“Then why the four-bedroom house?” Kyle asked. “You know it’s in a nice neighborhood, right? That house is worth three million dollars. It’s not a particularly big house, but it’s in LA.”
“I’m sure she sees it as an investment.” He was probably right about that, but the number shocked him a bit. She was in her thirties, and she could afford three million for a house. He thought he’d saved well and he couldn’t even think about buying anything more than his condo.
It was intimidating, but then he’d always known what she could do if given the chance.
You let me go when you thought it was time. I learned that lesson from you.
The words had haunted him all day. She still thought he’d planned to break up with her, still thought he’d gotten something out of it. The accusation had hurt then and it hurt now.
“Well, it’s probably a really good one.” Kyle sat back, obviously getting comfortable. “I think we’ll be okay using it as our base. Any idea how long this job is going to take?”
He kind of hoped it would take a couple of months. It could take that long to crack her shell. It could take forever to really convince her to explore a relationship with him.
Of course, why would she explore a relationship with a blue-collar guy? She moves the world forward and you make sure employees don’t embezzle. She doesn’t need you for anything.
He forced himself to focus. “Well, that depends on how fast we get into Byrne’s personal system and get the information we need. I’m not going to rush it. If we push him, we put Maddie in danger, and as I’ve already had to listen to you lecture me on how to not place a woman who actually works in security in danger, I’m sure you’ll understand that I don’t want to put a woman with zero skills in a bad position.”
“Yeah, you’re not the first person to point out how irrational I am. Mae might have all the training in the world, but she’s never been tested, and I’m okay with that. I’m okay if she spends all of her life not going through that particular fire.” Kyle’s gaze drifted over to where MaeBe sat. The IT specialist wore all black, from her PVC leggings to the corset with gold piping. Her hair was in vibrant contrast to the dark fet wear, and her smile was even more incongruous. She was laughing at something Kori said.
That was when he realized Maddie’s smile was slightly uncomfortable. She tugged at the bottom of her corset. She’d changed after the initial session and they’d had dinner with Kori and her husband, Kai, before getting ready for the club to open. When she’d changed this time, she’d put on a new corset—one MaeBe had gone to buy for her along with the ridiculously flimsy scrap of underwear he’d had her pick up, too.
She had not been impressed, but damn he had. Her ass was gorgeous, and he couldn’t wait to spank it.
“I don’t care, you know.” Kyle’s eyes stayed on Mae. “What you think. What anyone thinks when it comes to her. She deserves to have someone watch out for her. You know about her family, right?”
He knew a little. “I know her mom died shortly after she graduated from college and her dad remarried a woman she’s not close to.”
That was how MaeBe had described the situation. She didn’t talk a lot about her dad. She often mentioned her mom and how close they’d been once.
“The new wife had a couple of young daughters, and she decided MaeBe was a bad influence on them. She convinced her husband to distance until MaeBe outgrows her rebellious phase. So she lost her mom and her dad over the course of roughly a year.”
He hadn’t heard that. “The asshole remarried that soon?”
“She’s pretty sure they were seeing each other before her mom died. But MaeBe’s hair is the real problem,” Kyle said, sarcasm dripping. “Anyway, like I was saying, she has no real family, so someone has to watch out for her.” He went quiet for a moment and then turned Deke’s way. “Besides, I think I’m going to use this op to ease us into a more personal relationship.”
Deke groaned. He did not need Kyle and MaeBe drama. “Man, come on. It’s an op not a…” There was some hypocrisy right there. Shit. He couldn’t exactly come out and say there was only room for one desperate dude going after the woman of his dreams per op. “Just make sure you do your job.”
Kyle’s lips quirked up. “I will. It’s part of the job if we’re supposed to be a D/s couple. From the way you look at the client, I assume you’ll be doing the same. She was important to you, right?”
“She was the love of my life when I was a kid.” He needed to find out if she still was. “I’m attracted to her, but the truth is we live in two different worlds.”
“What does that mean? Like she’s in LA? I know it seems like a different world, but I’ve found you can get used to almost anywhere. Except a couple of places in Southeast Asia where the bugs are bigger than my head. Great food, man. I mean spectacular, and the women are gorgeous, but I couldn’t get over the bugs.”
Kyle’s easy words surprised the hell out of Deke. “Since when do you talk about your time in the Navy? I thought that was one of those taboo subjects.”
“Since I started to realize that life has to go on and my past is just that. It’s in the past.” He had a half smile on his face. “I think I’m coming out of my dark and broody period, as my brother calls it. The last year has been one weird calamity after another. I mean it. It’s been this crazy string of bad luck for my whole family, and we got through it. We’re okay. That got me thinking that maybe I can be okay, too. It also made me think that I take shit too seriously. Including myself and my own damage. Everyone knows I probably wasn’t working for the Navy when I was in Southeast Asia.”
That was a shock, too. “Yeah, no one buys that bullshit.”
Kyle tipped back his beer and looked more relaxed than Deke could ever remember him being. “Well, it’s all classified so I still can’t talk about it, but I can say that it didn’t break me the way I thought it had. There was a woman, and I made a huge mistake with her. She wasn’t the person I thought she was and she died. I’m coming to terms with the fact that her death is probably the best thing that ever happened to me because I wouldn’t be here if she was alive.”
Deke stared at him. Even the lights from the hamster wheel were casting a happy, almost sunny light on the usually dark man. “Who are you and what did you do with Kyle?”
Kyle laughed. “I’m sick of watching all you bastards get your girls and be all happy and shit. How about that? Being around my brother and Tessa, and even my mom and Sean, has made me…soft. I’ve gotten fucking soft.” He sobered a bit. “It’s probably all the therapy, too. I wasn’t always a secretive asshole. I want to find the guy I used to be and…I don’t know…blend him in and figure out who I am now. But mostly I just want her, and I’m tired of waiting. I’ve always said she deserves better, but I think that woman is going to have to settle.”
He was a weird guy, but he absolutely found the Kyle who was enjoying his beer while he stared at the woman he wanted with open longing on his face far more relatable than the dude who played everything close to his vest. “You know you don’t need the op. You can just walk up to her and tell her how you feel and she’ll jump all over you.”