He’d tried to distract himself earlier, keep focused, make some damn phone calls, but the second she turned the shower on upstairs? Done. His brain and cock were one and the same. All he could think about was her naked, wet, with soap sliding over every soft curve. Charger had to call his name twice over the phone before Kane actually remembered he was on the damn phone. Then, when Kane couldn’t form a coherent sentence, Charger laughed his ass off and hung up like the asshole he was.
Kane cursed again and tossed the IDs onto the table. He leaned back in the chair, lacing his hands behind his head, and stared at the ceiling. If he was being honest, Monica wasn’t the only one a little messed up right now. He couldn’t focus the way he usually did. Couldn’t lock into the job with the clean, cold precision he’d mastered over the years.
And that was bad. Really bad.
He’d done undercover work longer than most people had been alive—faced things far uglier than Griffen—but this felt… off. Wrong. His instincts were poking at him, whispering that maybe he should step back, find another way in, and not walk straight into a setup his gut didn’t like. It seemed too easy, and in his kind of work, if it was too easy, you'd best be worried.
But then he pictured Monica again with the stubborn tilt of her chin, the way she tensed whenever someone mentioned Griffen, and the fierce fire in her eyes when she talked about Joey or Beverly. She wasn’t going to stop. She wouldn’t rest until she got justice for her sister. She’d walk straight into hell alone if she had to.
And he couldn’t let her. Wouldn’t let her.
Charger had nailed it earlier. Kane had walked into that bar dead-set on using Monica as an easy in, as a resource. And then, when he watched as her father lifted his hand toward her, everything he thought he had under control went to shit. Attraction was one thing. He’d had that a million times. But whatever this was? This was different. Kane knew he wasn’t on his game, and emotions had a way of getting a man killed.
But it didn’t matter. He knew damn well he wasn’t walking away from this woman. She deserved someone in her corner, someone who wouldn’t back down. And even if it ruined him… he was already in too deep to pull out now.
Hearing a noise on the steps, he turned his head, glancing that way. Monica, wearing a t-shirt, walked down the steps. She paused at the bottom, looking around, but her eyes passed right over him. It was dark, sure, but there was a little light coming in from the kitchen window. Frowning, he slowly sat up and was getting ready to say something when she started walking again.
Kane couldn’t help but let his eyes roam down her body to long legs with thick thighs that could definitely hold a man while he was between them. His gaze rose, noticing she was braless as her tits swayed provocatively as she walked. Fuck, she was a gorgeous woman.
Her long hair was loose and wild, hanging down her back. His gaze went to her face; her eyes looked vacant. Was she sleepwalking? Kane was getting ready to say something when Knox quietly appeared, watching Monica closely.
She walked into the kitchen, and his gaze locked straight onto her perfect, rounded ass. That black silky underwear she wore barely qualified as clothing, teasing him with a damn peek-a-boo show every time she moved. When he heard the water running, he lifted his eyes only to watch her tilt her head and drink from a glass.
Her place had an open floor plan, which meant he could see everything, and if he leaned just a little to the left—and, of course, he did—he had a perfect view of her gorgeous body.
Knox padded quietly across the tile floor, silent as a damn shadow. Not even a nail clicked on the tile floor. It was like the dog understood precisely what was happening. Without ever taking his eyes off Monica, Knox went to the door, turned, and sat like he was on guard duty.
Kane dragged his attention back to Monica just in time to see her lean across the counter as if reaching for something. Her shirt lifted, and suddenly there was no more peek-a-boo. Her ass was fully on display with the kind of sight that could bring a grown man to his knees.
“Jesus,” he muttered under his breath right before the shatter of glass snapped him back to reality.
Monica spun toward the sound, her expression twisting into pure terror as she stared into the dark. “Monica, it’s me,” he said quickly.
Knox growled at him likehewas the idiot here. Maybe he was. He’d only seen sleepwalking in movies, but hell, he wasn’t even sure that’s what was happening. Kane had no clue what the fuck to do, but seeing that terrified look on her face gutted him. He needed to take it away immediately.
He took a step toward her, and Knox growled louder in warning.
“Dammit, Knox. Chill the fuck out,” he hissed, keeping his voice low. He felt useless. She was barefoot, surrounded by glass, and he didn’t know if waking her was safe or if he was about to make everything worse. Knox clearly thought he would.
He reached for his phone, ready to text Slade because he needed someone who knew what to fucking do in this situation, but froze when she shifted and lifted her foot.
“Shit! Don’t move,” he snapped, lunging toward her. He caught her gently, lifting her off her feet before she could step into the mess.
She struggled in his arms, soft sounds rumbling in her throat, her body trembling like she was freezing, but she wasn’t. She was hot against him. Too hot. And he felt every sweet inch of her.
“Monica, it’s Kane,” he said quietly, hoping it would calm her somehow.
Slowly—thank fuck—she calmed. Her heavy, sleepy gaze met his, not completely awake but no longer empty either. Sleepy on herwas sexy as fuck. The broken glass crunched under his boots as he carried her out of the kitchen.
She blinked up at him, still trying to make sense of it all. “Shit,” she whispered just as realization flashed in her eyes.
He couldn’t help the grin that broke across his face. “Shit is right. You almost walked through broken glass.”
“I should’ve warned you,” she murmured, sounding drowsy, and damn… he liked that sound a lot. “I’ve been sleepwalking again. Stress, I guess.”
“I didn’t know what the hell was going on or what I was supposed to do,” Kane said, narrowing his eyes but keeping any frustration out of his voice.
“I’m sorry,” she said, looking away, embarrassed.