Homeland Security (Defenders of Love Book 2) (13 page)

They stopped walking in front of a closed door. Kaiden turned the knob and pushed it open. After flipping a light switch he motioned to Katie to enter. She sucked in a breath.

"Kaiden, this room is beautiful." The warm southwestern theme centered around a large, hand-carved four poster bed similar to Kaiden's.

"I told you Ma likes Logan best. It
is
a really nice room." Kaiden laughed.

"Yours is amazing too. This whole house is amazing actually."

"The bathroom is through there. And your overnight bag is on top of the bureau. There's extra toothbrushes, soap, whatever you need, under the sink. I am right across the hall if you need anything."

He leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest. Katie couldn't help but notice how he seemed a part of the space with his rugged handsomeness. Nathan was a pretty boy but Kaiden had the cowboy thing going for him. Hard muscles, trim frame and a square jaw made him look like he belonged in a magazine ad.

"I am sure I will be fine, thank you." She yawned. "I definitely think I am ready to get a little sleep since I am going with you tomorrow to get Nathan."

Kaiden heaved a sigh. "I really think that's a bad idea."

"How about if I wait in the truck?"

He walked over to where she stood and placed his hands on her shoulders. She loved the way his blue eyes seemed to change shade with his mood. "If I let you go, you have to
promise
to stay in the truck. I don't think Marks will put up much of a fight but who's to say who is there with him."

"I will. I promise."
At least until you are out of sight.

"I would still rather you stay here with my mother."

She nodded, looking down at the floor. "I know. But this is something I have to do. I won't ever feel like I can move forward with my life if I don't get some kind of closure. Nathan humiliated me in so many ways."

He lifted her chin with a finger forcing her to look at him. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. He made all the bad choices."

"I keep trying to tell myself that."

"Trust me. I'm a federal agent, I am not allowed to lie."

She smiled at him. "Good night, Agent James."

"Good night, Ms. McCoy." Kaiden turned and walked toward the door but stopped and turned around.

"Did you forget something?"

"Yes, I think I did." He strode back to where she still stood, wrapped his arms around her and crushed his lips against hers with the sort of desperate passion she herself experienced whenever they touched. He let her go abruptly, bidding her sweet dreams before disappearing from the room.

Sweet dreams indeed.

Chapter Thirteen

Katie woke before the sun, the taste of Kaiden's kiss still on her lips and heavy on her mind. It wasn't the first time he had touched her but the intensity of it blew her away. If he hadn't left when he did she probably would have torn his clothes off.

The house was silent. Clara and Kaiden were likely both sound asleep. She rolled over and switched on the little lamp on the bedside table. She loved the room. Everything about it warmed her soul. The rich colors were as calming as they were brilliant. She couldn't even describe the way the bed felt when she first climbed into it the night before. The sun was barely up but she had slept soundly—better than she had in months. She missed her view of the ocean though. Katie's absolute favorite thing about Virginia Beach was the view of the water early in the morning as the rising sun turned the horizon from magenta to red to rusty orange.

After Kaiden arrested Nathan and they put a stop to whatever plot he was involved in, Katie could take a little time to really explore her feelings for Kaiden. She couldn't deny they had chemistry between them. She felt it from the very first moment she met him after his shooting. She had just started her evening shift and ducked into the room of her first patient, only a few hours out of surgery, groggy and in obvious pain. But when he smiled at her, Katie felt the sharp jolt of electricity that arced from him to her. Of course, ethics rule number one says don't get involved with your patients so she tried to keep her focus on her job. Each day, Kaiden improved. He flirted with her while she ignored what touching him, even to take his vitals, did to her insides. Then one day he left. Discharged early in the morning and sent to rehab for a week. Since she was dating Nathan at the time, she forced the handsome cop—that's what she chalked him up to at the time—from her mind. At least during the day. He haunted her often while she slept.

Now she curled up in his cousin's bed in his mother's house and honestly, if he had invited her to share his bed, she would not have been able to say no.

She was too exhausted the night before to thoroughly snoop through the room so Katie rolled out of the bed and padded her way across the bedroom and into the bathroom. She really needed one of those toothbrushes Kaiden had spoken of.

"Wow." The bathroom took her breath away. The same warm tones extended in to the wash room. The lush walk in shower filled more than half the space. An array of shower heads strategically arranged offered the promise of nirvana to tired muscles. How she longed to tear off her clothes and stand under the hot spray.

"It's early. I don't want to wake anyone, right?"

Wrong. What she wanted was to feel hot water surrounding her on all sides while someone soaped her back with lavender scented body wash.

"Get a grip girl. Brush your nasty teeth and then go find some coffee." When did she start talking to herself? Oh right—around about the time her fiancé left with her best friend. When they returned to Virginia Beach she really needed to see about getting a pet.

The bathroom cabinet held a diverse stock of toiletries as Kaiden promised. In actuality there was enough mouthwash, toothpaste, and other essentials to last someone a good long time.

Years.

After brushing her teeth, Katie pulled on a pair of jeans, a long sleeve top, and her shoes. She was in the center of the kitchen trying to figure out where Clara might store her coffee maker when she heard foot steps behind her. Katie turned around to find Kaiden, wearing nothing but a low slung pair of flannel pants and a smile. Her breath hitched and her heart raced. That man looked so fine without a shirt on it took every last ounce of self-restraint not to run her fingers over the hard muscle and trace the line of the scar on his shoulder.

"Looking for something?" Kaiden asked.

Nope. She had already found it. Her head told her mouth to speak but all she could manage was "the coffee pot…"

"Right. Mom keeps that in the pantry with a selection of her favorite beans. What do you favor?"

"Just coffee." When did she become so stupid? One half naked man and she lost the ability to string words together in an intelligent sentence? It's not like she hadn't seen naked men before. Hell, it's not like she hadn't seen
this
man naked before. Or at least mostly so.

"Right this way, ma'am." Kaiden waved her over to a door that Katie had assumed was a closet. He opened it and disappeared inside. Katie followed.

"What is this place?" she asked as she looked up and down the neatly organized rows of shelves. Floor to ceiling the shelves were lined with food—canned goods, packages of pasta, cereal, and bottled water.

"You've never seen a pantry before?" Kaiden chuckled as he led her to the end of one of the rows.

"This isn't a pantry. It's a damn supermarket!" Katie replied. "It's the size of my living room at home."

"Bigger, actually." Kaiden stopped in front of a unit that housed a coffee maker, a bean grinder and at least fifty varieties of coffee beans. "Mom likes to have plenty on hand. Cold storage is in her basement."

"I… I don't even know… I mean… how is one little woman supposed to eat all of this?" She motioned to the shelves as she turned in a circle. "This is crazy."

"One word of advice," Kaiden said as she selected some coffee beans and poured them into the grinder, "don't tell my mother you think she is crazy."

"Yeah, because I might start to believe it!" Clara called from the kitchen.

"I wasn't saying—I mean I didn't mean
she
was crazy. But this? This is crazy. It must have taken months to build this stock."

Clara stepped into the room and joined them in the coffee section. "Not months. I have a membership to one of those warehouse clubs. I just bought in bulk." She turned and grabbed a bag off the shelf. "Kaiden, grind up some of these for me when you are done, please? Thank you."

Katie watched the older woman walk away before speaking again. In a hushed voice she leaned in and asked, "Is this all a part of your mom's conspiracy theory thing?"

Kaiden poured the first ground coffee into the automatic maker and ground his mother's beans before answering. "Yes," he finally replied. "I guess you could say it is. After my dad died, Ma became very worried about making sure she could provide for us and later Logan, no matter what. The house, everything—it's all the product of my father's life insurance. We lived off the social security money we received when he died while Mom poured everything else she had into this mountain. This is the outcome."

"Well, when the bomb hits you all won't starve, that's for sure!" Katie joked but Kaiden eyed her with a very serious expression.

"Her prepper friends take these things very seriously. And honestly, I have worked for the government long enough to see the value in a little preparedness. This is not a happy world we live in."

"So, you worry about the world ending?"

"Not in the terms you are speaking but I am concerned about the fragile state of the world and realistically anything could happen. Best to be ready for it and meet it head on, right? I mean you don't show up to a gun fight with a knife."

"Speaking of gun fights, what time are we going after Nathan?"

Kaiden removed the freshly brewed coffee and placed another pot on the burner. He dumped the coffee for his mother into the machine and hit brew before he answered her.

"
We
aren't going after Nathan.
You
promised to wait in the truck, remember?"

"Yes, I remember but it doesn't mean I am not hoping you will change your mind."

He winked at her. "I wouldn't expect anything less either. Come on, let's see what we can rustle up for breakfast. Keegan will be here soon and he is
always
hungry." She followed Kaiden out of the pantry and waited while he set the coffee pots on the counter.

"I hope you're hungry," Clara said as she pulled egg cartons and packages of bread and bacon from the fridge.

"The coffee is enough for me, really," Katie replied.

"Poppycock! You can't start your day without a hearty meal to get the metabolism rolling."

Poppycock? Who says
that
anymore?

Clara obviously wouldn't take no for an answer so Katie nodded as she held the cup Kaiden offered to her. "I suppose I could eat an egg and some toast."

Clara shot her a look. "You're not one of those girls always on a diet, are you? My boy here likes a woman with a healthy appetite and a little meat on her bones."

"Leave her alone. She'll eat."

"I don't want her having a fainting spell and have people in town think I don't know how to take care of my guests."

"Since when have you cared about what people think?"

"Well, boy, you got a point there. I guess I really don't." Clara set about cracking eggs in a bowl while bacon sizzled in the cast iron frying pan.

"I like food. I don't diet. I just don't want you to go to any trouble on my account," Katie said.

"Cooking a decent meal is never a bother, dear. Why don't you have a seat? Kaiden—pull the chair out for her."

"Yes,
Mother
."

Katie loved the banter between mother and son. It made her homesick for her own family while it frightened her a little how comfortable she felt among the James family. Like she was always meant to be there.

***

Kaiden watched Katie as he and his mother did their usual back and forth. She smiled as he pulled out her chair at the table. Somehow the action felt right; it all felt so right. Katie fit in perfectly with his life and his family. She didn't look at his mother like Clara was crazy and he appreciated that. Clara had lot of quirks but crazy wasn't one of them. He couldn't say the same about his ex-wife. Cara never seemed to really belong. He felt happy and relaxed despite the fact that he really was there to work.

"Hello!" a voice called from the front hall. "Y'all awake in here?"

"Keegan!" Clara called back. "We're in the kitchen! Come eat!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," Kaiden's twin brother announced, appearing in the door to the kitchen.

Kaiden met his brother with a handshake and man hug—that sort of half hug where they pat each other on the back and no one questions their intentions. "Good to see ya, man."

"You too, brother." Keegan walked over and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Morning, Ma."

"Good morning, my handsome son. I hope you are hungry."

"James men always have room for a good meal." He walked over to Katie, his hand outstretched. "Hi Nurse Katie, it's good to see you again."

Katie accepted his hand with a smile. "Nice to see you again also."

Once again Kaiden marveled at how at ease Katie seemed with his family. "Want some coffee, Kee? There's regular and then Ma's on the stove."

"Ugh, you still drinking that turpentine, Ma?"

"It'll put hair on your chest, son." She took a sip from her mug. "Mmmm… good stuff."

Keegan poured a cup and sat at the table with Kaiden and Katie. "So tell me, brother, what's the plan?"

"I went over some pictures and things my boss emailed me. After we eat, I'll show them to you. Local law enforcement will meet us there in case we need back up but they know this should be a pretty peaceful take."

Clara placed a large platter of bacon and eggs on the table and a second plate stacked high with toast. "Eat first, talk shop later."

"Smells delicious," Katie said as she reached for a serving of eggs. "How do you get these scrambled eggs so light and fluffy?"

"Ancient Chinese secret, dear."

"Pretty sure the Chinese are not responsible for egg scrambling secrets, Ma." Kaiden took the serving spoon from Katie and piled his own plate nice and high.

"Maybe, maybe not," Clara replied as she sat in a chair next to Keegan.

As they ate, he stole glances across the table at Katie. He loved the way she laughed and joked with Keegan and their mother as if they had known each other their entire lives. She had a great smile. Why hadn't he noticed that before?

Because you have been far too busy focusing on her other assets.

There was a lot he didn't know about Katie. When the case was all wrapped up he definitely intended to rectify that.

"Kaiden, dear?"

"Yes, Ma?"

"Have you forgotten all the manners I taught you?"

Confused, he replied, "Um, no. Why? What did I do?"

His mother indicated his shirtless chest. "At what time is it ever appropriate to sit at a table with ladies without being properly clothed?" His twin laughed around a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"I completely forgot I wasn't wearing a shirt."

Keegan started choking on his food as he tried not to laugh. Kaiden shot him a nasty look.

"Umm… hmmm… I don't think so. Go get something on before you continue eating at my table."

"Yes, ma'am." Kaiden felt the heat in his cheeks as he pushed his chair back. Keegan had finally managed to swallow his eggs and bust out laughing as he headed to his room to grab a t-shirt.