Chapter Thirteen
Night four at Caine’s.
Admittedly, there was nothing about her overcrowded, hole-in-the wall apartment she missed. Or her full-size mattress with the springs threatening to pop through at any given moment. Caine’s loft was like a vacation oasis.
They’d spent the morning in bed. Keely found herself doing most of the talking. Even when she tried to ask him about his life, he’d conveniently shifted it back to hers. Private to the extreme.
She wandered around the main open area of the loft, stopping in the far corner of the room.
There were two chairs and a loveseat separated by a small coffee table.
Everything in Caine’s place was neat and orderly.
His furniture wasn’t a matching set, but each piece accentuated the next.
His minimalist style was the opposite of Keely’s cluttered mess of a room with every tchotchke imaginable.
She climbed the two steps to the small platform area and peered around. There was a high-end industrial ladder mounted to the corner of the wall. When she glanced up, she saw the rooftop access.
“What are you doing?”
She spun around to find Caine in the middle of the room looking between her and the ceiling. She pointed up at the trap door.
“That’s so cool. You have access to the roof.”
Caine remained silent and folded his arms.
“Can we go up?”
“No.”
She knitted her brows. “Why not? We could check out the sunset.”
“No one goes up there but me.”
“But…”
“I said no, Keely.” His tone was harsher than she expected from a simple request. It was as though she’d struck a nerve.
She shrugged and walked down the steps and over to him. His gaze lingered on the ceiling but met hers as she grew closer. She hooked her arm around his waist and popped up on her toes. He was almost a foot taller than her five foot five frame. She would only get a kiss if he bent down. And he did.
Caine cupped her jaw, angled her head for better access, and deepened their kiss. God, this man can kiss. His tongue slipped past her lips, and she moaned, tightening her hold and digging her nails into his back.
With the worst timing, his phone rang.
Keely had a high volume of traffic on her phone when it came to calls and texts, but Caine put her to shame. His phone was constantly going off, and he checked it every time.
“Ignore it, take me to your bed, and tie me up,” she teased, mumbling against his lips. His lips spread, and she knew he was smiling even without opening her eyes.
He may have been amused, but he didn’t take her advice. He broke away from the kiss and walked away, pulling his phone from his pocket. Caine never took calls with her in the room. It should’ve been a red flag.
Keely flopped on the couch, reaching for the remote. They may have been spending every night together, but she’d stopped asking if he wanted to go out. His answer was always the same. She was channel surfing when he walked back into the room.
“I’ve got to head into work now.”
She angled her head, smiling. “You know if you give me the code, I can let myself in and out.”
Caine arched his brow but didn’t respond.
It was fair. She may have been all in with the relationship, but they were still in the early stages of it.
Keely got up and gathered her things. She was debating on whether it was too soon to ask for a drawer at his place.
Probably. She grabbed her bag, hooking it over her shoulder, and met Caine at the elevator.
Her phone pinged, and she glanced down. “Shit.”
“What?” he asked.
“I completely forgot I made plans with Charley tomorrow night.” She peeked up and shrugged. “You going to miss me?”
Caine’s demeanor was off. He peered down at the phone, scowling.
“You tell her about us?”
She was taken aback. Not by his question but how he’d phrased it. Us? Her stomach flipped and a giddy energy rolled through her blood.
“Not yet.”
He stared back at her as if he was trying to find deception. It was warranted. She wasn’t known for her stellar honesty.
“I thought about it, but you kicking me out after our first night isn’t exactly a flex, Caine.”
His gaze darkened.
“Do you” —she paused, gauging his reaction— “ not want me to tell her?”
He sighed, dragging his hand over his beard.
“It complicates things.”
That would be a yes. There was a pang of hurt, and she bowed her head. He immediately cupped her jaw, forcing her to look at him.
“For now.”
She smiled, though she wasn’t feeling it. The request felt as though he wanted to hide their relationship. Keely couldn’t help but wonder if he was embarrassed or ashamed. He pulled her close and brushed his lips against hers, sliding his thumb over her jaw.
The doors opened, and they stepped in. Usually when they rode it, they were the only people on it.
Today, it stopped on the seventh floor. When the doors opened, a couple got in.
The man smiled, stepping to the side. She hadn’t seen him before, but she recognized the woman.
She’d shared the elevator, the morning after her first night with Caine.
“Hi,” Keely said, and the woman glanced up, almost surprised. Keely pointed to her bag. “It pairs well with your dress.”
The woman seemed to be holding back her smile but gave in. “Thanks.”
“I’m Keely.”
The couple seemed caught off guard by the introduction. The man gathered himself quicker, and he smiled.
“I’m Theo. This is my wife, Meaghan.”
“It’s nice to meet you guys.”
“You too,” Theo said, then glanced over at Caine. He lowered his chin in greeting. “Caine.”
Caine responded with a nod, and Keely noticed Meaghan completely ignored him. What was that all about?
When they reached the main floor, the couple got out first and walked a few feet ahead of them.
“Have a great day.”
Theo waved and Meaghan turned, sending a glare at Caine, but her face softened with a small smile when she looked at Keely.
“You too, Keely .”
Keely muffled her chuckle. It was clear with the emphasis on her name that Meaghan was not wishing Caine a good day.
“I’m sensing a little animosity,” Keely whispered and playfully narrowed her eyes. “What did you do?”
Caine’s gaze hardened. “I didn’t do shit. She wanted the loft. I got it. Now she’s fucking bitter.”
Keely squinted. “Is that the whole story?”
Caine’s jaw squared.
I’m pissing off my man. Before he could say anything, she grabbed his hand, threading her fingers through his and sidling up to his side.
“Honestly, whatever you did, I stand behind it. I love your loft.”
Caine shook his head and walked her to her car.
“I’m closing tonight. It’ll be late. Still want me to come over?” Keely asked and waited, hoping for the answer she wanted.
Caine opened her door. “Yeah.”
Perfect!
****
The impromptu meeting at the Bowery had become a reoccurring theme. As much as Nash had stepped back from Inez’s deal, not everyone did. Rogue had insisted any and all updates on the plan be done on his territory. With their meeting scheduled with Anders in two nights, he wanted all the details.
It hadn’t mattered much either way, but Caine found himself distracted at the club. Ignoring Keely wasn’t an easy task, but in order to keep his privacy, he made a conscious effort not to look for her and avoid any spaces where she’d show up.
However, his woman had other ideas, and as always, lacked boundaries.
They had wrapped up the meeting in the balcony and taken the stairs down to the main floor. The club wasn’t opened yet, and staff was prepping for the night. Caine purposely ignored the main floor but stopped at the bathroom.
Caine was walking out of the stall and jerked when he saw Keely sitting on the counter near the sink. She wiggled her fingers.
“Jesus fucking Christ.” He narrowed his gaze, moved to the door, and switched the lock. He turned around. “What the hell are you doing in here?”
Keely shrugged, not even remotely affected by his tone.
“I wanted to say hi.” She raised her hand, waving. “Hi.”
He drew in a breath, stalked over to the sink, and washed his hands, doing his best to ignore her scent.
It was a light flowery mix of lavender and something else.
He’d never had much of an attraction to the way a woman smelled until Keely.
He tapped the soap dispenser and lathered up his hands, noticing her shimmy closer toward him.
He glared, deepening his scowl. He was sending a message. Being seen together in suspicious quarters was unacceptable. He rinsed his hands and grabbed a paper towel.
“Anyone see you come in here?”
Her smile faltered, and she shook her head. “No. Everyone is working.”
“Shouldn’t you be?” He arched his brow, and she flinched slightly.
Fuck! Balancing Keely in public and private was no easy task.
“Yeah,” she whispered and gripped the edge of the counter to hop down.
His hand shot out across her stomach as he stared back at his reflection in the mirror.
What the fuck am I doing? It was a question he’d asked himself a hundred times since starting this thing with her.
He didn’t even know what it was. A relationship was so far beyond his scope, he wouldn’t even know what it looked like.
“If you want me to leave, you’re going to have to let me go.” Her voice was barely a whisper, sending heat through his veins.
Let her go. It was good advice that he should’ve taken.
Instead, he stepped in front of her, slid his damp hands over her thighs, and spread her legs.
Her breath hitched, and she angled her head, her hair brushing over his cheek.
The temptation was too great, and she was breaking down his control.
Her fingers slid over his knuckles, and her lips caressed over his cheek.
It was too soft and sweet for him to resist.
Caine grabbed her throat, tightened his hold, and kissed her.
This woman had become his ultimate addiction.
A drug. Her arms looped around his shoulders, pulling him closer, and Caine went willingly.
Her soft moan only intensified his need.
He dug his fingers into her neck, and her lips parted.
It was the perfect invitation as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.
This wasn’t the time or the place for a secret and forbidden rendezvous.
Caine lived by a code. Rules. And with one irresistible redhead he found himself giving in to temptation.
He drove his hand into her hair and fisted the curls between his fingers.
He gave a sharp tug, and her head fell back, exposing her neck.
Caine didn’t hesitate, licking the column of her throat.
The pounding on the door had him swinging his head to the opposite side of the small room and scowling. He’d locked the door, but the last thing he wanted was anyone discovering him and Keely.
“Yeah?” he snapped.
There was a stretch of silence, and when he felt her hands slide up his chest, he grabbed her wrists and glared down at her. Her lips twitched. They were on opposite pages when it came to this situation. It was more proof that Caine and Keely couldn’t be more different.
“It’s Cy. We’re heading out to the car. You good?” Cyrus asked, and Caine inhaled a deep breath, relief washing over him.
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Alright, man.”
Caine waited a few seconds and narrowed his gaze down at Keely. She, on the other hand, looked as if she was seconds away from bursting out laughing. He ground his teeth, releasing her wrists.
“Don’t do this again.” His stern warning was met with a cheeky grin.
Keely leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. “Isn’t this kind of fun? The sneaking around.”
“No.” He growled.
Keely smiled with a small shrug and tapped his stomach. Her playful nature always caught him off guard. A complete contradiction to me. For her sake, that was a good thing. Keely’s past had nothing in common with his own. It was evident in every aspect of their personalities.
“So. I have off on Friday, which never happens, but Morgan needed an extra shift. Do you want to hang out?”
Hang out. She made it sound so simple. And for Keely, it was.
But not Caine. Whatever was happening between them would never be for public consumption.
Dates and dinners weren’t things he was afforded.
He’d given up that type of life the minute he took an oath to the Underground.
Never once had he regretted the decision or felt as though he was missing out on anything.
He’d chosen his path and never looked back.
But Keely was giving him a peek into an existence he might’ve had if his life had turned out differently.
“We can go out to dinner, or see a movie? My roommates friend’s band is playing at a bar. They’re decent, and the drinks are cheap. It’ll be fun.”
No. Caine wouldn’t even entertain the idea. Luckily, he had a valid excuse.
“I’m out of town for a few days.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. Technically, he’d still be in Lawry, but he’d be unavailable to anyone outside of the organization.
They’d put the final touches on the plans with Anders, and the first meet up was set for Friday night.
Caine still had his reservations with the whole plan, but he wasn’t in a position to argue or give his opinion.
The life of a soldier in the Underground.
“Where are you going?”
“Business.”
Her soft giggle echoed in his ears. “Yeah, but where?”
Keely stared up at him expectantly. The vision of innocence. And beauty. He needed to shut this down before he gave too much information.
“Out. Of. Town.”
Keely chuckled, cocking her head. “You’re not going to tell me?”
“It’s none of your business,” Caine said, and turned around when her smile fell.
Fuck!
“I’ll reach out when I get back.” He opened the door, casually walking out into the hallway.
It was empty. He started down to the back door.
Just as he opened it, he heard another door slam from behind.
He glanced over his shoulder to see Keely heading to the main floor. He half expected her to look back.
She didn’t.