Page 22 of When He Fights
“Damn straight.”Utter certainty from Kane.
Her gaze whipped to him.“Don’tyouhave a life?”Ana blurted the question.“Like…a family?A, um, girlfriend?”Or, heaven forbid, “A wife?Someone who hates for you to just up and vanish like this?”
The silence in the room was deafening.
Jealousy twisted in her gut.A jealousy that she had zero business feeling.Not like he’d ever sworn undying devotion to her.Not like he’d been in her life for the last two years or anything and she…
Oh, damn.Her eyes widened with a bit of horror.
“No girlfriend.”Flat.“No wife.”
Her breath whispered out.
“No ties at all that would stop me from moving into your life.”
Grayson’s hands flew up as he gave a little clap.“Great.Then there is no problem.You’ll move in here, you’ll take the role of her boyfriend, you’ll be seen in public with her, and you can?—”
“Ahem.”She cleared her throat.Very, very delicately.
Both men swung their heads toward her.
“Not a real boyfriend,” Grayson hastened to say.“Purely a cover situation.When Kane poses as your boyfriend—lover, current hookup, whatever you want to call him?—”
Her eyes narrowed on Grayson.
“It will give him a reason to be close to you.He can accompany you around town.Stay in the house with you at night, and it won’t arouse any suspicions.It will be the easiest cover story, trust me.”A rough laugh.“I mean, I’m coming off a case where the cover story was an actual marriage, so just dating is a million times easier than that ruse.”
She didn’t laugh back.She did clear her throat again.“There’s a problem.”A small one.Or maybe not so small.
For nearly two years, she hadn’t gone out with anyone.Shehadno actual lover.But, uh, recently…well, she’d…
Grayson blinked.“There’s no problem.I assure you, this will work.You may have to do some brief PDAs in order to sell the ruse to friends and coworkers, but surely you can manage to hold hands with Kane or to kiss him on the cheek.Not like I’m asking for some major make-out session.”
Ana shook her head.
“You can’t hold his hand?Not even to catch a killer?”Grayson demanded.
“That’s not the problem.”Though it was pretty problematic that each time she touched Kane, a sensual surge pulsed through her entire body.No one else had ever made her feel that way.Just Kane.Just “Heartless” Kane Harte.A nickname Grayson had revealed for Kane long ago.Grayson had seemed to think the name was so very fitting.
She hadn’t.She’d been sure that Kane had a heart.Maybe one that he just kept carefully hidden from the rest of the world.
“What’s the problem?”Kane wanted to know.
Right, so…Beneath the table, her sweaty palms pressed against the soft fabric of her yoga pants.“I have a boyfriend.”A new development.And maybe boyfriend wasn’t the right term.But I am dating someone.Casually dating him.Okay, we’ve been out a handful of times with very minimal kissing at all.And…
Kane didn’t move.Didn’t blink.Didn’t seem to breathe.She could actually feel the moments ticking away.One second.Two.Three.Four.Five.Six.
Was someone going to speak?
“That wasn’t in my latest intel report on you,” Grayson muttered.
“It’s new.”Very new.Not serious.She’d only recently decided to dip her toe back into the dating pool after a whole lot of urging from her friend Zuri.“We’ve only gone out on a few dates.”
Kane shot to his feet.His eyes seemed toblazeat her.“Do you love him?”
“Uh, no, no, I do not.”She jumped to her feet, too.Slapped her sweaty palms down on the table and leaned toward him.Glared right back at him.Why was he so mad?He was the one who’d ghosted her for two years.
And three days.
