10. Sarah
Sarah smiled to herself as she left Kane in the storeroom.
That went better than planned.
Sarah knew Kane had it easy when it came to women, so making him wait was her only option to make him notice her. But what she didn’t realize was that it was also torture for her.
The tension between them was palpable as Sarah tried to concentrate on the class. She was glad when it finally ended. Now as she sat at dinner after class with Kane, she wondered if her plan wasn’t as smart as she thought.
Kane glowered at her throughout dinner. They had gone to a small diner down the road from the hotel and Kane had barely said a word since the incident in the store room.
“Are you angry with me?” she asked after he finished his burger, as she continued to nibble hers, sick at the thought of ruining her chances with him.
“Are you not hungry?” Kane asked in a restrained voice.
Sarah shook her head. “I’m sorry Kane. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I know this is just a fake relationship, and I got carried away and thought….no hoped, that maybe.” Sarah took a breath in. “Maybe it might be as real for you, as it’s starting to feel for me.” Sarah raised her eyes to his, sinking into the blackness that she saw. Kane stood up and held his hand out to her to help her out of the booth.
“Oh, okay. Yes, sorry. You must be busy and need to go.” She murmured as she gathered her jacket and scooted out of the booth. “I’ll take a cab home.”
“I will drive you home,” Kane growled as he put a hand on the small of her back to guide her out. Sarah felt the tears well up and threaten to fall as Kane opened the passenger door to his car and helped her in, not touching her again. He quickly got into the driver’s seat and drove her the few blocks home to her apartment.
“Thank you,” Sarah said, her voice tight with unshed tears as she tried to open the door, apologizing again as Kane came around to her side to help her out and walk her to the elevator, getting in with her and riding silently to her floor.
Sarah gave up trying to tell him she was fine, and just let him follow her to her door, where she put the key in and opened the door slightly before turning back to Kane. “Good night Kane.” She said before turning away from him to walk through the door, letting the tears flow, knowing she had lost Kane now.
Sarah gasped as she felt Kane’s hand on her arm to turn her back to him. His eyes remained black as he picked her up, her legs automatically going around his waist, as he pushed open her door and shut it behind him. Sarah went to say something, and stopped when Kane growled at her to stay silent, before he walked over to the kitchen table and deposited her onto it, Kane remaining standing between her legs.
“Tell me if you want me to stop,” Kane growled, as he gently went to remove Sarah’s shirt.
‘Wait,” she said, excited and nervous.
Kane stopped immediately. ‘What’s wrong?”
“I’m not wearing my good underwear.” Sarah said looking up at him watching as his mouth twitched with laughter.
“That’s okay,” Kane said. “They’re not staying on anyway.”
Sarah’s mouth formed an O. “I think they just melted away by themselves.”
Kane let out a laugh and ran a hand through his hair. “Christ, Sarah. You drive me crazy.”
Sarah grinned up at him. “But in a good way right?”
Kane became serious. “The best way.”
Sarah gulped as she watched his erection tent the front of his sweats again.
“No brother will interrupt this time Sarah. No playing around.” Kane said as he removed his black t-shirt, showing off a range of tattoos covering his chest.
Sarah sat up and reached out a finger to drag down his chiseled chest, stopping briefly at some scars that the tattoos where hiding.
“Do these still hurt?” she asked as her finger ran along several jagged scar lines.
“Only in a good way when you do that,” Kane replied, his voice warm and husky, as he took her hand and bought it to his mouth and gently kissed her fingers, looking at his grandmother’s ring on her finger.
“It suits you,” he said. “She would have loved you.”
“Would have?”
“She died a long time ago. I have no other family left.”
I can be your family.
Sarah reached up and put her arms around Kane, pulling him to her, her mouth hungry on his.
“Why didn’t you talk to me at dinner? I thought you were angry at me?” Sarah asked as they broke apart.
“I’m not angry honey. I just didn’t trust myself to say too much. All I could think of was you, naked and open before me.”
“Oh, well that can be fixed easy enough,” Sarah said as she stood and took her t-shirt and bra off, toeing off her shoes and removing her yoga pants. ‘Like this?” she said as she sat back on the table.
“Christ women. You’re a puzzle.” Kane said as he stepped out of his sweats and pulled her to him.
“Even if it’s just for one night. I’m okay with that Kane. I’m not expecting any promises.”
Before Kane could respond, there was a sharp rap on the door and Sarah could hear her neighbor yelling something about a fire.
Kane quickly put his sweats on and opened the door to see a frazzled woman, her hair in a loose ponytail, yelling that a fire had started in the unit above hers and they needed to evacuate. Kane went to respond, before the squeal of the fire alarm blocked out any other noise. He turned to Sarah, who was now getting redressed and calling out to her neighbor.
“It’s okay Eve. Let’s get you out of here while we can.”
“I can’t go. I can’t find Fred.”
Kane went into action. “How old is he, what is he wearing. I’ll go look for him now.”
Sarah stepped into the hallway with Eve. “Fred is her cat. Come on, we can have a quick look but then we have to go.”
“No. You girls get out now. I’ll look for Fred and bring him down,” Kane said, as he sent a quick text to his brothers that he needed help.
Kane went into the apartment next door and started to look in all the small spaces a cat would hide.
“Here kitty kitty,” he crooned and just as he started to smell the smoke. He was about to give up, he saw a pile of ginger fur tucked under the lounge, he reached for the cat, ignoring the bites and scratches he would have, and pulled it out, wrapping it in a throw-rug that was on the lounge, before exiting the building with the scrappy ginger tiger.
He saw Sarah across the road, just as his brothers pulled up and jogged over to him. Kane thrust the spitting creature at Luke before pulling Sarah into his arms and kissing her.
“One day I will get past second base with you,” he murmured in her ear.
“Did you find Fred?” she asked, knowing that the pitiful cat meant everything to her neighbor.
Kane nodded his head at where Luke was, as he barely contained the cat as Eve patted the ginger devil, crooning to him and looking at Luke like he was a superhero.
Olivia turned up next and soon she had the brothers bundling Eve and Sarah into their cars to take them to the ranch. It was decided Luke would stay with Alex, so Sarah and Eve could stay at his house, as, according to Kane, Luke’s house was the most cat friendly.
Kane tried to talk Sarah into staying with him and maybe finally finishing what they had started twice now, but Sarah was worried about her neighbor and said she would stay the night with her.
“This is the first time a woman, any woman, has stayed at the ranch. Besides Elsie. And I want the first time for you to stay with me.” Kane murmured as he ran his nose up the side of Sarah’s throat, breathing in her scent.
Sarah chuckled. “What? Are you saying you are all monks or something?”
Kane took her chin and bought her gaze to his. “This is our home. My home that I want you in. We all own other houses or apartments that we use if we need to for women, but this is a special place for us. And now for you,” he whispered as he went to kiss her before Sarah held up a hand to stop him.
“Nope. Stop there my future mate.” Sarah said.
“I like that one almost as much as lover,” he grinned as he tried to bring her closer again.
“As much as I want this, and believe me I do, especially knowing my little pink penetrator has now probably melted in the fire, but I need to stay with Eve.”
“Pink penetrator?” Kane said as his eyes blackened again. “You won’t need that anymore.”
Sarah hummed. “I will if we never get past second base,” she said. “But not tonight. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Kane agreed and Sarah chastely kissed him goodnight, before they went their separate ways. Kane reassured them both that they would have fresh clothes and toiletries tomorrow, reminding Sarah about the casual barbecue tomorrow to meet the investors all this was for.