Stripped Defenseless (19 page)

“You
okay?” he asked as she closed the door behind her.

She
finally gave him her full attention. And fell in love at first sight. His lips
were positively lickable. His muscular arms could throw her onto a bed any day.
His well-defined chest was wrapped tightly under his dark gray T-shirt. Yummy
stomach. Nice bulge in the jeans. Oh yeah. That was impressive.

“Are
you staring at my dick?”

Poppy
shrugged but didn’t look away.

He
chuckled. “What’s your name?” He placed two long fingers under her chin, edging
her face up.

“Poppy.”
She met his gaze. The overhead light dimmed, setting shadows under his dark
brooding eyes and cheekbones. Damn.

“You’re
soaking wet, Poppy.”

Hell,
yeah, I am.
“I
know. Do you have something I could change into?” She slipped Jarred’s stinky
jacket off and let it fall behind her.

“I
might.” He took in her exposed breasts with one all-too-quick sweeping glance
while tugging his rugged-looking brown leather jacket off the back of his seat.

Was
he gay? Hello? What kind of man didn’t look when a woman’s bare breasts were
less than two feet in front of him? “I could trade you for something,” she said
without breaking her stare. Poppy brushed her hands over her receptive nipples
and up through her hair.

His
face was blank, but his fists were clenched tightly to the leather in his
hands. No man who emitted that much testosterone was a homosexual. “I don’t
like to barter. If I want something I take it.” He handed her the jacket.

“Ah,”
she said, impressed with his answer but somewhat saddened he didn’t want
her
.
“What’s your name, anyway?” She slipped on the coat but left it unzipped.

 He
straightened and his massive body loomed over hers while his sober gaze slowly
drifted down. “Some people call me Jax.”

Chapter Ten

Ava
searched through Kade’s refrigerator and pantry, which were both overloaded
with food. How much could one guy eat? “Expecting company?” She swiveled around
to see he was right behind her. Startled, she jerked back.

“The
nearest store is fifty miles away so I stock up every so often.” His Adam’s
apple bobbed up and down, telling her he was nervous about something. Geez, how
was it she knew so much about him from the little time they’d spent together?

“Oh.”
She moved toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck, attempting to
comfort him. And hopefully, convince him they were on the same level, the same
team. She tilted her head up, stood on her tiptoes, and met his lips.

His
kiss was powerful, passionate, and always exactly how she wanted it. Damn him
for being the perfect man in the most imperfect situation.

She
pulled away to see his eyes slowly open, letting their alluring hue draw her
in. Their children would have been beautiful if they’d looked anything like
him.

“I’ll
get out of your way.” He gulped visibly.

 Ava
nodded, speechless. Now wasn’t the time to be daydreaming about what might have
been. Now was the time to take action.

He
doesn’t care about you. He’s working for Zack.

She
repeated the words in her mind over and over as she plucked the pills out of
her pocket.

* * * * *

Kade
grabbed a beer from the fridge and went to sit at his desk. This was too easy.
She was being overly accommodating. But why? What did she have up her sleeve?

He
swerved his chair to watch her as she moved around in his kitchen. Like she’d
done it a million times before. She fit perfectly in his home…with him.

If
he could just convince her to stay.

He
shook the thought from his head and turned toward his computer screen.

One
mountaintop at a time, Gavin.

Just
save her life first.

Pots
clanked from her direction, and Kade quickly did a mental inventory of his
pantry, freezer, and cabinets. Nothing lethal or mind-altering came to mind. He
was sure of it since he kept his drugs and chemicals locked up in the shed out
back or in his safe, hidden in the opposite wall of the fireplace.

Besides,
Ava couldn’t harm him that way. She didn’t have that fucked up mental capacity
to kill, and she wouldn’t drug him without knowing where her shoes were. He
could relax.

Raven
purred at his feet and wrapped her body around his ankle. Kade reached down and
picked her up. “Do you like cats?” he called out to Ava.

“Uh,
yeah, sure,” she answered with a hint of hesitancy.

“It’s
okay if you don’t. You can tell me the truth.” Kade swiveled in his chair again
to see her busy whipping something together in a pot. A spicy aroma filled the
air.

“Actually,
I love all animals. I was studying to be a veterinarian before all this
happened.”

“Really?”
Kade wasn’t all too surprised. Ava as a stripper just didn’t match up.

“Yeah.”
She glanced over and graced him with a quick smile. Her face brightened for
only an instant, letting him into a world that didn’t include Moreno or Jax or
anyone else but the two of them.

He
could get used to that.

“I
could’ve used your services about a month ago. Raven had this disgusting
hacking cough. Kept me up all night.”

Her
soft giggle filled the room and warmed his heart. “Well, I’m glad she’s
better.”

“Yeah,
me, too.” He set the cat back on the floor and ran his hand through his hair.
It felt good to have a normal conversation. Well, as normal as it could be.

“I
have to admit you don’t seem like much of a cat person.” The electric
can-opener whirred and grinded.

He
waited until it stopped. “Just this cat. Trust me. For the past few years I
haven’t been any type of person. Animal or otherwise.”

“Oh?”
She arched her eyebrow at him. “What about Lucy?”

“She
doesn’t mean anything to me. She numbed my mind at times, but that was it.” He
clenched his eyes shut. The sound of his own words sickened him. He opened them
to see Ava had looked away, busy crushing something into the mortar.

What
was she making anyway? Whatever it was smelled delicious.

Curiosity
led him back to the kitchen.

* * * * *

“Where
you headed?” Jax leaned over Poppy’s lap and opened the glove compartment.

She
inhaled the musky masculine scent of him and watched as he pulled a gun out
with what could only be a silencer attached to it. She didn’t know much about
weapons, but she’d seen enough movies and crime scene investigation shows to
know what one looked like.

“What
do you use that for?” She squirmed in her seat. Her mama would surely be giving
her a scolding when they met in heaven.

“My
job.” He slid the gun in a holder behind his sun visor and then peered at her
from the corner of his shady, dark eyes. “What were you doing in Zack Moreno’s
car?”

She
stilled, shocked by hearing that name rumble from the stranger’s mouth. “How do
you know him?”

He
shook his head. “I ask the questions, got it?”

Obviously,
he wasn’t up for negotiations, so she didn’t answer.

“That
was Moreno in the SUV, right?”

Screw
him. “Maybe.”

With
a quick sweeping movement, he pulled the gun down and pointed it at her head.
“Answer.”

“Fine.
Yes, it was him.” Poppy rolled her eyes, tired of having men push her around
and not being able to shove back. This sucked.

“What
were you doing with him?”

“He
has my money.”

“
Your
money?”

“Yep.”
Damn, right. The son of a bitch owed her. Plus interest. “Do you know where
he’s going with it?”

Silence
thickened the cab of the truck as he stared at her with a calm intensity,
suddenly reminding her of what’s-his-face. Kade. Ava’s guy.

“Well,
do you?” she asked, peeved he was making her feel insecure. She clenched her
jacket shut.

“I
know where he’s heading,” Jax finally answered as if breaking from a trance.

“Why?
You want the money, too?”

He
grinned, easing some of her tension. “You try to steal it? Is that what
happened?”

She
shrugged. “Maybe.”

A
guttural laugh erupted from him, and he slipped his gun back in its holder.
“You have no idea what you got yourself into, do you? You’re lucky Moreno
didn’t put a bullet in your head.”

“Please,”
she said, trying to sound blasé. “I’ve dealt with much worse.”

“Really?”
He didn’t seem impressed or like he believed a word she said. “I wouldn’t mind
seeing you in action.”

“You
mean you want to watch me get the money from him?”

“Hell,
I’d be cheering you on.”

“Then
take me to him.” She may have been naïve but she certainly knew how to take
advantage of an opportunity.

He
laughed again, clearly not taking her seriously. “Listen, you’ve got a lot of
spunk, but that’s not going to help you when dealing with a man like Moreno.”

“I’ll
give you a portion of the cash. All you have to do is drive me there and then
to a safe location after I get the briefcase.”

“If
you screw with Moreno then a safe location doesn’t exist, understand?”

“Wow.
You looked like a tough guy. Hell, you almost scared me with that cute little
gun of yours, but now I know you’re nothing but a chicken shit.” That should
get him. If she knew anything, it was that a man’s ego was bigger than any
other part of him. Which meant Jax’s had to be huge.

He
shook his head at her, shifted his truck into gear, and took off in Moreno’s
direction. “I never should’ve picked you up, huh?”

“Too
late now.”

* * * * *

Ava
quickly rinsed the residue off of the mortar and stirred the crushed pills into
the chili.

Just
in time.

From
the corner of her eye, she could see him walking over. He nudged up beside her.

“You’ve
got a ton of canned food,” she explained, trying to sound casual and relaxed
when she was anything but. “I’m making chili.” She gestured toward the empty
can and let out a nervous giggle. “Just added some crushed peppers. I’m not the
best cook.”

“It’s
perfect.” Kade wrapped his arm around her waist from behind and looked down at
the now bubbling chili.

She
tensed against him. Did he suspect? What would he do if he found out? She
couldn’t imagine he’d hurt her, but what did she really know about him anyway?

Yes,
he was gorgeous. He made her toes curl in the bedroom. His kiss blinded her
with ecstasy. His deep calming voice could lull her to sleep. He had a cat. He
owned a rustic cabin in the woods. And he smelled like...like fresh mountain
air.

She
inconspicuously leaned in toward his chest and sniffed. Yes. That’s what it
was.

That
and...burned chili.

“Damn
it!” She quickly used the ladle to scoop all that wasn’t stuck to the bottom of
the pot into a bowl. “Oh, geez, I ruined it.” She clasped her hand over her
mouth and stared down at her escape plan.

Kade
took the bowl from her. “It’s fine, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart.
The tiny sentiment blared in her ears.

“Really.
It’s okay.” He looked down at her with what seemed to be adoration. Love.
Whatever it was sucked the air out of her lungs.

She
watched him take a bite. He chewed, swallowed, and took another mouthful.
Stop!
A muted voice in her wanted to yell.
I need you.

Every
cell in her body froze, and as if time had warped, the last bit of chili
disappeared.

He
swiped his hands together and smiled down at her. Warm and tender. “You okay?”

She
nodded but her stomach disagreed. It rumbled with nausea. She tried to remind
herself drugging him was the only way to survive this mess. Once he passed out,
she could take his shoes. She could run far away again and start all over.
Without Kade. Without his touch.

“Are
you sure? You look a little pale.”

“I...I
should sit down.”

“Go
ahead. You’re probably starving. You haven’t eaten in a long time.”

“Yeah,”
she whispered and dazedly ambled away.

She
could feel him behind her, gripping her elbow until she reached the couch and
plopped down.

“I’ll
make you a fresh bowl in a new pot.”

 She
nodded again. What could she say? That she was sorry? Sorry for what? She was
protecting herself.

Surviving.

She
couldn’t listen to the voice in her head that had gotten her into all this
trouble in the first place. The same one that told her Zack was a decent guy.