Page 24 of When He Fights
“The hell it is.”He stood toe to toe with his friend.“I’m not her cousin, and I’m not her fuckingbrother.”
“Stepbrother,” Gray corrected.“Because the two of you look nothing alike.No one would buy that you’re biological siblings.”
Kane couldn’t speak.A low growl built within him.
“I thought you had this under control.”Gray’s voice dropped.“You let her go.You stayed away for two years.I don’t get it.If you wanted her so badly, how the hell did you walk away in the first place?”
Because I had to do it for her.She was just getting away from one twisted sonofabitch.She needed to stand on her own.To make sure she wasn’t just tied up with adrenaline and fear and…
“You didn’t trust her, did you, Kane?”Even softer.“She offered you a life with her on a silver platter.Maybe it was every dream you ever wanted.”
Anawasevery dream that he’d ever wanted.
And she was dating someone else.Sonofabitch.
“You figured she’d change her mind.Is that what happened?Or maybe you just didn’t realize how badly you wanted her, not until she was gone.”
“I knew how badly I wanted her the moment we met.”Flat.
Gray jerked in surprise.
Oh, what?Had his friend thought that Kane would keep denying the truth?Not happening.“I wanted her the minute I saw her.But you had assigned me to protect her.The job was to keep her alive.Not to lust after her.Not to fuck her.”Not to fall in love with her.He shut down the thought as soon as it whispered through his head.“She was being hunted by her ex-lover.She was scared and desperate, and Ana needed someone she could trust.So I became that someone.I didn’t cross lines.”Except for the last night.And then…
I wanted to do so much more.
Kane’s chin lifted.“She’d been with a monster already.She needed a shot at a normal life.I’m many things, but normal isn’t exactly how most would describe me.”
“You’re dangerous.”
Kane grunted.
“Territorial.Possessive as hell of things that belong to you.”
Another grunt.Because Gray was not wrong in his description.
“You’re a vicious fighter.”
Again, true.
“You’ve killed, and you’ve hunted and you’ve done the bloody, violent jobs that no one else could handle in this world.”
All reasons why he should not have crossed lines with Ana.
“But you don’t kill innocent people.So I know that despite the BS swagger you’re throwing around, you won’t kill the man Ana is fucking.Notthat I think she’s fucking him,” Gray rushed to add.“If she was fucking him, though, I think you’d just want her happy.You’d back off.You wouldn’t destroy the man.”
Kane just stared at him.
“You wouldn’t,” Gray denied.
Aw, that was cute.It sounded as if Gray was trying to convince himself of that very important fact.
“Dammit, justdon’t,okay?”Gray groused.“Don’t kill him.Do go back to having ironclad control.You don’t want to play her stepbrother, then fine, we’ll figure something else out.The point is that I need a protective detail that can remain very, very close to her.There was chatter earlier from my sources that made me think an attack on her might be imminent.Even before Ana called me—FYI, she saw the story of Logan’s escape on the news, and that’s what led to her panic—but even before the call, I was going to contact her.Because red flags are waving.Something is about to go down, and protection has to be close.”He glanced around.The area behind the house was dead quiet.“If you can’t handle this, then I need to know, immediately.You can ride out right now, and I can stay with her until another guard can be brought in.But if you’re leaving, then go.She needs help, not some domineering asshole who is going to threaten to wreck the whole case.”
Kane’s heart drummed too fast and hard in his chest.
“Don’t see you riding out,” Gray noted.
“Fuck yourself.”
