Chapter 11 - Royce
ROYCE
It’s easy to block out the outside world when a beautiful woman is wrapped around you—and Kinsley had been all over me.
We’d spent the better part of the next few days naked in and out of bed. My apartment had seen a lot of action, and I’d learned a hell of a lot about pleasuring a woman.
I’d learned a hell of a lot about pleasuring Kinsley.
I’d gotten off, sure, but she’d made me feel things—awakened things—and created a connection so powerful, so intense, that it was hard to reconcile that this thing between us was temporary.
But things are temporary, and I’d been reminded of that this morning as all my searches for Kinsley’s ex had turned up empty. I’d found him rotting away on a beach in Florida, the guy no worse for wear with plenty of company without having to try very hard.
I’ve got to be missing something.
The emails and texts had been more frequent the days we’d been busy—busy being naked—only lessening when she returned to her normal schedule and made a couple of scheduled appearances with some of her teammates.
The timing didn’t make sense, and I couldn’t figure out why.
Grabbing my phone, I stab at my contacts until my uncle’s name pops up.
“Oakden.”
“Hey, Uncle Tommy,” I say, pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger.
“I’ve been wondering when I’d finally get this call,” he states matter-of-factly.
“What? What call?”
“You’ve got woman trouble.”
“No, but kind of. How could you possibly know that?”
Ignoring me, he asks, “What did you do?”
“Nothing. She’s got some trouble with someone sending her messages. She thinks it’s her ex, but he’s not even in Tennessee.”
“And you’re doing this by the book, right?” When I don’t answer, he sighs. “I’m not bailing you out again.”
“I’m not asking you to.” I chuckle even though I’m pretty confident he would. “I just don’t know where to go from here.”
This time when he sighs, he sounds annoyed. “You do what I taught you. Everyone is a suspect; trust no one—that probably includes her.”
“But—”
“No. She’s convinced it’s the ex, and you’re following blindly because you like her. You can’t protect her, Royce, if you’ve already crossed the line with her.”
I open my mouth and then close it again because he’s right. I’d been so enamored with her that I took everything she said at face value. But I’d never been a protector—I’d only ever been the guy at the keyboard.
Should I be taking this more seriously?
Was I putting her in danger?
“Go back to the basics. Do it the right way and make sure you get your ass here for Christmas.”
The basics.
Right.
Kinsley’s words from that first day in her apartment play in my mind, and I feel like such an idiot for ignoring them.
“I mean, could it be the weird guy who stares at me at the coffee shop every time I go in but never speaks to me? Sure. It could also be the girls I confronted by the mailboxes when we met or the guy a couple of floors up who likes to tell me that women have no business playing professional soccer.”
Pulling myself back to the present, I nod even though he can’t see me.
“I already have my ticket.”
“Good. Call me if you need me,”—he pauses—“preferably before the police are involved.”
“Funny.”
“You and I remember that incident very differently.”
I snort. “I won’t get arrested.”
“You better not. Love you, kid.”
“Love you too.”
He disconnects the call and I sag against the counter. He hadn’t thought twice about taking me in when my own parents had turned their backs. I’d been sixteen, and he’d only been retired from the military for a few years before becoming the head of security for Andrews International in Chicago.
I’d balked at his offer to come stay with him.
I didn’t need him or anyone else.
But when I’d been sitting in that interrogation room, I used my one phone call to contact him.
And he’d come with hardly an explanation.
He moved me in with him.
Made me finish school.
And taught me how to use my hacking skills for good instead of just being a douchebag.
He taught me a lot, and somehow, I’d forgotten all of it the second Kinsley Dane kissed me.
I’d have to take a deep dive into her life and figure out what I’d missed.
Son of a bitch.