Playing along, I turned around to see what he was up to. Standing next to the kitchen door, Kane had transformed. His hair mussed from Baz's smack on the head, it looked now as if he’d run his fingers through the thick mane. But his attempt to repair the damage his friend had done created a less put-together, but more relaxed look.
A sexier, and less Hollywood polish.
And that red flannel jacket hugging his broad shoulders and thick arms? Oh yeah, the mountain man vibe was totally doing it for me.
"I've got plenty of wood already chopped and dry in the wood box. If you want to grab, uh, anything and camp out on the couch, I'll be back shortly.
"I'll get a fire going, then we can watch the show."
"Show?" Did he want me to watch one of the movies he'd been in? Weird, but okay.
"Sure. Which movie were you thinking? Maybe one where you're beating up the bad guy. Oh, wait, did you butt double for a famous actor?"
Kane made a choking sound, and his cheeks turned pink.
"No." Nodding to the wall behind me, he lifted a hand and pointed.
"That show."
I spun around and, oh duh. Just as I turned, the wall of windows lit up, and Mother Nature's show filled the room. Fading craggy streaks outlined the tree-tops and the dark gray sky was painted with storm clouds. Another boom of thunder rang out as Kane mumbled, "Butt double my ass," and exited the kitchen.
Yeah, I'd pay good money to see his ass on the big screen. However, I had the live and in-person version. So, what was I waiting for? The setting was perfect. Now I just needed to come up with a way to convince him I wasn’t using him to prove anything to my brother.
This would be all about Kane and me and the undeniable connection between us.
SEVEN
KANE
I'm pretty sure the thoughts I was having about how I could take care of Chassie were not what Finn had in mind when he asked me to be her bodyguard. I was pretty good at reading signals. It’s what kept me alive in the service and what made me successful as a stuntman. But Chassie was a new challenge I wanted to win and then to never let go of.
Did the possibility that her "superfan" was more likely an extortionist from overseas mean our time together would be over before it even really began? However this storyline played out, I knew my mind was already made up. And before this night ended, Chassie was going to be under me, on top of me, in any damn position she wanted, screaming my name.
My arms loaded with as much firewood as I could still see over, I went back inside and found her resting on the couch with one of the blankets from my bed. Holding a steaming mug in her lovely hands, she greeted me with a shy smile. Hm, that was a first.
“Hi. I made us some hot cocoa. Seemed appropriate." Her smile, her full lips, and the way the perfectly timed lightning strike backlit her pink hair, all combined to make me harder forher. Harder than I'd ever been for any other woman in my life. Words failed me. All I managed was a nod.Shit.I was getting good at nonverbal communication.
Reluctantly, I moved over to the fireplace, managing to get it blazing before I dared turn back to face her. Taking a fortifying breath, I ran a hand down my face. It'd been at least a week since my last shave. I'd figured it was time to start working on my mountain man look, or whatever, now that we were well into fall.
“Come sit. We can storm watch and chat.” Chassie faced the windows again and settled back onto the couch as if she’d done it a thousand times before.
In for a penny, in for a pound. Something like that. A saying I remember my grandfather repeating when I was too young to understand the meaning. Not until the war had I fully understood. And now, this moment felt like another pivot point in my life. Shrugging out of my jacket, I then tugged off my battered boots. The only item I’d kept from my active-duty days.
“I can almost forget not having any internet with this display. I can’t believe what all of you have created here.” The Chassie from earlier, the one who’d been so pissed about no Wi-Fi as she also suffered through a hot flash, which at her age I had no clue even was a thing, that woman was gone.
In the short time we’d been together, I’d learned a lot about her, but I wanted to know more. I couldn’t understand who would want to threaten or stalk her. As we sat in silence, I tried to wrap my head around having this beautiful woman in my home.Man,I was still getting used to that phrase.
After having helped build it with Lars, Ridge and West, if anyone had told me I’d enjoy listening to the screaming wind and pounding rain against windows, I would have laughed them out of the room.
“Tell me more about yourself. I mean, as your bodyguard, I should know everything. To better keep you safe.” The stormhad let up some, but not the one raging inside me. Did she feel it too? “You mentioned perimenopause. You seem a bit young for that, right?”
Chassie looked down into her now empty mug. Her lips had pressed together, and for a brief moment I thought I’d overstepped. But then I remembered she had said she posted on social media about it. Maybe one-on-one was different for her than the safe distance the internet provided. I could relate. I was great at entertaining my friends or keeping them out of harm’s way, but the emotional stuff. Never my thing.
My eyes hadn’t left her profile as she gathered her thoughts. And when she let out a little sigh, then offered me a smile, I didn’t quite know how to respond. The moment felt…intimate.
“Okay. So just remember you asked. You said I was young. Well, if I told you I’m almost forty, would that surprise you?”
“No. You look great. And I suck at guessing ages.” I grinned at her surprised reaction when I told her she looked great. Surely, she’d heard that before?
