Controlled Burn (Blackbridge Security 8)

Her eyes narrow. “Policing what I do now as well?”

Why is she so riled up this morning?

“You had two criminal thugs come to the door yesterday, Kendall. I was worried when school drop-off took longer than normal.”

Her face falls, her head shaking. “I’m being a bitch. I’m sorry. You got the kids breakfast for me this morning.”

“I got the kids breakfast for them,” I correct.

“Well, it helped me out.”

“A secondary concern.”

I don’t know why I say it, but I need her to know that as much as I love being with her, spending time with her, talking with her, flirting with her, all the things with her, I also understand that she’s a package deal. I went from wanting to spend time inside her to wanting to protect her and her kids about the minute I realized that she was in trouble with St. Louis’s deadliest motorcycle club.

“I want you to come to work with me,” I tell her as she just stands there, trying to figure out what my angle is.

“I can’t. I have too many things to do.”

“And I have a very busy day at work, and I’m not leaving without you.”

“I still haven’t showered. I need to work out.”

“How about I give you a workout in the shower? Two birds, one stone.”

And as much as I want to protect her, the animal needing to claim her is never ever far either.

She chuckles as if I told a corny joke, but her face freezes, her smile fading away when she sees that there’s less joke to my words than she initially realized.

“You’ve already showered,” she says, pointing to my still damp hair.

I give her a wide grin. If she’s actually considering my offer, I’ll spend all day in the damn bathroom with this woman.

“I forgot to wash my feet,” I tease.

“I’m still embarrassed about the fake bomb, Finn. I can’t spend the entire day at work with you.”

“They all like you,” I remind her. “Pam has a panic button she could’ve pressed if she thought she was really in any danger.”

I watch as she chews on the inside of her cheek, trying to decide what to do.

“I wasn’t joking about needing a workout and a shower. I won’t feel normal all day if I don’t.”

“And I wasn’t joking about the in-shower workout either.”

Her eyes sparkle, and that tells me all I need to know.

Work can wait.

It’s time to get soapy.

Chapter 25

Kendall

I blink at the man, fighting a smile.

Despite Kayleigh catching us snuggled together on the couch last night, I don’t feel an ounce of shame for being that close to him. There’s just a conversation I need to have with my kids. I need to let them know on some level what’s going on between Finn and me, but at the same time, I don’t really know.

He was there for me when I was upset after Adrian and Brant left, and he’s primed for sex at the drop of a hat. Both things I can appreciate.

But that doesn’t indicate anything other than he’s horny and a decent guy for comforting a crying woman.

Reading into it more than what it actually is can be very bad for me. I have three kids to worry about, and letting my heart run away with ideas of this man being more than nice and able to hand out orgasms like he aced a class on it in college is dangerous.

As much as I consider myself an adult, I don’t want those tiny fantasies crushed, so I don’t open my mouth to have a serious conversation with him. How can I when he’s grinning at me with the promise of those intense orgasms glinting in his pretty green eyes?

Deciding a conversation after is my best bet, I place my hand in his and let him guide me to his en suite bathroom.

He leans past me, turning on the showerhead and pressing his lips to my neck before whispering, “Get naked.”

His warm breath skates over my skin and I feel sexier than I ever should in leggings and a loose fitting t-shirt.

The heat of his body leaves me, but I don’t look over my shoulder to see where he’s going. I do what he demands, taking my clothes off. I fold them neatly with hands trembling with excitement and place them in a pile on his bathroom counter before stepping under the heated spray of the shower. I groan as the forceful flow hits achy muscles on my back. Not getting a decent night’s sleep in as long as I can remember is really taking its toll on my body. If I could find a decent job that didn’t require me to work nights, I’d jump on it in a heartbeat.

“Goddamn,” Finn whispers as he steps into the shower with me. “The only thing missing from the fantasy I had of this is bubbles teasing your nipples.”