Chapter 3
3
KEELY
K eely kicked off her heels the moment she stepped inside, wiggling her toes against the cool Saltillo tile floor with a satisfied sigh. Over seventeen hours on a plane, an infuriatingly attractive bodyguard, and a whole lot of smart-ass banter later, she was finally home.
Jesse stood in the doorway like he belonged there, arms crossed, broad shoulders nearly filling the damn space. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes? He locked his eyes on her—almost as if he imagined her naked—following her every move, as if he was waiting for her to do something reckless. Which, to be fair, wasn’t an unreasonable expectation.
She threw him a quick glance over her shoulder. “You going to stand there all night, or are you coming in?”
Jesse let out a quiet breath, stepping inside but not moving far. “I should go.”
Keely shook her head, already heading toward the kitchen. “Probably, and yet, you haven’t.”
A low, rough chuckle. “Keely…”
She held up a hand. “Nope. You’re not leaving yet. You hungry cowboy?”
Jesse sighed, and she could practically feel his reluctance. Which only made her want to push him further. Keely opened the fridge, grabbing two cold beers before tossing him one. He caught it easily—of course he did—the man probably had reflexes like a damn panther.
She popped the cap off hers and leaned against the counter, studying him. “I’m heating a taco pizza. Lottie left it for me, and I feel obligated to eat it before she asks for a full review.”
Jesse hesitated, turning slowly to lock the door behind him. “Taco pizza?”
Keely grinned. “It’s exactly what it sounds like. And it’s amazing.”
Jesse rolled the bottle between his hands, then—finally—moved further inside, closing and locking the door behind him. “You need to turn your security system back on.”
“Why? The door is locked, and you’re here.”
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed. “It’s Jesse. The wayward traveler is home. Do me a favor and turn on her system and put her back on the patrol rotation, will you?” There was a pause where, presumably, whoever was on the other end of the phone did as he or she was asked. “Thanks.”
He ended the call, but said nothing else to her. Score one for the cowboy.
He settled onto the barstool by the island, watching her as she set the oven to preheat and pulled the pizza from the fridge. Keely tried not to notice how effortlessly dominant he was, even when he wasn’t trying. The way he filled her space with no need to take up more of it. The way he watched her—not like a man checking out a woman, but like a man who saw everything.
It was unsettling. It was also… a little thrilling.
“You do this often?” he asked, voice low, rough.
Keely slid the pizza onto a tray. “Heat food? I mean, yeah. I love cooking, but I’m also not about to waste something Lottie made.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
She paused, glancing up. “Oh?”
Jesse held her gaze. “You invite men in for pizza and beer a lot?”
She tilted her head, considering. “Are you asking if I bring men home?”
Jesse didn’t flinch—but something in his body language shifted. His jaw locked, his grip on the bottle tightening. Well, that was interesting.
She shrugged, sliding the pizza into the oven. “I travel too much to date.”
Jesse took a slow sip of his beer. “That doesn’t answer the question.”
Keely turned, resting her hip against the counter. “No, Jesse. I don’t make a habit of bringing strange men into my home. But while you may be strange, you’re not just any man, are you?”
His eyes darkened. “Keely...”.
Keely grinned. “You’re going to love this.”
Jesse shook his head. “Doubt it.”
She laughed, setting plates on the counter, enjoying the fact that—despite himself—he was relaxing. Jesse Bryant wasn’t the kind of man who let his guard down. And yet, here he was, in her kitchen, watching her with something that wasn’t quite amusement but wasn’t full of exasperation either.
She liked it—way too much.
She needed a distraction before she did something stupid—like close the distance between them just to see if Jesse kissed the way she knew he would.
Keely pushed off the counter, heading toward her suitcase. “Before I forget, I grabbed something for Reed while I was in Milan. Could you give it to him in the office tomorrow? It’ll only take a second for me to get.”
She rolled the suitcase into her bedroom and tossed it up on the bed that dominated the room. Jesse was right; this sucker was heavy. She inserted the key in the lock—none of that fancy TSA-approved lock for her. If they wanted to see in her bag without her being there, she was damn well going to know about it from the forced lock. She tried to turn the key, only it didn’t work. Keely pulled the key back out, wiped it off and tried again with the same result.
“Jesse? Can you come open this damn lock for me?”
He joined her and grinned, flipping out the switchblade he kept in his pocket and prying the lock open. “You know you should really have one of the new combination locks…”
“Not happening.”
He chuckled and headed back to the kitchen. She flipped open the suitcase and then took a step back from it. There was a reason the key hadn’t worked, this wasn’t her suitcase. It looked like hers. Same designer brand. Same deep green color. Same black leather trim, but the moment she flipped it open, she knew.
Keely frowned, reaching for the expensive-looking black jacket on top, shaking it out. A small baggie fell from the pocket. It was plastic and filled with clear pieces of something. She held the bag up so she could get a closer look. Keely froze, her breath catching.
Diamonds. They looked to be uncut and unmarked.
“Holy shit!” she exclaimed, looking towards Jesse.
Jesse moved in an instant, pushing up from the stool and reaching her side before she could so much as blink.
His voice was deadly quiet. “Keely. What the hell is this?”
Keely swallowed hard, her pulse hammering in her throat. “You mean these?” She shook the bag in front of his face. “They look like diamonds to me.”
She looked at the suitcase again, at the expensive clothes that weren’t hers, the high-end luggage that looked just like her own but clearly belonged to someone else. A realization hit her like a punch to the gut.
“They aren’t mine and this isn’t my bag,” she said.
Jesse took the bag of diamonds from her, rolling it between his fingers. His expression was flat. Controlled. But his eyes? Blazing with fury. Why was he pissed at her? She had done nothing.
Keely looked at him, at the hard line of his jaw, at the way his shoulders squared like he was preparing for something. Something bad. And then she realized his anger wasn’t directed at her.
“Jesse?” she whispered.
His gaze snapped to hers. “Where the hell is your actual suitcase?”
She shook her head, a horrible feeling settling in her stomach. “I don’t know.”
Keely didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. Because this wasn’t just a mistake. This was something else. And whoever this suitcase belonged to? They were going to want it back.
Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the rest of the suitcase’s contents. The luxurious designer jacket on top—definitely not hers—the immaculately folded clothing that looked like it belonged to a man who had expensive taste and probably more money than morals.
This was bad. Really, really bad.
The air in the room shifted, thick with something sharp and dangerous as Jesse stood beside her, holding the bag. His fingers curled around it, the small plastic crinkling, but his focus was laser-sharp.
“Keely,” he said, his voice low and lethal, tossing the bag back into the suitcase. “Where the hell did you get this suitcase?”
She swallowed hard. “The airport. Baggage claim. Same place as always.”
Jesse’s jaw went tight. “You didn’t check it before we left?”
She knew that tone. It was the calm before the storm.
Keely lifted her chin, irritation spiking despite the ice-cold fear crawling up her spine. “No, Jesse, I didn’t stop to inspect my bag for illegal diamonds before leaving the damn airport.”
His expression darkened, but he said nothing. Because this wasn’t just a mix-up. This was a problem—a serious problem.
Jesse stood, his entire body brimming with control, like he was holding back from exploding. His voice was rough but controlled when he spoke. “Anyone could’ve grabbed your bag by mistake. You realize that, don’t you?”
Keely did. And that was the scariest part. Someone else had her suitcase. And if they’d opened it and realized their mistake, it probably meant they were looking for this one. A chill crawled down her spine.
She looked up at Jesse, and for the first time in forever, she felt danger closing in.
“What do we do?” she asked, and damn it, she hated how her voice shook just the slightest bit.
Keely sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the diamonds. Who the hell did this suitcase belong to? And why did she have the sinking feeling that whoever was missing it wouldn’t just let it go?
“Your security system is armed, and so am I. Your house is back on the list for frequent patrols. I’ll let them know there may be a problem. I’ll stay here until I can talk to Reed and he can figure out how to keep you safe.”
“I am safe. My house has a top-of-the-line security system and you’re here with your gun.”
He smiled. “And I’m not leaving until I check in with your big brother… you know, my boss? I can call him now if you like...” he glanced at his watch “…but he was scheduled to do a scene tonight at the club. One he’d been looking forward to. Besides, as you said, we’re safe here, the alarms are all set, we’re on the drive-by schedule and I have my gun and an extra clip.”
“Don’t call Reed. We can tell him in the morning. I’m sure he’s looking forward to providing her some aftercare—I love how you Doms call getting laid aftercare. He’s going to be pissed at me as it is, but you can go home…”
“Not happening, Keely. Your choice is me or your big brother.”
“Fine. You. We can put the diamonds in the floor safe in my closet after we eat. I’m starving.”
“You wouldn’t have been if you’d eaten more than a salad on the plane. Why didn’t you select one of the entrees—roasted duck breast with cherry sauce or lamb chops with mint pesto…”
“Eww,” she made a face. “Besides which, neither duck nor lamb is a good choice when you’re on a diet.”
“You’re on a diet?” he asked incredulously.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m always on a diet. Besides, I knew the taco pizza was waiting for me.”
The timer on the oven went off, and she brushed past him to get it out. She really was hungry. If they’d been offering pasta on the flight, she’d have screwed the pizza and indulged.
As she served Jesse his pizza, she stared back at her bedroom and at the suitcase that contained the baggie of gems. Somehow, she didn’t think this was over. Those diamonds belonged to someone, and she didn’t think it would take long for whoever it was to figure out the bag had gone home with the wrong person. Once they knew where she was, she didn’t like her odds at surviving the encounter. Maybe it was a good thing that her house had an excellent security system and that Jesse was willing to stay the night. Maybe she should try to be a little bit nicer to him, but then again, maybe not.