Kick Home Exclusive Cut Scene

This scene takes place in Kick Home, after the Poker night, when Thomas, Banger, and Dylan interrupt an interchange between Big Jonn and Kick. They have a small fight in the book, but there may have been some unresolved issues the following morning. (Also, the location has changed from Kick’s house to the farmhouse, but I call artistic license on that one. 😊)

Crossing the Line

Thomas

The toasty warmth and clean-scented air of my kitchen welcomed me home after a hard ride with Eddie. The space was devoid of signs of lunch. Considering Kick’s strict schedule had played a key role in bringing her health back in balance, I was immediately concerned she might not have been feeling well.

The silence was another clue something was off. Was she sleeping or had she left? An emergency, perhaps? I pulled my phone from my pocket—no missed texts.

The downstairs was empty, along with the second floor, leaving my third-floor office. Since we’d blended our lives, Kick had informally taken the first-floor office, while I worked in the third-floor one—my inner sanctum, as she called it. I heard the faint tune of a song from the eighties as I approached the stair. Another quiet sound of sobs made a chill race down my spine.

Oh no.

I sprinted up the steps. I’d meant to tell her about the damn videos, but the time never seemed right to bring it up.

I spotted Kick at my desk. A stone-cold mask shifted into place when she noticed me. My head dropped in shame. I squeezed my eyes shut, pinching the bridge of my nose as I listened to her click through files, knowing exactly what they were—security footage that I’d kept of her from the fall. I should have thrown them out, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Her face turned back to my monitor. In a quiet, detached voice, she stated, “Some over-my-head router issue is happening with my laptop. It wouldn’t let me log in, so I came up here. I suppose… it’s my fault, really.” She double-clicked the mouse. “This file had my name on it. Nosey me wondered if you were working on a surprise.” She looked up. Her cool smile refused to reach her eyes, breaking my heart. “No part of me thought you’d been spying.”

The air was acrid from anxiety—mine—and anger—hers. I ran a frantic hand through my hair. “Swear to Christ, darlin’… meant to tell you about these, but hadn’t figured out how to bring it up.”

“You spied on me.” Kick’s voice stayed deadly calm. I would’ve given anything for her furious temper right then. “This is all kinds of fucked up.”

All my senses woke, but that was my reality now when it came to her. The air in the room seemed to solidify as I struggled to inhale. I shook my head. After all the impossibilities we’d already shared, this couldn’t be the uncrossable line. I started cautiously, pleading, “From the first night we met, I had to make sure you were safe. Somehow, I needed it. No matter what happened between us, I knew I always would.”

“You needed footage of me falling apart? This feels like something Big Jonn would do.”

She was looking at footage from the afternoon of our fight in Mick & Hugh’s, when I tossed Young Jonn out of the store, then Kick threw me out a few minutes later. My spine stiffened and my fists clenched. Did she really believe her words, or were they from shock? How dare she put that man and me in the same category. “I’ve never disrespected you. Graham, on the other hand…”

“Disrespect? Nice,” she scoffed, waving her hand in dismissal of me. “Big Jonn’s arrogant, but also harmless. Okay, you two almost came to loggerheads last night. But he cleared up the gossip articles.”

“You can’t seriously believe him.” She was damn lucky Graham backed off as easily as he had. “The man doesn’t care about you or your boundaries. He behaved because of Jake and Mateo.”

“Do you care about them?” She swept her hand in front of the screen. “This looks like disrespecting my boundaries. I’ve never seen shots from this angle. How are they possible? You crossed a big line here.”

I opened my mouth to add to my defense, but she cut me off. “Especially with this one.” Kick clicked on the video I’d heard on the walk up. A tear slid from her hazel eyes. “This… I can’t abide.”

It was footage of her and Macushla on the patio dancing. She forwarded to the part where she collapsed into a sob on her bench.

She stared at the screen, sounding detached as she watched. “How the fuck is this even possible? Banger’s team didn’t put up cameras at the house until after Halloween. Besides, I’ve never seen an angle like this. It’s like it’s from the light pole.”

“It is—was—on the light pole. Angel took it down when your house was secured.” My fingers slammed through my hair again, making it stand on end. That whole day would forever stay imprinted in my mind. From finding Young Jonn Graham threatening Kick to her throwing me out of the store and possibly out of her life to seeing this and running a search on her. I’d finally understood her and lost her at the same time. But the video… it haunted me.

Her brows scrunched together. “That can’t be legal.”

“It’s Banger,” I explained with a shrug.

“This…this is so…” Kick’s jaw had set, but her eyes held her vulnerability, revealing a heartbroken. I’d done that. Again. “I split in half that night.”

“You weren’t the only one,” I seethed. Damn her for not seeing it, seeing me. I’d been ready to walk away, but then I saw the video and had to stay.

She leveled a pissed-off glare at me. She had me to rights. The bright afternoon light warming the room mocked the darkness settling in my heart. Deep down, I believed we could work past this, though it would hurt like hell.

“Did you notice that’s the last video in the folder?” I asked through gritted teeth. “That night shattered me as much as it did you—”

“I seriously doubt that.”

I raised my hands in surrender. “Fine. It shook me to my core, though. I knew then—”

“Knew what?”

“That I’d do anything to keep you safe. That I was falling for you.”

Kick jumped up and paced the room. Finally, her fury showed, giving me hope. Kick’s temper meant she still cared. Lord help anyone she went cold rock on. They could consider themselves dead to her. “You were falling for me, so you could, what? Stalk me? Did you think feelings justified this intrusion?”

“Yes, but no, too. I told Banger to take me out of the surveillance loop the next morning. I had to trust Banger’s protection would be enough for the both of us.”

She spun on her heel with fury filling her eyes. “Jaysus Thomas! Do you know how this makes me feel? Like I’ve been handled. Or manipulated. I sure as hell never expected it from you.”

Her last comment whipped my head back like I’d been slapped. My temper flared in response. “Of course you were handled, dammit. No one targets a barista for shits and giggles. My instincts were on alert from the first night with the graffiti. Don’t be naïve. The attacks had always been personal. Banger set up a couple of cameras to make sure you weren’t being stalked.”

“Argh!” Kick slammed her hands on the desktop before jumping up.

I cut off any more protests. I’d had enough. “Banger has an entire security team on you. Do you think only Siobhan monitors your feed?”

Kick jammed her hand on her hip. “Where were the other monitors? Did they point inside? Did you watch me in my bedroom?”

Breath shot through my nose like a bull about to charge. “Tell me you’re fucking kidding right now.” I took a step toward her and made myself stop. I was too angry. “Your temper’s doing the talking, not you. You know me better than that. There were two cameras posted in the easement. One caught the front. This one…” I waved at my computer screen, indicating her backyard. “Considering what eventually happened the night of the winter storm. Our instincts had been right.”

Kick stopped moving and became like a statue with her arms folded tightly across her chest. I couldn’t tell if I’d gotten through. I moved a few steps again. She did know me. She knew I’d never purposefully violate her. Didn’t she?

She dropped her arms and took off, charging for the stairs. A sharp spark shot between us when I reached for her arm, to keep her near, to keep her talking. Suddenly, I was terrified she’d leave the house and never return.

Kick shouted at the sting, pulling her hand into her abdomen. “Don’t follow me!”

I bent down to pet a shaking Macushla as her mama stormed down the steps. “She’ll be fine, girl. Won’t she?” The dog answered by licking my hand hesitantly. I didn’t know if it was to reassure or console me.

 Benefit of the Doubt

Kick

The back door slammed shut after I stomped over the threshold into the chilly March afternoon, without a jacket and shoes. Cold usually made my joints hurt, so I tried to avoid it at all costs. Furious to my marrow, the chill had no effect on me at the moment. Or I just didn’t care.

I trudged through the backyard and down the path to the clearing. Roots and slick debris on the ground nearly stopped my progress. The pond seemed to call to me, and pride kept me moving that way.

I’d heard gunshots earlier, figuring Banger was practicing on the range. Part of me hoped he was still hanging around, so I could give him a piece of my mind. Another part of me wanted him to be long gone. I wasn’t about to get into a battle over semantics with him or Thomas. They were dead wrong for spying on my most intimate moment—the night I broke apart only to have Shane knit me back together. I didn’t care if they’d been in a half-panic over a hunch. Didn’t care they’d been right all along, either.

I halted at the water’s edge. The air was so brisk, even the sunrays felt cold. Thomas had hurt me. He should’ve said something as soon as we declared our feelings. But I’d also hurt him by not listening to his reasons or seeing his side. Did embarrassment fire my temper over knowing Banger’s people and Thomas had watched my breakdown? Or did guilt? The peaty air filled my nose, thinning the foggy swirl of my thoughts.

Thomas had been truthful about the footage in the garden being the last file. I hadn’t noticed anything from inside my house, even though I’d accused him of it. I also hadn’t told him about my impossible encounter with Shane. Is that what set me off? Thomas had bumped up against a secret I didn’t understand myself. I sure as hell couldn’t explain it to Thomas. And how silly did that sound, considering everything I knew about the Felidae?

I growled in frustration at a couple of Canada geese doing laps around the pond. Thomas was right. I’d given an entire security team permission to see those files. If Banger’s people could see my most sensitive moments, why wouldn’t I let the man I love in on it? That was easy to answer. None of them should’ve been watching me that night. They’d taken an advantage I hadn’t given them, especially Thomas. My cluelessness about the extent of my troubles back then didn’t matter.

Anger at the situation spread up my spine again. The truth stared me straight in the face. Like picking at a scab, I had to admit my family needed help to stay safe. Even with the security improvements, I kept trying to fix everything myself. The bottom line was I could be vulnerable to the people set on hurting us or to those protecting us. But vulnerability was unavoidable either way.

A new goose landed in the pond opposite the couple. They showed no quarter as they furiously chased him off, probably protecting a nest in the woods. Feathers landed all around the first male as the interloper fled, and I was thankful. The fight would’ve been brutal. And wasn’t that my current situation? The things we’d do to protect our own. Even kill. All my life, I’d wanted a healthy family life. I couldn’t defend it on my own. I needed my partner too, and whoever else was willing to fight alongside us. Hell, I’d asked Banger to set up a camera in Rachel’s apartment parking lot and never asked whether permission had been granted for it.

I squatted down and wrapped my maxi skirt tight to my ankles, then vigorously rubbed my calves. The chill finally penetrated my adrenaline-fueled state, sparking some sense in me. Pain quickly set in too. Mud seeping through my socks, squished between my toes. I dropped my head to my knees in frustration. I’d been an idiot. Thomas deserved the benefit of the doubt, not a presumption of evil intentions.

I had reacted… like my mother would. Fuck. Forty-seven years old and I still defaulted to behavior that I’d learned under her tutelage. Being like Bobby was the worst kind of insult and totally accurate in this instance. I’d treated Thomas as an enemy instead of an ally, thanks to my embarrassment over the night itself.

I remembered all the times Bobby had been her most lethal. Her meanness came out when she felt she had an advantage. However, she was lethal when she perceived herself as weak. I had to kill that part of me immediately or Thomas and I wouldn’t last. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I brushed a few away, then let the rest slide unimpeded, as they cleansed the shame.

 The first sensations to hit me when I opened the mudroom door were the smell of brewed coffee, then the heat. Pain sliced through my nose on the inhale, thanks to the contrast in temperatures between outside and in. Briskly rubbing my hands together and holding them over my face, I exhaled, hoping to thaw out quicker. The socks came off next, dropping them straight into the garbage can. My nerves turned into sharp knives as my body warmed.

Still amped with adrenaline, I didn’t dare touch the coffee. I heard the light tapping of computer keys from the first-floor office and was pulled toward Thomas. The need to make this right was foremost. My body would have to come up to temperature without any help.

Heading straight for the doorway without thinking of cleaning up, I found Thomas at the desk with my laptop. His furrowed brow stirred my shame again. I’d put that concerned and hurt expression on his handsome face.

“Your log-in problem is fixed.” He didn’t bother to look at me as he clipped his words.

“Thanks, but—”

Thomas looked up at me. What I saw cut off my next thought. His silver eyes had darkened to a cold charcoal, like he was gearing up for war. My chest lifted in self-defense, but I owed it to him to make the first move.

I inhaled and finished my thought. “I screwed up. I was surprised and hurt that you took liberties before they’d been given. I was so mad, I wanted to spit… or kick you. However, you were right too. I never considered how many eyes are on my security footage every day. In the end, you’ve always been on my side, my champion. I shouldn’t have treated you as if you were one of those who have harassed me. I don’t like being vulnerable, and I took it out on you.”

Thomas looked shocked at my change in direction. Didn’t that convict me more? I bit my lip, wondering what he’d do now.

Trying his best to stifle a smirk, Thomas swiveled the desk chair toward me, spread his knees wide, and held his hands out. “If you’re that mad, just go for the balls.”

“What?” Scrunching my nose at his lunacy, I tittered at the comment. “No way. No one gets to hurt them. Not even me.”

“You still want them, then?” He challenged me with a lifted eyebrow.

I matched his brow lift, adding a curt nod. I had more to say though. “I’m upset over the timing. Call me naïve, I don’t care, but I didn’t know Banger had given you access to my files. One of you should’ve said something.”

Thomas rolled his shoulders and raked his fingers through his shaggy hair. “I’d do it all over again.”

I threw my hands in the air in frustration. How could he not see my perspective?

“You weren’t supposed to happen.” Thomas spat out, his hand slapping his thigh. “You’ve upended me from the beginning.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “Are we having a pissing contest about whose life changed more? Hello? Felidae, anyone?”

His expression moved from defensiveness to doubt to surrender as he stared at me. “You know you’re my heartbeat and the air I breathe?” I knew and trusted in the depth of his feelings for me, but I’d never considered how quickly they might have developed before he said anything.

I rolled my eyes, instantly regretting the move when Thomas winced. “Sue me for the cheesy words, but they fit.” He continued, “You’ve got to admit your life’s been in danger since the day we met. When I was overseas, it drove me crazy being so far away, not knowing if you were safe. You’d already made these… in-roads into my locked-up heart. It exposed me to vulnerability again. I didn’t know what to do about it. So, yeah, I had Banger loop me into the feed reports. The alternative was a constant stream of phone calls, making sure he did everything possible to protect you.”

Thomas let out a shaky breath. “It wasn’t about stalking you, darlin’. My soul needed easing. Don’t you get it? Your safety has never been optional for me.” His head dropped. Since he’d never displayed shame over his emotions, I interpreted his posture as conflict.

“Yes. I get it.” I moved to the desk, leaning my hip on the end.

He lifted his gaze. “You do?” His eyes lighted with surprise and a dash of hope. The desperation and defensive set to his jaw vanished.

My heart eased as a grin raised the corner of my mouth. “Did I let you off the hook too easily?”

Thomas reached for my hips and shifted me between his legs. “Christ no. For a while, I thought I’d done the unforgivable.”

“People do a lot of fucked up stuff when they’re in love.” I leaned on my hands and tilted my head to the side. “I can’t fathom you doing anything I couldn’t forgive, though. Never. Sometimes, I will need a moment to clear my thoughts.”

He ran his hands up my back and down my thighs. “Christ, you’re freezing. Didn’t you grab a coat?” Thomas’s hand traveled down my leg, lifting my foot. His eyes widened in surprise at the dirt and scrapes on my soles. “Or shoes?”

“Case in point to what I just said?” I sat on top of the desk, closed the laptop, and slid it out of the way.

Thomas rucked up my skirt to where it was clean, or at least good enough to wipe my feet. A wisp of air from the floor register caught in the open space and fluttered the rest of the material up.

“Mmm.” His eyes hooded as his hands reached farther up.

The differences in our body heat caused more stabbing pain in my legs as the circulation returned. Placing a foot against his chest, I pushed Thomas back against the leather desk chair. The air blew my hem higher, but I didn’t care. “Listen, pal, there are some things I need to be certain you understand.” One of those cursed jolts that happened whenever we were angry shot through me at our touch. It ran up my leg and beyond. “Shit!” My foot lifted for a brief second until I set it hesitantly back in his lap. “What the hell?”

“I’ve never minded the sting.” A devilish grin spread across Thomas’s face as he examined my muddy legs. The only recognition he’d also felt the charge came from a flex in his jaw. “Not where you’re concerned.” A molten gaze lifted to mine as his hand moved to his balls. He didn’t adjust himself, though. He grabbed my ankle and rubbed my sole against him, letting me know where the jolt landed.

“Stop lusting and listen. Please.” I leaned in, snapping my fingers in front of him. I’d forgotten I wasn’t wearing a bra. Well, it was a Sunday. The scoop-necked tee impeded my efforts to make a point as his eyes glazed over. That lust-filled glare moved from my chest up to my face. Love softened both the blue in his eyes and the cold steel in his voice. “I’m listening. Say everything you need.”

My foot stayed on his tight abs while the other one rested on the seat along his thigh. I clasped my hands in my lap. “I was a bitch. I admit to needing physical protection, even if I didn’t understand it before. But…” I pressed harder into him. “I’m also no longer the wilting flower who cowed in the shadow of a big, strong man. I fight my battles now. Hell, I’ve fought the wicked witch my whole life. Honestly, the boogeyman doesn’t frighten me as much as he pisses me off.”

“You think you cowed behind Shane?” Interesting. That was what Thomas picked up from my speech.

“Yes. He and Dad. I relied too heavily on the safety of their shadows.” A shiver ran through me. “Don’t know if I’d be as far along in my recovery if I hadn’t been forced to face life out in the open though.”

Thomas shook his head. “Seriously doubt it.” He pulled his chair up to the desk and scooted my ass closer to him. His eyes followed his hands as they rhythmically rubbed up and back. “They gave you what you needed. I’m trying to do the same. Or do you question that?

“Not at all. Only… you need to hear this, Cowboy. I… I’m done being patronized. And I won’t be owned.” My foot moved south, rubbing his hard cock through his jeans.

“Patronizing? Darlin’, I respect no one more than you. I hang on to your opinions. I have since we first met.” His eyes darkened. “As for owning…” He lurched forward, reaching all the way up my skirt. With the tips of his fingers and a little help from me, Thomas slid my underwear off and threw it on the floor somewhere, leaving me exposed in a good way. “Damn right. I claim ownership of you.” He laid his head between my legs and spent a moment nuzzling. Those dark irises turned liquid as they lifted back to mine. “What I’ve been trying to tell you is… you own me too.”

The tip of Thomas’s straight Roman nose tickled as it softly stroked along one thigh, then the other. Caressing, as he breathed me in. Watching him, as those criminally long, black lashes touched his cheek, he took my breath away. Yeah, I understood why he had those videos. And I probably would’ve done the same, if I were in his shoes.

The truth of the thought struck deep and quick in my heart. Thomas did own it and my body, not because of some outdated social order, but because I needed him too. Own me? Hell, I wanted him to inhabit me.

My muscles twitch with the need to give him more, to give him everything. But he wrapped his hands around me, holding me in place. His nose slid into my exposed folds, and he gently blew on my clit. A better jolt shot through me—the kind that hummed and set my aura free.

Thomas groaned as he licked along my seam. The sensation mixed with his love set my body aflame. “Damnitall, you own me. All of me.” He placed each of my ankles on his shoulders, forcing me to lean on my elbows. “So beautiful.” Then Thomas grabbed my hips and pulled me toward his mouth. “I accept your apology, Baby. Now watch me give you mine.”

Thank you for reading this exclusive cut scene from Kick Home. If you still need to read the bonus scene from Kick Start, you can find it at the link here.

If you still need to read Kick Home or any of the Southern Oaks books, no worries. Click this link.

If you’ve read ALL THE THINGS and want to know what to do next, a review at your retailer or favorite review site, would make my day. More importantly, it’s the BEST way for you to recommend the series to like-minded readers. Seriously. Those little sales bots are super smart and will show books you like to strangers who have liked other things you like. (That’s a lot of liking.)

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Finally, I’m thrilled to share that Kick’s best friend, Cyndi has a book coming out soon. It’s a second chance, single dad, office fling romance called Love You Better. You can find more about it here.