Page 14 of Kane (Ghost Ops #4)

He put a hand over her mouth. Daphne blinked at him in shock. Then she bit his finger. Lightly, not hard. But enough so he’d know she didn’t like it. He dropped his hand and growled at her.

“Listen to me, for fuck’s sake.” He pushed her into the interior of the building and closed the door behind him.

“He’s not a resident here, he’s passing through, and he’s been to the range two days in a row.

He made you uncomfortable both days, and while that may not mean anything other than he’s a dick, I can’t in good conscience let you be alone in dark parking lots and entering buildings.

If you don’t want me here, fine, but until this douche leaves town, at least call Blaze and Emma to come downstairs and wait for you when you’ve been out.

It’s Safety 101, Sunshine. Somebody makes you uncomfortable but it’s not enough to call the police, you deploy the buddy system.

I’m your buddy and I’d feel better making sure you get into your apartment safely. Can you let me do that? Please?”

Daphne swallowed. Her buddy. Always her buddy. Couldn’t he at least appear to be struggling to keep her at arm’s length the way she was with him?

“Sure, buddy. Come on up and watch me walk inside. I can think of nothing more delightful than shutting the door in your face anyway. Gramps,” she added for good measure.

She whirled and started up the stairs. Kane trailed after her. “Now what’s got you pissed off?”

“Nothing at all, buddy. ”

“For fuck’s sake, Daphne,” he growled. “You are the prickliest fucking female I’ve ever met.”

“Well at least I’m female now.”

“What?”

“The parts , idiot. This morning you didn’t want to count me in the female column and you definitely didn’t like it when I pointed out I had all the parts.”

He stomped along behind her until they hit the third-floor landing. Then his fingers were on her arm and he spun her until she collided with his chest. A second after that, her back was against the wall and his hard body pressed into her from breast to belly to hip.

It was a shock, and it was delicious at the same time.

His fingers spanned her jaw, tipped her head back, his hand sliding to her throat. He held her firmly but gently. His thumb glided along the side of her neck until he found her racing pulse.

“The reason I don’t want to think about your parts, Daphne,” he said, his voice whisper soft and growly at the same time, “is that if I do think of them, I’ll want to touch them.

All of them. I’ll want to lick this throbbing pulse until you moan, and then I’ll want to suck your nipples into tight little peaks.

Worst of all, I’ll want to find out how wet you are when I do those things.

I’ll want to stroke my fingers into your hot, tight little pussy until you’re begging for my cock. ”

“You aren’t convincing me this is a bad idea yet,” she whispered.

He leaned forward and nipped her earlobe. The hard press of his cock against her told her he was as turned on as she was. How the hell they’d gone from arguing about him walking her upstairs to completely horny in a matter of minutes was a mystery, but here they were.

“But it is, Daph. Really bad. Because I’ll fuck you good for a night.

We’ll feel fantastic, and we’ll want more and more.

But when the sun comes up and reality sets in, I’ll be gone.

And it won’t happen again because I’ll be done.

Once I’ve had you, I’ll be finished with you.

The mystery is gone, the ache, the need.

You won’t know why, and you’ll look at me with hurt in your eyes.

I don’t want to hurt you, Daph. I really don’t.

So let’s not go there in the first place. ”

Hurt and anger spun together inside her. She wanted to shove him away and she wanted to kiss him senseless and prove him wrong. There was really only one option though.

Daphne shoved his chest with all her might. It wasn’t a lot compared to the strength of Kane Fox, but he got the hint and stepped back, dropping his hand from her throat, his other hand from her hip.

“You are such an asshole, Kane. I realize you’re pretty, but you really think you’re God’s fucking gift to women, don’t you?

Everything you’ve said— everything —is based on the idea that all the poor, feeble-minded women just can’t help themselves.

One ride on your magic cock and they’re in love, right?

They hound you for more, but woe-is-you, you just can’t get the peen up again for the same woman or something. Do you even hear yourself?”

He was a dark, hulking presence, hands at his sides, face utterly closed off.

She wanted to slap him until he cracked, but the urge sickened her.

Was that her O’Malley blood heating up, wanting to punish?

Did she want to make him pay for what he’d said?

Or did she want to prove to him that he wasn’t as unfeeling as he pretended?

“You’re right,” he said, his voice low and deep, “I’m an asshole.

But I know that about myself and I’m being honest with you, no matter what you think about me.

I want you. You have to know that I do. How could I not?

You’re so fucking pretty, and you’re always right there where I can see you and think about you.

I’ve jerked off to thoughts of you, and I’ll likely do it again.

But that’s all it can be. It’s all I’ve got to give.

And no matter how pissed you are at me, you fucking cried that night by the fire when you told everybody that Warren Trigg broke up with you because you weren’t the kind of woman he wanted.

I already know where this would go if we started, and I’m not going to be the man who makes you cry.

So be pissed at me, I can handle it. Call me names if it makes you feel better.

Still not changing my mind, because I know who I am. ”

Everything he’d said was a dull roar in her ears. Most of it, anyway. She’d thought the news of him having once been married was a shock. This was more so.

“You jerk off to thoughts of me?”

He snorted. “Of course you’d focus on that. Yeah, Daphne, fuck me to hell and back, but I do. And it doesn’t make me feel good to say it. I’m too old and too broke inside, okay? I feel like shit lusting after you.”

Daphne closed her eyes. Damn Kenny for talking her into being so much younger than she really was. She couldn’t tell Kane the truth. Even if she did, it’d create more problems than it solved. Then again, was that really his problem with wanting her?

“You’re just looking for an excuse to torture yourself. But I’m a grown woman, Kane. So stop obsessing over your advanced age compared to me. Either kiss me or find better things to do with your time.”

She waited but he didn’t move. “Thought so.”

She stepped around him and started for the door.

“Where are you going?”

She threw a look over her shoulder. “It’s late and I want to go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He followed her to her door, though she didn’t want him to, and stood just out of her sight while she fitted her key to the lock. She was annoyed with herself and irritated with him and it took her a moment to get the key jammed in.

When she turned it, there was no resistance. She turned the key the other way and the lock engaged.

“Kane,” she forced out past the sudden tightness in her chest.

Someone had been inside her space. Might still be.

She didn’t have to say another word before he acted. Kane dragged her from in front of the door and pushed her against the wall, anchoring her with an arm. She heard rather than saw him draw a weapon.

“Stay here,” he commanded, his voice barely more than a growl. “If you hear sounds after I breach the door, I want you to run down to Blaze and Emma’s and hammer on their door until they let you in, you got me?”

“Yes.” Her heart was a wild animal in her chest, beating against the cage of her ribs. “Kane,” she whispered as he tensed for action beside her.

“Yes?”

“Please be careful.”

He grinned, and for some reason the fear in her chest eased a tiny bit. “I got this, Sunshine. Don’t worry.”

A moment later, he was in motion.