Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy. HelenKay Dimon

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      Kane snorted. “I won’t hurt her.”

      “I was talking about her fighting skills, not yours. I’d put money on her to take you out,” Josh said in a dead-pan voice.

      Annie did some snorting of her own. “Damn right.”

      Before Annie and Josh could join forces. Kane escorted the men to the front door. When Josh threw Derek the keys to his precious vintage Mustang and told him he could drive this time, Kane knew he was in for a man-to-man chat.

      “The kid’s worried about you. He thinks you’re turning into a freak out here by yourself. When he called me, I put him on one of the hourly flights in from Honolulu and ran him over here.”

      “You should have told him I’m fine and to get back to studying,” Kane said.

      “I’m not convinced you’re fine.” Josh tore a leaf off the tree next to the front porch and crumpled it in his fist. “What’s up with you and Red?”

      Kane appreciated the concern, but his friend had it all wrong. “Nothing.”

      “I’ve got eyes, warrior boy.”

      Kane ignored the nickname. He’d heard it for all seven of the years he’d known Josh. And regretted providing the Hawaiian meaning for his name for every single one of those years. “She’s a guest. Nothing more.”

      Josh frowned. “Tell me another one.”

      “Found her on the beach. Was I supposed to leave her there?”

      “You could have turned her over to your officers or taken her to the hospital. You kept her.”

      Kane felt that familiar knot in his chest. “I’m still the police chief around here no matter what Derek or anyone else might think. I have responsibilities.”

      “Do those responsibilities include showering with strange women and chaining them to the bed?”

      “She’s hiding something. I want to know what.”

      Josh rubbed his beard. “Look, you’ve had a hard run. You’re under a lot of pressure.”

      “That’s nothing new.”

      Kane thrived on pressure. He made a career out of chasing the drug trade. That type of work demanded long hours and a piece of his soul. Since he lost everything else, work became his focus. Work and Derek. With Derek grown and making his own way, work filled the void. The same work Internal Affairs threatened to take away.

      “You deciding to add a woman to the mix is new. Ever since Leilani died—”

      Kane refused to have this conversation. “This is different. She isn’t Leilani. She isn’t my wife. She’s a woman in trouble, and I’m trying to help. It’s my job.”

      “This one’s dangerous.”

      Kane thought so, too, but wanted to hear Josh’s theory. “How?”

      “I don’t trust Red.”

      “She’s under control. I can handle her.”

      Josh nodded. “Right. None of my business. I get it. Just be careful.”

      Kane watched his friend climb into the passenger side of the car and drive off. When he returned to the kitchen, Annie sat in the exact same position. She hadn’t moved an inch except to retrieve her mug and fill it again.

      He sat down across from her. “Well, Annie, looks like it’s just you and me.”

      “This day just gets better and better.”

      “Not yet, but there’s plenty of time left.”

      Chapter 6

      Annie finally found something scarier than being alone in the dark ocean. Being alone with Kane. The man had walked back into the kitchen a few minutes after the crowd left, and everything stopped, including her breathing.

      His tall, looming presence should have scared the hell out of her. Instead, he made her stomach tumble. He was the only man who had made her look twice in over a year. There was something about him that pulled at her and made her want to know more.

      She hoped it was one of those freaky things where a victim mistook gratitude for her rescuer for interest. A good night’s sleep, some food and an hour or two of planning her next move, and she’d be fine. Everything would go back to normal. She’d get back on Sterling Howard’s trail. Kane would get back to whatever it was he did all day on this secret vacation of his.

      The time between now and getting back to normal made her nervous. Sure, she’d eventually forget all about Kane, but right now he was on her mind. That made Kane Travers, alleged Police Chief of Kauai, the number one threat to her plans.

      Unfortunately, he was also her best chance for protection and information. Without him and his resources, she’d never track down the missing yacht. If the police and DEA couldn’t find it, neither could she.

      That wasn’t an option. No, she needed to stop Howard before he hurt another woman.

      “It’s time for a chat.” Kane grabbed another mug and the coffee pot and sat down in the chair across from her.

      “Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?”

      “You’ve been evading and posturing.” He set a bowl of sugar packets in front of her.

      “I didn’t—”

      “Flirting and ignoring. Not talking about anything that matters or that I want to hear.”

      “Flirting?” That one stunned her enough to make her ignore the nastiness behind his other comments.

      “I’m serious, Annie. I want answers.” He poured a fresh cup of coffee and topped hers off. “It’s just us. No more audience to play to. No more time for games.”

      She ripped open a pink packet and dumped the contents into her drink. Maybe some sugar would help jump-start her brain cells. For some reason, they seemed to be frozen from all that ocean water.

      “You sound like a cop,” she said.

      “I am a cop.”

      She sat back and folded her arms across her stomach. “Not according to Derek.”

      “Tell you what.” He drained the cup and poured another. Black and strong. “I’ll answer one of your questions if you answer one of mine.”

      “Okay.”

      He smiled. “That was too easy.”

      “You’re not the best winner I’ve ever met.” Of course, he really hadn’t won since she didn’t plan to answer anything.

      “Truthfully this time, Annie. No more lies.”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ