Code Name: Kayla's Fire (32 page)

She slid into the seat with his help. Then he drove the car like hell
was behind them.

“When are you going to stop acting like such an asshat?”

“When he stops putting the moves on my…on…” Thane slammed on the
brakes sending the car, and them, to an abrupt stop. “For the love of God,
woman, put me out of my misery.”

She gaped at him, because she didn’t have a clue.

“Kayla Katarina Banks, will you marry me?”

Had she heard right? “You’re asking me to marry you, angry past
reason, stopped in the middle of the highway after slamming my husband ass over
tea kettle?”

“Ex-husband. Yes.”

“No.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Why not?” he looked dumbfounded.

“That’s not a proposal.”

“It was, ah, frig-it.” He banged his head against the car seat.
“Kayla, I take it back.”

“You can’t.”

“I just did.”

“Sorry.”

“You love irritating the hell out of me, don’t you?”

She paused for effect. “Yup.”

He leaned over and wrapped a hand around her shoulder, drawing her to
him. A wicked glint shone in his eyes. “I got you figured out,
Angel
.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“What the hell is that?” she said, stopping on the sidewalk. A few
locals wandered the streets of a quaint town twenty miles from the ranch. One
old man stopped to stare at them as she tried to dig her heels into the cement.

“Come on, sweetheart.”

“No friggin’ way am I going in there.” With legs straightened, Thane
almost melted the rubber on her heels, still able to push her toward the
storefront.

The old man gave her a tobacco-stained grin and tapped his cane. With
a wet, throaty laugh the old boy said, “Seen plenty of girls draggin’ their
boyfriends in there, but never the other way around.” The old man’s bushy brows
rose. “Especially in that condition.”

“He put me in this condition,” she said as Thane pushed his chest into
her back, nudging her forward.

“Son, do the right thing.”

“I’m trying to, old timer, but she’s as stubborn as a country mule.”

The old boy barked out a laugh. “My Karen was the same way. We were
happily married for fifty-six years.”

“Thane,” she growled at him when he wrapped his hands under her legs
and picked her up.

“Door, please,” Thane gestured with a head movement.

“Sure thing, lad,” he said chuckling. The old guy hobbled to the door,
and pulled it open, the small bell tinkling to announce their arrival.

She kicked her leg out, wedging her foot in the doorframe. “I’ll get
hives going in there,” she complained as Thane tipped her, and stepped through
the doorway.

Two women standing behind a glass display case looked up, cranked
their heads to look at one another, and then back at them.

“We’re here to buy a ring. Two, actually. She gets one now and the
other later,” Thane said in a deep, commanding voice.

They must have looked quite the sight from the expression on the
ladies’ faces.

“We’re not crazy, just him,” she said quickly.

The older woman grew a grin. “Why don’t you put her down, dear, and
tell me what it is you had in mind.”

“Diamonds,” Thane said, putting her on her feet, but snagging her
around the waist when she tried a quick turn. “Lots of them.”

“Then maybe you’d like to look over in this case,” the older woman
suggested giving the edge of her navy blue dress a swipe, and strolled behind
all the twinkling gems displayed on glass shelves and dripping around blue
velvet necks.

“Thane, I don’t need a ring.” She couldn’t be more trussed up if he’d
had her in handcuffs and coiled in a nylon rope as he nudged her in the
direction of the woman who stood wearing a demure grin.

The young girl flashed a sultry smile at Thane, and joined them. “Your
fiancé is very handsome.”

“He’s not my—” Thane pinched her ass, and it almost brought tears to
her eyes.

“When is the baby due?” the older woman asked, bending over, grasping
velvet-lined cases with elegant fingers and manicured nails, placing them on
the glass.

“End of September,” Thane said, taking a cursory glance at the rings.
“I want one of those on her finger before hell, high water or the end of the
world happens.”

“Something wrong?” she asked, seeing the older woman’s eyes almost
double in size looking over her shoulder. She and Thane spun at the same time.

“You have got to be fucking kidding,” Thane drawled.

The two men stood shoulder to shoulder at the entrance. Two weapons
leveled at them.

“Hands behind your backs, and sit on the floor over there,” one of the
crooks said through his mask.

The young girl gasped, and ran to Thane’s side, grasping his arm. The
older woman moved slower, but came to stand beside them. Hormones are a strange
thing. Pregnant women are stranger, and that must have been why she was the
only one who began to chuckle. All heads turned toward her. Thane looked like
someone had shot him in the ass, which made her laugh harder, and then she was
holding her stomach with tears coming out of her eyes, she was laughing so hard.

“What the hell’s the matter with her?” one of the gunmen asked.

“Who cares?” the other said gruffly. “Get on the floor.”

“On the floor, yeah,” and then she was braying like a friggin’ donkey
trying to catch her breath.

Both gunmen had their attention on her. The moment was all Thane
needed to take them both down. A loud crack, and a howl of pain made her wince
as Thane broke one guy’s leg, letting him fall to the ground. The other took a
full face worth of her enormous warrior’s fist. Only seconds passed, and both
men were down, guns in Thane’s possession. The sound of sirens coming down the
road told her one of the women must have set off an alarm. The police
approached with their weapons extended. Thane opened the door for them. The
cops eyed the scene with confusion.

“Honey, you okay?” a tall cop with gray around his ears said to the
young girl.

“Yeah, Daddy. You should have seen what this man did. I don’t think
these guys knew what hit ’em.” Both men groaned from their injuries on the
floor.

“Who are you?” the cop asked.

“Just a guy trying to buy his woman a bloody ring.”

Kayla chuckled, but it ended with a snort. “Sorry.”

“Uh-huh.” Thane gave her a mulish look. “Get your sweet ass back to
those rings. We’re not leaving here without one.”

“Captain, that sounds like an order.”

“Damn right it’s an order, now get over there while I give a
statement.”

She saluted him, and he chuckled. As she started back toward the
showcase, Thane said, “Are we ever going to have normal, Snow White?”

She shrugged, and gave him a wink. “I don’t know, Ghost, you’re the
SEAL, is normal in your repertoire?

“A SEAL!” the young girl’s features slipped into a dreamy state.
“You’re a hero.”

Thane looked away uncomfortably.

“Want him?” Kayla whispered as she passed the girl.

Her eyes grew round. “You don’t? He’s…hot,” she whispered back.“Sure,
try telling something that brawny and hard-assed to take out the garbage,” she
said, leaning over the showcase of rings. The older woman, although a little
shaken up, had gotten it pretty much back together.

“How can you be so calm, dear?”

She started to chuckle all over again. “From that?” she wiggled a
finger over her shoulder. “Just a speed bump in our lives, believe me.”

“Well, I think you two are beautiful together.”

She turned a look over her shoulder, and gazed at her warrior. The man
dwarfed the other men, and his aura pulsed, causing a throb in her heart. His
head swiveled toward her, and he gave her a wink. “Be right back, sweetheart.”
He leaned over, and grabbed one of the men from the floor. The guy yelped with
pain. “Shut it,” he growled and thrust him out the door. The two cops lifted
the guy with the broken leg, and followed.

“He’s incredible,” the young girl said, coming to stand beside her.
“Where can I find one?”

“Actually, he’s a great big pain in my ass.”

Both women broke into a grin. “That’s love, my dear,” the older one
said. “Now, anything you like in particular?”

“That one,” Thane said leaning over the glass ten minutes later. He
pointed at a white gold band glittering with diamonds of different sizes and
seated in a set of green stones.

“Are those emeralds?” she asked.

The older woman gave Thane an approving look. “I was thinking the same
one. It’s exquisite. I think it will be beautiful on your finger. Try it.”

“Umm, there isn’t even a price tag. I mean…” Thane pulled the ring
from its velvet cushion, and gently pushed it on her finger.

It was stunning.

“That’s the one,” he said in her ear.

“What am I saying? Never mind.” Now she was getting all sentimental
and wrapped up in this. “It must cost a fortune, forget it. Those gold bands
you showed us before.” Thane’s credit card exchanged hands. “Wait. No.” She
tried to stop him, but he curled her in his arms.

“Kayla, up here.”

She turned her eyes up to his, and the warmth in them set her heart
pattering in her chest.

“No matter what life throws in our way, we are going step over it or
bulldoze through it. That’s who we are.” A warm kiss fell on her lips, followed
by one of his five-point smiles.

“Uh-huh, here’s the deal.”

His head jerked back. “Deal, what deal?”

“I’m not wearing one, unless you’re wearing one.”

His brow curled. “Guys don’t wear engagement rings.”

“Fine,” she said and began to take hers off.

A quick growl and a quick hand, stopped her.

“That one,” she said pointing to the next glass display where the
men’s ring bands sat in white cases. It was simple, but obvious, especially on
his hands. The white gold was carved with a design reminding her of waves
cascading around the surface.

“No one’s going to miss this, are they?” he said, his cheeks
puckering.

With the ring clutched in her fingers, and poised at the tip of his,
she stopped. What were they doing? He tried to push his finger into the ring, but
she pulled it back.

“Sweetheart?” Thane motioned toward the sales clerks. “Could you give
us a second?” he asked.

Her hand began to shake. Afraid to look at him, she stepped back and
bumped into the display case. “You’re right. Men don’t wear…” She couldn’t even
finish the sentence. Her insides began to shake uncontrollably as if she was
going to have an anxiety attack.

“It’s okay, Kayla, sweetheart, just breathe.” He clutched her arms.

What the hell was happening to her? “I can’t.” She pulled the ring off
her finger, and it clattered to the glass. She was still married to Daniel. The
Shark was still out there somewhere, and she was allowing herself to play make-believe.

“Come here.” He guided her to a set of chairs, and gently urged her to
sit, crouching before her with one knee on the floor. “Maybe, I’m doing this
all wrong. I don’t know because I’ve never done it before.”

 
“I have and it’s…not easy.” She
slammed her eyes shut.

“Kayla you’re shaking all over. I think we should go to the doc’s.”

“No.” She attempted to get up, but Thane held her still.

“Are you worried because of Daniel? Or are you scared of us?”

She swallowed heavily and nodded.

“Both?”

She kept her gaze glued to their hands, twined together. “These are
rings, they mean…something.”

Thane’s fingers drew a soft line under her chin and raised her head.
“I know that. Is it old-fashioned to want to be married to the mother of our
son?”

“We’ve never discussed the ‘M word.’”

Thane leaned forward and kissed her nose. “Marriage,” he stated
strongly. “No, that’s true, and I guess I’ve handled it badly, like I do
everything else when it comes to you. I don’t know why you put up with my
crappy attempts at wooing you into forever, but I’m glad you do.” He stepped
away and returned with the ring. “Okay,” he cleared his throat, squared his
shoulders, and bit down on a grin. “My son wants me to do the honorable thing.”

Her shaking stopped just like that. “What?” She swept her hand across
her belly and Thane’s came to rest over hers.

“Last night when you were sleeping we had a talk.”

She shook her head, but a grin stretched her lips.

“Don’t laugh. A father and son do that. Anyway, I was explaining to
him that I expected him to grow into a strong, willful, brave, egotistical,
man-whore like his father. I will expect nothing less, because one day he’ll
find a woman as beautiful and brave as his mother, and more than anything I
want him to know what that kind of love feels like. It’s better than any
victory I’ve ever achieved.”

She chuckled and Thane’s gaze warmed.

“Kayla, when the time is right, I’m going to be there with my hat, my
heart and my life in hand and ask you to marry me, but until that time please…”
he slipped the sparkling ring back on her finger. “Wear this to remind yourself
I will never let anyone hurt you or come between us. Ex-husbands, serial
killers, or your past. My heart has claimed you.” Thane actually blushed.

“What?”

“I think I’m getting better at this.”

She let out a hearty laugh, and pressed her forehead against his.

“I love you, Snow White.”

She nodded.

“Say it,” he ground out, not letting her shy away.

“You’re pushy, you know that?” and kissed him. He returned a deep
penetrating kiss, and then leaned back.

“Say it,” he growled.

The jittery feeling started up again, but she breathed deeply. He kept
an even, hopeful stare on her. Licking her lips, she began to close her eyes.