closed the distance and wrapped
her in his arms.
“What the fuck? You son of a bitch!” Cody roared.
Jessica startled at Cody's voice and took two huge steps backward, cowering as if
she expected someone to attack her. Without warning, Cody tackled Kayne to the ground.
Yep, the situation had officially gone south.
Kayne threw Cody off with little effort and scrambled to his feet. Cody took another
swing, but Kayne evaded, standing his ground between the belligerent idiot and Jessica.
The little weasel might be no match for him, but Cody could do some serious damage
to someone as tiny as Jessica with one misplaced fist.
That bastard, Murphy, decided right then to invoke his law, because it was at that
exact moment Sgt. Balentine drove up with the Fuel Recovery Team. He bailed out of
the patrol car, stammering into his radio about a fight in progress. Several firemen
grabbed Cody from behind as he tried to lunge at Kayne again.
“What the fuck is going on?” Balentine demanded.
“Just a misunderstanding,” Kayne said, eying Cody.
“Why's your girlfriend on a HazMat scene, Dobrescu?”
“For Christ’s sake, she's not mine! ”
“Then who the hell is she? ”
“Nobody!” Kayne’s knee-jerk reaction was to deny any association with her. One look at the
hurt on Jessica's face though, and he knew that hadn't come out right.
“I'm so sorry.” Jessica turned and ran toward the SUV.
Several expletives rolled off Kayne’s tongue as he followed after her. Though he knew
he needed to get her out of there ASAP, he couldn’t let her leave like this. He caught
her arm, stopping her as she reached the SUV. “Jessica, wait! I didn't mean that the
way it sounded.”
“We were eating dinner, and the scanner was on.” He had to lean in to hear her, her
voice little more than a whisper. “The kids realized you were stuck down here, and
I just thought...”
“I'm not mad that you brought me dinner.” No one had ever done that for him before,
but that wasn't the point. How the fuck had this gotten so far out of control? “This
isn’t a safe place. I don't want you or the kids hurt. Please, let me get you out
of here, and we'll talk later.”
She raised her chin defiantly. “There's nothing to say.”
“Jess—”
“I'm fine!”
Did she realize tears still clung to her lashes? “Why don't I stop by when I'm finished?”
He didn’t know what purpose it would serve, but he hated to see her hurting.
She quickly shook her head, looking everywhere but at him.
“Call me if you change your mind, okay?”
She nodded, and he opened the door for her to climb in.
“ Kayne! ” Gracie squealed. “Hug, hug! Huuugg! ” She strained against her car seat.
He glanced back to realize she only had the two little girls with her. “You left Maddy
and Ash home alone?” He couldn’t stop himself from voicing the accusation.
“They're fine for a few minutes.” Finally, she was showing a bit of spirit. “I was
babysitting when I was Maddy's age!”
“Hug, hug!” Gracie’s tone warned that a two-year-old meltdown was imminent.
Kayne opened her door and quickly hugged her, allowing her to kiss his “owie.” He’d
probably have a bruise where Cody slugged him come morning. He glanced at Isabelle,
her large verdant eyes silently pleading for attention that she was too shy to request.
He walked around the car, ignoring the dozen people looking on with avid interest. “Hey, 'Sabella, you being Mama's helper tonight?”
She simply nodded and hugged him tighter. Man he did not need this. He didn’t need
to feel this connection with these children or their mother.
Kayne radioed the deputy to confirm he could send Jessica back north in the southbound
lanes and prayed to God the idiot could at least get that right.
He leaned in the driver's side window, cupped the back of Jessica's neck, and dropped
his voice to a whisper. “I'm sorry.” Kayne brushed
her in his arms.
“What the fuck? You son of a bitch!” Cody roared.
Jessica startled at Cody's voice and took two huge steps backward, cowering as if
she expected someone to attack her. Without warning, Cody tackled Kayne to the ground.
Yep, the situation had officially gone south.
Kayne threw Cody off with little effort and scrambled to his feet. Cody took another
swing, but Kayne evaded, standing his ground between the belligerent idiot and Jessica.
The little weasel might be no match for him, but Cody could do some serious damage
to someone as tiny as Jessica with one misplaced fist.
That bastard, Murphy, decided right then to invoke his law, because it was at that
exact moment Sgt. Balentine drove up with the Fuel Recovery Team. He bailed out of
the patrol car, stammering into his radio about a fight in progress. Several firemen
grabbed Cody from behind as he tried to lunge at Kayne again.
“What the fuck is going on?” Balentine demanded.
“Just a misunderstanding,” Kayne said, eying Cody.
“Why's your girlfriend on a HazMat scene, Dobrescu?”
“For Christ’s sake, she's not mine! ”
“Then who the hell is she? ”
“Nobody!” Kayne’s knee-jerk reaction was to deny any association with her. One look at the
hurt on Jessica's face though, and he knew that hadn't come out right.
“I'm so sorry.” Jessica turned and ran toward the SUV.
Several expletives rolled off Kayne’s tongue as he followed after her. Though he knew
he needed to get her out of there ASAP, he couldn’t let her leave like this. He caught
her arm, stopping her as she reached the SUV. “Jessica, wait! I didn't mean that the
way it sounded.”
“We were eating dinner, and the scanner was on.” He had to lean in to hear her, her
voice little more than a whisper. “The kids realized you were stuck down here, and
I just thought...”
“I'm not mad that you brought me dinner.” No one had ever done that for him before,
but that wasn't the point. How the fuck had this gotten so far out of control? “This
isn’t a safe place. I don't want you or the kids hurt. Please, let me get you out
of here, and we'll talk later.”
She raised her chin defiantly. “There's nothing to say.”
“Jess—”
“I'm fine!”
Did she realize tears still clung to her lashes? “Why don't I stop by when I'm finished?”
He didn’t know what purpose it would serve, but he hated to see her hurting.
She quickly shook her head, looking everywhere but at him.
“Call me if you change your mind, okay?”
She nodded, and he opened the door for her to climb in.
“ Kayne! ” Gracie squealed. “Hug, hug! Huuugg! ” She strained against her car seat.
He glanced back to realize she only had the two little girls with her. “You left Maddy
and Ash home alone?” He couldn’t stop himself from voicing the accusation.
“They're fine for a few minutes.” Finally, she was showing a bit of spirit. “I was
babysitting when I was Maddy's age!”
“Hug, hug!” Gracie’s tone warned that a two-year-old meltdown was imminent.
Kayne opened her door and quickly hugged her, allowing her to kiss his “owie.” He’d
probably have a bruise where Cody slugged him come morning. He glanced at Isabelle,
her large verdant eyes silently pleading for attention that she was too shy to request.
He walked around the car, ignoring the dozen people looking on with avid interest. “Hey, 'Sabella, you being Mama's helper tonight?”
She simply nodded and hugged him tighter. Man he did not need this. He didn’t need
to feel this connection with these children or their mother.
Kayne radioed the deputy to confirm he could send Jessica back north in the southbound
lanes and prayed to God the idiot could at least get that right.
He leaned in the driver's side window, cupped the back of Jessica's neck, and dropped
his voice to a whisper. “I'm sorry.” Kayne brushed
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