Page 38 of Deranged and Obsessed Omnibus: Vol 1

Kane was crouched in front of the furnace, tools scattered around him like he’d raided my tool bag and had gone to work. He had his faded blue prison shirt off and tied around his waist, his thin, white cotton tank top showcasing how muscular this man really was.

A dirty rag lay beside him, and I could see him using his large, bare hands as he worked on the old, rusted unit. He looked huge in the tiny, cramped space with his broad shoulders damn near brushing the walls on either side of him.

The dingy prison garb only emphasized his raw, brutal body and presence.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He didn’t look up right away, his focus locked on the furnace as he worked on it for a while longer. “Fixing this piece of shit,” he finally said, his voice gruff. He glanced over his shoulder at me, his expression void of anything. “The heat exchanger is cracked.”

I had no idea what that was, but I assumed it was something important. “Can it be replaced?”

He looked back at the furnace. “It’s an expensive part, and your furnace is old as fuck. It’d be cheaper to buy a new one.”

Shit.

The way Kane explained it—in layman’s terms—was with a calm and confident tone. It made me believe he knew exactly what he was doing.

I watched him for a moment longer, unsure what to feel at this moment. This whole situation was… weird as hell. It was surreal watching a man who’d broken into my home last night work on something as mundane as a broken furnace, as if this were some kind of normal interaction between the two of us.

My gaze flicked instinctively to the front door. Could I make it out? If I ran now, could I escape into the storm and actually find my way to safety?

Kane’s low voice shattered that thought.

“Go ahead,” he said, deeply and darkly.

I snapped my focus back to him. He wasn’t even looking at me, but then he glanced over his shoulder once again, his dark blue eyes cutting into me.

“Go on, Evelina. Run into that weather. Freeze your ass off. Get lost in the storm. Break an ankle so you can’t get to safety and then die from the elements.” There was a pause as he let those words sink in. “I’ll find you before you get far, and I’ll haul you right back here. Save yourself the trouble… unless youwantme to hunt you down. I’d be so fucking turned on.”

My jaw locked as my anger flared, but it only got worse when he rose, faced me, and pulled something from his pocket to hold up so that I could see what he had.

In his palm were spark plugs. I assumed they were from my car.

“You havegotto be kidding me.” My fists tightened, my nails digging into my palms.

He said nothing and didn’t crack an arrogant smile. Instead, he held my focus and tucked them back into his pocket. “When I leave—ifyou’re good—I’ll put them back. Until then, you’re not going anywhere. If you’re smart.”

The fear I’d held since he came into my life took a backseat as my rage boiled over. The nerve of this motherfucker. Kane facedthe furnace like our exchange was matter of fact and didn’t faze him in the least.

I flashed him the bird. In fact, I double barreled it.Fuck. You. Behind his back of course. I wasn’t crazy.

I couldn’t wrap my head around this man. I couldn’t understand him. He was fixing my house like he belonged here, like we were a couple and he had to do domestic duties, all the while holding me prisoner.

It was maddening as fuck.

For a moment, I just stood there, watching him as he packed all the tools up.

“I saw a stack of wood outside. I assume the fireplace is functional?”

I nodded, then realized he wasn’t looking at me. “Y-Yes.”

He grunted and stood again, facing me. “I’ll get a fire going to warm the place up.” He seemed so calm despite the storm raging outside and the chaos I felt inside that he apparently didn’t.

Before I could overthink it, I quickly asked, “Are you hungry?”

My question seemed to take him off guard. There was the briefest flicker of surprise that crossed his face before his usual gruff, apathetic demeanor returned. “Yeah,” he said, his voice steady but cautious.

I nodded, the act feeling awkward. A part of me felt like I owed him something for dealing with my furnace and then offering to make a fire.

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