Page 111 of Hushed

“Too late.”

Both men turned to find Kenzie standing in the kitchen in nothing but one of Gage’s long t-shirts. He was again overcome with the urge to pin her to his bed for the rest of the day.

“It’s nothing dangerous, babe,” he tried to reassure her.

But she wasn’t having it. Her stubborn streak was in full force today, and she crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him.

“I’m gonna need you to put some different clothes on,” Reggie said before Gage or Kenzie could argue further.

Kenzie looked down at her clothes and back at her brother. “Don’t be a jerk. Everything is covered. I was too busy chasing after your stupid ass, so I didn’t exactly have time to pack anything.”

Gage chuckled at the stand-off between siblings happening in his kitchen, and a sense of completeness settled over him. Family is what he’d been missing for most of his life, and he’d always made do with the family he’d made inside the BDSM community, but some things couldn’t replace the bonds he’d been without for so long.

Not wanting to get emotional, he turned his attention to making eggs, bacon, and French toast for the three of them.

Kenzie’s annoyance with her brother seemed to overshadow whatever concerns she had about him, and he wasn’t going to bring it up unless she did.

As they ate, he kept a hand possessively on her thigh, and would reach down and squeeze his hand from time to time. Reggie caught them up on what he could from the last five years, but most of it was classified since he was still technically on an active mission.

After breakfast, Kenzie stood and picked up their plates, but he gripped her wrist and took them from her. “Go in my office and get some work done, babe. You have active projects to work on. I’ll handle the clean-up.”

She frowned. “It seems like you’re trying to get rid of me.”

His brow wrinkled, and a scowl pulled the corners of mouth down, but didn’t scold her. Just because Reggie knew he was kinky didn’t mean he needed the fact that Gage was exploring power exchange with his sister shoved in his face.

Instead, he stood and pulled her to him, kissing her forehead. Then he looked at Reggie over her head and subtly leaned his head toward the front door. Thankfully, the man could take a hint.

“I need to go for a jog or something to work off this pent-up energy.”

Gage kept an arm around Kenzie but pointed down the hall. “You can use the gym if you don’t want to be exposed.”

Reggie gave him a thumbs up and went to his bedroom.

Gage stayed quiet as he cleared dishes, and Kenzie chewed on her bottom lip as she stared at him.

“Are you mad at me?” she finally whispered.

He looked up at her and smiled. “No, Kenz, I’m not mad at you.” Setting a dishrag aside, he moved to where she stood and pulled her close again.

“I’m not trying to get rid of you, babe. You can’t think the worst of me and my intentions or this isn’t going to work.”

Her eyes brimmed, and he looked at the ceiling in frustration. He wasn’t handling this conversation right.

“When I suggested you get some work done, it was my way of saying you don’t have to clean the kitchen or do the dishes if you don’t want to. Your work is important to me, and you make me proud. I just want to help you succeed.”

“And your thing you have to take care of? What’s with asking my brother to babysit me?”

“So, you were eavesdropping?”

She scowled. “I heard voices when I came looking for you, and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t interrupting something private.”

God, he was being an ass. He kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be accusing you of things like that. My space is yours. I meant it last night when I called this our house. If you overhear things, you’re not eavesdropping. I’m just on edge. The White House wants me back today, and I’m worried it’s because they’ve gotten wind that Reggie is compromised.”

She frowned. “How would they know that?”

Gage shook his head. “They told me this was the case he was working on before he died, but never hinted that he was still alive. My guess is my familiarity with him is why they called me in. I was not the most qualified person for this job.” The part he wasn’t telling her was that he now suspected the job was all about assessing Reggie. Not about finishing what he started.

She laid her head against his chest. “I’m sorry for doubting you. I just worry, you know?”

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