It was an electric moment. Her breathing hitched, and her heartbeat picked up the pace. She wanted him to kiss her. She licked her lips, almost lightheaded with anticipation. Any second now…
Doors banged open, shattering the mood, and a troop of people, six guys dressed in swim trunks, came in. All of them laughing and talking over each other. “Kong!” they called out in a chorus of voices when they spotted them.
Kong let out an annoyed grunt. “I’ll kill them,” he muttered under his breath as he put some space between their bodies.
Kong’s list of ex-friends was growing. He tried to remind himself that if he’d told them he was coming here with a woman, they probably would have given him privacy, but it wasn’t working. He’d only told Perrin about his plans for the night, and only because Katherine had said they’d become friends, otherwise, he would have gone to Lark. Katherine had needed a bathing suit and he’d have been worthless in picking something out for her. Women’s taste and sizing were a mystery to him.
Perrin had picked well. She hadn’t chosen something with tiny scraps of fabric held together with string that he’d bet would have made Katherine self-conscious. Instead, she’d chosen something modest, that still hugged her curves deliciously. And that zipper. Talk about a temptation. He’d wanted to unzip it so badly. No. Scratch that. He wanted to watch Katherine unzip it for him. Slowly. Maybe with a sultry little look in her eyes…
He quietly groaned and closed his eyes for a moment. If he kept thinking along those lines, not even the cold water would keep Kong Junior from popping up and saying hello to everyone.
One of the guys hooted with laughter and Kong’s annoyance returned.
He'd been two seconds away from kissing Katherine. She’d been looking at him with big brown eyes, all warm and inviting, only for these guys to come in and ruin it. All males. All shirtless. In front ofhisKatherine. Kong narrowed his eyes and let out awarning rumble. They either didn’t notice his irritation or didn’t care.
Leo let out a lion’s roar and cannonballed into the pool, the resulting splash drenching him and Katherine both. He pulled her closer, shielding her with his body as the others entered the pool, some diving cleanly into the water, while others followed Leo’s example. Within moments, he and Katherine were surrounded by half-naked bodies and openly curious faces.
Leo swept his wet mane of hair back from his face and grinned. His golden eyes twinkled with mirth. “Are we interrupting?”
Like he cared. Kong glared at him to show his displeasure but that only seemed to amuse Leo more.
Someone yelled, “Water fight!”
Shit. He’d played this game enough times with these guys to know they treated it like a grudge match. They got rough. Way too rough for a human. Injuries happened and Katherine couldn’t heal as fast as they could.
He looked down at her, still tucked against his chest. “Want to go get some ice cream?”
She shivered a little. “I’ll take a hot chocolate instead.”
His eyes moved over her, taking her in. Her hair was now dripping, half falling out of its bun, her teeth were chatteringjust slightly, and her skin was pebbled with goosebumps. His protective instinct roared to life with the need to warm her. If they hadn’t had an audience…
As Kong guided Katherine to the edge of the pool and helped her out, the guys were trying to convince them to stay and play with them, ribbing them for their retreat, but Kong ignored them. His priority was taking care of her.
They both went to their separate areas to get dried off and changed, Kong emerging well before Katherine and as soon as the guys saw him, they stilled in the water, shooting him probing looks.
“What are you doing down here with the little spy, Kong?”
The question had come from Nova. While a few inches shorter than Kong – because everyone was shorter than Kong – the guy was big, burly, and a brawler. Primarily enhanced with bear DNA, he was one of the few sparring partners that could hold his own with Kong and give back as good as he got.
Kong bristled. “She’s not a spy.”
“How can you be so sure? Lark’s technique isn’t infallible. What do you really know about this woman?” Nova motioned around. “Bringing her here is a huge security risk.”
While Kong resented his judgment being questioned, Nova wasn’t wrong. A sliver of doubt ran through him. Had he let himself be blinded by attraction? Because when it came rightdown to it, he didn’twantKatherine to be a spy. He wanted her to be exactly who she seemed to be because he liked her. He wanted her for himself. But her presence here at Black Bay still didn’t add up. There had to be an ulterior motive for Cleary positioning his daughter, of all people, here, even if Katherine wasn’t aware of it. Kong needed to be more careful.
Chapter Thirteen
The movie August Clearywas watching was just getting good when his phone beeped, alerting him to a new text message. He glanced at the screen. It was from an unknown number. The message: 911 followed by a ten-digit phone number. It was the rather simplistic emergency request-for-contact signal he’d set up. The idiot must have gotten himself in trouble again. If it weren’t for his valuable black-market connections, thanks to his family, August would have cut him loose long ago. With a grumble, he paused the movie. Getting up, he didn’t go straight to his office but made a show of stretching and tightening the belt on his bathrobe before he headed into the kitchen to make a snack.
He was being watched. He hadn’t seen anyone or found any sign that he was being surveilled, but his gut told a different story. Maybe he was paranoid, he’d been accused of it enough times. But he’d rather be paranoid than dead. If Black Bay waswatching him as he suspected, he wouldn’t find a trace of their presence. They were the best.
It was a stupid, careless fuck up that might cost him everything. The wrong crates had been sent out. The weapons he was supplying were supposed to go out in unmarked boxes with nothing to tie him to the shipments. He’d fired the people responsible but the damage was done. Black Bay had raided the Venezuela outpost. They would have seen his label on those crates.
He’d scrambled to make it look like a shipment had been hijacked but he knew better than to think Black Bay would call off the dogs. They’d watch until they were one hundred percent sure. Maybe even longer.
He’d have to lie low for a while. It meant a delay in his plans, but that was better than the alternative. Maybe it was time he headed to his place in Outer Banks. No one could find him there because no one knew about it – there was no paper trail or electronic transactions that led back to him – it was his secret nest. This late in the season, the caretaker would have already closed it up for winter, but that could be changed. He was tired of skulking around here jumping at shadows. He needed alone time to think and plan without unseen eyes watching his every move and ears potentially listening in on every conversation.
Most of his schedule could be rearranged or done remotely. The only thing he couldn’t miss was Katherine’s upcoming birthday party. Her mother, Harper, invited him every year with the expectation that he wouldn’t come. Normally he didn’t. This year, Harper would just have to deal with her disappointment.He needed to appear to be a father in the throes of regret for his past mistakes, wanting to reconnect with his daughter. For his plan to work, everyone needed to believe it – including Katherine. Convincing Katherine shouldn’t be hard. She’d always been one of those people-pleaser types, so desperate for love and approval. Like a needy little puppy waiting for a pat on the head and a “good girl.”
