Impacted (Conflicted Encounters #2) (18 page)

"Where do you think he's going?" Kallie asked once we followed him onto the interstate.
 

"If we knew that, we wouldn't be following him," I laughed.
 

"Smartass."
 

She kicked off her heels, pulled her legs up on the seat, and hung her hand out the window. Once she saw the sign for West Virginia, she sat straight up. Adam supposedly didn't live far from where Scarlett worked and Kallie was staying. I knew we were driving the opposite way, but I wasn't aware we were leaving the state.

"I love road trips," Kallie mused.

"Really?"

"Well, I like this one. Never been on one before," she shrugged.
 

"Seriously? Well then, we need to stop for jerky and Mountain Dew. It's not a road trip without Slim Jims and MD."

She laughed and my chest swelled at the sound. "Oh, he's getting off," she pointed.
 

I took the exit, letting another car come between us. I doubted he would recognize the truck, but it was still daylight and he should be smart enough to realize he was being followed for the past hour. Kallie bounced in her seat, and I laughed at her enthusiasm. Soon, I saw the lights and knew exactly where we were going.
 

"What's that?" she asked.

"Casino."

"Oh, never been to one before. They just put one up in Cleveland, like a block away, but I haven't been there yet. Can I try a slot machine?"

"Slow down, darling," I laughed. "I thought we were on a top secret mission?"

"Oh, right," she pouted. "We need a disguise." She turned around and started rummaging around in the backseat of the truck. I had no idea what she thought she would find.
 

"Ah ha!" She turned around with two cowboy hats and put one on her head. She looked really adorable, and I was lucky we were sitting at a red light. I leaned over and quickly kissed her on the lips.
 

"I'm sorry to tell you, baby," I started. "But you're gonna need more than a hat to disguise yourself. You stand out."

She pouted. "So how we do we trail him then?"

I took the hat off her head and put it on mine. "We'll be sneaky."

We parked a few rows away and waited for him to go inside. I got out and helped Kallie down because Caleb's truck is higher than mine. We walked hand and hand into the large building. The sound of bells and voices hit us and then a security guard stopped us. After handing over our ID's, we were waved through. Kallie surveyed the floor before us, her blue eyes wide.
 

I led her through the mob of people and down to a row of slot machines. When I saw Adam walking by, I pushed her up against the back of a slot machine and kissed her. Her tongue instantly met mine and tangled for power. I made sure our faces were shielded from anyone's view. When I pulled away, she was panting.
 

"I think he's still looking," she breathed out.
 

I smiled, knowing that Adam was standing by the blackjack tables. I ran my hands up her sides and pulled her close while I kissed down her neck and licked her collarbone. "What's he doing?" I asked against her skin.

"Who?"

"Adam."

"Oh," she huffed, and then stretched up on her toes to see over me. I took the opportunity to kiss down her throat. "Looks like he’s waiting for a seat."

"Dude," I heard from behind us. "As much as I understand, because I do," his eyes roamed over Kallie's ready body, "can you move?"

I nodded and tugged her off the machine. We stopped near another card table where we could still see Adam. We pretended to watch the poker game as he hovered a few tables over, waiting for a seat. I stood behind her and nuzzled her neck while I tried to focus on listening in.

"Hey, Adam," the dealer said as he took a seat. "Better luck tonight, I hope."

"I hope so," he laughed.

He handed over a wad of cash and the dealer slid over some chips. Kallie was unaware of our surroundings as her eyes drifted closed as I ran my hands over her. I intended to look like a tourist couple just watching the show, and we were playing the part well. I watched as the dealer deal out the cards and then the players took their peek.
 

They went a few rounds before a waitress dressed in a corset, boy shorts, and fishnet stockings approached them. She leaned over, sliding a drink to Adam, and he winked back at her before placing another bet. It was definitely flirtatious, but I got the impression they knew each other because she never asked what he wanted to drink. It was becoming obvious that Adam was a regular here.
 

"We should move," I whispered in Kallie's ear.
 

"Hmm?"
 

"We look obvious standing here," I laughed. "He is going to see us soon."

She nodded and we squeezed through the crowd to a bar that sat in the center of the floor. There were stools around all four sides with screens built in to the counter. We took a seat so we were facing Adam, but not in his direct line of sight. I ordered a Red Bull, and Kallie got a Coke.
 

"So, what's he doing?" she whispered.

"He can't hear us," I chuckled. "Betting. A lot. Doesn't seem like this is the first time either."

"Oh," she nodded.
 

"If you were paying attention earlier, you would know this," I teased.
 

She blushed and ducked her head. "You're distracting. Excuse me, sir?"

The bartender took a quick glance and headed down the bar to us. I looked at her in confusion, wondering what the hell she was doing. She smiled brightly at the guy and leaned over the counter.
 

"How can I help you, sweetheart," he asked with a southern drawl. His eyes drifted lower than her face, and I wanted to punch him.
 

"I was just wondering, do you know that guy over at the blackjack table? Grey shirt?" she asked in an overly sweet voice.
 

The bartender looked quickly, and I knew he was already putty in her hands. "Adam?"

"Yes. You see, I've been seeing him for a few months now and he keeps sneaking off," she pouted, and I stared blankly at her, shocked at how convincing she was. "I thought he might be cheating on me. Is he here a lot?"

"Dump him," the guy said without missing a beat. "He's here almost nightly and racks up quite a debt with people he shouldn't be in debt to."

"No cheating?"

"He's hands on, if you know what I mean. I've thrown him out a few times for getting grabby with the girls. I'm sorry," he said, looking genuinely apologetic.
 

She sighed and leaned back in her stool, actually looking a bit torn up. "Thank you. Do me a favor? Don't tell him I came by snooping."

"No problem," he smiled. "You need someone to take you out, show you how a real man should treat a woman?" I clenched my fists and tried to keep in control. If she hadn't worked so hard at fooling the guy, I would have blown up at him. Her small hand rested on my fist.

"I'm just not ready for that," she said softly. "I'm gonna go."

She grabbed her purse off her stool and tugged me off mine. We avoided Adam's table and left the casino. She walked quickly to the car, almost like she was afraid we would get caught. She tugged on the door handle, but it was still locked. I met her at her door and pushed her against the side of the truck.

"I didn't like that," I growled close to her face.
 

"I was undercover," she teased, amusement dancing in her eyes.
 

"I wanted to strangle him," I warned her.
 

"I know, and the fact still stands, you're hot when you mad."

I crashed my lips to hers and pressed into her. She moaned and I ate up the sound, letting it vibrate down my throat and throughout my body. I dominated her mouth with my tongue, taking command and overpowering her. When I felt her body starting to turn weak and tremble against my body, I pulled away. She opened her eyes and glared at me with dark eyes and breathing hard.
 

I leaned in and ran my tongue up her ear before whispering, "It's not nice to tease people."

I hit the remote and the car beeped as it unlocked. I reached behind her needy body and pulled the door lever, breaking her from her stupor. She huffed and stepped into me so I could pull her door open. He body was pressed to mine and her hand gently grazed the front of my jeans. My smirk disappeared, and I clenched my jaw.
 

"Lesson learned," she said in a low and sexy voice. She turned and climbed into the truck, giving me a full view of her ass.
 

I slammed the door shut, pissed that I was just played at my own game, and got behind the wheel. We drove in silence for a while as I was pouting and she was gloating. I was tense and confused. I had no right to claim her, not technically, but yet she let me. She almost encouraged it and never seemed stifled or insulted when I got possessive.
 

In a way, she was letting me off easy. She was letting me have her without fully giving in to her, without labeling us. I was glad because I didn't have a label for us and forcing me to put one on would be forcing us to confine to some set of rules. We would need to act and feel a certain way, but leaving us outside of the box left us with no rules to follow.

If we were just sleeping together, then she was free to do so with whoever she wanted, while also being expected to have sex with me without anything in return. I didn't need to say, "I love you", or be sweet and caring like I would if I were her boyfriend. I wasn't expected to give her all of my heart, and that's what the real deal breaker was. She wanted all of my heart and it wasn’t fair to give her any less. I wasn't sure I could do that yet, and I wasn't going to let her expect it from me again.
 

How are you so afraid to love someone and let them in, while at the same time so scared to lose them or let them go? I couldn't stay away, but I couldn't allow her to get close. It was like a protected fort. She needed to stay within the high walls, but she didn't have the clearance to come into the center hub.
 
She was a civilian, and maybe with enough time, she could gain the trust for the top secret meetings.

"What do we tell Scarlett?" Kallie asked, snapping me out of my metaphors that barely made sense.
 

"I don't know. I don't know if she will believe us."

"She has to."

"But she probably won't," I warned her.

"We have to make sure she will believe us, without a doubt, before we go and say anything."

"Okay," I agreed, doubting that would actually happen.

"I mean it Ryder," she said, at me like she meant business. "Don't go barreling in there like a brute and start telling her that her fiancé is a lying bastard."

"I wouldn't," I scoffed.
 

"You're not a patient man, and I love that about you, but you lack finesse sometimes."

She was right; I wasn't patient, or forgiving, or very sympathetic to those that didn't deserve it. I was rough around the edges, I was impulsive, and I rarely thought before I acted. I knew this, and she did too. Yet, she said she loved that about me, and I can’t stop asking myself why.

Kallie

Ryder took me back to my hotel after we visited the casino. I didn't trust myself around Scarlett not to act odd and thought it was best to avoid Caleb as well. I knew he was fully behind us in trying to find out if Adam was good enough, but I knew I got too worked up when I was upset and I would say something I shouldn't. Plus, I needed to shower and get more clothes.
 

Ryder seemed disappointed I wanted to go back to the hotel, but I insisted. I needed to regroup. He was quiet most of the drive, seemingly deep in thought. I wondered what he was thinking about and if it was anything like what was running through my mind. He had me entirely too worked up at the casino. And it scared me.
 

I wanted to be his and I wanted his hands on me. But I also wanted more. When I think I should pull back and wait for him to decide to give me his all, I panic. I want him to know that I'm here and not going anywhere. I need him to know that I will wait out his moodiness and understand his fears, but I want to do it with respect for myself at the same time.
 

I couldn't fool myself anymore and say I would stop fooling around with him until we made ourselves official. I wake up everyday with that rule in my mind, and then he kisses me. It wipes my brain clear and I forget why I was holding back in the first place. I would just have to hope that he would come back to me before it was too late.
 

I took a long soak in the tub and tried to dig up more dirt on Adam. After turning up nothing, I sent an email to the head of security for our company. Dan organized the security at both stores and performed all the background checks needed for employees. I trusted he would find something and keep the request between us.