Chapter 10
Kate collapsed onto the bed with a loud groan, not bothering to try and keep the pain inside. "Oh my God, I haven't been this sore since basic training at the Farm."
Celine collapsed into the padded rocking chair near the foot of the bed and emitted her own groan when her butt made contact with the seat. "I've never been this sore in my entire life. Aaron Speirs better be worth all this trouble, if he turns out to be a bust I'm going to be so pissed."
Kate chuckled and rolled onto her side, eyeing Celine. "So did he ask you to help out? Or did someone else hire you?"
Celine closed her eyes and rested her head against the chair back. “Aaron asked me. At first I thought he was asking me to be his date for the wedding. It wasn't until later that I found out his intent was really torture."
Both of them had been working hard most hours of the day, constantly training, with Kate honing her skills and Celine learning completely new ones. "Well, no offense, but you have absolutely no experience in the protection or security. My money is on the fact that he wants you."
"That's what I thought too, but every time we get close, not training I mean, he backs off completely. I swear I've gotten more mixed signals from the man than I can keep track of. One minute he's hot, one minute he's cold, I just don't know anymore."
"At least he asked you, Ethan thinks I’m a pushy female trying to be a man, he can’t stand to be near me.
” The way Ethan growled and snapped at her every mistake was doing serious damage to her already sagging self-confidence.
And to top it off, whenever she got close to him, she panted like a dog in heat.
Celine sat forward and pinned Kate to the bed with an amused stare. "Honey, the man can't keep his hands off of you."
"That's a no-brainer, he's training me."
"Yeah, he's training you alright, and every time he touches you sparks fly. I'm just waiting on the moment he throws you down on the mat and devours you."
"You're insane, if sparks fly it's because he's so pissed off at being forced to train me.”
Celine crossed to the bed and perched on the edge, tucking a loose strand of her short platinum hair behind her ear. “I thought you were supposed to be smart or something."
“Excuse me?”
Celine rolled her eyes, "A blind man can see he wants you. I guarantee you by the end of next week, you two will be hooking up."
The image of her and Ethan, stretched out together on the bed locked in a hungry kiss filled her mind and Kate’s body flooded with heat.
"And you want him too!" Celine exclaimed.
"Do not." Kate defended, suddenly feeling like a teenager with a crush. She could convince herself she didn’t want him in the least. He was too wild; she could see it in his eyes. He drove a motorcycle for crying out loud.
He didn’t have anything more than a leather saddle bag and his toiletries kit was in serious need of a new razor. He smelled too, like the earth, all raw and masculine. Not at all her type.
Ethan Slade was a loose cannon just waiting on the right match to set him off, and Kate didn’t want to be around when he exploded.
Celine grabbed her hand and pulled Kate off the bed. “Come on, let’s go to my room, I want to give you something.”
Kate allowed herself to be propelled out of her bedroom, across the hall. Celine let go to yank open her bedroom door and go inside, leaving Kate to stand, frozen, in the doorway. “What happened?”
Celine glanced around. “What do you mean?”
“It’s…it’s… did a bomb go off in here?” Kate said, each word rising, horror-struck at the insanity before her.
“It’s not that bad.”
The bedspread lay haphazard across the bed, the whole top half touching the floor.
Shirts lumped in heaps everywhere. Different color bra’s hanging off the chair.
Make-up was strewn across the dresser, powder spilled in piles.
A tremor worked through Kate, her entire being itching to either wipe the disaster zone clean or run screaming. “How can you live like this?”
When she’d first seen Celine, Kate had assumed she was as neat as herself. Celine’s hair was always perfectly styled in a bob and her clothing matched. She looked clean. But the real Celine was chaos.
“OCD, huh? My big sister had that problem. Don’t worry, I know exactly what I’m looking for. Just have a seat on the bed.” Celine went to the open suitcase, laid out at an angle against the far wall.
“Um, I think I’ll stay right here.” Kate gripped the door frame and stared at the wall, trying to block out the insanity.
“Suit yourself.” Celine dropped to a knee and started throwing clothes over her shoulder.
Each piece fell in scattered disarray. The bed.
The floor. The dresser. When the next shirt flew in Kate’s direction her hand shot out of its own volition and she caught it midair.
Before she could stop herself, she lunged forward, snatching Celine’s clothing up into her arms. She turned to the bed to dump them.
Nope. Kate dropped the clothes and yanked the quilt up, not stopping until the bed was made perfectly.
Then she stooped for the clothes and started folding.
One sleeve over the other, crease down the middle, smooth out the wrinkles.
Shirts went first. Then pants. When she finished, Celine’s clothes lay in a perfect row, sorted by type and color on the bed.
Kate propped her hands on her hips, feeling a small measure of relief, until she saw Celine staring at her, wide eyed.
“I’ve never seen anything like that. You’re a machine.”
Kate tried to ignore the mess on the dresser in her periphery and focus on Celine, but her need for order over-threw her control. Celine dove in front of her just before she reached the first open tube of lipstick. “Nope. Don’t touch the make-up. I have a system.”
“System’s involve order; you do not have anything remotely related to a system.” Kate made to reach for the lipstick. She already had the pattern worked out. Three bottles of base. Two-tubes of mascara. Eyeshadow. The mess practically screamed for help.
“Stop eyeing my stuff. I like it like this. Here, take this.” Celine shoved a bundle of clothes at Kate, forcing her to take them or allow them to hit the floor.
“What is this?” Kate held up the shirt first, a satiny emerald green tank top and matching spandex tights.
“Our new plan. This whole time I’ve been trying to blend in with the locals, dress for work you know? I should have been gearing up with the right kind of armor.”
“Armor? This looks like…like…” Something a stay at home mom wore to the grocery store.
“Yep, this whole week I’ve been completely losing hope.
Aaron’s been doing nothing but looking and I’m ready for some touching.
I’ve made it too easy on him.” Celine spun, and reaching into what must be a bottomless suitcase, pulled out a matching teal tank top and biker shorts.
“No man can withstand the booty shorts.”
“I’m not wearing booty shorts.”
“I know, silly. That’s why I gave you the leggings.”
“This isn’t what you wear for training.” She had three separate pairs of black cotton tanks with black pants, standard issue to train and loose enough to allow for movement. “How are you supposed to drop kick someone in this?”
“Honey, if you wear that, you won’t need to drop kick anything. He’ll be on his knees already,” Celine said.
Kate was already shaking her head. “This isn’t right. I don’t want Ethan to see me as anything other than a teammate.”
“Really? Then why did you blush when you said his name?” Celine arched a blonde brow and cocked her lips into a small smile.
Was she that transparent? She was supposed to be the trained operative, able to control her emotions and reactions. Her whole career she’d been a cold machine, living for work and the next job. She’d given men about as much thought as she’d given fashion. Zero.
“What’s so wrong with wanting Ethan? He’s built like a model, he’s drop dead gorgeous and he wants you.”
“You really think he wants me?” Kate asked.
“Wear that tomorrow and find out for yourself.”