She wasn't sure what he meant. She was still reeling from her own complete naïveté. "I made this snatch and grab so easy for you. I told you about the wedding and what suite I would be in."
"You told me how scared you were and how much you wished your mother was still around to give you advice. You told me I shouldn't be ashamed of what I wanted in life, even though I knew I'd shocked the hell out of you when I explained I wanted to find a woman to share with my brothers."
He'd talked about how he'd grown up so poor. How, after his father had left the family, his mother had turned to prostitution to feed them. He'd claimed that he knew what it was like to wear faded, secondhand clothes to school because that was all he and his brother had. She'd cried for him. She'd hung up the phone and cried because she'd felt so much pain for the little boy he had been. "How could you lie like that?"
"None of it was a lie, baby. I told you all about my life. My mother died when I was barely eighteen. I worked two jobs so Riley could finish high school, then I followed Dominic into the Army. I only had to work two jobs because Dominic fed us any cash he could. So the three of us have been family for a really long time." Law put his hands on his hips and blew out a deep breath. "And I'm going to go for broke and lay it out there, Kinley. I think you could be the woman to complete our family because you showed 'Mike' just how sweet and real you are. God, Kinley. You can't listen to your sister or the tabloids. You're smart. You're loyal. You're … damn it, you're just good. And I know that this whole situation is completely fucked up, but I want you-and not just for a few nights. I think I would be a better man with you in my life. In fact, I think you would make us all better."
A million thoughts crashed through her head. Law was Mike, and Mike could act. Such a pretty speech … but what if he'd been sent to win her trust and cajole information from her again. Dominic obviously thought she knew something and wanted the information, but … Was he too angry to ask her the questions himself? Maybe they all just thought she was pathetic enough to fall for the same act twice. Or maybe-
Law leaned over and brushed his lips against hers, cutting off all thought. And breathing.
Her heart pounded. Her skin flared with instant heat. What the devil was that?
He cupped the sides of her face so tenderly, looking at her like she was the key to solving all the mysteries of his universe, so perfect and precious. Kinley found herself standing there in half horror and half anticipation as he took her mouth.
Soft. She hadn't expected his lips to be so soft. Or for time to stand still for one amazing moment. She'd been kissed before, sloppy stolen embraces that had done nothing but make her wonder what all the fuss was about. Even her fiancé's kisses were casual. A peck here. A peck there. He claimed he wanted her to feel securely married when they first had real intimacy, but she'd known the truth. He didn't really want her like that.
The thing was … she'd never cared or thought sex mattered.
Law was making her rethink that. He treated her like she was a sweet to be savored. Like she was something rich, and he was a man who had never tasted anything so good and might never again. Law held her like she was priceless.
She couldn't help but close her eyes and catalogue the moment-the way his nose nestled against hers, his lips nibbling along her lower lip, making her shiver in delight. She took in every gentle brush of his tongue and the fact that each stroke had some electric connection to her nipples. He smelled good, all clean and minty. He'd brushed his teeth before he'd come in because he'd wanted this to happen. He'd wanted to kiss her.
Of course, he'd also duped her, abducted her.
God, she was kissing her kidnapper.
She jerked away, her lips still tingling. "Don't."
Law stared at her, his jaw firming stubbornly. "Kinley, I know none of this makes sense to you now, baby, but it will. I swear. I've been thinking that I'm too rough for you, but I see now that you need a man like me."
"Leave me alone. I don't need a criminal." She backed away, but with every step, her body protested and wanted to run back to him.
"You need all three of us," he insisted. "We're going to take care of you. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I'm crazy about you, Kinley. We're going to make sure Jansen can't hurt you like he did Carrie. Once he's behind bars, if you want to leave, I'll let you go. But I'm going to do everything I can to make you want to stay with us."