Page 80 of Beautifully Broken Control

“That would be good.” Some things in that apartment were precious to me, and I didn’t want to lose them if something happened while they were making repairs.

“Okay, see you in a bit.”

“See you. Just text me if you need me for anything.”

“Thanks, Kenz.”

I hung up and turned back to Cain. “There was a gas leak at the Kettle.”

Cain straightened. “What? How?”

“I don’t know. Jensen just smelled it when she opened the back door this morning. There’s a crew at the shop assessing the situation, but I guess there’s something that needs to be repaired.”

“You’re not staying there.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, I’m not staying in an apartment that is leaking gas.”

“Smartass.” Cain pulled me to him, sending Chuck back to the bottom of the bed. He nipped at my bottom lip. “Where are you staying, then?”

“Hmmmm. I don’t know…Do you know anyone who might take me in?” I brushed my mouth against his. “I always pay my debts.”

“Temptress.” Cain rolled his hips, his hard length sending a trail of sparks across my center.

I straddled him, pulling my t-shirt over my head. We had an hour to kill, and this was a hell of a way to do it.

* * *

I hoppedout of Cain’s Range Rover as soon as he parked. My eyes were locked on Jensen, who was huddled talking to Tuck, Walker, and an older man I didn’t recognize. She nodded and rubbed at her temples before the older man walked away, heading back into the building.

“J, are you okay?” I wrapped her in a big hug. “I’m so sorry you have to deal with this.” There was a flicker of guilt at spending my morning wrapped up in Cain while my friend was worried and stressed.

She squeezed me back. “Thank you. It’ll be fine. It shouldn’t take longer than a week to fix, so we won’t have to be closed long. It’s just so weird…”

“What is?” Cain asked, coming up behind me.

I released Jensen, and Cain wrapped an arm around me, pulling me to his side. I loved the feeling of his warmth. His comfort. Just the pressure of his body against mine gave me peace. I hated and loved it at the same time. Because what happened if he decided that small-town life wasn’t for him?Iwasn’t for him? What if he left and took my peace with him? Or worse, what if all those things he locked away reared their ugly heads? What if he betrayed me just like everyone else I’d loved? I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts to focus on J.

Tuck cleared his throat, a muscle in his cheek popping. “They found that a few of the pipe fittings on the gas lines under the apartment were loose.”

I looked between Tuck and Jensen. “Is there a reason that’s weird?”

Jensen glanced back at the building. “All of that stuff was redone when I renovated five years ago. I can’t imagine those guys being careless enough to leave pipe fittings loose. And I’d have thought we’d have a problem before now if that was the case.”

Tuck reached out and grabbed J’s hand, tugging her to him. “We’ll figure it out. Maybe someone was messing around in there and screwed something up.”

“Maybe…” Jensen’s eyes widened. “My deep-clean crew came in last night. Maybe they were wiping down the pipes and accidentally loosened something. Oh, God, Tuck, they could’ve been hurt.”

Tuck rubbed a hand up and down J’s back. “Everything’s okay, Wilder. We’ll fix it and make sure nothing like this happens again.” His eyes met Cain’s and then Walker’s. They shared a look I couldn’t quite read.

The older gentleman I’d seen earlier appeared in the doorway. “You can come in now and grab whatever you need.”

Jensen straightened. “Go ahead, Kenz. I’m so sorry I’m kicking you out of your home.”

Walker coughed. “I don’t think she or Cain mind too much.”

My cheeks heated, and Cain smacked Walker upside the head. “Watch it.”

“Come on.” I tugged on Cain’s hand. “I want to get my stuff.” We headed inside, side-stepping various crew members as they assessed pipes and took readings. As soon as we were safely in my apartment, I turned to face Cain. “What was that about?”

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