Page 77 of Kane
This was it. The moment of truth. The moment where she would know how tight the club had him in its grip.
A minute passed. Two. Her chest squeezed painfully, and she sank deeper into the cushions of the sofa and closed her eyes. “Just go.” Despite her nap, she was so tired. Maybe she could sleep right here. Sleep until all of this went away.
She was so sure he wasn’t going to answer. When he did, his voice made her jump. “My brother and my father are leading the club into making a major mistake.”
Her eyes flew open.
Kane had his head in his hands. “They’re going to get someone killed.” He looked up, seeking her eyes. “I defied them. I refused an order after the club voted.” He gestured to his face. “This was my punishment.”
Gasping, she sprang forward, examining his injuries with new eyes. “Your own friends did this to you…because youdisagreedwith them?”
He nodded. “I know how it sounds, but itisclub business, and I’m not supposed to talk about it. I also know I don’t really belong there. Not because of the beat-down, but I don’t know. I thought maybe I could make a difference, turn the club into something better or at least keep it from getting worse, but I was living a fantasy. I can’t save anyone who doesn’t want to save themselves.”
Carefully, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “Oh, Kane, I’m sorry.” She really was. Not because he realized he didn’t belong in a motorcycle gang, but because it hurt him to admit it. She was sorry, too, if it meant he had to mourn his friends.
“I’m going to talk to the guys about patching out. It’s going to suck. I’ll probably lose them all. No way around it.” He sounded so desolate.
She wanted so much to find the right words, but she knew how unforgiving their code was. He’d told her himself, years before. “You won’t lose me,” she said gently, and his muscles locked beneath her hands. “You’ll never lose me again, Kane. I’m yours, as long as you want me.”
He held his body rigid for a moment, his eyes blinking rapidly. “Are you sure?” He cleared his throat. “Because I’m not sure my heart can survive breaking again, baby. The last time damn near killed me.”
“Youwon’t lose me.We need to be honest with each other, though. I ruined things before by thinking I was protecting you. It was the wrong call. We could have faced it together. We’ll do better this time. We’ll learn from my mistake.”
In the somber silence, his stomach let out a growl so loud she could have heard it in the next room. The tips of his ears turned red, and he chuckled self-consciously. “Sorry. Guess I haven’t eaten in a while.”
The reminder about food made her own stomach answer the call with a growl of its own. “How about I make us some dinner?”
He lifted his eyebrows. “You’re offering to cook? The woman who put a boiled egg in the microwave and made it explode?”
“A lot of time has passed since then,” she said primly. “Plus, I took some cooking classes a few years back. You may be surprised to discover what I can do in the kitchen these days.”
“To the contrary.” His face relaxed into a genuine smile. “I’m not surprised by anything you’re able to accomplish. You have it in you to take over the world someday.”
“I don’t need the whole world. Only you, Mike, and the company.” She stood and offered him her hand. “Let’s start with conquering the kitchen.”
He allowed her to lead him to the sink where they both washed their hands. “Okay, Iron Chef, what do we have on the menu?”
She opened the refrigerator door and surveyed the contents. “I’ve got some leftover grilled chicken.” Stepping over to the pantry, she stooped down to examine one of the lower shelves, then triumphantly pulled out a can of artichoke hearts. “Oh, yeah, I know just the thing. If we work together, it can be ready in ten minutes.”
With her goal in sight, she piled ingredients onto the counter: green onions, mushrooms, olive oil, and feta. Then, she turned on a pot of water to boil. “Cutting board is in the drawer in front of you, Hale. Those green onions aren’t going to chop themselves.”
With a small salute, he got to work, chopping the vegetables, while she melted some butter in a pan. Soon, the kitchen filled with the savory scent of sautéed mushrooms.
Kane hummed a song she didn’t recognize while he opened the can of artichoke hearts. The whole thing felt so simple and domestic, like this was their kitchen, and they’d cooked together a million times. Like they had done it before, and it was a given they would do it again. And again. And again.
But would they really? With her father and Nathan and the club all wanting to tear them apart?
He looked up and caught her watching him, but he didn’t call her on it. “You want these in the pan with the other stuff?”
The knot of emotion building in her chest kept her from answering aloud, but her smile and nod were enough. He stepped in beside her at the range and dumped in the drained contents. His nearness was almost a physical caress.
She leaned into him, and he kissed the top of her head. Oh yeah, she could get used to this. “Grab the chicken,” she murmured. “We need to add some too.” Pouring some angel hair into the now bubbling water, she tried to quiet her swelling feelings for the man currently taking up all the air in the room. Though she failed miserably, it wasn’t in her to regret it. The way she felt about Kane was like sunshine warming her from the inside out.
Within five minutes, they’d drained the pasta and tossed it with the chicken, vegetables, and a dressing of olive oil, lemon, and Greek seasoning. He eyed the feta cheese as she carried it to the table. He always used to call itthe stinky stuff.
“Don’t worry.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll keep it on the side.”
They ate in companionable silence the first few minutes, their mutual hunger keeping their attention on the food in front of them. It wasn’t until her plate was clean, Amanda took a sip of her wine and leaned back into the chair.