Read Kace (Allen Securities) for Free Online Page B

she said breathlessly.
    His hand reached out to feel the back of her head for a lump. “You’ve still got quite the knot there.” His hand skimmed down to the back of her neck. She felt his fingers search through her hair for the skin there and shivered when he found it.
    She stared up at him, a little shocked by his touch. He was standing so close she could feel the heat radiating off of him. Her palms itched to explore the exposed skin in front of her. His hand skimmed the side of her neck as he pulled away. Hot need spread through her, and Jessica bit her lip to keep from groaning.
    She stepped back quickly, overcome with the intensity of his nearness.
    “Mrs. Masing sent me,” she said. Jessica struggled to find the words she wanted. “Lunch.” She cursed how stupid she sounded.
    “I’ll just be a minute,” Kace said quietly. She watched for a moment as his chest rose and fell. At least she wasn’t alone in being affected.
    Jessica turned and quickly fled the room.
     
    * * *
     
    Lunch was fairly quiet. Neither of them seemed to have much to say after the incident in the bathroom. Jessica knew she really didn’t have much to add.
    Not that their silence seemed to bother Mrs. Masing much. She chatted about the people in the neighborhood and told stories about the girls when they were growing up. Kace seemed attentive as always but avoided Jessica’s eyes whenever he could. On occasion she would catch him glancing her way, but when she looked up, he was back to looking the other direction.
    She gave a sigh of relief when they had finished lunch and were headed out the door. Mrs. Masing might enjoy their company, but Jessica knew if the woman didn’t get to watch her soaps, there was going to be hell to pay.
    “Thank you so much, Officer Allen, for fixing all the drains,” Mrs. Masing said. She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. When she pulled back, the old woman winked at Jessica, who snorted in response.
    “And you,” Mrs. Masing said to her. “You come and see me more. No more late nights with the boss.”
    Jessica felt Kace tense next to her. She could have sworn the old lady did it on purpose.
    “I’ll come see you more,” she said and pecked her on the cheek.
    Mrs. Masing nodded, and Kace and Jessica climbed down the steps. By the time they reached the bottom, the door was closed.
    She turned back to Kace.
    “Late nights with the boss?” he said. His tone light, but his stance was anything but.
    “Oh that’s just what she calls it,” Jessica said and waved a hand toward the house. “She’s not a fan of Finn or his family’s reputation.”
    “Can’t say I am either,” he mumbled.
    Jessica crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s my boss. This job pays the bills, and that’s what I need right now. If you hadn’t noticed, not a lot of work available for an undereducated person from the wrong family.”
    She took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself.
    “That’s not what I meant,” he said. Jessica watched as he ran a hand through his hair. “I get it.”
    Jessica sighed and nodded.
    “So,” he said. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “Sounds good,” she said and smiled. “Thanks for helping Mrs. Masing. It really made her day to have a big strong man do work for her.”
    Kace grinned. “Big strong man?”
    Jessica laughed and climbed up her stairs.
    “According to old ladies,” she said.
    She turned and watched him shake his head.
    “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kace,” she said quietly.
    She slipped in and shut the door. Her heart didn’t return to normal until he had been gone for a good ten minutes.

Chapter Five
     
     
    Jessica groaned as she opened her eyes. It felt much later than she wanted it to be, but it was nice getting some real sleep. Yesterday had been strange to say the least. She thought she had the tough cop all figured out, and then he had to go and be all gentle. It was weird, and she wasn’t sure what he was really getting at.
    It