Unwritten (5 page)

“I want this stuff closer.”

She rolled her eyes. When the boxes were moved, he started on the bed, and she grabbed the opposite end of the mattress. He bit his tongue to keep from ordering her to leave it to him. By the time they were done, dampness beaded his forehead, and his shirt stuck to his back. He yanked the buttons open without thinking about it and caught her gaze skittering over his bare chest. He hid the sense of satisfaction knowing he worked to stay in shape, and she obviously still appreciated the view.

“Really, Kian? You can take off your clothes in your room!” She swung away from him and stomped into her room then slammed the door.

Kian chuckled as he strode down the hall to the master bedroom and shouted behind him, “This is my house. I can walk around in it naked.”

He got no response. A shower and a change of clothes got him ready to go out again. Evie caught him at the front door. “Let me go so I can pick up my things.”

“Not now, Evie. They’re still processing the crime scene. You’d just be in the way.”

She frowned.

“Tonight, okay?”

“Fine.” She folded her arms under her breasts, and he couldn’t help focusing on them.
Damn it, I’m acting like I haven’t had sex since she left.
He stomped to the door and wrenched it open. “Don’t leave the house. If anything comes up, call me. I’ll either come home or send someone for you.”

Two miles down the road, the aching need receded, and he could breathe easier. Dressed or naked, Evie living with him posed a challenge, one he didn’t think he was up to.

Chapter Four

Evie dropped onto the couch face down and groaned. Why did she agree to stay with Kian? “To torture myself, that’s why.” His scent and every other familiar thing about him called to her in this house. Along with that, memories of their time together also attacked her mind and threw off her equilibrium. In the corner of the living room stood a small live tree she couldn’t believe still lived. She had insisted she wanted real plants instead of the fake ones Kian had bought, and she’d dragged him all over Charlotte to greenhouses looking for the right ones. The tree had been the last and the one she loved most. Not once in all her shopping had he complained, and he’d sweated like an animal in the hot summer sun carrying her purchases to and from the car. That’s why she’d balked at him carrying the boxes and moving the bed. She didn’t want to remember when he’d been so warm and loving.

Evie rose and walked over to the tree. With a quick glance around, she realized none of the other plants were in sight, just the tree. So he’d taken care of it and thrown the others out. She knelt before the thin, rough bark and ran fingertips over it. Tears filled her eyes. “I thought we would last forever. Silly me.”

When Kian found Anthony, her life would go back to normal. She just hoped it would be soon, before her ex-husband found out how much she still loved him. To experience that cold stare, the disgust as if he couldn’t bear her existence, was more than she ever wanted to deal with again.

He did kiss me.
She groaned and fell back on the carpet, eyes closed. Kian was a man.
A sexy, delicious, hard-bodied man with equipment that—
She shook herself and rolled over, drawing her knees up to her chest. Yes, he was a man, and anyone knew men could have sex with a woman and hate their guts. Their dicks did not discriminate.

Still, the kiss wasn’t the hardest part. That drive-by had taken her courage and her resolve that she’d built up after the incident two years ago and stomped it into the ground. She blamed Anthony. He could have fled the country. From all she’d heard two years ago and the fact that an entire day had passed after he escaped from prison meant he had the resources and connections to get away. No, he wanted to dredge up the past just to get revenge on Leo for turning him in.

Thinking of her ex, she dialed his phone, but a message came on saying the phone had been disconnected or was turned off. She worried about his safety and hoped Kian’s dislike of Leo wouldn’t cause him to drop the ball when it came to keeping Leo safe. Leo might be a man-whore, but he was her man-whore, and she wanted him alive. She smiled at the thought even though it wasn’t a laughing matter. Leo had no clue she’d never be with him again, even at her lowest when she cried nightly, physically needing to be in Kian’s arms. She had let Leo hold her, but nothing more.

Late afternoon, Evie found food to eat just in case Kian bugged her about it. She sat at the table with her phone beside her. The tuna salad turned out to be a bad idea, and she packed it in a bowl. Maybe Kian would have it for lunch tomorrow. Her cell phone dinged, and she welcomed the distraction because she’d been about to think of all the domestic duties she and Kian had shared. She had done the cooking while he did the laundry and cleaned the bathrooms, which she particularly hated.

The text message was from an unknown number, and she frowned at it. Her heart beat faster when she deciphered the code. Anthony had contacted her. Was Kian correct? Did Anthony stay in Charlotte partly because he wanted to take her with him when he left?

While she stared at the message, the phone rang, and she started, almost tossing the thing across the room. Kian’s name flashed on the screen, answering her question of whether his number was the same. Her heart pounded.
So what, he remembers your number, Evie. Get a grip.

“Hello?”

“Evie, are you okay?”

She shut her eyes. His deep voice sent chills over her spine. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“I have a question for you.”

She tensed. “Go ahead.”

“What did the message mean?”

Her jaw went slack. “You’ve been tapping my phone?”

“I obtained a warrant this morning.”

“You didn’t tell me!”

“I intended to this evening.”

“Bastard! I would have told you as soon as he contacted me. Of course you won’t believe that. I bet you expect me to run off with him. Maybe you even think I helped him escape. After all, he’s my only family, right?”

“Wrong.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He sighed. “I don’t think you helped him in any way, Evie, but I do need to know what that message means. I’m on the way home, and we can talk about it.”

She hung up on him, and this time did throw the phone, or more like slid it across the kitchen table before temptation made her shatter the screen on the tile floor. She’d done that before on accident and didn’t care for a repeat.

Kian pissed her off, but she should have expected this. The man had loved to watch cop shows and anything with the FBI on TV, and she had been right there along with him, even if she didn’t pay much attention, preferring to play puzzle games on her tablet. She knew enough to know if there was the slightest chance Anthony would contact her, the FBI would climb all over her damn privacy. The legal system worked in their favor, and they didn’t hesitate to use the tools at their disposal.

Damn him.
Good thing she didn’t have some lover and had been sexting him back and forth. Then again, what would that matter? Some office agent would sift through it all and get his rocks off, but then he would pass on the info to Kian, and to her utter frustration, that did bother her.

Kian arrived a half hour later, and she watched the monitors as his car pulled into the driveway. Moments after, his key sounded in the lock, and he walked inside. Her body reacted as if he’d been gone weeks instead of half a day, but she glared at him.

“I don’t appreciate the invasion of my privacy.”

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

He held up his hands. “You realize it’s necessary, don’t you, Evie? Our hunch was right about him. No matter what he’s done, he loves you.”

“Whatever.”

“Can I see the message?”

She handed over her phone, and her fingers brushed his. She snatched her hand away and walked over to sit on the coach. To her annoyance, he joined her there, his head bowed, and a lock of his dark hair fell onto his forehead. She reached to push it back without thinking, and he gazed at her. “Um, sorry. My mistake.”

He looked at her awhile longer, his expression blank. She felt that familiar cool attitude and shrank from him.

“Its meaning?” he asked.

She licked her lips. “It means he’s fine, and he’ll contact me soon.”

“Tell me how you know that.”

“Does it mat—”

“You said you would cooperate.”

She jumped to her feet and crossed the room to look out the window. “When we were kids, we didn’t have a lot. He came to live with us when I was five. He was eight. Getting something for Christmas was like, well, a miracle because my father liked to gamble away everything he made. I don’t even know what kind of charities were in place for kids back then. All I know is my dad would say if he hit the number, he would buy us toys.”

“I know most of that, but go on.”

She rested her forehead on the glass and shut her eyes, recalling her and Anthony’s upbringing. After his parents died in a car accident, her mother insisted on taking him in as her own. Evie’s dad had agreed, but it hadn’t changed the way he wasted money or cheated on her mother.

“Anthony made board games for us to play, and one of them included a crazy coding system. We studied for weeks to learn it. In a way, it was brilliant. At least I always thought so. Complex enough to fool most adults, but simplistic enough for a five-year-old. Well, in all honesty, it was more pictures back then and evolved to letters and numbers as I grew older.”

Kian rubbed his chin and tapped the phone screen. “And this is language from that game?”

“Yes. I haven’t thought of it in years, but I guess I still remember.” She turned from the window back to her ex-husband as he studied the message. She knew without saying so he worked to crack the code. “I bet the boys down at the bureau have figured it out already.”

He looked up at her. “They will soon.” He removed his cell phone from his jacket and pressed a few buttons. Soon he relayed the meaning of her message to whoever he spoke to on the phone. “Evie?”

She started because she hadn’t heard him cross the room. He stood in front of her, too close, and her fingers itched to touch him. Why couldn’t she just get over this man and move on?

“Anthony dealt in all kinds of information. His contacts ranged wide, from members of organized crime to mailroom clerks. Everyone we know who had any dealings with him, we’re putting the squeeze on to get them to talk.”

She hugged herself. “But if they won’t betray Anthony, I’m the link. I’m the one the FBI is looking at.”

To her surprise, he rubbed her arms and drew her to his chest. “I’ll keep you safe.”

She pulled back and looked up at him. Warmth reflected in his eyes, but she didn’t know if it was a ploy he used to get her to trust him and help him with his investigation, or if he genuinely felt something for her. At that moment, she didn’t care. She ran her hands up his chest and down around his waist, moving closer. His cock twitched against her lower belly, and she kissed his chin.

At first, she thought he’d push her away. His hands hovered above her shoulders. She shut her eyes, waiting for the coming humiliation. “I shouldn’t do this,” he said, his tone husky.

He slanted his mouth over hers, and curled his fingers around her arms. When he pushed his tongue between her lips, she parted them, welcoming him in with hunger. She clung to him, tasting his mouth, feeling his warmth under her hands. She’d missed this and thought never to experience it again. Over and over they kissed, Kian exploring down her throat, her nibbling his ear. One minute she attacked him, and the next he did her. When they broke apart, they both panted, but Evie felt moisture between her legs. She was far from satisfied. If he even hinted to wanting more, she’d jump his bones.

Then she recalled the day Brad died. She’d wanted Kian and welcomed him to take her, but he’d been rough and cruel. At no time during sex with him did she not want his hands on her body, but he’d hurt her emotionally at the same time. If he invited her to his bed tonight, would it be the same as back then, and if so, could she bear it? An orgasm or two was not worth being treated like he lowered himself to sleep with her.

As she considered the potential blow to her self-esteem, Kian strode toward the hall leading to the stairs. He turned back and extended a hand toward her. “Coming?”

She searched his face. The warmth that drove her to kiss him was still there, and she took a chance. They headed to the second floor with her hand in his as she followed him. In his bedroom, Kian removed his jacket and tie. She took in the sight of him with holster and gun still on. Strong arms, a big chest, and chiseled jaw with five o’clock shadow turned her on big time.

Kian opened his shirt a few buttons, and she got a glimpse of his taut skin, sun-kissed, and the tent in his slacks said he was just as ready as she. Evie stood there soaking him in, breathing his scent, which permeated the room. Her heart raced, and she found it hard to catch her breath. She wanted him, but she didn’t want to move. Looking at him fulfilled a desire all its own.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She forced her gaze off him. “Nothing.”

“Come here.” His words were a gentle command, but her feet refused to move.

In the past, when they played the dominance bedroom games, Kian ordered her, and she obeyed. She had loved when he took charge and his roughness. The times he’d spanked her had brought her to the brink of an orgasm plenty of times. Tonight felt different. Back then, if she didn’t do as he said, she suffered the consequences. She knew how to signal she wanted him to back off, but she had never needed to. Kian understood her desires, had learned them over their time together. From day one, he’d striven to please her and had freely taught her what he liked in return. That was another reason why she had believed they were forever, and maybe why her love for him would not let go.

She watched him remove his weapon and lay it on the nightstand. Then he tossed his shirt on a chair. He came to her and rested gentle hands on her arms. She swayed toward him, but her body still wouldn’t do what she liked. Kian pulled her T-shirt up and slid it over her head. Then he pinched open her jeans. Her core tightening made her bite her bottom lip. His palm inside her panties and cupping her pussy brought on a moan.