak of classified materials, the thugs he’d hired were ready to ruin her life unless she complied with their wishes. Everything about it made her feel sick.
Kaylee pulled a tee shirt on, grabbing a sweater to wear over it. She’d spoken with the investigators in Omaha yesterday and learned that some things from inside her apartment were salvageable. She’d need to go through her personal belongings and decide what to keep and what to toss. As the apartment itself needed to be repaired, her items would be packed and moved elsewhere. She hated all the different ways it felt like she’d been violated. If she hadn’t forgotten her wallet, showing up at the office one Sunday evening, none of this would have ever happened. Of course, Cornwell would still be getting away with stealing classified documents. Lives could be at stake. She’d helped the greater good by accidentally catching him red-handed but at a cost to herself.
“Hey,” Nick said as he walked into the bedroom. His gaze roamed over her, taking in the soft sweater and form-fitting denim jeans. “You look nice.”
She smiled, but her heart wasn’t really in it. Nick pulled her into his arms, and she relaxed into his warmth. “Gray will be over here soon to pick you up. Lena will meet you at the coffee shop. She’s running some errands first.”
“Are you sure it’s safe for me to go?” Kaylee asked.
“Absolutely,” Nick said. “While I hate letting you out of my sight, Gray will be with you the entire time. I think coffee with Lena will do you good. You’ve been stuck at headquarters every day with me dealing with this. You need a break. And trust me, you don’t need to deal with these assholes any more than you have to. West is trying to track their location, but they masked their IP address. Still, he might be able to find out some helpful information from the metadata in the photos.”
“It’s weird, but they acted pretty normal around me,” she said. “Some men leer and make women uncomfortable with their suggestive looks and comments. They weren’t like that, at least not to my face,” she said, frowning. “I guess they got their kicks from watching me in the bathroom.” Fresh tears smarted her eyes, and Nick gave her a gentle hug.
“The investigator told me they found my cell phone in my apartment, so at least that’s some good news. I’ve downloaded a lot of my apps on my new one, but I’d rather be able to use my old number eventually.”
“We’ll have West make sure there’s no tracking software on the old phone before you get it back. What about your other stuff?” he asked. “Was there any word on that?”
“My clothing had a lot of smoke damage, but my insurance will pay to have it cleaned. We’ll see. I’ve heard horror stories where the smoke scent would never come out of some people’s things.”
“You’ll buy new things if you have to,” Nick said. “I’m just glad you weren’t there when it happened. Did you want to use my credit card again to order some things here?”
“I’m okay for now. Thanks though.”
His eyes were warm as he looked down at her. “I know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself, but I like taking care of you.” His eyes heated as he looked at her, and Kaylee knew he was talking about more than just material things. There was a possessive look in his gaze that made her heart skip a beat. He was protecting her physically, guarding her himself or arranging for a teammate to be with her. He was sheltering her in his home. Cooking meals for her. And in bed? She flushed. He more than took care of all her needs there, too.
Nick brushed his lips against hers, teasing. “Let’s go eat breakfast. We can’t have you starving before you get to the coffee shop,” he joked, taking her hand in his and guiding her down the hall.
“I’m going to miss this,” she said, suddenly feeling sad.
Nick stiffened beside her. “Miss what?” he asked casually.
“When I have to eventually go back to Omaha.”
Nick stopped, turning her in his arms, and backed her against the wall. She clutched onto both of his hands, loving the feel of their solid strength. His thick fingers twined with her own. “Don’t go back,” he said seriously. “I mean, sure, go visit and get your things sorted. But I was serious about wanting you to move here.”
“It’s so fast, Nick.”
“Fast? I feel like I’ve known you my entire life. It just about killed me to let you go all those years ago. I always thought about you. Always. You’re it for me.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “But how can you say that after all this time? How can you know?”
He shifted even closer, pinning her hands to the wall, and she breathed in his musky scent, felt the heat from his body. “I know. I’ve always known. I left for you, baby girl. I couldn’t do that to you then—make you wait around for my deployments, wondering where I was and if I was okay. You were still in high school when I enlisted. We were both damn teenagers then. It’s different now that we’re older.”
“And you still feel the same way about me?”
He lowered his head, their breaths intermingling. Kaylee felt hot and cold at the same time. Being near him heated her blood, but the icy cold fear washing through her was real, too. Could she take that chance with him? Trust him with her heart? Could she admit to herself that she’d regret leaving him a second time?
“Why do you think I’ve kept in touch all these years?” Nick asked, his voice oozing over her like warm honey. “I feel the exact same way. You’ve always had my heart.”
***
COFFEE CUPS CLINKED together, and Kaylee heard the whirring of the expresso machine as she looked around the coffee shop. Gray had escorted her inside and was hovering behind her like the former Special Forces soldier he was. How Gray had gotten the job of babysitting duty, she wasn’t exactly sure, but she assumed it had something to do with Lena.
Glancing over, she saw both Lena and Anna seated in a cozy booth, Anna’s baby bundled up and sleeping in an infant car seat. Gray’s hand landed on her lower back, and he nodded toward the other women as he guided her forward. “I’ll stay here at the coffee shop but grab a different table. I know how you ladies love to talk,” he joked.
“Thanks for bringing me,” she told him.
“Of course.”
While Anna waved flirtatiously at Gray, Kaylee noticed Lena and Gray exchange a meaningful look. While she couldn’t begin to understand the dynamics of their relationship, she sensed it was more than either of them let on. Kaylee moved toward the women, smiling as she said hello, and Gray retreated to his own booth across the room.
“That sweater I picked out looks great on you,” Lena said with a smile.
“Thank you again for doing all that shopping for me. Jett assured me he’d taken care of the bill, but I’m more than happy to pay you back as soon as I’m able to use my credit cards again.”
“It’s taken care of,” Lena assured her warmly.
“I should’ve offered sooner, but let me know if you need anything,” Anna said. “I’m going to be switching over to maternity clothes sooner rather than later with baby number two.”
“What? You’re hardly showing,” Lena protested.
“My clothes are tight,” Anna said with a laugh. She brushed her blonde hair back, her stack of bracelets jangling together. “That’s reason enough for me. Oh!” she said, silencing the bracelets as her baby began to stir. “I really need to remember not to wear so much jewelry around him,” she said.
“It’s too loud?” Lena asked.
“That, and Brody likes grabbing shiny things,” Anna said with a giggle.
Kaylee’s gaze moved over the other woman. Anna was tall and slender, and as Lena had said, barely showing. Who was she to say what was comfortable for her though? Kaylee didn’t know much about maternity clothes. As her eyes drifted over to baby Brody, for a split second, she imagined her and Nick with a baby. The thought was gone as quickly as it came, but as she turned the idea around in her mind, she didn’t hate it. She could actually see a future with him, a family, just as he’d said.
Kaylee had more-or-less panicked earlier when he’d told her that she’d always had his heart. It had hurt to break up all those years ago, even though the decision was mutual and they’d both known it was right at the time. She’d grown up, gotten a degree, found a career she was proud of. And she could do graphic design work at Shadow Security just as easily as for the DEA, assuming Jett wanted to hire her of course.
Anna glanced back up at Kaylee after adjusting Brody’s blanket.
“I think I’m set on clothes for now,” Kaylee assured her. “Tell me what you ladies would like to drink. I’ll go place the order.”
The women each told her their drink order, and Kaylee moved to the line where the barista stood. She could feel Gray’s eyes on her from across the room. He’d offered to get drinks when they’d first walked in, but she’d insisted she could handle it. While it was probably unnecessary to have Gray here, it did make her feel safer. No doubt Nick was busy at headquarters trying to find out where Cronin and Levins were hiding.
Kaylee walked up to the counter and ordered a vanilla latte for herself, then the two drinks for her friends. She swiped the screen on her new phone, checking her texts, then grabbed her wallet from her purse, accidentally bumping her phone into the card reader on the counter.
“Sixteen seventy-six,” the cashier said, and Kaylee pulled out a twenty.
“Oh, it already went through,” the cashier said. “You’re good.”
Kaylee looked at her in confusion just as a loud woman with two kids began ordering her own drinks from right behind Kaylee. Kaylee stepped out of the way, shoving her wallet back into her purse as their drink order was called. She glanced toward her friends, confused. Baby Brody began wailing just then, and Anna stood up and shushed him, hurrying past as she explained that she needed to change his diaper. Kaylee carried the drinks over to the table, noting that Gray was still watching them. Lena took her nonfat latte from Kaylee’s hands, taking a sip, but her eyes slid to the silent former soldier as well.
“So, you and Gray?” Kaylee asked in curiosity, looking across the room to the gruff man. “He seems to be keeping a close eye on you.”
“I trust him,” Lena said lightly. “He might be a little rough around the edges, but we both have demons. He was hurt, too.”
“Who hurt you?” Kaylee asked before realizing it wasn’t any of her business.
Lena schooled her expression. “It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago.”
Kaylee puzzled over that piece of information and took a sip of her own latte after she set her purse down. It wasn’t overly sweet, just the perfect blend of coffee, milk, and flavoring. “Gray didn’t buy these drinks for us, did he?” she asked, remembering what had happened at the counter.
“I don’t think so. Why?”
“I pulled out a twenty to pay and—shit,” Kaylee suddenly gasped. “My phone was unlocked. When I accidentally bumped it against the card reader, I must have used an app on my phone to pay for the drinks. My credit card is saved there,” she said, worry coursing through her.
Lena paused mid-sip, looking concerned. “It’s probably fine, but we better tell Gray.”
