Kace (Allen Securities) (5 page)

“She didn’t, but I’d be more than happy to help with your sink,” he said.

Mrs. Masing’s eyes lit up. “I knew it! That girl never asks for help when she needs it. I’m afraid one of these days she’s going to crash from exhaustion. Always working herself to the bone to put her sister through school.”

Kace cursed himself. He hadn’t thought to collect data from her neighbors, but then, he thought he had enough data on her. Maybe if he had dug a little deeper, it would have filled in the gaps in what he knew about her character.

“It’s why she took that job at the bar,” she said. “Money was just too good. She says that boss of her is fine, but we all know what sort of business he’s really in. I don’t trust him.”

Kace grinned. “Me either.”

Mrs. Masing stared at him for a bit and then nodded. “Yup, you’ll do nicely.”

Before he could ask what he’d do nicely for, she was up and urging him toward the bathroom. He walked into the tiny room. She had opened the cabinet. He immediately spotted the problem, the pipe underneath needed to be tightened, so it would quit leaking.

Kace stooped down. He could see Jessica’s little toolbox and understood why she was getting help from Finn. Her tools just weren’t enough for a case like this. He attached the wrench and twisted up. The steady drip ceased. Mrs. Masing clapped.

“Great,” she said. “Now let’s move on to the next project.”

* * *

“Mrs. Masing,” Jessica called from the front door.

“In the kitchen, dear,” she called back.

Jessica took off her sneakers and padded through the living room. Since it was her day off, she opted for jeans and a tank. It might be a little cool for the tank, but for the work she had planned, she needed something light.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get the wrench,” she said. “I’ll pick it up tomorrow.”

Jessica stopped short at the door. Kace lay sprawled out under the sink. Her heart sped up as she watched his muscles bulge and twist under his t-shirt. A strip near the top of his pants had ridden up, showing a dusting of hair and his hard chiseled stomach. Her nipples peaked under the thin fabric of her shirt.

Kace pushed out from under the sink and froze. They stared at each other for a few moments.

“You left the wrench in my car,” he said.

“I realized that.” Jessica walked over to the table and sat down.

“I brought it over, but then got roped into doing some chores.” He grinned at her.

Jessica felt her breathing quicken. He was being playful, and she wasn’t quite sure how she should respond. This wasn’t a side of him that she’d dealt with, and it surprised her he would even have this side.

“Roped into chores? That’s what young men are supposed to do to win over a lady. They have to show how strong and handy they are. Isn’t that right, Jessica?” Mrs. Masing said as she set to work stuffing potato rolls with bits of meat.

Kace cocked an eyebrow in challenge to Jessica.

“Among other things,” Jessica mumbled and turned away.

The old woman cackled. “Yes, yes. Among other things.”

Jessica’s face burned as he continued to stare at her. She could feel his hot eyes on her. When she turned to look at him, his searing gaze made her insides quiver with need, and she crossed her legs to ease the ache.

“You need to hurry and finish up. My food shouldn’t be kept waiting,” Mrs. Masing snapped, and the tension between Kace and Jessica slipped. He moved to finish his work.

Jessica watched him silently as he worked the sink with ease. It was obvious he was a man used to working with his hands, and for some reason, that made her ache even more. When he finally pulled out from underneath the sink, grime covered his white shirt.

“Good thing I keep a spare in the car,” he mumbled.

He jumped up and strolled out the front door.

“All right, old woman, what are you up to?” Jessica turned to Mrs. Masing. The same smile had been planted on her face since Jessica’s arrival.

“What, me?” Mrs. Masing said innocently. If it weren’t for the laugh that followed, Jessica might have bought it. “I’m just making sure my girls are well taken care of.”

“Oh, and he’s the one to do it?” Jessica crossed her arms over her chest.

“Listen here, missy. I’m not so old that I don’t know a good man when I see one. He reminds me of Mr. Masing, and you won’t find much better than that.”

Jessica felt tears prickle in her eyes. She did understand that Mrs. Masing just wanted to see her happy. It was sweet that she’d even try.

The sound of the front door reached them both. They turned in that direction. Kace walked past them to the sink. The pipes groaned as he turned on the water in the sink.

Jessica stood and hugged Mrs. Masing. “Thank you, and I’ll keep what you said in mind.”

She smiled back at her. “Now go tell our worker that lunch is nearly done.”

Jessica nodded and went to go let Kace know. The water had shut off, so she moved through the bedroom to where the bathroom was.

“It’s time for lunch,” she said as she rounded the corner.

Her mouth went dry as she stared at the near perfect chest that was on display. Little droplets of water trickled down the flat planes of his chest to his stomach where a row of hair caught them like a web.

Kace stared at her, the same heat from earlier radiating off of him as he stepped closer. He was still bare chested, his dirty t-shirt now on the floor.

“How does your head feel?” he asked quietly.

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. “Fine,” she said breathlessly.

His hand reached out to feel the back of her head for a lump. “You’ve still got quite the knot there.” His hand skimmed down to the back of her neck. She felt his fingers search through her hair for the skin there and shivered when he found it.

She stared up at him, a little shocked by his touch. He was standing so close she could feel the heat radiating off of him. Her palms itched to explore the exposed skin in front of her. His hand skimmed the side of her neck as he pulled away. Hot need spread through her, and Jessica bit her lip to keep from groaning.

She stepped back quickly, overcome with the intensity of his nearness.

“Mrs. Masing sent me,” she said. Jessica struggled to find the words she wanted. “Lunch.” She cursed how stupid she sounded.

“I’ll just be a minute,” Kace said quietly. She watched for a moment as his chest rose and fell. At least she wasn’t alone in being affected.

Jessica turned and quickly fled the room.

* * *

Lunch was fairly quiet. Neither of them seemed to have much to say after the incident in the bathroom. Jessica knew she really didn’t have much to add.

Not that their silence seemed to bother Mrs. Masing much. She chatted about the people in the neighborhood and told stories about the girls when they were growing up. Kace seemed attentive as always but avoided Jessica’s eyes whenever he could. On occasion she would catch him glancing her way, but when she looked up, he was back to looking the other direction.

She gave a sigh of relief when they had finished lunch and were headed out the door. Mrs. Masing might enjoy their company, but Jessica knew if the woman didn’t get to watch her soaps, there was going to be hell to pay.

“Thank you so much, Officer Allen, for fixing all the drains,” Mrs. Masing said. She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. When she pulled back, the old woman winked at Jessica, who snorted in response.

“And you,” Mrs. Masing said to her. “You come and see me more. No more late nights with the boss.”

Jessica felt Kace tense next to her. She could have sworn the old lady did it on purpose.

“I’ll come see you more,” she said and pecked her on the cheek.

Mrs. Masing nodded, and Kace and Jessica climbed down the steps. By the time they reached the bottom, the door was closed.

She turned back to Kace.

“Late nights with the boss?” he said. His tone light, but his stance was anything but.

“Oh that’s just what she calls it,” Jessica said and waved a hand toward the house. “She’s not a fan of Finn or his family’s reputation.”

“Can’t say I am either,” he mumbled.

Jessica crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s my boss. This job pays the bills, and that’s what I need right now. If you hadn’t noticed, not a lot of work available for an undereducated person from the wrong family.”

She took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said. Jessica watched as he ran a hand through his hair. “I get it.”

Jessica sighed and nodded.

“So,” he said. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sounds good,” she said and smiled. “Thanks for helping Mrs. Masing. It really made her day to have a big strong man do work for her.”

Kace grinned. “Big strong man?”

Jessica laughed and climbed up her stairs.

“According to old ladies,” she said.

She turned and watched him shake his head.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Kace,” she said quietly.

She slipped in and shut the door. Her heart didn’t return to normal until he had been gone for a good ten minutes.

Chapter Five

Jessica groaned as she opened her eyes. It felt much later than she wanted it to be, but it was nice getting some real sleep. Yesterday had been strange to say the least. She thought she had the tough cop all figured out, and then he had to go and be all gentle. It was weird, and she wasn’t sure what he was really getting at.

It had occurred to her that it might just be him testing if she really was a criminal. If that was the case, she really didn’t want to give him the time of day, but it had all seemed spontaneous. If Kace was anything, he was a man who planned well.

She sat up and tossed the covers off. After a bit in the bathroom, she slipped on her silk robe and padded around her room. She stopped when she heard the front door open and close.

Hoping that Victoria had gone for lunch, Jessica hurried downstairs. She stopped at the bottom and stared at Kace. Once again, he was in jeans and a t-shirt that were especially nice and clean. She swallowed as she remembered how he had looked without the shirt. Her nipples peaked at the thought.

His eyes dropped to her chest, and she knew he had seen her excitement. She crossed her arms and looked to her sister who was standing behind Kace.

“So Officer Allen is here.” She smirked. “I didn’t know he was picking you up.”

Victoria mouthed O-M-G behind his back. Jessica had to agree. He was well worthy of an O-M-G.

“I didn’t know that was the plan,” she said and cleared her throat.

Kace ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t really know what time you went in and thought it would be good if I started taking you.” He smiled.

Jessica leaned around the corner to look at the time on the stove. She nearly choked. It was nearly three.

“Shit,” she mumbled.

She turned to catch Kace staring at the back of her legs. The silk robe had ridden up and was nearly exposing her. He coughed when he looked up to her eyes.

“Just give me some time to hop in the shower and get ready. I can’t believe I slept this late.” Jessica started to climb the stairs.

“With the hit you took, I’m surprised you aren’t in the hospital,” Kace said.

Jessica winced.

“Was it really that bad?” Victoria’s voice trembled as she spoke.

Jessica turned around to glare at Kace. “I’m fine. They made a big deal for nothing.”

She thought about walking over and socking Kace in the stomach just to show how fine she was.

“Really. I’m okay.” Jessica stared at her sister until she looked up. She knew she could convince her. “I was with you all weekend. Did I seem any different?”

Victoria shook her head.

“Well okay. I’m fine,” she said. Her eyes shifted to Kace, who nodded his understanding.

“So, Victoria, what are you studying?” Kace turned and steered them into the living room.

She perked up at the chance to talk about classes. “Well I’m only a sophomore now, but I’m going to be a grade school teacher.”

Jessica smiled as she walked up the stairs. That was why she worked so hard. So her sister could see her dreams completed. Jessica had never really been all that good in school, and she was glad that one of them was getting to go. It wasn’t that she didn’t have her own dreams, but her top one was to see Victoria happy. If she did that, she was accomplishing her dream.

Besides, her goals were modest. Move into a house, have some kids and maybe open a business. She still wasn’t sure what she would do, but she was good with numbers, missing money aside, and could talk people into just about anything.

Jessica reached the top of the stairs and walked into her room. She let the robe fall to the bed and flipped through her clothes. She stopped on a deep purple backless dress that showed way too much skin. It wasn’t one she would normally wear to work, but her fingers lingered on the piece. She looked amazing in it. He would think so too. She was sure of it.

She shook those thoughts out and forced her hand past the dress. Something sensible would be better. Maybe she should wear pants. She groaned. It shouldn’t be so hard. Her hand jerked back to the purple dress and pulled it from the closet. Better to just choose and be done with, she told herself.

After grabbing a pair of black pumps, she made her way to the bathroom at the end of the hall. No hot water for her today, just a quick room-temp shower. Washing and shaving as fast as she could, Jessica moved like it was her last shower. It was silly, but better room temp than freezing cold.

Jessica jumped out of the shower and slipped on the dress. She applied a little make up and then put on her shoes. Jessica stared in the mirror and winked. It was a good look on her for sure. Maybe a little more than she would normally wear but worth the effort.

She silently chided herself for even wanting to impress Kace, but after yesterday, she decided he really deserved to be stirred up a little. All evening she had been restless, and it was all his fault.

She crept down the steps. When she came into view, she had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing. Kace had stopped midsentence to look her over.