Archer by Debra Kayn

rocking her. “I’m sorry. I’ll never let you out of my sight again.” She closed her eyes against the tears. “We’re okay, Bluff. Everything is okay. Kage saved you. He’ll keep us both safe.”
    She stroked Bluff, who seemed undisturbed from their time apart. Jane continued to lavish the animal with attention, consoling herself as much as the feline. She opened her eyes and saw Kage’s boots planted right in front of her. Her resolve crumbled.
    He slid his hands under her arms and picked her and Bluff up in one swoop. His jaw ticked, but his eyes remained focused on Jane. In her relief at having Bluff back and knowing everything was okay, she’d forgotten he was watching her.
    “I’m…I’m sorry.” She broke his gaze. “Thanks for looking out for Bluff. If anything would’ve happened to her, I’d never have forgiven myself.”
    “Jane. Look at me.” He relaxed his stance. “Everything is okay, inside and out.”
    “That’s good, right?”
    “Yeah, baby, that’s good.” He inhaled deeply. “It’s late. Let’s relax, maybe watch a little television before we go to sleep.”
    She bit down on her lower lip and glanced behind her. “I need to clean the—”
    “Jane.” He stooped to look her straight in the eyes. “You need to rest. Let me take care of you for a change. Go take a shower. While you’re doing whatever girls do, I’ll take care of all the food you made and load the dishwasher. Then I’ll check if there’s a movie on TV, and we can stretch out on the bed and relax.”
    She nodded, needing the escape. The tenderness emanating from Kage unsettled her. She wanted him but had no right to become involved with him. Her judgment needed realigning. She’d fallen for Scott because he’d made her feel safe at one time. Maybe she had a thing for possessive, dominant men.
    Kage studied her and she melted. No, Kage was different. He was confident and supportive where Scott chewed her up and spat her out. Kage never made her feel stupid the way Scott did. She hated those feelings she lived with for so long. “Okay.”
    “Good.” He stepped aside, and she hurried past him into the bedroom. After depositing Bluff onto the bed, she grabbed her pajama shorts and camisole off her pillow and shut herself in the bathroom, eager to settle in beside Kage for the night.
    In the shower, she scrubbed her hair extra hard, quickly lathered her body, and then stood under the spray of the water only long enough to rinse the soap off. She couldn’t scrub away the terror she’d felt watching Kage walk away, thinking he might never come back.
    What if he found out the truth about the stolen money and left her to face Scott alone? She lowered her chin to her chest and let the water wash over her. Kage promised he’d help. She’d have to find a way to make sure she was there if Scott showed himself.
    Scott’s agenda had been to keep her around to have someone handy to abuse. He’d want Kage out of the picture, so he could make her pay for leaving him. If anything happened to him, it’d be her fault. And that was something she couldn’t face.
    The only way to prove to Kage that she could handle this on her own and get him and the other boys to back off was to get stronger. She’d show him that she could take care of herself. She wouldn’t allow Scott to hurt anyone else. But first, she needed a gun.
    She stepped out of the shower, dried off, and put on her nightclothes. She toweled the drips out of her hair, leaving it uncombed and wet, and went out into the bedroom. She let out a relieved breath. Kage was still cleaning.
    Seizing the opportunity, she snatched her phone off the dresser and checked her messages. If Scott had sent her anything, maybe she could delete it before someone at headquarters noticed and transferred the message to Kage. To stay one step ahead of the boys, she’d have to think like them.
    Sabrina had left another message. The urge to see her friend outweighed the embarrassment