Ruthless Game (GhostWalkers, #9)(75)

Well, maybe not a sex machine, she’d caught his last thought. Laugh lines appeared around her eyes, and her dimples flashed at him, taking the ache in his groin up another notch.

He glared at her, one hand pressed to his aching side. That’s not funny.

“If you two need to be alone,” Jaimie said, “I could always leave.”

He threw the couch pillow at her. “You don’t need to be putting in your two cents. You and Mack are disgusting.”

She laughed at him. “So true. He’s magic.”

Kane groaned. “You’re my sister, Jaimie. You can’t put those kinds of thoughts in my head.”

“I see. You have that double standard going. It’s okay for you and the boys, but not me.”

“Exactly. There are rules, girl. Rules. Follow them.” He held out his coffee cup. “I wouldn’t mind another.”

She took it. “Not a chance, bro. You’re on sick leave, which means you eat and drink nutritiously. One cup limit.”

He gave a fierce scowl. “You are not going to boss me around, Jaimie.”

“No”—she smiled sweetly at him and handed Rose the empty mug—“but Rose is.”

Kane studied Rose’s fine-boned features. That same determined expression she got, stubborn as hell and so appealing to him he knew he was a lost man, was right there on her face. Whenever she got that look, he knew he wasn’t going to win. He kept his mouth shut. There were other ways to get around his woman, and he was going to find every one of them.

“By the way, Rose. I have put all your necessary papers into the system. Social. Birth certificate. Concealed weapons permit. Driver’s license. Everything you’ll need here on the outside. The baby’s birth certificate states he was born in a military hospital. I’m establishing his records there now. Everything should be coming in the mail soon. Mack’s talking to Sergeant Major about compensation for being on the team.”

“Wait a minute,” Kane said. “You’re moving a little too fast. What the hell does that mean?”

“I’m a soldier, Kane,” Rose pointed out. “That’s all I’m trained for. I’m good at it, just as you are. You don’t want out. If I’m part of this team, they can’t break us up.”

He shook his head. “You can wait a little while. We haven’t even discussed this.”

“Would you discuss this with me?” Rose asked quietly. “If your time was up?”

“It’s not the same thing.”

She smiled at him, that serene, sweet smile he was coming to know meant really bad things for him. “You know better. And it’s added protection for Sebastian. I’m serving our country just as Whitney wanted. I’m more apt to bring up our son as a soldier, another thing he wants. He knows I’ll teach Sebastian everything I know, just as you and every member of this team will, and he’s more apt to leave us alone to see how Sebastian does under a full team’s tutelage.”

Kane bared his teeth at her. He hated that it was sound reasoning. His dream of the little woman sitting at home waiting for him was about to shatter. “We’ll talk this out before you commit.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Does that mean you’ll talk until I agree with you?”

“At least give me the chance to persuade you. Jaimie doesn’t go out on missions, and she contributes.” He was grasping at straws and he knew it.

“Jaimie has a very specific set of skills I don’t have. My skills are all in the field, Kane. I’ll be an asset to you there, not sitting here at home.”

Jaimie bent and kissed his jaw. “I think this is my cue to leave. Mack’s going to be down later with Paul, and he’ll tell you everything he’s found out.”

Kane watched the two women walk to the door together. He wanted them close but not conspiring against his wishes. He’d seen Rose in combat. She was fearless and didn’t hesitate, as good or better than any soldier he’d worked with, but didn’t she want to stay home and be a mother? What was wrong with that? His mother hadn’t wanted to stay home either. What the hell was wrong with women these days? Didn’t they understand someone needed to be in the home with the children, keeping the family together? Having dinners together? Do all the family things he’d envisioned but never had?

Rose closed the heavy door and turned to lean against it, regarding him soberly. They lived in a renovated warehouse, a massive building with large doors, and draped against it that way, she looked smaller than ever. It was difficult to imagine her in combat, yet he’d seen her, and she was too damned competent, with nerves of steel, for him to pretend she wasn’t.

“Damn it, Rose.” He pressed his fingers to his suddenly aching eyes. He hadn’t even noticed that his head was pounding and his gut hurt like hell. Maybe he was just tired. “You should have at least waited to discuss this with me.”

He felt the weight of her stare and looked at her. It was impossible to read the expression on her face. Not breaking eye contact, she pushed herself off the door and walked over to him. Her feet were bare, small and delicate, like the rest of her, making no noise on the floor as she came toward him. She was short enough that with him sitting, they were almost staring directly into each other’s eyes.

“You’re right, Kane, I should have. We’re a team, and I should have given you that courtesy.”