The Unseen Enemy Series

Chapter 213

From the kitchen, Jim quietly watched Kat. Even two hours after leaving Dallas’ offices, she still looked shocked, disbelieving. Jim supposed it was quite an emotional and mental adjustment for her to have to make: from flat-out running in fear for her life, to being able to sit in one place and take a breath.

She can stop now… I wonder if she even knows how to do that anymore?

“OK,” he said. “So I’ll just pack up my stuff, and I’ll be out of your hair in about ten minutes.”

Startled, Kat stared at him, her green eyes very dark. “You’re – you’re leaving?”

“Now that Ferguson’s in jail? Of course I am.” He managed a grin. “Isn’t that what you’ve been waiting on for the past month? Now you can order your pizza exactly as you like it, and never run out of hot water, and you get your sofa back.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s all true.”

“Right. So – I’ll be off.” He folded the dishtowel neatly, and headed into the bathroom to collect his razor and toothbrush. Kat watched him go, frozen and stunned.

Well, what the hell did you expect? God, he’s been on that crappy sofa for a month and never uttered one word of complaint… but come on. He must be dying to get back to his own space.

Jim packed up his last few belongings with a heavy heart. He’d delayed walking out the door for as long as possible – God, I must have washed that same damn dish for fifteen minutes – but the time was now here. No more putting it off: Kat would want to call her folks and give them the news, she’d probably want the girls to come over and celebrate with a bottle of wine or two. He had no place here, not anymore.

You did what you were meant to do… you kept her safe and sane, and now you’re out of the picture, man. Just go.

He sighed, walked down the hall to the living room. Kat was standing now, and he looked at her.

“So you’ll be OK?” Jim asked.

“Oh, sure.” She gave him a quick smile. “Thank you, Jim. For everything.”

“It was no problem.” He picked up his backpack and hauled it over his broad shoulder. “You need anything, you let me know, OK?”

Kat nodded. He went to the door, turned the handle.

“Wait.” She didn’t recognize the voice that came out of her: it was small and tentative. Almost afraid.

Jim turned, surprised. “What?”

“Wait.”

He shut the door again. “Why?”

“Please don’t go.”

Jim froze. He was immediately thrown back to that day with the guys, when he’d stood right where Kat was now. He’d been the one begging her not to go then, and it had been her seconds away from walking out the door forever. Jim remembered exactly what he’d been thinking and feeling at that moment – he knew that if she left, his heart would be broken.

So what’s she thinking right now?

“Why not?” he asked, echoing the words she’d spoken that day.

“Because,” she said, then faltered before finding her courage again. “Because if you do, we’ll just go back to our lives, and I’ll never again have the chance to tell you how I feel about you.”

He set down his bag, watching her carefully. “How do you feel about me?”

“I – I…” She fell silent. “I don’t want you to go.”

“Come over here, Kat.”

Her feet felt like concrete blocks, but she walked over to him. He stood there, so big and gorgeous, all bulging muscles and hard edges, and her stomach clenched up tight at the heat in his eyes.

“Now,” he said softly. “How do you really feel about me?”

Kat looked up at his face, saw the tension in it, and she wished hard for the right words. But she’d never been good at saying what she felt, or thought, or meant. Whenever she had to talk, she just f****d everything up.

I don’t want to f**k this up.

Without giving herself a chance to think about what she was doing, she reached up, pulled his face down to hers, pressed her lips to his. He inhaled sharply, then he pulled her tight and close, kissing her hard. Right away, she melted, her whole body going limp and almost boneless at his touch.

Jim kissed her again and again, forcing himself to stay in control. She was so small against him, so soft, and he was terrified of breaking her or scaring her. But holy f**k, did it feel good to kiss her, to taste her.

I want her. I want all of her.

“Jim,” she moaned. “Please don’t go…”

“No way, baby.” He held her face in both of his hands, his thumbs tracing the curve of her perfect lips. “I’m not going anywhere.”