He shoved his hand into his pants pockets and fished through his wallet. What was he to her? She hadn’t accepted his date until he’d pressured her into it with the lesson pretense. Was he a client she never wanted to see again or something more?
In his mind, the case had been closed long before he slept with her. He knew she wasn’t a prostitute, knew she had no knowledge of any ring that might exist. But she was the woman who’d slipped past his walls. No one had ever gotten that close before. If anything would kill the edge Reid was so worried about, the one that kept him alert and alive, this was it. A soft, caring woman.
Kayla Luck.
Kane drew a deep breath. It didn’t matter why he’d come into her life. The fact remained that he had, and, in the process, he’d compromised himself, his principles, his case and his job. Not bad for a night’s work, McDermott. He had to let her go. But the same part of him that wanted to kick himself for getting in too deep also needed to know. Could it all have been one-sided?
He turned toward her, wallet open. “We never agreed on a price, but I’m sure this will cover last night’s…lessons.” She might not think she’d taught him anything. But she had. A very expensive and painful lesson. He tossed the wad of bills onto the bed.
Don’t take the money. His heart seemed to hammer out the words in rapid beats. Furious with himself, he still needed to see her reaction, needed to know what he’d meant to her.
He looked over his shoulder. She’d paused in the process of pulling the baby-blue jacket onto her shoulders.
“What…is…that?”
“You said we’d see how things go.” And they had. He thrust his hand toward the bed where the money sat, glaring and rude. “That’s payment for services rendered.”
CHAPTER FOUR
KAYLA STARED AT THE MONEY on the bed in disbelief. “Payment.” She forced the words from her dry throat.
“You said we’d see how things go.”
Yes, she had…and now she knew. Things had been unbelievable, or so she’d thought. Special, sensual, incredible, fun, she couldn’t come up with enough adjectives to describe how being with Kane had felt. Because he was leaving, she’d decided to slip out before he awoke. No goodbyes, nor forced smiles. No questions, like will I see you again? She’d been foolish enough to hope he’d look her up again on his own, no prompting.
She turned toward the bed. The money marred the mattress where she’d come close to falling hard. For a stranger. Her stomach cramped and she was reminded of another morning after. It’s been real, Kayla. Catch you around sometime. Different man, another notch in some guy’s bedpost. Kane had just been so much better at seducing her into denial before slapping her with reality. Men didn’t want anything real with Kayla Luck. They never had, never would.
She squared her shoulders and forced a brave front. She refused to let him know how deeply he’d wounded her. “You’re right, we never agreed on payment.”
Unable to look into those dark eyes, she kept her gaze trained on a point behind him. “I said we’d see how things went…and…” The green bills caught her eye, mocking the instincts she’d trusted as well as her attempt at composure.
She paused, wanting to slam him, wanting to say last night hadn’t been good enough to accept payment in return. But that wasn’t her nature, though Catherine might have had a choice word or two for a man who’d crossed her, Kayla was different. She bent and grabbed her bag. Perhaps she no longer trusted her judgment in men, but she respected herself enough to be strong until she walked out that door. No man had the right to treat her like a prostitute.
Straightening, she met Kane’s unreadable gaze. “Know what, McDermott? You and your payment can go to hell.” She didn’t know him well, but she’d learned enough last night to catch a flicker of emotion in his eyes now.
Relief mixed with regret? She shook her head, realizing she’d been searching for something to hold onto despite his crude offer. Apparently she harbored unhealthy illusions. For all his suave charm, Kane McDermott was no better than the rest.
Gathering her pride and her jacket, she ran for the door.
Kane didn’t try to stop her.
“NO CASH EXCHANGED HANDS last night. Unless you can claim success, McDermott, I’d say case closed.” Reid approached Kane from behind.
Kane eased back in his chair and forced himself to turn and look his superior in the eye. “She’s clean, boss.”
“Damn.” Captain Reid crumpled a sheet of paper and slammed it into the trash. “Waste of manpower,” the older man grumbled.
“Seems like,” Kane agreed.
“Our informant could be blowing smoke, playing both sides for cash…but the teasers he gave us sounded legit. I really believed certain of our politicians were frequenting that place on the sly.” The captain paced the short length of Kane’s desk and back again before coming to a halt. “Any chance things happened before Ms. Luck’s reign?”
Kane shook his head. “Doesn’t seem possible. Not without her knowing. She was around during the aunt and uncle’s days, she helped them out once in a while with classes and handled the books. Now she’s running the place herself. If there was anything going on then or now, she’d know.”
“Any chance she was tipped off, then turned those lovely charms your way? Any chance she got to you last night?”
“Conned me? None. The lady’s innocent. I’d bet my badge.”
“Really.” The captain raised a knowing eyebrow before settling himself on the edge of the metal desk. “Now that’s a first.”
“What is? I always trust my instincts.”
“But you never put that faith in another human being, especially a lady.” He gave Kane a pointed look. “Until now.” He stood and headed for his office.
Direct hit, Kane thought. He couldn’t avoid the truth any longer. Couldn’t avoid thinking, either, though that’s what he’d tried to do since Kayla’s abrupt departure this morning.
The captain was right. He had put faith in her and he’d let down his guard. For one ridiculous moment, he caught a glimpse of a life different than the solitary one he led. He’d been alone so long without a true connection to another person. But Kayla had shown him there was more than eating, sleeping and working. She’d made him feel alive and, foolishly, he’d wanted more. Not that he could have accepted, considering he was incapable of offering anything substantial in return.
Money in exchange for sex. That was one hell of an offer he’d made. He snorted in disgust. He’d set out to prove she wasn’t a call girl, and had treated her no better than a hooker instead. The wounded look in her eyes hit him harder than when he’d been decked head-on with the butt of a gun. Guilt and regret twisted his insides.
A detective with years of experience questioning suspects, yet he botched the one chance he had with Kayla. In the end he’d done them both a favor. Interpersonal skills weren’t his thing and now she knew it, too. Besides, the lady was too good at breaching his defenses, something he and his line of work couldn’t afford. Letting her go hadn’t been easy, but it had been necessary.
“McDermott.”
Kane raised his gaze toward Reid’s office. “Yeah, boss?”
The older man waved a sheaf of papers in the air. “Report on my desk by tonight. Everything gels, case closed.”
“Right.”
“And you look like hell, so get the paperwork done and, remember what I told you, I don’t want to see your sorry butt in here till the middle of next week.”
Kane opted not to argue. His burning eyes told him he could use the sleep.
First things first. He shoved a sheet of white paper into the typewriter beside his desk. Paperwork would force him to relive last night in all but intimate detail.