Too Close by Sasha White Page B

her lips, but said nothing.  
    No words were needed.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

    “You’re thinking with your dick, buddy.”  
    “Leave it alone, Jack.”  
    Kane knew it was too much to ask that Jack wouldn’t comment on Vanessa’s visit the day before. Especially when he’d let it slip that morning about meeting her for a late dinner the night before.  
    The dinner had been great. They’d walked down the street and grabbed pizza at a small hole in the wall place. Seated on the plastic stools at the chipped countertop, he’d felt himself falling harder for the woman next to him. Not only was she sexy as hell, she was intelligent and funny too. They’d spent the whole hour talking about everything and anything, except the past. She didn’t ask about his family and he didn’t ask about hers. There was none of the life history getting-to-know-you shit. It had all been about who they were now, not how they got to be there.
    “You think because you’ve fucked her you know her? Kane, think about it. What do you really know about her?”
    “She’s an Oilers fan, and she’s never tried to tie me up.”
    “I think she doesn’t need to tie you up. She’s already got you right where she wants you.” Jack tossed a file in his lap and limped away.  
    With a heavy sigh Kane picked up the folder. What was his problem? He’d only gotten a glimpse at Vanessa the day before and he had an instant dislike for her? It wasn’t like Jack to judge anyone so quickly.  
    Kane flipped open the file and started reading only to feel pain slice into his chest.  
    Vanessa Lawson had a record.  

    Vanessa’s heels clacked against the concrete steps that led to the entrance to Chains. She’d called the owner the night before and he’d extended her an invitation, said he would put her name on the list at the door. When they reached the bottom of the steps there was a huge WWF look-alike in leather pants and a mesh t-shirt guarding the door. She glanced at Kane, humor tickling at the back of her throat, but when he met her gaze his eyes were quiet.  
    He’d been quiet ever since he picked her up, but she just thought he was apprehensive about facing another alternative crowd. But she couldn’t kid herself anymore. Something was wrong. The connection she’d thought they had was gone.  
    “Vanessa, from The O Club,” she told the bouncer.
    He nodded his head and opened the door for them. Loud throbbing music blasted up from even more stairs, making it hard to think. When she reached the bottom of the stairwell, it opened up into a large cavernous room. The basement bar was dark and dingy. The music was loud and throbbing, and the crowd was moistly male.
    It was then that she realized that the Private night wasn’t for a BDSM crowd, but a gay one. “I got you in the door, but I’m afraid I’m not going to be of much help with anything else. This isn’t the type of crowd that will be open to me.”    
    Kane’s face tightened even more when it became clear to him what she’d meant. His neck turned red, but that was the only outward sign of his discomfort.
    “I see several women here. Let’s have a drink anyway. I was told there’d be a bondage demonstration and I want to see who does it.”  
    Kane’s hand burned at the small of her back as he steered her toward the bar. The second they were there he removed it and she bit her lip. There was obviously something on his mind, something that made him pull away from her, and she wasn’t sure what to do about it.  
    This was why relationships sucked. She’d pretty much laid herself out for him, and he closed her out. What was the point? The sex was good. Okay, it was great, but was it worth the pain that was creeping into her heart?  
    They sipped their drinks silently. A couple of guys eyed Kane boldly as they passed – he did look yummy in a black t-shirt that molded to his muscles and loosely fitted jeans – but no one approached them.  
    Then a pretty redhead