Unauthorized Obsession (Unauthorized Series Book 3) (12 page)

“Okay, so what does the blonde cop have to do with it?”

Kara sighed. This is exactly what she hadn’t wanted to happen. A rushed, half explanation that could lead to hurt feelings or something worse. “She’s investigating my stalker. And she wanted to make sure it wasn’t you.”

“So I’m being investigated?”

“No! Not really. I don't know. I’m trying to get her to back off.”

Zane looked around his lot, shaking his head. “So if I’m the one who is stalking you, how does she explain the bomb under my seat?”

“Yes, she'll have to admit you're innocent and focus on someone else now.” Kara laughed nervously. “Unless she twists it around to make it seem like you did it on purpose to get the heat off of you,” she said half joking, and then held a hand to her forehead, hoping that wasn't going to actually happen.

The radio on her belt called her beat number. She answered and was assigned to a harassment case. “Zane, I have to go. There’s a good chance she’ll try to interview you. But she’s not the enemy okay? If you’re just honest she’ll have to see that you’re not the guy.”

Zane's eyes glittered savagely for a moment and Kara almost took a step backwards. “You okay?” she asked him.

“Yes, I’m fine. Go back to work,” he admonished her. “I’ll see you tomorrow. What time?”

Zane reached out suddenly and grabbed her hand, pulling her in close to him. “I know you said no kisses in uniform, but does it count if nobody sees you?”

Instead of answering, Kara raised her face to his and he took the opportunity, reaching in for a firm but swift kiss.

Even though they were behind the building, Kara felt as if she were being watched and the watcher was not approving. She pulled back and looked around, but saw no one.

“Noon,” Zane said.

“I’ll see you then,” Kara breathed and hurried away. On her way back across the parking lot, she noticed the bomb apparently was still not diffused and Sgt. Gale was nowhere in sight. She settled behind the wheel of her patrol car and looked at Seth.

“Is your friend okay?” he asked her immediately, his gaze on the computer between them.

“Perfect,” she said distractedly, caught up in her own thoughts.

Kara drove home after another long and busy night, wanting to check in with Zane, but thinking he was probably already asleep. As she petted Duke and tried to shed the day's frustrations, she turned on the TV to see if there was any news about what happened at Rowe Construction. All she had heard at work was the bomb had been diffused and no one had been injured. She assumed the tech guys had the bomb now and were going over it for clues.

Kara couldn’t find anything on the local channels so she opened up her computer, thinking she could check one of the local channel's websites. She hit pay dirt almost immediately. The lead story, splashed across the screen in big bold letters:
Bomb Found at Local Business. Head of Rowe Construction Got Out Just In Time
.

She watched a short clip of Zane giving an interview and smiled at how at ease he looked, like he’d spent the day laying on the beach, not barely escaping with his life.

Kara shut her laptop, struggled out of her uniform, checked the door braces on all the doors, and fell into bed. She was excited and nervous about her lunch date with Zane the next day, but she was too tired to think about it.

Exactly eight hours later, Kara's eyes snapped open and she rolled out of bed, deciding not to eat breakfast. There were only two hours before she was due for lunch at Zane’s place. She could wait. She pulled on some jogging clothes and took Duke for a run, then returned home to wash up. She put on a bit of makeup too and chose her clothing carefully. She finally decided on her favorite jeans and a light, pink shirt.

She thought hard about whether or not to bring her gun. Ordinarily, she would not bring her gun on a date or when just going over to a friend's house, but she was spooked. The bomb in Zane's truck had scared her more than she wanted to admit. Finally she made her decision and strapped on a small-of-the-back holster, tucking her smaller, backup weapon into it. She pulled her shirt down over it, said goodbye to Duke, and headed outside, double checking her lock as usual.

Kara opened the door to her car and looked inside. What if there was a bomb under her seat? No there wouldn't be, that’s not how it was supposed to happen with her. But she checked anyway. Nothing but empty energy bar wrappers and dog fur. She sat down heavily in the driver's seat, started the car up, and pulled out of her driveway to head to Zane's house, her cheeks burning in anger that she had to live like this.

Ten minutes later, Kara pulled in front of Zane's house and stopped the car, looking appreciatively at the neighborhood. She wondered again why he was living in the large, stately old house all by himself. She walked up the front steps and saw a note on the door.

I’m in the back grilling, let yourself in.

Kara pushed the door open and stepped inside. Immediately Lucy and Kevin swarmed her, sniffing and licking her all over. She laughed and knelt down to pet them, burying her hands in Lucy’s fur. Kevin darted in close and licked her ear. “Ew,” she told him, wrinkling her nose and rubbing dog slobber off her ear.

“I’ve got to say, this is the first time I’ve been jealous of a dog,” she heard a voice drawl. She looked up and saw Zane leaning against the entryway to the kitchen, grilling tongs in his hand. He was wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt that said
I kiss better than I cook
. Her eyes traveled appreciatively over his flat belly and broad shoulders even as she laughed at the slogan on his T-shirt.

Kara stood and brushed fur off her pants. “I thought you said you were a good cook.”

“I’m a great cook,” he growled, dropping the tongs on a counter behind him and taking two steps towards her, gathering her quickly in his arms and lowering his face to hers. "But I'm a better kisser," he said as his eyes locked on hers and she felt slightly dizzy with his closeness. She had no doubt. He kissed her firmly and she melted into him, not wanting to admit to herself that she had been counting the minutes until this happened again. He slid one hand up into her hair and the other hand down to snake around her waist and pulled her closer. His lips parted slightly and his tongue pressed into hers, exploring, probing. Kara felt the craziness of the last few days, plus two tons of fear and guilt fall away from her. This was where she was supposed to be. This was what should be happening. Her body relaxed as sensations slipped up and down her spine, causing goose bumps to break out all over her torso and her nipples to instantly harden. She felt them graze deliciously against his chest and she kissed him back, not able to get enough of him.

He kissed her until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, and could barely stand. But then he pulled back, looking at her with bedroom eyes. “I know you wanted to talk to me. Do you mind if we do that first so we can get it out of the way? I don't want to feel nervous that you’re going to drop some big bomb on me while we're eating.”

Kara tried to catch her breath. “You’re going to kiss me like that and then just want to talk?”

“Well if our two choices are talking or eating, yeah I want to talk first if that’s cool with you. Unless there’s a secret third option?” he said mischievously. “If so, then I will take what’s behind door number three,” he said, twining his fingers in hers and leaning his face down to hers again.

Kara had time to think
there’s always a third option with you, Zane
, before his lips were upon hers again. Her entire body began to throb in time with her heartbeat. She shifted her legs and gasped at how sensitive she felt down there. She wondered suddenly how many bedrooms this place had and how close was the closest?

But then good sense pried a way into her brain for a moment and she pulled back slightly. “You’re right, Zane. We should talk first. Just in case you … Just in case one of us doesn’t want to … Isn’t interested in kissing after."

Zane smiled at her, and Kara smiled back. She couldn’t help it, she loved that smile. He pulled her over to the couch and sat down. “Okay, shoot.”

Kara took a deep breath and started talking. She began by telling him about the flowers she had gotten eight months ago and hadn’t thought much about. They'd said only,
from an admirer
. And then the too-expensive gift that she had gotten on her birthday that had included only a poem and no name. Then she told him about being shot by Dawn and spending time in the hospital. She left out the part about finding her sister. She would save that story for another day. She shared about the box of hair and the notes that came with it. Zane’s eyes widened as he realized how unorthodox this situation was. She told him about the man who had been seen in her driveway and the pictures with the poem on the back. When she shared that the man had been watching her at night by taking over her own phone Zane stood up and paced, anger written clearly on his face. Then she told him about the other four victims and what had happened to two of their boyfriends. Lastly, she shared most of what the profiler had said.

“I was supposed to warn you that you could be in danger.”

“Why didn’t you?” Zane asked, not angry or irritated, but just curious.

Kara’s cheeks burned. She was definitely ashamed of most of this. “Because that’s when I found out you were arrested before, and it kind of threw me for a loop.”

“Oh,” Zane said simply, his eyes on the ground.

“Zane, why didn’t you tell me you had been arrested?”

He met her eyes easily. “I didn’t think of it. It’s not something that I tell people on the first date or the second date or ever actually. I’m not proud of it but it’s not something that I ever thought I needed to tell people about.”

“But I’m a cop. You had to know it was going to come up somehow. I would’ve much rather heard it from you than from the sergeant investigating my stalker case, especially when she already had you down as a suspect.”

Zane dropped his eyes again. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I should have told you.”

Kara felt his words wash over her soul and soothe any last prickly irritation there. She could tell he meant it. “So tell me about it,” she said softly.

Zane sighed and looked around at the walls of his comfortable living room. “It was in this house. I came home from work for lunch which is something I never do. I’m not even sure why I did it that day. I heard grunting noises that subconsciously, I knew must be sexual, but I didn't admit to myself what they were. They were
male
grunting noises, you know? And there shouldn’t have been any man in the house. I ran to the bedroom and there they were. Fucking.” Zane spit this last word out bitterly, and Kara could see the hurt in his face. “I don't remember having anything remotely like a thought go through my head, but I just knew in my bones that Kensi was being raped. My mind couldn’t comprehend that she would willingly be with another man. I ripped him off of her and threw him on the ground, then tried to kill him.” Zane's voice softened but Kara heard the deadly steel there. “I don't think a man who would rape a woman should ever live to rape another.” Kara saw another ripple of pain across his face. “But Kensi jumped between us. And then my whole life changed.”

Kara touched Zane’s cheek tenderly, and ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry,” she whispered.

He caught her hand and kissed it. “Not your fault.”

Kara’s breath caught suddenly in her throat. “Zane, if Kensi was cheating on you, Zaina might not be yours.”

Zane's eyes were still far away and his face still held pain. He looked like this was a memory he hated to relive. “I’ve considered that. But she looks so much like me.”

Kara nodded. She did.

“I’ll schedule a paternity test when I can. I’ll see what Kensi says tomorrow when I go to court.”

Kara sat up slightly. She had forgotten that Zane had court tomorrow to fight for his parental rights.

She dragged her thoughts back to what they had been talking about. “Did you have to go to court for the assault?”

Zane nodded. “The guy was going to drop the charges, but Kensi’s dad convinced him not to.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Remember when I told you that her family didn’t like me? Well I think her dad actually hates me. He must have liked that guy though.” His face brightened a little bit. “But the judge threw it out. He believed me. Even Kensi seemed to be on my side at that court date – this was after our civil case.”

Kara didn’t know what to say, her mind spinning with the inherent consequences of being a man. It made her glad she was a woman, even with all the not-so-great things that came with that.

Zane’s face brightened even more and she watched him shake off the memories. He leaned towards her and stole a kiss, then bodily lifted her and pulled her onto his lap.

He stopped kissing her long enough to ask, “Is that it? Is that all we had to talk about?”

Kara nodded, feeling the heat of his body under hers.

“Good,” he growled, brushing her black hair back from her face, his eyes smoky and full of desire. “I still want to kiss you. Do you still want to kiss me?”

“Yes,” Kara breathed, her world filling with nothing but the clean, heady scent of Zane.

He leaned in and stole another kiss. A longer one this time.