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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MY HAND SHOOK AS I lifted the fake rock in my overgrown front garden, searching for the spare key. My usual key was still on my Jeep keychain, which Kas had very kindly thrown off the cliff when I’d run from him.
Luckily, I kept a spare outside. Otherwise, I’d be calling my brother at midnight once again, begging for the copy I’d made him.
Standing upright, I eased out the kinks in my spine from sitting in the car for so long and padded back to where Kas stood on my front doorstep.
Moonlight shone from above. The street was quiet because everyone was in bed. My neighborhood was silent and poised as if sensing a predator was in its midst.
I froze.
Kas.
He was the predator.
And...he’s here.
On my doorstep.
About to go into my house.
I blinked as my brain struggled to compute that the man who I’d stumbled upon in the wild was now here, in my domain, no longer my capturer or enemy but someone I’d chosen to welcome into my home. A home I hadn’t seen in months. A home that I’d left messy as I’d flown out the door to chase Kentucky Khalessi.
God, that felt like an eternity ago.
I didn’t even feel like the same person anymore.
I felt older, wiser, more forgiving, accepting, and calm.
Kas had made me grow, and I preferred this version of myself. I liked having someone to care for and put first. It made me feel like all the wealth I’d gathered from working long hours and daring to take chances was worth it because I finally had someone who I could share it with.
Not that he seemed happy with that in the car.
Kas gave me a look.
It wasn’t sexual or demanding, but it still sent my pulse skipping and core clenching. He was so handsome, so rugged, and untamed. His long hair needed a brush, his beard needed a trim, and his body—even dressed in cheap Walmart clothes—still bristled with power that came from fighting the elements and existing with nothing and no one.
He awed me as well as aroused me.
“You okay?” he asked softly, his voice rich and deep in the night.
I swallowed hard, picturing my bedroom and the super king bed I’d never shared with anyone. I imagined my small but perfectly usable bathroom with Kas in it. His large frame in my shower. His naked body lathered in my elderberry and olive soap, his hands touching me as I grabbed hold of the taps for balance as he—
“Gem?” Kas came forward, his forehead furrowing. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head, dispelling the fantasy.
It’d only been a few days since I’d slept with this man, but the way my body hummed for him proved it was already too long. I needed him. And soon.
“Nothing.” I beamed a smile and brushed past him. “I’m fine.”
His hand reached out and caressed my arm as I went past, sending shivers down my spine.
Aching for him, I inserted the key. The lock turned easily, and I sucked in a breath as Kas moved closer behind me.
I became hyperaware of him.
Too aware.
The boots I’d bought him from Walmart scuffed on my weed-covered stoop. His intense gaze swept over my jungle of a front garden. His lips twitched as I looked back over my shoulder, his eyes curious and shrewd in the night. “Your brother was right to mock your gardening skills on the video when you squabbled.”
I shrugged, trying to calm my jumpy heart rate. “I’ve never been one for plants.”
“Maybe that’s a way I can pay you back while I have no money.” His savage, scarred face lit up. “I’ll start another veggie patch. Get your garden producing as well as looking pretty.”
He looked positively relieved to have found an area of my life that he could contribute to. And who was I kidding? The thought of Kas shirtless and covered in mud while digging in my garden? Holy hell, the desire in my blood intensified.
He seemed oblivious as he drank in my messy section, and his hands balled as if he was about to start work immediately, even though it was almost one in the morning and we were both bedraggled from driving cross country.
His gaze caught mine again, and the eagerness there, instead of the usual wariness, made my heart thump, sending yet more tingles through my blood.
God, why did I feel so jumpy and high? My system acted as if I was about to scale a boulder that might make me fall and break something.
Well, this is kind of like that...
Having Kas in my space set me on edge and excited me at the same time. I wanted him to be happy here. I wanted him to feel welcome and free to go wherever he wanted. But I was also afraid he wouldn’t like it.
That he’d find my place small after the huge decadence of Fables.
I had money, but I was wise in my investments. I owned this small house outright and had another two rentals that returned good yields, but the rest of my savings were scattered in term deposits, growth funds with Wall Street, and a couple of start-up companies that I believed in.
I’d never been one for expensive cars or massive houses even though I could afford it.
The idea that Kas would find me lacking in some way? That he’d regret allowing me to drive him so far from his valley made me sick.
God, had he felt all these emotions when I’d trespassed?
Had he struggled with wanting me in his space versus not wanting me near the things he valued?
I’d entered his sanctuary. I’d infiltrated somewhere he felt safe.
I’d never stopped to see it from his point of view—to understand how soul-shattering it would’ve been to have someone unwelcome step inside without an invitation.
To have to share after a decade of being alone.
If he’d been this strung out, no wonder he’d had such an adverse reaction to me. It still didn’t excuse him strangling me or throwing me in the basement, but I could see how terrifying it would’ve been for him.
I’d signaled a change he hadn’t been ready for.
I’d brought forth a life he’d done his best to turn his back on.
And now?
He’s doing the same to me.
Just having him on my doorstep ensured this house would never feel the same again. I would never forget him prowling through my rooms, looking at my stuff, becoming part of my world. How could I ever forget him when the entire vibe of my home had changed just with him standing on the stoop?
How could I be sure he’d be happy here? That he’d find comfort in a suburb surrounded by people? How could I be sure I’d remain enough for him as he slowly acclimated from animal to man?
Maybe he’d find someone else?
Someone he didn’t share such a complicated begi
Oh, God.
My stomach churned, and my hand turned slick with sweat on the doorknob.
Stop torturing yourself, Gem.
You’re tired from the drive.
You’ve been on high alert since being flown out of the valley.
You’ve brought someone home who isn’t used to this world.
It’s natural your mind is all over the place.
Kas wrapped his arms around me from behind. His chin landed on my head, and his chest expanded with air as he inhaled and sighed. “It’s my turn to trespass on your home, Gemma Ashford.”
I let out a surprised laugh. “I was literally just thinking that.” I turned in his arms, slinging mine around his waist. “I was wondering if you felt this jittery when I entered your home.”
He nuzzled my nose with his. “Seeing you that first day made me feel everything all at once. I went from feeling nothing to being bombarded with lust, hunger, anger, a
Immediately, my racing thoughts calmed. The way he looked at me couldn’t be faked. His love for me blazed all over him. His trust that I’d guide him on this new path made me ache with a different kind of desire.
He trusted me.
After everything he’d been through, he trusted me, and that...God, that was absolutely priceless.
All my worries evaporated, and I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him.
I’d only meant it to be a quick peck, but his arms tightened around me, and his lips parted beneath mine. His tongue lashed out and dived deep, licking me.
I moaned and opened wider, welcoming him to kiss me deep and swift, arching back in his arms, pressing my belly to his cock, growing wet and needy and breathless.
He backed me against the door, wedging me against the wood as his hips ground into mine, and his mouth did wicked things to me.
He groaned as I bit his bottom lip, my entire body burning up.
If any neighbors looked out their windows, they’d see two people mauling each other. Gone were the days when we could be naked in the sun with no one to see us, able to run and fight and figure things out without someone reporting our uncouth dating practices.
Kas thrust his hardness against my belly, grunting against my lips. “Open the damn door, Gem.” The need dripping from his dark tone made my body clench and caused an inappropriate laugh to fall from my lips.
Breaking our kiss, I panted, “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“What? That I’m seconds away from crawling inside you?”
“No...that you’re here...with me.” I tucked a long strand of hair behind his ear, loving the way he shivered under my touch. “It feels surreal.”
Kas reached around me and turned the doorknob.
The lock was already open, and the door swung wide, revealing a slight lavender smell in my quaint little home. “Get inside.”
I turned around and tripped over the threshold, my gaze skipping over my familiar possessions. My brother had obviously been here, wild with fear and messy with looking for clues on where I could’ve gone.
My side table had all its paperwork pulled out and scattered on the top. My kitchen had been the dumping ground for his search of drawers and knickknacks as if each one was a compass leading him to me.
My spare tablet was on the coffee table along with the charging cable as if Joshua had sat there for hours, scrolling through my social media and YouTube cha
God, my poor brother.
The stress I’d put him through.
Kas drifted forward, his eyes locking onto the mess as questions quickly replaced our previous desire. He turned to me, his large presence vibrant and vicious in the homeliness of my feminine living room. “I know you’re not as tidy as me, and you only cleaned the kitchen the night you were going to run because you saw how much it upset me, but Gem...if this is how you live, I guess I have two jobs in which to pay you back. I’ll be your gardener and your cleaner.”