Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Easton

I forced myself to stay in my apartment until after dark. As much as I wanted to rush over and be there for Kati, it was clear by the time my team left that she needed time alone with Lucien. Her son would be able to offer her the support she wasn't ready to accept from me, even if we had made huge improvements today. The last thing I wanted to do was rush her.

So I cleaned my already spotless apartment, and did research on Los Cangris, though I didn't come up with anything new. The members had been lying low since their leader got busted; not enough that they were ripe for the picking but also not making the noise they once had. It was all very strange and got me thinking that maybe the threats weren't from recruits trying to get Lucien to join them, but a rival gang looking to start trouble. It was certainly an avenue to explore, and one I needed to discuss with my team before bringing it up to Kati.

I held out for as long as I could, and when I felt like it might be close enough to the time Kati went to bed, I drove over.

Hendrix's Jeep was gone and it was replaced with Aaron's truck sitting at the curb. Since moving back to town, Aaron had been helping Maverick make connections and spending time with his mother. I was pleasantly surprised to see he had jumped into rotation with the rest of them.

I knocked once on Aaron's passenger window before opening the door and climbing inside.

"How long have you been here?"

"I took over for Hendrix a couple of hours ago. Gave him the chance to go grab something to eat and stretch his legs. You know how he gets if he sits too long."

True story. As a kid, Hendrix would've been the child who got into trouble because he couldn't sit still in the classroom. He needed constant stimulation to keep him from going insane. It had surprised me when he had been the first to offer to keep watch. Normally any kind of surveillance was a hard pass for my friend.

"How's she doing?" I motioned toward the house even if it wasn't necessary. There weren't any other females we were working with at the moment.

"No movement outside the house. I've been able to see the TV on through the openings in the curtains. Looks like they’ve been having a movie marathon since we left. I don't think they've moved from that room except for the occasional snack or bathroom break. At least, not since I've been here. I obviously can't be sure but the lack of movement gives me that impression."

"It was a lot to take in."

More than a normal person should have to deal with. Kati had hinted toward rape being how she ended up pregnant with Lucien but not once did she let that affect the way she raised her son. From everything I could see, she didn't resent her life or the choice that was taken from her. She simply didn't want Lucien to have to deal with the consequences.

"I was deployed when Los Cangris tried to move into the town,” Aaron explained, “but my mother wrote me about it. The town fought like hell to ensure they wouldn't get a foothold here. Then rumors started to spread about Kati and who Lucien's father could be. The town could've shunned her but they embraced her instead. Helped raise the boy. There are a lot of people in this town who would kill to protect those two. It's just one of the many reasons Willow Creek is so special."

It was great that Kati had so many people who loved and cared for her. It was easy to see why. She was an amazing person, and already, my team had pulled her into our fold.

"How's your mother doing? I need to stop and see her one of these days, thank her for constantly feeding me even if it meant extra gym sessions. I missed her cookies after retirement."

Aaron laughed. "She's been asking about you guys. Mav has been over to see her, but I promised that once Lex came to town, we would all come over for a barbecue. Give her a reason to make a lot of food rather than feed half the neighborhood.” Aaron groaned, “I need to find my own place soon or you won't be the only one needing extra gym sessions."

"I wonder what's holding Lex up?"

"You know how he is.” Aaron waved his hand. “He's the only one of us who marches to his own beat. Just because he agreed to work for Mav doesn't mean he plans to fall in line immediately. Retirement wasn't bothering him like it was the rest of us."

That was true. We all dreaded leaving the Marines but not Lex. He was counting down the days so he could travel. We often joked that he was a nomad at heart.

"Tell your mom I said hi and I look forward to that barbecue. It's been a while since I've had some good home cooking."

"Pretty sure Kati wouldn't mind feeding you," Aaron teased.

I gave my friend the finger and climbed out of the truck. Aaron was too damn observant for his own good. Besides I wasn't old-fashioned. I didn't believe that a woman needed to cook for me. Although after watching Kati grocery shop, I wouldn't mind sitting in on one or two of her meals.

I settled into my vehicle, now at the curb in front of the house, and kept an eye on the living room. Now that it was dark enough outside, the glow from the TV flashed across the walls. I imagined myself sitting on the couch with Kati, her snuggled into my side as we watched a movie. Lucien would be lounging on the smaller sofa after a long day. Eventually, the movie would end and we would make our way down the hall to our bedroom. We would make love and then Kati and I would fall asleep wrapped in each other's arms. It would be the perfect way to end every day.

It's almost as if Kati could hear my thoughts. The next instant, the TV was turned off and I visualized Kati moving through the house. Locking the door, kissing Lucien good night and then walking to her own bedroom. A small lamp, or something similar, illuminated the space.

I felt like a perv as my eyes refused to glance away from the window that I assumed was Kati's bedroom. I pictured her going through her nightly routine and instantly my jeans were too tight. The space behind my zipper got smaller and smaller the more I imagined Kati stripping her shorts down her long tan legs, peeling her shirt over her head and possibly flinging her bra off, letting her gorgeous tits free of their confines for the first time all day.

I wanted nothing more than to help her shed the stresses of the day and find a way to help her relax. A woman like Kati deserved to be treated like a queen. A foot and calf rub to work out the knots after a long day on her feet. A back massage to loosen the tension that so easily sat on her shoulders. I would cater to her every need.

And once we hit the sheets, I would fuck the rest of the stress away until she was too tired to worry about anything.

I was still thinking of all the ways I wanted to make Kati mine when the front door swung open. Standing in the narrow ray of light was my every fantasy come to life. Like a moth to the flame, I immediately got out of my vehicle and, crossing the small tidy yard, headed straight toward her.

There was no oversized shirt attempting to hide all her curves tonight. Kati's choice of sleepwear this evening was far more dangerous. A white ribbed tank that did nothing to hide her pebbled nipples from my learing glare, and a pair of tiny silk shorts that I wasn't sure fully covered her ass. I would need to spin her around to confirm, but I was almost positive they could barely be classified as shorts at this point.

Her hair was thrown carelessly on top of her head and little wisps of pieces framed her freshly washed face. Everything about her look was downright delicious.

"Everything okay?" I asked, approaching the small porch. My voice was huskier than I would've liked, and my cock was painfully hard and demanding relief. First from the conjured-up images, and now with the real-life person standing in front of me.

"You can't spend another night in your car," she challenged.

If Kati thought crossing her arms over her chest would hide the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra, she was sadly mistaken. All that did was bring those gorgeous breasts further into my line of sight. I had to force myself to pay attention to the conversation we were having.

"I most certainly can. I can spend weeks in there if it means you and Lucien will be okay."

This woman didn't have the slightest clue what lengths I would go to ensure they were safe. My car didn't even make the top ten worst places I had spent the night.

"No, you can't." Kati let out a frustrated sigh. "Because I'm offering my living room to you." She cut me off before I could protest. "I don't have a spare bedroom otherwise I would offer that. The house only has two bedrooms, which was never a problem until now, so yeah, I'm offering my living room and a really comfy couch. I refuse to take no as an answer."

I stepped up on the porch and moved closer so that I was crowding Kati's personal space. "Go inside, Kati." I could see she wanted to argue, so this time it was me who cut her off. "I'll be right in. I just need to turn my vehicle off."

We would be talking more about this arrangement but not on the front porch where her neighbors could see. It was bad enough that she was the talk of the town because of our first encounter. I refused to give the gossiping women further material to work with.

Once I was sure Kati was tucked safely inside, I jogged back to my vehicle. I turned off the ignition and locked up. With my keys in my hand, I forced myself to walk back up the sidewalk. Before I could knock, the door was swinging open and Kati was grabbing my arm and pulling me in.

I caught myself before I crashed into her.

"Sorry,” Kati said quickly, “but I just remembered Ms. Daisy can see my front porch from her parlor. The light isn't on but that doesn't mean she's not sitting in the dark watching the street like a creeper. I've had enough of being the center of attention to last me a lifetime."

"That's why I suggested you go inside." I smirked. Leaning back against the front door, I took my time soaking Kati in. I had yet to see her with a stitch of makeup on, and for some insane reason, that made me happy. I had met too many women over the years that caked that shit on so much that it was a shock to the system to wake up the next morning next to a different face than the one I went to bed with. I liked that Kati was the opposite.

"Do you need a grand tour or do you know where everything is?"

The layout of the house was simple. The kitchen was straight ahead with an attached breakfast area. The living room was to my right and off to the left were the bedrooms and a bathroom. I had seen a similar layout in dozens of homes. I didn't need a tour, but maybe if Lucien wasn't sleeping just down the hall, I might've taken her up on it.

"I'm good, but thank you."

Kati seemed disappointed. I wanted to tell her so was I.

"Good night, Easton."

"Sweet dreams, Kati." She was halfway down the hall when I remembered Lyla telling me that I would have to be the one to make the first move. "Kati, wait."

"Yes?" Indecision was written all over her face when she turned around to look at me, and I lost some of my nerve.

"Thank you." I cleared my throat and motioned around the living room. "For this."

"You're welcome." Was that disappointment in her tone? It sure sounded like it. "Is that all?"

Screw it. I was on the move before I could convince myself that it could be a bad idea. "No, there's this as well."

I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck and pulled her flush against my body. I saw the surprise light up her beautiful eyes just seconds before I claimed her lips. There was no easing into it. This wasn't an exploratory kiss where two people took their time trying to discover what the other liked.

It was teeth scraping and tongues dueling. It was soft hands with a death grip on my sides. It was my knee wedged between Kati's luscious thighs as she rode it in similar fashion to how I hoped she rode my cock. It was everything I wanted but unfortunately needed to stop before I took things too far.

If I had my way, within minutes she would be naked and moaning beneath me. But I couldn't do that, for a variety of reasons, so I backed the kiss down. I switched it from the all-consuming, soul-sucking, heavy-breathing make-out session I wanted more of, and slowly grazed my lips across hers.

"Wha . . ."

Oh, yeah. The fact that I left her speechless wasn't lost on me and was a nice little ego boost.

"As much as I want to continue this and see where it can go, I need to slow things down."

"I don't . . ." Kati was still breathing heavily. Her tits rose with each breath she took and caused her thin tank to stretch. It was wreaking havoc on my self-control. I forced myself to take a step back so that the heat from her core was no longer rubbing along my thigh.

"You deserve more than this."

"This?" I watched the transformation happen in real time. The lusty haze in her eyes slipped away and frustration crept in. Maybe even anger.

I brushed my thumb along her puffy lips, red and bruised from our kiss. I managed to bring some of the life back into her gorgeous green eyes before I continued speaking.

"Yes, more,” I panted. “You deserve a night of romance. A date. To be picked up and taken somewhere nice. To be shown just how special you really are before ending the night with me fucking you senseless in my bed."

Her mouth dropped into the sexiest O. I had to remind my cock it wasn't his turn yet.

"I won't have our first time be against the wall outside your teenage son's bedroom where I’ll be forced to muffle your screams."

"Who says I'm a screamer?"

There’s my girl. There was the attitude I wanted to fuck out of her so damn badly. The attitude that got me hard in an instant.

"Oh, I'll make you scream my name. That's for sure."

"Promises, promises."

Her smirk was back, so it didn't take much to assume she was testing me. She wanted to push me so that I snapped, to see what I would do. Little did she know I had the control of a monk when needed. Especially right now.

"Tomorrow night. Make sure someone can be here with Lucien. We're going out and you, sweetheart, will be spending the night at my place."

"Is that so?" She lifted an eyebrow.

I looped my arm around her back and yanked her against my chest so she could see how serious I was.

"Damn right, it is. Now get some sleep. You're going to need it. I have a feeling tomorrow night you won't be getting much."

I kissed her forehead and released her. Without a look back I headed straight back to the living room. I needed that distance more than she knew, along with a reminder of all the reasons I was trying to be a gentleman. I wasn't about to start this thing between us on shaky ground.

I wanted a solid foundation because Kati might not have realized it yet, but she and Lucien were mine. It was only a matter of time before the whole town knew as well. I was staking my claim, and soon, everyone would know better than to fuck with them, or they would have to deal with me.