Unfortunately, it didn’t do the same for Keegan.
By the time morning light had just started to stream between the blinds only a few hours later, he was already up and dressed. I woke to his lips brushing my forehead.
“Gonna head to the airfield. Need to work on the test bird. Scheduled maintenance. Can’t skip it.”
He hadn’t mentioned needing to go in today until now, which was odd since he’d been keeping me in the loop on his schedule.
I frowned, propping up on one elbow. “You’re angry about the break-in, so you’re going to poke around, aren’t you?”
He just shrugged. “Got shit to do.”
I started to swing my legs out of bed. “I’m coming with you. I can help?—”
“No.” He caught my wrist gently but firmly. “You’re out of this now, Linden. No more risks.”
I wanted to argue. To insist I could watch his back. But the truth was that I had no training. And no way to protect him if things went sideways. I’d only be a distraction.
He’d spend the whole time worried about me instead of focused. That made me a liability.
I sank back against the pillows with a sigh. “Fine.”
He leaned down and kissed me, tasting faintly of mint toothpaste. “Stay inside.”
I nodded, and he left.
It was good that I slept so deeply earlier because I lay there staring at the ceiling until I finally got too restless to stay in bed. I pulled on leggings, a T-shirt, and the spare leather vest Keegan insisted I wear. Then I padded down to the kitchen.
Someone had already brewed coffee, thank goodness. I poured a mug, wrapped my hands around the warmth, and wandered to the lounge.
Hours dragged as people came and went, but no sign of Keegan. I tried to read on my phone, scrolled mindlessly, and helped one of the prospects fold bar towels. Anything to keep my brain from spinning worst-case scenarios.
The front doors finally banged open around three in the afternoon. Keegan stormed in.
His shoulders were strained, a muscle in his jaw was ticking, and his green eyes burned with a fury so cold it stole my breath. Then his gaze found me.
The rage fractured, and his expression softened. He crossed the room in three long strides, cupped my face in both hands, and kissed me like he was desperate for my taste.
I melted into him, my fingers clutching his cut, relieved he was finally back. When he ended the kiss, he rested his forehead against mine, his breathing ragged.
Something was wrong, but before I could ask what happened, his thumbs swept across my cheekbones, and he pressed one last kiss to my lips. “Stay here, little dove. I need to talk to my prez.”
I stared at him as he stalked away, my heart pounding against my ribs. Then I stood and took one step in the same direction. But a soft hand touched my elbow.
I turned and met Stella’s gaze. Her smile was sympathetic. “Come on. Let the guys handle what needs to be done. I knowhow hard it is to step back, so you can trust me when I say that distractions help.”
“Yeah.” I sighed, my shoulders slumping. “I could definitely use one if you have something in mind.”
She guided me through the lounge, her arm looped through mine. “I have a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls in the oven. Cadell is down for a nap, and I have some juicy gossip about Ace.”
I managed a weak laugh, letting her pull me into the kitchen. But even as I sat at the long table, a warm mug in my hands and the scent of sugar and spice filling the air, my mind stayed with Keegan. With whatever he’d found at the airfield that turned his fury nuclear.
Considering all the awful stuff we had already discovered, it had to be horrible. But I trusted him to handle whatever he’d found, with his club at his back. And I’d be there to support him however he needed. Because what he was doing was important to me…and I was falling in love with him.
15
TOMCAT
The door to King’s office slammed open with more force than I’d intended, the sound echoing like a gunshot off the walls. I stalked inside, blood roaring through my veins, my pulse a brutal drumbeat beneath my skin. The tight leash I always maintained on my temper had finally snapped, leaving me so far from calm and controlled that it was shocking to even me.
