Page 3

THREE

Kane

Six hours later

The call didn’t come from Eagle. It came from her asshole father.

Go get my daughter.

I already knew she was in the wind. The tracker on my truck showed me exactly where she was heading. But I don’t know why.

Eagle didn’t call me. She took my truck and left.

There’s a part deep inside my head that knows where this train wreck is going. Balls deep somewhere I should never fucking go.

Cueing up my sister’s number, I hit send.

“Bethany Matthews,” she answers.

“Don’t you look at caller ID before you answer?”

“Lighten up, Kane. I did, I was just joking with you. What’s up, big brother?”

Ugh.

“Everything,” I rumble. “Look, I’m in trouble.”

Whatever she was doing in the background stops abruptly, a nervous sound that I recognize well coming from her as she clears her throat. “You didn’t get arrested again?”

“No. But I could be.”

“Oh, Kane!” She goes silent for a beat and I can see her pinching the bridge of her nose. “What’s happened?”

“Nothing yet.”

“Thank God,” she breathes. “Where are you?”

“About to be out of cell service. I’m in the mountains and I probably won’t be able to answer for a couple days if I’m there. Look, I need some advice.”

Bethany makes a choked sound. “Wait. I have to clean out my ears. Did my former SEAL alpha male, hero brother just ask his little sister for advice?”

“All right, smart ass. Yes, I did.” I force my hands to loosen on the wheel before I break it. “What’s that word they use when there are a lot of years between a man and a woman?”

Fuck, I can’t believe I’m asking my younger sister about this.

“Age gap. Technically two words. What about it?”

I gulp as I realize Eagle probably hasn’t even heard the music I listen to when I’m working out.

“What do you think of the idea?” I choke out, my stomach making a weird twisting motion.

“It’s kind of sexy. I mean, not when he’s one foot in the grave, but you know, men just take so much longer to mature.”

“Bethany.”

She laughs lightly, “You’re an exception. And Kane, are you asking because you met a younger woman?”

There’s definitely excitement growing in her tone.

“I’m freaking the fuck out.”

More laughter. “You never freak out, I wish I could see your face right now.”

“No. You don’t. Now, what do you think is too many,” I have to force out the last word, “years?”

Thinking, she starts making some kind of noise in the background again.

“What’s that sound?”

“I’m putting together some new crates that got donated. One day I’ll have mobile rescue trucks, with built-in cages, and an airplane, but for now, these little crates are great for rescuing smaller animals.”

Bethany’s determination and heart never cease to amaze me. “You’re gonna do something amazing, sis.”

“Well, it’s all about getting in front of the right people now.

There’s not much more I can do without a serious cash infusion to buy the first truck.

Oh, I forgot to tell you, I got another anonymous donation of twenty thousand dollars.

It was enough to save some horses from an abuser and pay for their medical care. ”

Lead settles in my stomach. Paul McKenna pays big. Enough for me to buy that truck with cash—my plan, but…

I’ve got to get another fucking job. Yesterday.

“So, who is this young mystery woman?”

The tendons in my hands ache and I realize I’ve got the wheel in a death grip again. “She’s too young.”

“Is she younger than me?”

I bash my fist into my forehead. I didn’t even think of that. “Goddamn.”

“She is!”

“Please stop sounding excited. I’m dying over here.”

“Kane,” Bethany says softly, “I’m so happy for you. You’ve been alone too long.”

“I’m gonna fuck her world up.”

That gets a rise out of my spitfire sister. “You are not. That’s impossible. A man like you is what every woman wants, Kane. You just can’t see it. Now promise me you’ll give it a chance.”

“Look, I gotta go.” I reach for the console to end the call. “Stay safe, little one.”

“Wait! When are you going to see her again?”

“I’m going to pick her up now. And you were supposed to talk some sense into me.”

“Don’t forget to wear a condom. Unless you’re planning on being a baby daddy.”

Her laughter is so raucous, I have to end the call before my head explodes.

I don’t have any condoms.

Flexing my hands on the wheel, I rage at myself. No one to blame but me. I’ve lost my damned mind to get involved with Eagle. If I was sane, I’d have sent someone else to get her.

Weston, my second-in-command, would have done the job. He’s oblivious to Eagle. Smitten with his pregnant wife. He’d have been the safe bet to go talk her into coming back.

But no. I couldn’t let him go, because even as much as I logically know Weston is a claimed man, he’s male and I don’t want anyone with balls near Eagle. Ever.

She’s too sexy. Too mine.

Growling, I shove my aching dick around, trying to find a comfortable spot inside my tactical pants for the ten-inch crowbar. Right. Like that’s going to happen.

“Fuck.” I smash the volume button on the console of the estate-owned Range Rover’s dash to kill the sound. My head’s full of enough rage metal as is.

The final bend on the tree-lined dirt road comes into sight, making my balls tighten, my breath rasps, and every nerve ending from my scalp to my knees turn on like a neon sign.

She’s right up there. Just a mile ahead.

The only time I’ve felt this sensation—a swarming feeling of dread, adrenaline, and anticipation—before taking the job was in the war.

Except… every time I’m around my boss’s barely legal daughter. Long-legged, big-tit, fine-assed, virgin, Eagle.

Total smoke show. She’s nuclear hot. And she has the penchant for flashing pale hazel eyes my way before she blushes like a goddamned flower in springtime.

I’m so fucked.

And the sickest part of all…I’m elated. Fucking hysterically happy to be this close to the chaos.

You’re sick.

She’s twenty, for Christ’s sake. I’m double her age.

Slowing the luxury vehicle, I lower the window, raking the cold air into my lungs to slow my speeding blood. My heart’s so loud, I almost miss the chirp of a text message on my phone.

Paul McKenna: Do you have her?

Me: Negative. Closing in now.

Him: Let me know when you have her locked down.

I don’t reply.

This SUV needs to be turned around. Only my dick is pointing in her direction like a compass needle. Her little pink honeypot is true north and I’m locked and loaded. Driving my ass straight to the brink of destruction.

McKenna is frothing to get his one and only heir under control. Good fucking luck. Eagle McKenna isn’t the kind of girl—woman—you just shove into a corner and forget about.

She’s got dreams, and if I have anything to do with it, she’ll get to live those, free of her father.

Which is why I’m seventy-three miles off the main road in BFE Idaho. Sent to retrieve the bane of my existence like some kind of Labrador retriever. Son of a bitch could have sent anyone.

But no. He sends me. The tatted-up, pierced, felon who lives hard and fucks harder.

With a ragged moan, I drag my open hand over my mouth. McKenna knows I don’t ever fail at a mission. I clean up his world. Make people fall into line. Do it with a shark’s smile, and a clean, blank conscience. Roughing up bad men doesn’t affect me in the fucking least.

But this…I’m affected. Afflicted. Addicted, and I haven’t even tasted the goods.

Unless I can get this monster under control, I’ll be filling his college-age daughter’s tight little pussy with cum so deep she’ll never stop leaking my seed.

This time my phone rings. Goddamn. Micro-managing asshole. “What, McKenna?” I never talk to him like this, but my dick is choking my patience right now.

“Kane, I want you to teach her a lesson.”

No.

But the palm of my dominant hand starts throbbing, ready, willing and able to spank Eagle’s grade-A ass cheeks. “What do you mean?” I ask, my tone strangled.

“Shut her down, Kane. Get her back here so fast her head spins and make her regret taking off like some teenage brat. Treat her like you treat everyone else you deal with for me. Show her that monster you hide behind your soulless eyes.”

His words are a direct hit. Acid rolling through my stomach, leaching out to my extremities. A sick realization makes me want to vomit—like sees like.

Eagle’s old man knows I’m a bastard.

He just doesn’t know the depth of how fucked up I am. Starving for a taste of sweet that has no business being in my world. My sister’s wrong.

The more shit McKenna talks, the more I want to steal Eagle out from under his nose. So I can fuck her silly.

Keep her drunk on dick for days while I get my fix, while he pulls his hair transplants out looking for us.

A dark chuckle rumbles through me. God, I love that idea.

Then what?

I’d never be able to take her back to him.

Tugging at my collar, I curse. “You’re a fucking idiot, Kane.” Cold sweat wraps around my neck, a yoke of guilt.

Eagle deserves someone better than me to be her first. Which is why I should have gotten some black market drugs—the opposite of Viagra. Whatever the fuck that is.

I’m sure there’s something out there that would…take the edge off.

I shove the aching rod in my boxers roughly down again.

Lightning cracks behind me. If I hadn’t had the storm chasing my ass all the way here, I’d have beat the shit out of my dick on the side of the road. But when Mother Nature unleashes in less than thirty minutes, this whole damned mountain will be lethal, and Eagle needs to be somewhere safe.

A gust rocks the Rover to the side as the sky presses in, the high-tech headlights slicing the ink-black. The electric white beams flash along the tall trees on either side of the strip of dirt that leads one place. Whispering Pines—old man McKenna’s hunting cabin.

The next ground zero.

Fuck. Fucking. Fuck. I laugh darkly, then choke on the sound before the wind snatches the echo out the window. I don’t know exactly how this will play out. Eagle’s a wildcard, but I spent enough time as a SEAL to know that something’s about to blow up.

“Oh. Shit!” Slamming my foot on the brake pedal, the Rover shudders to a stop, skidding sideways, my exploding heart throwing itself into my mouth.

No. No!

My truck is upside down, the taillights flashing, blinding red beacons in the eerie stillness.

I’m sprinting before my brain even registers I’m out of the SUV. “Eagle!”

Sliding in, rocky earth collides with my knees as I skid to a stop next to the truck.

“Eagle!” Reaching blindly through the broken window, I raggedly shout, “Can you hear me?”

When I grab air instead of her, I shudder in relief, but then realize she might have been thrown free from the car.

Where is she? The driver’s seat is empty, the belt dangling, ghostly-white, deflated airbags fill the cabin.

Jesus. Jesus.

“Eagle, if you can hear me, cry out. I’ll turn this car over with my bare hands.”

“I’m right here.” A soft touch lands on my shoulder and I nearly collapse onto the dirt, my vision wavering, my throat spasming with overwhelming relief.

She’s a mess, dirty, scraped up. But alive.

“Thank you. Thank you, God.” Before she can react, I’m dragging her down, folding her into the cavern of my body, rasping her name against her temple. “Eagle. Fuck, baby.”

“I’m okay, I just hurt your truck. I’m sorry…” She shivers in my arms, her pale eyes widening as she looks up at me. “I ruined your truck, I know you’re furious.”

“I’m only worried about you.” My gravelly words claw out around the lump in my throat.

“It was really scary. I’m so glad you are here.”

My Eagle was scared.

If a goddamned deer caused this, I’m going to hunt that fucker down and murder it, shredding it into ribbons with my teeth like a rabid wolf. It could have killed Eagle.

“Are you hurt, sweetheart?”

Shaky, my hands fly over her—over those curves that have taunted and teased, and made me insane every single day for six long months. When she groans, the knot in the bottom of my stomach twists inside out, slicing me from groin to throat.

“What’s wrong? Tell me!” I bark.

“Your hands are so warm. They just feel good. I’ve been outside for a long time. I didn’t bring the right kind of coat.”

God.

“Tuck into me, baby.” I nuzzle her close and stand up, compressing her tightly in my arms. “I’ll get you warm. You promise you’re not injured?”

“Nothing hurts,” she whispers against my neck as I double-time to the Rover, jerk open the back seat and climb in with her in my lap. Her plump, sweet ass cheeks nest in, right where they fucking belong.