She raised her free hand in surrender, conceding the point, and it was only then that Kane realized he was still holding her other hand. He also realized, he didn’t want to let it go. Clearing his throat, he asked, “What do you think? Should I buy it?”
Her grin was captivating as she replied pragmatically, “I’ve only seen the kitchen and the entry.”
Giving her hand another tug, an odd excitement bubbling in his blood, he offered, “I’ll give you a tour while we wait for the food to arrive.”
They only made it to the living room before the others joined them and Kane had the urge to shoo them away so he could continue to be alone with the woman that held him so fascinated. He wanted to talk to her privately, ask her questions, learn who she was, what she liked, and disliked. The urge was surprising as he typically kept chats with women to whom he was attracted limited to shallow topics. He’d certainly never experienced this driving need to learn every intimate detail. Yet, with Sophia St. John, that need was growing by the minute.
Chapter Six
Kane Fletcher was nothing like Sophia had expected. Instead of the pompous ass with an underlying vein of cruelty she had imagined, the Born was almost childlike in his enthusiasm, his happiness written all over that handsome face. He joked, he teased, he laughed with a joie de vivre that was contagious and had little bubbles of joy sparkling through her bloodstream like the first sip of champagne. Her dragon was likewise affected, the beast practically humming with contentment inside, contentment it hadn’t felt since the night she’d been taken.
Sophia actually felt relaxed in his presence, calm, happy, and once he’d finished the tour, she was just as excited for Kane to buy the house as he was. Of course, that thrilled the realtor who immediately pulled out a tablet and stylus for Kane to sign on the dotted line before he could change his mind. Not that Sophia thought he would. While Kane might want to buy the place for the kitchen – which she totally agreed with – Sophia had practically drooled over the closet space and she’d absolutely fallen in love with the master bath, or more specifically, the deep, marble tub in the master bath. She could totally see herself luxuriating in a sea of bubbles while music played and candles flickered around her. Not that she’d be living here, but maybe Kane would be willing to rent her the space for a couple of hours a week.
It was as they all sat down at the patio table while Archer Langley took command of the grill that Sophia’s bubble of contentment burst. Jamie produced a tablet and enlarged a grainy bit of video.
“So, I was able to hack into that bar’s security,” she told Kane before she waved a hand and let out a derisive snort. “Child’s play.” Poking a finger at the screen she added, “This is the woman you left the bar with the other night.”
Sophia swallowed hard as she looked at the still image. She could tell the woman in question was gorgeous even in the poor lighting and less than stellar quality. Then there was the way Kane, in the video, was gazing at her, the body language so obviously that of attraction. And he’d gone home with her.
Her disappointment was keen, though she berated herself for feeling it. She’d just met Kane after all, had no claim on him despite how her dragon suddenly writhed in protest at the thought of him with another woman. Considering how beautiful the man was, he probably had a string of lovers…
“I don’t remember her,” Kane remarked with a disgruntled huff. “Not even a flicker of recognition. Who is she?”
Okay, sothatwent a long way in brightening her mood. His statement even had her dragon perking up once more as she continued to listen.
“I’m running facial recognition on her, have been since I found the footage, trying to get a name. Nothing.” Jamie told him. “But I recognize her. This was the witch I told you about. The one that helped the vampires when they kidnapped me.”
“So, it was probably a setup and she most likely did something to my memory,” Kane said with a curse.
All eyes were suddenly turned toward Sophia, her brother’s hand rubbing slow circles on her back as he softly murmured, “Easy, there.”
She realized she was growling low in her throat, that her eyes had shifted to that of her beast, and that scent of sulfur in the air? Her internal fire readying itself for battle. That witch had obviously tried to seduce Kane, probably for nefarious reasons, and then had erased herself from his mind so she couldn’t be hunted down for her duplicity.
While everyone else was slowly edging away with matching leery looks on their faces, waiting to see what she’d do, Kane leaned closer to her without fear. “Do you recognize her, too? Do you know who she is?”
Closing her eyes, she took a few deep, calming breaths before she shook her head. She had no right to feel this possessive of the man based on an initial attraction and roughly an hour of conversation, and yet, she couldn’t seem to help herself.
“Probably just the reminder of her ordeal,” Jamie offered as an excuse, to which Sophia would ever be grateful, before the blonde vampire added, “Which reminds me. Sophia wanted to look through your files, Kane. Maybe she can identify the men responsible for her abduction.”
“Tell me when and where and we’ll get it done,” Kane said, laying his warm palm over the back of her hand and giving a squeeze. “They won’t get away with it,” he assured her, a little growl of his own deepening his voice. “I’ll personally hand them over for your vengeance.”
Raising a finger to signal he needed a moment, he pulled out his cell phone to make a call. “Edward, I need your help,” he said as Archer set a platter of grilled hamburgers and hotdogs on the table.
Sophia had no problem hearing the other end of the conversation, mostly thanks to the other person’s obvious enthusiasm.
“Of course, sire. Does it have to do with the property? The realtor has already called to update me and the transfer of funds is underway. Should I stop it?”
“No. We’re all good there, but I need the files on all the Turned in the territory.”
“Right away, sire. I’ve recently finished updating them. I can send a thumb drive via a currier if you’d like, or I can deliver it to you directly once the sun sets.”
“Edward, my man,” Kane said with a grin. “Always there when I need you. Send it with a currier to the house I just bought.”
Disconnecting the call, he turned to Sophia. “We can go through them here once they arrive, or wait for another day. It’s up to you.”
Sophia considered Kane’s statement. She had no idea what she would find in those files, what horrific memories might bubble to the surface, or how her dragon would react to those memories considering her recent lack of control. She may have been keeping it together remarkably well today, but that could change in a heartbeat, and this place was happy, bright, and she was loathed to sully it with terror. Shaking her head, she said, “I think I’d like to do it today, but not here.”
Kane nodded. “We can go back to your brother’s place in the city, that’s where I’ve been staying.”
