Page 17 of All of Me

Drake turned and cupped my jaw in his hand. The sudden contact made me still. “I know it wasn’t easy, so don’t give me that crap. You were a kid with a scar that made the whole fucking world turn against you. Never think I don’t know that.” And for an endless moment, he was so close, and my body was so ready, I thought he was going to kiss me. I so wanted him to kiss me.

“We need to eat,” he said softly. In my head I imagined it was said reluctantly. But when he dropped his hand and started walking, I knew I was kidding myself and followed him to the house.

Chapter Eight

Drake

“I wasn’t going to say this in front of Moira, but Rawlings wants to see us about the fire. He has information.” Well, he wanted us to make a plan. Rawlings hadn’t given me details, and I’d been distracted as I was still working out how the fuck Shae had managed to get out of bed this morning without waking me up. “What do you think of Moira’s offer?” I was interested to know where Shae’s head was at.

He didn’t reply right away, and I guessed he was figuring it out. “I want to get my life straight,” he said cautiously. Then he neatly turned the tables. “What about you? Any plans for after you stop working for Diesel?”

I just about tripped up over my feet again, and Shae gripped me with a steadying hand. Fuck this was the second time in a day he’d done this. What was it about Shae that pushed all my buttons? I’d never thought about what I would do after. Being who I was, I suppose I didn’t see another me. “No idea,” I saidhonestly. “I’m never gonna be happy riding a desk, that’s for sure.”

He let go of my arm, and I eyed him. I thought I caught a flash of disappointment in his eyes, but for what? That I didn’t have a plan? “Thought we’d grab some food, then head out to see Rawlings before the doc,” I said, changing the subject.

Breakfast was a little stilted. It was almost like I was trying too hard, and he knew it, but at least he ate. Then we got in my truck and set off to the apartment where Rawlings and Danny were meeting us. And if Danny was there, then it was likely…no a safe bet, that Kane would be there. He stayed silent until I couldn’t take it any longer. “Do you drive?” It had just occurred to me.

He nodded. “Got a license, just no wheels.” I snorted at the gangster-hip deep voice he adopted teasingly and just like that the atmosphere lightened.

“Ever work on any cars?”

He shook his head. “I wish.”

Satisfaction bloomed inside me, though I tried not to show it. “Albert’s got an old one-fifty that’s taking up space. I’ve worked on them before so we can get it running, then you’ll havewheels.” I grinned.

“Where did you find time to learn to work on cars?” he flushed. “I mean—”

“Yeah, not from my dad, obviously,” I agreed. “We had this neighbor, Ernie. He always had someone’s car up on ramps. Fixed them for the neighborhood.” I shrugged. “He let me hang around sometimes when I didn’t have time to come here, and I paid attention.”

He’d found me in his garage the first time I’d hidden from Dad’s fists. It hadn’t been the last. Everyone always assumed I got my scar from being in combat, and I suppose you could say that, except I’d been eleven at the time and Dad had been drunk.

Even I couldn’t summon the energy for chit chat after that reminder, and I pretended not to notice the quick looks Shae sent me. I pulled into the parking lot and parked in one of the four designated spots for the apartments Rawlings had bought and noted Gray was here as well. I’d wondered why Rawlings didn’t just buy the whole building as there had to be only three left he didn’t own, but I’d asked him a couple of years ago and he’d replied it gave great cover. He wanted normal traffic in case someone ever watched us.

Seemed a bit James Bond for a security company, but since we’d met Talon and the guys, we tended to do the stuff they as FBI couldn’t do. Like chat with Jethro Dunne.

And I had no problem with that. Livened things up a little.

We parked and Shae jumped out. “You know Gray.” I gestured to the Tucson. “Ever met Seb?”

He nodded without replying, and I forced down a sigh. I doubted Seb was here. He’d be singing somewhere or writing songs, but if Gray was here, Seb wasn’t anywhere except home, because Gray didn’t leave that man’s side if he wasn’t protected. For a moment, I wanted that with so much passion it nearly stopped my heart. I wanted Shae. I wanted the farm, the dogs, the horses. I wanted to work on the truck together. I wanted evenings reading those fucking books. I wanted that and so much more.

I wanted everything. But life didn’t work like that. And even though we’d known each other for the better part of a year, this was new. I took a step away from Shae automatically,defensively, and he noticed.

“Shae!” Lost in my dreams of a future that wouldn’t happen, I hadn’t realized we’d gotten up to the apartment until I heard the squeal and Seb flung his arms around Shae while Gray looked on indulgently. Seb’s service dog, Bentley, seemed quite content with Shae, but he didn’t take his eyes from Seb. I met Gray’seyes and saw way too much. Or Gray did. He saw how I looked at Shae, and I felt bare. Gray was older than Seb, sure, but he wasn’t as old as me. Gray studied my face, but instead of the understanding I expected, his eyebrow quirked.

I glowered and ignored the family reunion, pretending not to notice Shae when he turned to grin at me, or that when I didn’t return it, his smile fell. Fuck. I couldn’t mess with him like this. I was supposed to be helping, not making things worse.

I didn’t have time to growl my opinion to Gray’s unspoken question as Kane and Danny appeared, including both dogs, and then it was a whole thing. Thankfully they were all service dogs, even Kane’s puppy, so it wasn’t chaos.

“This a meeting or a party?” I grumbled to Rawlings as he joined me in the kitchen. He snorted and opened the fridge, handing out waters and then flicking on the coffee machine and the kettle, getting the tea for Danny. I glanced over at him as he fell silent, but he wasn’t looking at me, and I followed his gaze.

Shae was sitting on the floor, Sadie practically lying on top of him, and I frowned, noticing Danny’s gaze fixed on them. I’d only ever seen Sadie do that a couple of times, both with Danny, and both when she sensed his anxiety climbing.

Shae wasn’t looking at anyone. He had his face half-buried in her scruff, her tail was wagging, and he was making baby-type cooing noises and telling her what a good girl she was. Danny glanced over and sent me a careful glance before moving into the kitchen to finish making his tea. The meeting would be in the new conference room Rawlings had made by knocking through into the other two apartments on this floor. His new space had a separate entrance and exit to the outside corridor and contained the conference room with a large viewing screen at one end and a table with up to twelve chairs. Two bathrooms, a smaller spare office, and a small kitchenette made up the remodeled space.It had been designed so the other two apartments were private from any clients Rawlings needed to see here.

Rawlings had an office downtown, but he’d given that up. I liked the new arrangement.

“How’s Shae?” Danny murmured.

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