don't know yet," he hedged. "Catalina's part of it. The rest is...confusing."
"Well, shit." Dallas backed off, dropping both hands to his sides. "I'm not above snatching them both up and stashing them somewhere safe while we hash it out. It's not ideal..."
The temptation to jump on the words in agreement made Zan's tongue itch. "I think we should wait and see."
"I trust your judgment," Dallas replied, quiet but firm. "And I trust that if this girl starts screwing with your judgment, you'll tell me."
It sounded like a question—and a warning. Zan opened his mouth to say something, anything , only to snap it shut when the back door to the warehouse opened.
Lex walked in, her hair swinging behind her in a sleek ponytail. "What's the word?"
Dallas snorted. "It's complicated."
"I bet." She turned to Zan, one eyebrow cocked. "You'd better make it work, honey. A woman like that? She's spent her whole life with other people bossing her around, thinking they know better than her. If we kidnap her, she won't appreciate it. And she sure as hell won't be touching your dick again."
"Charming as always, Parrino." Zan leaned in to kiss her cheek. "But I'm not the one who calls the shots."
Dallas snaked an arm around Lex and tugged her against his side. "Yeah, well, you're gonna have to get right with your options. If kidnapping her's the only way to keep her alive..."
"Then she can hate me all she wants," Zan answered. "At least she'll be safe while she does it."
"See? He's got this." Easy words, undoubtedly meant to reassure, but Zan had lost his leader's attention. After years of being the hardest man in the sector, Dallas O'Kane had given in to his one weakness—the woman snuggled to his chest. When Lex walked into a room, everyone and everything else took a back seat.
It was damn cute—when it wasn't damn infuriating.
"Tatiana will listen to reason," Zan said. "She likes living."
"Depends on what kind of woman she is," Dallas drawled, sliding a hand down Lex's back. "Ask Lex what she'd do if that was her sister."
"He'd regret fucking around with my sister," she answered immediately. "If he lived long enough."
An approving smile curved Dallas's lips as he met Zan's gaze over Lex's head. "Find out her price, Zan. Because letting Tatiana Stone put a knife in that bastard would work just fine for me, but I don't think it'd turn out so good for her."
Or for the O'Kanes. It might not be so much of a stretch for people to whisper about how that had been Dallas's plan all along. "Got it. I won't let you down."
"I know." Dallas pressed a kiss to Lex's temple and released her. "Get out of here, woman. I'm supposed to be kicking this bastard's ass."
She turned her head and sank her teeth into his upper arm.
The crazy bastard laughed. "Unless you had other plans?"
"I might." She glanced at Zan again, but her words were for her lover. "You think I should let him in my closet?"
Dallas tilted his head. "You got anything good in there? For her, I mean."
"I could." She seemed to consider that for a moment. "Then again, some women want more intangible things."
It must have been a private joke, because Dallas laughed and swatted her hip. "And some women prefer knives. But not every man wants to get stabbed as foreplay, Lexie love."
Intangible things. Like independence, self-reliance, all those things people thought they could take away, never realizing they would always be a part of you. He wondered if Tatiana even knew.
Zan shook off the thought and squinted at Lex. "If she liked stuff, she'd still be in Gia's bed."
"An excellent point."
"But she's not." Dallas smoothed his thumb over Lex's jaw, slow and soft. "That's the key to the whole thing, isn't it? They don't run because of what you're giving them. They run because of all the things you're not."
Lex grinned and patted his cheek. "You two don't even need me around."
"I learned it all from you."
A bolt of jealousy shot through Zan, and he covered it quickly by
"Well, shit." Dallas backed off, dropping both hands to his sides. "I'm not above snatching them both up and stashing them somewhere safe while we hash it out. It's not ideal..."
The temptation to jump on the words in agreement made Zan's tongue itch. "I think we should wait and see."
"I trust your judgment," Dallas replied, quiet but firm. "And I trust that if this girl starts screwing with your judgment, you'll tell me."
It sounded like a question—and a warning. Zan opened his mouth to say something, anything , only to snap it shut when the back door to the warehouse opened.
Lex walked in, her hair swinging behind her in a sleek ponytail. "What's the word?"
Dallas snorted. "It's complicated."
"I bet." She turned to Zan, one eyebrow cocked. "You'd better make it work, honey. A woman like that? She's spent her whole life with other people bossing her around, thinking they know better than her. If we kidnap her, she won't appreciate it. And she sure as hell won't be touching your dick again."
"Charming as always, Parrino." Zan leaned in to kiss her cheek. "But I'm not the one who calls the shots."
Dallas snaked an arm around Lex and tugged her against his side. "Yeah, well, you're gonna have to get right with your options. If kidnapping her's the only way to keep her alive..."
"Then she can hate me all she wants," Zan answered. "At least she'll be safe while she does it."
"See? He's got this." Easy words, undoubtedly meant to reassure, but Zan had lost his leader's attention. After years of being the hardest man in the sector, Dallas O'Kane had given in to his one weakness—the woman snuggled to his chest. When Lex walked into a room, everyone and everything else took a back seat.
It was damn cute—when it wasn't damn infuriating.
"Tatiana will listen to reason," Zan said. "She likes living."
"Depends on what kind of woman she is," Dallas drawled, sliding a hand down Lex's back. "Ask Lex what she'd do if that was her sister."
"He'd regret fucking around with my sister," she answered immediately. "If he lived long enough."
An approving smile curved Dallas's lips as he met Zan's gaze over Lex's head. "Find out her price, Zan. Because letting Tatiana Stone put a knife in that bastard would work just fine for me, but I don't think it'd turn out so good for her."
Or for the O'Kanes. It might not be so much of a stretch for people to whisper about how that had been Dallas's plan all along. "Got it. I won't let you down."
"I know." Dallas pressed a kiss to Lex's temple and released her. "Get out of here, woman. I'm supposed to be kicking this bastard's ass."
She turned her head and sank her teeth into his upper arm.
The crazy bastard laughed. "Unless you had other plans?"
"I might." She glanced at Zan again, but her words were for her lover. "You think I should let him in my closet?"
Dallas tilted his head. "You got anything good in there? For her, I mean."
"I could." She seemed to consider that for a moment. "Then again, some women want more intangible things."
It must have been a private joke, because Dallas laughed and swatted her hip. "And some women prefer knives. But not every man wants to get stabbed as foreplay, Lexie love."
Intangible things. Like independence, self-reliance, all those things people thought they could take away, never realizing they would always be a part of you. He wondered if Tatiana even knew.
Zan shook off the thought and squinted at Lex. "If she liked stuff, she'd still be in Gia's bed."
"An excellent point."
"But she's not." Dallas smoothed his thumb over Lex's jaw, slow and soft. "That's the key to the whole thing, isn't it? They don't run because of what you're giving them. They run because of all the things you're not."
Lex grinned and patted his cheek. "You two don't even need me around."
"I learned it all from you."
A bolt of jealousy shot through Zan, and he covered it quickly by
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