“We weren’t in bed. We were discussing...strategy.”
“I bet that was interesting. Anyway, I’m glad the two of you have made up.”
He didn’t know what to say to that, so he kept quiet on the subject. “We’ll be there in about six hours,” he said, glancing at his watch.
“We’ll meet you at the airport. Stay safe.”
And the screen went dead.
“So,” he said, looking around at their faces. No one was giving anything away. “We have a date and hopefully soon a place. That’s some progress anyway.”
“And we also have a bomb,” Kaitlin added. “All we need to do now is work out what to blow up.”
God help them all.
Chapter 27
Kane hadn’t suggested that they return to the bedroom after the call had ended.
Part of her—well, certain parts of her anyway—were very disappointed and she’d nearly made the suggestion herself, once or twice. But in the end, she had clamped her lips on the words.
After all, there was no hurry. The world wasn’t suddenly going to end. They had almost two months. And it was nice to savor the thought.
She’d grabbed the bottle of white wine and appropriated one of the sofas. After kicking off her boots, she put her feetup and made herself comfortable. She wanted some time to contemplate the somewhat awesome fact that...
Kane loved her.
Of course, she’d known it for a long time. But it was a completely different experience to know he loved her when she hated him and despised him and wanted him dead, than it was now when she might actually reciprocate those feelings.
She’d never wanted to love anyone. She suspected that was part of the problem with her previous sexual encounters. She’d always selected her partners, men—and one woman—on the basis that she wouldnotfall in love with them. She hadn’t wanted to take any chances that her emotions could be involved. So, in retrospect, it was hardly surprising they had turned out to be a huge disappointment.
Now there was a good chance the world was coming to an end, and she didn’t want to be alone. She wanted what Jake and Christa had, what Sadie and Ethan, Rose and Dave had. Even Josie and detective Steve, who were huddled together on the sofa across from her, talking quietly about something serious if their expressions were anything to go by.
By a slow and painful route, she’d come to the conclusion that there was no point in refusing love just because she was scared the other person would die. Especially when she was certain that both of them were going to die anyway. She might as well cram as much as possible into the time left.
Suddenly, she was sure of her feelings. She wanted him, and she was pretty sure she loved him—sure enough that she knew she could let him inside her head.
She glanced over to where he stood, arms folded across his chest, deep in thought. He’d been doing a lot of pacing since the call ended. And she understood—it was a lot to take in. After all, there was a bomb.
She’d known he’d started to have doubts. That he was beginning to wonder if his mission was to save the world—or destroy it. The news of the bomb could hardly help him with that, though it didn’t really prove anything.
He was pacing again, like some sort of caged animal. He glanced up, caught her watching him, and a slow smile curved his lips. Heat blossomed in the pit of her stomach and tingles radiated outward, sinking lower. She hadn’t known she could respond like that to just a look.
Should she tell him she was ready to let him inside? Past her defenses.
But at that moment, Rose went up to him and the connection was broken.
No, she’d wait until they were alone. She didn’t want an audience. She had her image as a tough girl to uphold.
“Probably a wise decision,” Janelle said.
Kaitlin glanced up and scowled at the other woman.
Janelle just grinned. “No secrets here. I saw your bottle was empty and thought you might like another drink.”
She sighed. “I’d better not.”
Janelle studied her, head cocked to one side. “You’re good for him.”
