Chapter 3 Call Me Kane

FIONA

Sitting in a café, I toyed with a napkin while waiting for Kane McGregor. I was nervous and at the same time intrigued by the whole situation. I looked up and saw him casually stroll in with a confident stride, as if he owned the place.

He scanned the room and then held my gaze as he approached my table.

I felt a little self-conscious, wishing I'd changed out of my waitress uniform, especially since he looked more stylish in his suit.

I rose to my feet and extended my hand. "Mr. McGregor."

"Please," he began with a warm smile. "Mr. McGregor is my father; call me Kane."

I nodded. "Kane it is. Pleasure to meet you...er, officially."

He stared at me curiously, and I noticed he had a firm grip on my hand. I pulled it away; he murmured an apology and sat.

We ordered coffee.

"Wow, it's really you." I said after the waitress brought two hot steamy mugs.

He leaned forward. "Were you expecting someone else?"

I felt the blood in my cheeks rise. "I shouldn't be ungrateful, but I wasn't expecting the man who suggested a threesome with his date to save my life."

Kane nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "Imagine if you said yes."

He broke into a laugh and stopped when he realized I didn't join in. I narrowed my eyes on him.

"Relax, I'm kidding." He cleared his throat. "How do you feel?"

"Traumatized, but I'll live." I responded.

He frowned slightly. "Frankly, I'm disappointed you're not pressing charges against Crompton."

Crompton was my attacker's name. "He's getting twenty-four months in jail anyway."

"He should be getting more. I don't like men who hit women." Kane said in a hushed tone. "I should confess, I didn't like the way he looked at you afterwards; maybe if I'd said something, you wouldn't have that black eye. I had to hold back; otherwise, I would have broken something more than a few ribs."

His blue eyes were sincere, protective even, and I believed him. "Thank you, Mr. Kane. I'm glad you were there, and if there's anything I can do to repay you, let me know."

"Just Kane," he replied. "You don't have to repay me, Fiona; just be careful out there."

He called me by name for the first time, and it felt surprisingly good. We held eye contact for a few seconds, and I could swear the air around us grew thin.

I finally looked away and rose to my feet. "Kane, I'm sorry I have to get back to work."

His eyes sparkled with surprise. "Work?"

"I'm actually supposed to be on my lunch break, so..." I unzipped my purse to search for money.

Kane stood. "But...it's only been a week; don't you need time to recover from all this?"

I shrugged. "I don't get out-of-work benefits, and I could use the distraction."

He refused my offer to pay and tossed a few bills on the table. He held the door open for me, and we walked down the sidewalk.

"I thought you worked at Templeton's." He pointed at my red polo.

"This is my second...my only job." I said sheepishly. "For now."

He seemed surprised at the information. "I'm sorry, but did you just say you have two jobs?"

"Yes," I nodded. "People do that to cover their bills." Or college debt.

He grunted a little. "I can barely stand my only job, Fiona. Look, take some time off work, and I can provide the benefits you need."

I turned to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"Fiona, look at your face; that makeup barely covers the bruise," he said in a hard tone. "Whatever you need, I can have my assistant mail it to you."

I gripped my fists hard and scoffed with humor. "If you didn't just save my life, I'd say you were trying to control it. Why would you even suggest that?"

He shrugged. "I'm not controlling you; it's because..."

He reached for my face, and I flinched automatically.

"Because of that." He pointed out.

"So, I'm a little jumpy, but that doesn't give you the right to decide what I can and can't do!" I used a tone reserved for toddlers. "I don't need your charity."

"You want to repay me, right?" He asked.

I narrowed my eyes, unsure of what to say.

"Then go home." He spoke softly. "Okay?"

I thought about the looks my coworkers gave me. Maybe I should take the opportunity.

"Fine," I nodded. "But no benefits."

His lips quivered a bit. "Deal."

The sun was high up, and traffic moved on the street, but all I could focus on was Kane. He leaned forward to give me a friendly hug, and I accepted it. His male cologne enveloped me. But as he started to pull away, our lips were a breath away.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I pushed my lips against his. I heard him suck his breath in out of surprise, and slowly our lips moved against each other, and we leapt apart.

I felt a flood of emotions-shock and excitement-leaving me almost breathless.

Oh God.

What was I thinking, kissing a stranger? But the spark between us felt so right.

Kane recovered quickly. "I'll be seeing you, Fiona."

Then he walked back where we came from, leaving me out of breath and dazed.

* * * * * * * *

In the following days, as I stayed home to heal, Kane visited my apartment, bringing flowers and ethnic food. He was as kind as he was clueless about how a dishwasher worked.

We had Chinese takeout for dinner one evening.

"Seriously?" I asked while watching him stare at the buttons of the machine.

"Well, considering we had Nicole, I didn't think it was necessary." He replied with a shrug.

"Who's Nicole?" I asked as I pushed the on button; the machine roared to life.

"My family's housekeeper," Kane answered. "She's pretty amazing and makes the best dessert."

I nodded. "Thanks for everything, Kane; you didn't have to bring me-"

Kane leaned down with a firm look. "I thought we agreed on not thanking Fiona often. I want to do this. So, tell me about you."

I sighed a bit as we took a seat on stools. "What's to tell? I grew up in New York, and I've always wanted to be a chef since I watched an episode of Hell's Kitchen. I moved to Boston to have a little chance of success. Don't get me wrong, New York's great, but...I feel like I belong here."

He gave a slow nod. "I enjoyed that pie you made. I can say you've got the knack for cooking."

I smiled. "Yeah, I could tell by the way you ate two slices at a go."

He folded his toned arms across his chest; I could tell he worked out a lot. "You don't have a lot of friends besides Louise."

"Oh, not really; some of them moved away."

"Not even a boyfriend?"

My heart caught in my throat, reminding me of that kiss we shared. I shook my head.

His blue eyes sparkled a little. "Well, that's a relief."

I narrowed my eyes on him. "Excuse me?"

He stared at me. "I mean, otherwise that kiss would have been awkward. I couldn't stop thinking about it, Fiona, and believe me, I'm not the kind of man who lies awake at night thinking-"

I sucked in a deep breath. "I get it, McGregor, I'm not your type-"

He frowned. "That's not what I-"

"Except in bed." I stood up, rubbing the tension off my forehead. "You should go. Like, right now."

He stepped in front of me. "Have I said something wrong? You're a beautiful woman, Fiona. I can't tell what I'm getting into, but I've liked you from the night we met. I don't want to make this hard because of what happened."

I folded my arms with a questioning gaze at him. "Kane, I'm not broken. I thought about you too, and life's taught me to be realistic. I don't play games-"

He silenced me with a quick kiss; our lips circled each other with desire. I reached for his cheek, and he drew me closer to him.

* * * * * * * *

Across the street, a scar-faced man sat in a black sedan, watching Fiona and Kane kissing through his binoculars. He flashed a crooked smile and whistled as he drove away.

"See you soon, Fiona."