Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

K age

Fire.

I had no business playing directly in the kind of flames that could easily engulf me. While I hadn't intended on doing anything but finding out if the pairing was everything I'd hoped from seeing the photograph, I'd become entranced into learning more about the lovely young woman.

That had turned into stalking her.

Shame on me, but I hadn't been able to pull away.

I'd learned a hell of a lot the last couple of days, including that she was hiding behind two personas. One was that Noel Young wasn't her real name but even more than that, she wrote under an entirely different pseudonym, which had taken a few old contacts of mine to learn. I liked what she'd chosen, Anastasia Rothschild. It sounded aristocratic. But Noel suited her, a happy name, even though I'd seen the kind of sadness deep in her eyes that suggested utter mental and emotional agony.

What little I'd been told about the reason she needed a support animal she'd barely corroborated with what she'd told me. But there was no doubt by the ugly sadness in her eyes that she hadn't escaped her demons.

Maybe my buddy had had difficulty finding out much about her real life because the attack had been so brutal she'd been provided with a new identity or maybe she'd done that on her own.

Now here I was, standing inside her house after helping her with her groceries.

Her home was beautiful, the furnishings plush yet simple. But I knew money when it was displayed even in such quiet sophistication. Her books were the reason, all bestsellers. Hell, I'd even purchased one the day before, attempting to find out what went on inside that pretty head of hers.

"Are you sure about this, Noel? I don't want to intrude. I'm just some random guy you met in a grocery store."

She glanced in my direction, her smile lighting up the room. Yet there was a darkness in her eyes that reminded me of the shadows in mine. She was on edge, more so than she'd been in the grocery store, no doubt because a huge dude was standing inside her private space.

It was all I could do not to react more with Max. He was following his training, but I sensed some confusion. I wasn't here to break her routine or to backtrack the work I'd done with the furry guy. The truth was I shouldn't be anywhere close. It wasn't a violation of my parole but there was a chance Max could be removed from her home. I didn't want that.

What I did want was highly suspect, completely dangerous, and something that I'd told myself I wouldn't do.

It had been so long since I'd been with a woman that my hunger was already off the charts. But what caught me the most off guard was that my attraction to Noel wasn't just about the need for sex. She was a genuine person, although a bit flawed like the rest of us were. She had a vulnerable aspect about her that brought out the protective man I'd once been, the one that was lost so long ago.

I should say it was stolen by monsters.

Maybe I should laugh at the thought. As she took the last bag of groceries from my hands, our fingers touched. She took a deep breath, the only indication she felt the same electric charge I did. Some might call her fragile, especially given she'd been through some kind of horrific attack, but I sensed utter strength in her. The woman was a fighter, trying her best to make her life better.

"Thank you so much for bringing us home. Did you thank the nice man, Max?"

The pup rushed toward me, giving me a paw like I'd trained him to do. She was watching every move, but at this point, I didn't think either my actions or his were giving away that we knew each other.

"Take care of your mom, Max. I should be going. If it's okay with you, I'll get your phone number. If my buddy can help, I'll give you a call. And I'll be happy to pick you up in the morning if you need."

She hesitated, a slight hint of fear crossing her face. When she looked away, I sighed.

"You don't need to, Noel. I didn't mean to intrude." I headed for the front door, although the last thing I wanted to do was to leave.

I felt her presence behind me only seconds later. "Wait. Kage. I'm sorry. I've just had a rough couple of years and it's really tough for me to trust anyone. The least I can offer you is a drink or a glass of wine for your trouble. And absolutely I'll give you my phone number."

For some insane reason, it felt as if the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I didn't want to continue lying to her, but I had no choice. I turned around, offering a slight smile. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

A smile broke out on her face. Even her eyes lit up. "Nonsense. I know my serial killers and you're not one of those."

At least now I could laugh. "How do you know?" I followed behind her into the kitchen.

She peered at me and frowned. "Because I do. You seem like a bourbon man."

"How did you know?"

"I'm pretty good with that too."

"Amazing skills."

Every time she laughed, it was as if the entire world lit up. "No, I'm a writer. One of my tools is to spend time observing people. That's how I determine who my bad guy will be and who my hero should be."

"A writer, huh? That sounds pretty awesome."

She pulled out a rocks glass and a wineglass. "Ice or no ice?"

"Just two cubes."

"Two cubes it is. I can't lie. I get to work in my house in my jammies if I want. I pick my hours and can lounge around whenever I want."

"You work in your jammies?"

"Not once but it sounds nice." She took a couple of minutes to fix drinks, carefully handing the glass to me.

"Do you enjoy what you do?"

"Very much. There's something innately disturbing yet awesome about getting into the minds of really bad guys. What makes them tick? Why do they slaughter people? Were they born that way?"

"Sounds like a lot of research."

The way her nose wrinkled was adorable. "I majored in psychology in college. I thought I was going to be a glorious psychiatrist working for the prison system. But lo and behold, I got the writing bug when I took a creative writing class just for fun. It's been intensely amazing ever since."

"You have an amazing background."

"Eclectic. What do you do?"

I hadn't thought about how to answer a simple question. "I'm slowly taking over my grandfather's company. Believe it or not, he was into gaming systems early on."

"Wow. That sounds like fun."

The truth was my brother had control although I was still listed as vice president, which was always something that had bothered both my brother and me. "Yeah, well, it's interesting."

"I bet. His company is based out of here?"

"Denver but it's one of those situations where I can work remotely. Plus, my gramps died a couple years ago so I get to do what I want."

"I'm so sorry." She studied me intently, as if still uncertain what I was made of.

That made two of us.

"It's okay. He lived a long life. He was a good man. Thank you though." I missed the guy more than I wanted to admit. He'd been the one to push me into living up to what I was worth early on.

Another awkward moment settled between us. This was a bad idea.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" she asked.

The question was so out of the blue I was taken aback. Leave. You shouldn't be here, you asshole. But I couldn't follow my conscience. "I'm not going to lie. I wouldn't mind having a nice dinner with a beautiful woman. It's been a long time since I did."

"I guess I should have asked you if you were married. That was shitty of me."

I felt the darkness sweep over me, the anger that had taken a significant toll, sending me to the hellhole for far too much of my life. I did my best to pass it off, but I could tell she caught my expression. "Nah. No woman would want me. I'm a handful."

"Most men are. Tell me. How good are you at cooking a rare steak?"

I gave her my most slightly offended expression before grinning. "I'll have you know my dad used to tell me that I made the best steak anywhere in the state of Colorado."

"Then you're hired. I'll stick the potatoes in then feed my little monster here. Feel free to bring in your groceries. I know you purchased some perishables I wouldn't want you to lose."

"You were watching me." I couldn't help but grin. Meanwhile, she blushed the loveliest shade of rose.

When she held up her hand, showing me a Girl Scout pledge, the grin remained. "Guilty as charged."

"I feel honored."

There was something so special about seeing the way she interacted with Max. He was so responsive to her, which almost made the green-eyed monster slip into my mind. I'd gotten so close to the dog that I'd lost track of time, somewhere inside me wishing I could keep him as my own. But seeing them together, the way she was fawning over him and the number of toys already strewn about the rooms of the house I could see, I knew their pairing was perfect.

I'd shut down so long before, only Max being able to revive what little I wanted to remember from the past, that the moment seemed surreal. Even the way she presented the pup's food, requiring him to wait for a few seconds before chowing down was priceless. It told me a lot about the woman. I wanted to grill her with questions, to learn who'd dared try to destroy her spirit, but I knew where the information would take me.

Nowhere good.

For now, I'd do what I could to try to remember my humanity, pretending like I knew what the hell I was doing here.

As she took out several things from the refrigerator, every few seconds checking as if to see if I was still there, I had a feeling I would have a difficult time keeping my hands off her.

Noel was the first woman since walking in on the bloodbath I'd allowed myself to be attracted to.

But the ache was strong, so much so I felt guilty for even finding the woman so very beautiful.

Maybe Dr. Daniels had been right about the dog rehabilitation program. I felt like I'd become a different man. Did that take away the continued rage, the need for revenge? I doubted anything could ease the manic feelings of fury until every single person responsible for taking away the most precious things in my life faced death, but at least a small part of me felt at peace.

For now.

Yes, for now.

Noel

Flirting with a member of the opposite sex had been out of character for me.

Allowing the mysterious rugged man to take me home had been risky.

Inviting him to share drinks and dinner with me? One thousand percent insane.

But for the first time in as long as I could remember, I enjoyed the night tremendously. Even Max did, more content than I'd seen him since the pup had first walked into my home. I'd always heard that dogs were amazing indicators of bad people, snarling and growling around them. Given Max had been trained to protect as well as support me, the fact he was currently yawning, rolling back and forth on his back on the couch, I'd say I had nothing to worry about.

Except for my continued desire that had refused to leave since meeting Kage in the grocery store. I shouldn't have been surprised but the man was well versed in just about every subject, remaining thoughtful until engaging in the conversation.

And we'd covered a wide range of topics during dinner.

Including food.

The steaks had been brilliantly cooked, juicy and flavorful, unlike the shoe leather I often made given my less than stellar attention span. That had been ripped from me by the Claw. I couldn't believe I'd allowed my mind to think about the sick fuck for even a few seconds. If there was one thing I knew about the prison world, it was that inmates hated pedophiles, animal abusers, and serial killers. They had a justice system of their own and at this point, I hoped to God the man suffered before he was shanked in the shower.

Everything about Kage was a surprise, including his name. He'd helped me clear the table, even adding the plates to the dishwasher. The strangest thing of all was that having him handle some domestic activities felt natural. Maybe too much so.

He'd added wood to the crackling fire from the small woodpile next to my stone fireplace. Now we sat quietly together, studying the flames. I had my legs curled under me while he had his crossed, appearing very comfortable in my plus size leather chair. With Max curled on the floor between us, the moment seemed perfectly natural and not forced in any way.

He glanced at his watch and I was still fascinated by it, given that the massive, expensive piece just didn't seem to fit with the rest of his attire.

A smile crossed his face when he noticed me staring at the gorgeous piece. "It was my grandfather's. When I was younger, I was fascinated by it. My brother couldn't have cared less so when he died, he willed it to me. It's the most special piece I own. Hell, I ain't no jewelry man, but this is a work of art."

"It's gorgeous and it suits you."

He seemed pleased at my compliment but moved to the edge of his seat. "I should get going. Dinner was fabulous."

"All thanks to you."

I could tell he wasn't used to getting any kind of compliment by the odd look crossing his face. I stood up with him, following behind as he took his drink to the sink.

"Here you go. I wrote down my number for you."

Kage glanced at the folded piece of paper, lifting his gaze to search my eyes.

"It's okay. I figured if you were going to eat me, you would have already done that by now." The strange comment struck me hard and a tingle of excitement tore through me. The filthy images running through my mind were… sinful.

And delicious.

It had been such a long time since I'd felt anything but fear and pain that goosebumps covered my arms, likely the rest of me as well.

He grabbed his leather jacket and even the scent of it combined with whatever aftershave he was wearing was simply an intoxicating combination. Fresh timbers and rainwater, a few spices and citrus mixed with a smoky hint of cigars. Like him, it was enigmatic.

"Thank you again," he said as he pocketed my phone number. When he shifted his gaze toward Max, I could tell why my pup adored him. He was obviously an animal lover.

The man had scored some points on such a yucky night.

I didn't know just how yucky until he opened the door. I'd taken pride in the fact my house was so well insulated, keeping out the sound of howling winds and unwanted noises. Given the windows had been foggy from condensation, neither one of us had paid any attention to the fact the weather had declined tremendously. Now it seemed there was a glossy thick sheet of pearlescent white covering the walkway and the road in front of my house.

The ice was at least an inch if not thicker.

"Ugh. That looks really bad."

"I have a truck," he insisted.

"I don't care if it has four-wheel drive, nothing does well in ice. You'll be lucky to make it home alive. I will not have you killed when you were so kind to me."

"Seriously. I'm a big boy."

"Yeah, you are. Very big." Oh, my God. I'd just used my all too unfamiliar sultry tone. Look away. Look away. How was that possible when he was the epitome of gorgeous? "Um. You can stay on my couch tonight. Maybe by tomorrow the conditions won't be so bad."

"You don't know me."

I brushed my hand through my hair, debating whether I really had lost my mind. "I'm taking a leap of faith so don't disappoint me. It never happens."

"No serial killer?" Goddamn, his eyes were shimmering even in the dim lighting. How was that possible?

"No serial killer. Max would have eaten you by now."

He winked as he turned toward me. "Look, I really am a big boy. I don't like to intrude on anyone's space. Don't worry about me. I'll make it." But the moment he took a step onto my walkway, he almost fell, his arms flailing and his legs threatening to give way.

I grabbed his arm, a slight shriek pushing past my lips as I tried to steady him. Together we did a little skating routine for a few seconds until I managed to jerk him to safety. Only when I did, the momentum was so forceful we were both tossed against the inside wall.

Kage had to slam one hand beside my head to keep the minimal amount of his at least two hundred and thirty pounds of rock-solid muscle from crushing me.

The moment he did, I felt his throbbing cock pushing between my legs. It startled me but not nearly as much as the way his eyes changed color, a darkness settling in that screamed possession.

And the kind of obsessive need that should terrify me. Instead, I wrapped my fists around his shirt, rising onto my tiptoes.

He shook his head slowly. "Careful, lady. I'm not a good man."

"You are to me."

"You don't know me."

"And you don't know me."

"If I start, I won't be able to stop."

"So what?"

At that moment, I'd never wanted anything the way I did this man. Maybe relearning to be a sinner was exactly what the doctor had ordered.

Besides my beloved Max.