Page 101 of Kane's Awakening
His forehead had creased.“You’re going through a lot of crap for a job you’re not even passionate about.”
As I stood there in the bay area, staring at the target and feeling the weight of the gun in my hands, I felt empty. Like I was living a fucking lie and lying not only to myself but to everyone around me. But it was too late. I’d learned to like my job as a police officer. I didn’t hate it or anything and had met some amazing people on the job.
Not everyone was meant to live their dream job. Dreams didn’t pay the bills. I just needed to suck it up. It may have started off as some kind of power trip, but I’d found a respect for it.
Aim and shoot.Block out everything else.
With shaking hands, I held the gun and took deep breaths before raising it and aiming down the lane. My finger went for the trigger as I focused on the center of the target. One heartbeat turned to two. Inhale. Exhale. The trigger was beneath my finger, all I had to do was apply pressure on it.
The shots around me quieted and were pushed to the background.
I fired the gun.
As the shot pierced the air, all noise returned to me, and my knees quaked, threatening to send my ass to the ground. I put the gun down and braced my arms on the stand in front of me.
I actually did it.
I smiled through my jolted nerves and laughed. If the range safety officer was nearby, they probably thought I’d gone batshit crazy. Fuck, I felt crazy, but I also felt proud. Relieved. The anticipation of it had been worse than doing it. Once I was able to pull that trigger, it was as if the fear left me.
I snapped my attention back down the lane.
With my confidence on the rise, I grabbed the gun and aimed before firing another shot. Then another. I emptied the clip and immediately loaded in more before shooting at the bullseye again.
When I returned home, Ryker was cleaning my house.
I walked through the door and found him vacuuming the living room… without a shirt. Studying the smooth planes of his shoulders and dip of his lower back, I grew hard. Molly gave me away. She barked before running to greet me.
Ryker turned and instantly burst into a smile. He started talking, but I shook my head and yelled, “Can’t hear you over the vacuum!”
He gave anoopsexpression and flipped the switch, shutting off the machine.
“Why are you cleaning my house? Who are you, Mary Poppins?” I asked, not able to hide my amusement.
Ignoring my jab at him, he asked, “How did it go?”
I approached him and put my arms around his lean waist. “Difficult at first, but it got better. Once I pulled the trigger, it was easier. It was just getting passed that point that was the challenge.”
“I’m proud of you,” he said before kissing the tip of my nose. “I’m sorry if I upset you earlier with my remark about your job. I didn’t mean to pressure you. I just don’t want you doing something you hate.”
Staring into his gorgeous blue eyes, I held him closer, focusing on everywhere we connected. He was warm, and not just his skin—his warmth showed through the kindness in his eyes and was reflected in every tender touch.
“I don’t hate it,” I answered, resting my cheek on his before nipping at his earlobe. He sighed and leaned more against me, but I knew if we got started, we wouldn’t stop. I pulled back. “Second-guessing your career is normal, right? When things get tough or stressful, I think it’s human nature to doubt those things.”
“What about your farm?” he asked. “I was fond of my image of cowboy Kane riding a horse off into the sunset.”
I chuckled and trailed my hands down his bare back and to his ass, giving it a squeeze. “Hey, I can always get a cowboy hat and we can have our own rodeo. You know what they say about saving horses.”
“By riding a cowboy instead?” Ryker asked before smiling; his eyes doing that crinkling thing I loved.
That fucking beauty mark beneath his right eye called to me, and I leaned forward and kissed it.
“You should be the cowboy in this scenario, though,” I said before lightly scraping my teeth along his jaw. “Because, baby, you’ve tamed this wild stallion.”
Ryker attacked me just as the words left my lips, and I fell back on the couch.
Touches became more adventurous and our lips moved from each other’s mouths to explore other areas. Clothes were shed in a desperate need to be even closer; to be joined in that mind-blowing way.
I panted as he licked down my chest and gripped my hard dick in his eager hands. After he gave me a handful of slow pulls, I propped myself up and looked down at him.
