Chapter 14
Why the hell did she have to be so fucking difficult?
Kane’s hands clenched at his side as he watched her walk away from him. Why couldn’t she just give in for once and follow his lead?
Except he couldn’t quite shake the idea that this time, she was in the right.
His earlier euphoria faded away.
He’d been so excited when Leila had called.
He’d been starting to lose faith, but at last, this was proof that something was happening.
That the mission was real, and the time machine was about to spill its secrets.
He had to get back. He was leader of the Guardians; his people had been waiting for this for thousands of years.
Was he supposed to turn his back on them now, when the time was nearly upon them?
And there was as much chance of his discovering the truth in Uganda as in London. Probably more. They had no proof that the people who had tried to take Kaitlin were still there. Or if they were, that they actually came from the future.
She was just being difficult. Childish. Putting herself in harm’s way just to spite him.
He shivered and pulled his coat firmly around himself.
He hated Scotland. It was dark and cold.
He’d been staring at the door where she’d disappeared for five minutes.
Now he shook the snow from his shoulders and hurried across.
He could convince her, but only if he kept his cool and used logic, instead of the emotions that were raging through him.
She made him so crazy.
Maybe this was why he’d avoided relationships. Had never allowed himself to get close to anyone. Because it screwed with a guy’s mind, made him rethink his priorities and want to punch something fucking hard.
Ethan was in the hallway making a phone call. He glanced up as Kane approached and ended the call. He stood in Kane’s path, so he had to slow and stop.
Ethan looked him up and down. “That was the airport—Edinburgh. I’ve arranged for a private plane to pick you up late afternoon and fly you and the others to Uganda. You’ll switch to a smaller plane in Kampala for the rest of the flight.”
“Thanks.” He waited for Ethan to move out of his way, but the other man stood there, studying him, as if he could read Kane’s mind. He gritted his teeth. “What?”
“I heard the news. I thought you’d be...happier,” Ethan said, sliding the phone into his pocket.
“I’m fucking delirious,” he muttered.
Ethan bit back a smile and Kane bit back a growl.
Yeah, he was so goddamn funny.
“I presume this is down to Kaitlin,” Ethan said. “I heard she’s still planning the trip to London. Without you.”
“So?”
“So, she’s doing the right thing. We need any information we can get at this point.”
He noticed that Ethan didn’t say he was doing the right thing. “She’ll get herself killed.”
“I doubt it. She’s pretty good at taking care of herself. She’s tough.”
“Maybe not tough enough.”
“Maybe. But don’t underestimate her.” He studied Kane some more. Why the hell didn’t he just get out of the way? “You know your problem?”
“No. Are you going to tell me?” Or get the fuck out of my way?
“I am. Despite your feelings for her, you still think of her as a child...in some ways. Someone in need of protection.”
“She’s a catastrophe waiting to happen.”
“Yeah, but she’s a grown-up catastrophe. And if you’re so certain she needs your protection, then why are you going to Uganda?”
“Because it’s what I have to do. What I’ve been waiting for all my life. I can’t walk away now.” Just because...
“No one is suggesting you walk away. Do what you think is right.” And with that, he turned and disappeared through the doorway to the library.
Kane shook his head. He didn’t think of Kaitlin as a child. It would be easier if he did. He headed up the stairs and paused for a moment outside her door, then took a few deep breaths.
Stay calm.
He didn’t knock, didn’t even think about it, just pushed open the door to her bedroom and stopped short.
She was in the process of pulling her sweater over her head. As she sensed his presence, she went still, then proceeded to take off her top in front of him. Well, Ethan had been right about one thing if nothing else.
Kaitlin was no child.
She stood glaring back at him in jeans and a black lace bra. Her breasts were full, and he couldn’t take his eyes off the expanse of creamy flesh. She was perfect. A slender waist curving gently above and below. Long legs.
Heat shot to his groin and pooled in his belly, and he shifted, then forced his gaze upward to her face. She was watching him, eyebrows raised.
“Like what you see?” she asked, her own gaze dropped to where he was pretty sure it was obvious that he did like it. A lot.
Then she sniffed and turned her back on him. She grabbed a different top from the bed and pulled it on over her head. Smoothed it down. Then she peered at him over her shoulder.
“Still here? Is there something I can help you with?”
He wasn’t sure he could speak. He cleared his throat, thrust his hands into his pockets.
“I think you should come to Uganda with me. Then once we’ve checked out the situation there, we can both travel to London.”
“And I think I should go to London and work out a way to stop the world imploding.” She was shoving things into her backpack.
She was a crap packer, just picking up clothes strewn across the bed, screwing them up and ramming them in.
Or maybe she wasn’t as cool as she appeared.
“And you should go to Uganda and play with your little time machine.”
His eyes narrowed at that. She was purposefully trying to wind him up. That didn’t stop him being wound. “You know what the mission means to me.”
She dropped the bag on the floor and whirled around to face him, hands on her hips. “Yeah, I’ve got some idea, considering you had my friends killed to protect your stupid mission. So go. I’m not stopping you. I’m not even sure why you’re here. Why are you here?”
Suddenly he was fed up with the subterfuge.
With them tiptoeing around the attraction, pretending it didn’t exist. It did, and she felt it as much as he did.
She was just fighting harder. And he understood why.
He’d hurt her, let her down. If she couldn’t forgive herself for what had happened, how could he expect her to forgive him?
“You know why I’m here,” he said.
She blinked at that but didn’t answer, and he pushed on. “I’m here because for some goddamn reason, I care for you.”
Her eyes widened. “Nobody asked you to.”
He ignored the comment. “Ethan just accused me of still thinking of you as a child.” He took a step towards her, and she must have seen something in his eyes, because she backed away slightly.
Maybe she was brighter than he gave her credit for.
But he was done with pretending. “I don’t see you as a child.
” And another step. “And I know you care about me, even if it goes against your better judgment.”
She sniffed, but her eyes shifted to the door behind him as if she was planning a quick getaway. “You’re delusional.”
He was close now, so close that when he breathed in deeply, he inhaled the familiar scent of her, spices and flowers. She reminded him of home. Reaching out, he rested his hands on her shoulders and she tensed beneath him. “I dare you not to run,” he murmured.
With her three-inch heels, she was only an inch or so shorter than him. Her eyes were dark and her skin pale. Her tongue flicked out to moisten her lower lip, and heat flared up in his belly.
Was she doing it on purpose?
But he didn’t think so. She was beyond pretense.
“Er...what are you doing?” Her voice was breathy and held an uncertainty he’d never heard from her before. She was always certain. So sure of herself.
He knew she was no virgin. She’d made sure he had heard about her various escapades over the years. The knowledge had almost driven him over the edge. She was goddamn his. No one else’s. “Just proving a point.”
But that was a lie, and he’d promised himself honesty in this meeting. “Okay, so that’s not entirely true,” he said. “I have this need to kiss you, and if I don’t do it soon, I might go seriously insane.”
Her eyes widened as though he’d surprised her. She tried to pull back, but he held her in place. If she really wanted to go, she could get away with just a word, but all she said was, “And then who would save the world?”
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t joke now. This is too important. Whether you come with me or not, you need to admit this thing between us.”
But it would never be that easy. This was Kaitlin, after all. She stared back at him, almost daring him. Christ, he wished he could get into her mind. But he wouldn’t break that promise. Soon she would let him back in.
“Don’t hold your breath,” she muttered.
Sliding his hands from her shoulders to her neck, his fingers skimmed the soft skin. A shiver ran through her. With one hand he stroked her cheek, trailed a finger over her lower lip. She was completely still in his arms, radiating a tension, waiting.
He tilted her head; some part of him wanted to put off this first kiss. It would change things between them. He hoped for the better, but you never knew with Kaitlin. Maybe that was part of her attraction. He’d always been so certain about everything.
He lowered his head slowly until his lips touched hers.
He kissed her softly, dropping small kisses on the corner of her mouth.
But her closeness was his undoing, and he deepened the kiss, pressing his lips hard to hers, his tongue pushing inside.
She gasped against his mouth but didn’t try to pull away.
She tasted of heat and sweetness, and he wanted more. Her tongue moved tentatively against his and her hands came up to grip his shoulders, and she was kissing him back. He used both hands to cup her face, to kiss her harder, slanting his lips over hers, kissing her, eating her up.
He’d make love to her, and then she’d come with him, do whatever he wanted...
She stamped on his foot, and he went still, then slowly raised his head.
“Are you for real? I’ll do whatever you want?” she snarled, mimicking his thoughts. “You are such a freaking control freak.”
She was in his head? Of course, she was. Why wouldn’t she be? He wanted to say he hadn’t meant it, but he wasn’t sure that was the truth. She obviously picked up that thought as well, and she pursed her lips.
“You kissed me.” Her words were an accusation.
“You kissed me back.” That at least wasn’t a lie.
“Well, don’t think this means I forgive you or even like you.” She shrugged. “I was curious, that was all. You remind me of Jake.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “And I always had a huge crush on Jake. Now I’m never going to get to kiss him, so you were the next best thing.”
For a moment, outrage filled his mind, then he caught the brief, smug smile. She was winding him up. Again. “Admit you liked it, and I’ll let you go.”
She shook her head. “You don’t get to let me go. I do what I like.”
Again, she was right. But she had that effect on him. He lost the ability to reason and be reasonable.
“Probably growing up in the jungle,” she suggested. She’d picked up his thoughts again. “Interacting with the gorillas or whatever. But if you ever feel the need to beat your chest and roar or anything—go ahead. I loved Tarzan.”
He shook his head. “When are you going to let me back inside your head?” he asked. “It’s hardly fair that you know my every thought and I have no clue what you’re thinking.”
She studied him for a moment, head tilted to one side, a small smile on her face. “Not just yet.” She turned away, grabbed her coat from the chair and shrugged into it, then picked up her backpack. “Well, this is it. Good luck playing with your time machine. Do let us know what’s happening.”
“Kaitlin...” He didn’t want her to go and had no clue how to stop her.
“You can’t.” She grinned. “I’m fucking unstoppable.”
And she was gone.