by Gigi Thomas
CHAPTER EIGHT
Knight in Tarnished Armor
It was late September, and the new living arrangements had been in effect for over a month. After a bit of growing pains, it seemed to be working out quite well. Kenya occasionally stayed in London if she had late evening or early morning meetings. She wanted to stay as independent as possible, when she stayed at the castle, so she tried to commute on her own as often as she could. Usually Kenya still needed one of the cars to drive her to the train station, but from there she could get to the city easily.
Caden didn’t exactly take public transportation, so he either drove or had one of the cars take him into the city. Every now and then, Kenya had to accept a ride from him, if she was running late or when it was pouring, but she tried to maintain as much separation between herself and Caden as possible. It was bad enough that they were basically living together; she did not want any other lines to get blurred. It was simply a mutually beneficial relationship.
Kenya had just wrapped up a meeting, and the men convinced her to join them at the bar next door to wait out the rain. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but she knew how important it was to maintain those connections and how often relationships are built outside of the office. Kenya was so close to securing this deal for her company, but not quite there. She agreed to go with them for one drink, but three beers and two martinis later, they still would not let her leave.
Even though they spoke the same language, Kenya soon realized the British customs and the American ones differed greatly. Their proffered drinks were like olive branches for her to accept in order to keep the peaceful negotiations going. Kenya knew she couldn’t keep this going for much longer.
She had promised Caydee that she would read to her and tuck her in tonight. With the busy week, Kenya hadn’t been back to Hargrove Castle in three days. She wanted to see her daughter as much as Caydee wanted to see her, but Kenya was struggling to get out of the bar diplomatically. She was trying her best to leave, and she had almost made it to the door, when the appeal started again.
“No, Miss Morris you can’t leave,” one of the men said.
“Yes, you must have another drink with us,” said another.
“I’m not sure I can keep up with you all,” Kenya teased. “You must drink alcohol for breakfast.”
“Only on days ending with Y,” an older ruddy-faced man answered, causing the rest to burst into laughter.
“Besides, we insist!”
“I’m sorry gentlemen, I—”
“Come Miss Morris. Kenya,” Maxwell, a handsome broad-shouldered lawyer with jet-black hair and olive skin, took her hand, holding it firmly to prevent her departure. With determination in his sultry eyes, he pulled her towards him, catching her at the elbows. “We insist.”
“I have drunk far too much already,” she said backing away and wriggling out of his demanding grasp.
Maxwell still held onto her hand and stepped closer. As she took another step back, Kenya bumped into someone solid whose hand held her at the waist. It was done with a familiarity that surprised her. She turned to look over her shoulder and, looking up, saw Caden’s brooding expression. He glared at Maxwell and snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her slightly closer to him.
“Caden, what are you doing here?” she asked, her voice dancing with surprise.
“I brought the car so we could go home together, as the rain is... unwelcome.” His eyes were locked with Maxwell’s and Kenya could feel the tension in his chest as his heartbeat pounded with fury against her back. “Besides, you promised our daughter that you would put her to bed tonight. I knew you wouldn’t want to be late.”
“How considerate.” Kenya narrowed her eyes at him, but as she was sailing past tipsy and into drunk, it didn’t have the desired effect. It just made her vision blurry. Ignoring him for a moment, she returned her attention to the group. “Well, thank you gentlemen. I will see you all next week, so we can finalize everything.”
They said their goodbyes, and Kenya and Caden departed.
“What the hell was that?” Kenya hissed, as soon as they were outside.
“Was what?”
“Putting our daughter to bed. Seriously? Was that necessary? You’re embarrassing. I felt as if I was being scolded by my dad or something.” She stood under Caden’s umbrella as the driver held the door of the Rolls Royce open for them.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want to stay longer with your...your reverse-harem?”
“My reverse harem? Really? You’re ridiculous.” Kenya crawled into the back seat, her round bum, in the stretchy pencil skirt, seductively moving side to side. She took a seat and continued. “And, I was fine.”
“No, you weren’t,” Caden said, sliding in beside her.
After taking the umbrella and closing the door behind Caden, the driver immediately returned to his seat and began their journey.
“Besides, how long was it that you’ve been trying to go and they wouldn’t let you leave?” Caden asked.
“Wait...what?” Kenya turned to Caden, eyebrow raised. “How long had you been in there? Were you spying on me or something?”
“I...I wasn’t spying,” Caden sputtered, realizing how bad it sounded. “I came to pick you up. Then I saw you were...occupied.”
“With my reverse-harem, right?”
“Well, you were the only woman there.”
“So! I’m often the only woman when I meet with clients. It goes with the territory in my job.”
“Well that territory probably shouldn’t include pubs then. You should’ve at least told them that you were in a relationship. That you had a partner or something.”
“But, I don’t. Why should I lie?”
“So, they will know to stop bothering you.”
“Why do I need to make up a partner, anyway? Why do I need to invent some imaginary man to protect me?” Kenya challenged. ”Trust me; I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it my whole life. Besides, my father was Special Forces: I’ve been trained to protect myself better than most men can. So, I don’t need you riding in to be my knight in...tarnished armor.”
“I didn’t make the world the way it is, Kenya. And, I’m not saying it’s okay. But, guys like that only understand one thing.”
“Is that what you are going to tell our daughter, Caden? That she has to depend on some man to save and protect her. Is she supposed to be some damsel perpetually in distress? Because, I know depending on a man for security is the worst thing a woman can do. The only one a woman can depend on is herself. Everyone else has an agenda. Guys will tell you what they know you want to hear to get what they want, and they just disappear when they’ve gotten it, without a word, leaving you to pick up the pieces.”
“I’d start by telling her not to go out and get drunk with men she hardly knows. Because, you know what? You can’t protect yourself, if you’re unconscious!” Caden barked, in response to the sting of her words.
He knew he didn’t have the right to be upset by seeing Kenya surrounded by a group of men. He was overstepping his bounds. He reached for the intercom and told the driver to stop by his house first, since it was closer. Kenya needed a meal, and probably a shower, to sober her up before she could see Caydee. With a sigh, he looked over to Kenya, who was slumping over in her seat, as she struggled to take off her shoes.
“Blimey, Kenya! You know you can’t drink liquor.” After setting her back onto the seat, he reached down and lifted her legs onto his lap. “What would’ve happened if I hadn’t come by, huh?”
“Nothing would’ve happened. They are just colleagues.”
“Just colleagues? Right.” Caden muttered, as he undid the straps of her right shoe. “As if that man doesn’t want to open much more than your portfolio.”
“Which man?”
“Which man?” Caden looked to her in disbelief, as he began removing her left shoe. “The man who kept...touching you,” he growled. The man whose appendages I wanted to cut off individually, Cade
n thought. He decided it would be best to keep that bit to himself. Though the rest weren’t far behind, and he could see their attraction to her, that wanker was especially grabby. “It’s obvious what that prat wants.”
“And what do you want?” she asked, eyebrow raised with slight smile
Caden was surprised to have the tables turned on him. He had let too much emotion seep into that critique. When he realized that he still held Kenya’s legs on his lap and that he’d been stroking her calf, he quickly released her.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I mean, why are you so annoyed, Baron Hargrove? Is it because someone else might be opening my portfolio?” Clutching his tie, Kenya pulled Caden closer and whispered, “Or maybe it’s because you still think you’re the best man for the job.”
“Don’t.” Caden loosened her grip and returned to his full height. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“What’s wrong?” Kenya teased, capturing his tie again. Using the tie as leverage, instead of pulling Caden to her, this time she pulled herself onto his lap. The movement caused Kenya’s skirt to rise and the fabric to tighten around Caden’s neck, choking him a bit.
Caden swallowed hard, and his hands unconsciously reached to caress her smooth chocolate thighs. He groaned when Kenya kissed his jaw, his fingers clutching her just above her knees, as he felt himself hardening.
“Mmm,” Kenya moaned in his ear.
She shifted forward, and Caden, eyes closed, inhaled a slow hiss as she sat on his growing erection. She was still holding onto his tie and, Kenya looped the silk fabric around her hand and yanked his head closer. Caden opened his eyes to meet hers. Their faces an inch apart, he tried everything to maintain his self-control.
“Kenya,” he warned through gritted teeth, his eyes burning with frustrated desire.
“Tell me. This is what you want isn’t it, Cay? To show me that you can still fuck me like no one else can?” Kenya smirked. With a disdainful sound, she released his tie causing Caden’s head to jerk back against the seat. She began to slide off his lap and back to her seat beside him.
“Yes.” One hand caught Kenya by the waist and pulled her back to his lap. The other hand stole into Kenya’s hair, with a merciless grip. “That’s exactly what I want.” Caden brought her face to his, smashing their lips together in a punishing kiss.
When he finally released her, Kenya pulled away. She no longer sat on his erection, but further back on his lap. She stared at him for a few moments, her chest heaving. She was going to slap him. He could tell by the look in her eyes.
Even though she’d started it, Caden knew she was just taunting him, trying to prove a point. Well, congratulations Kenya, he thought bitterly, you proved your point! Yes, he was jealous. Could she blame him? His temper had flared watching those men swarming around her like flies around honey. Yes, he still wanted her. Unfortunately, wanting Kenya and being able to have her were entirely different. Caden knew that all too well. But, Kenya had called him Cay, for fuck’s sake! How was he supposed to control himself? It had been years since he’d heard her say that.
Caden didn’t know how or why Kenya’s mind changed, just that she reached forward, cupped his face in her hands, and returned the kiss with vehemence. Any self-control he had was lost. His hands made their way up her thighs, caressing and massaging them before slipping under her skirt and sliding it higher to free the movement of her legs. Caden slumped down further in the seat, pulling Kenya more squarely atop him. He raised her skirt to her waist and, slipping inside her panties, began squeezing and massaging her plump ass. He moaned as Kenya’s warmth rubbed against his hardness, and his hips moved in tandem with hers.
Moving to her upper body, he quickly removed Kenya’s fitted blazer, throwing it onto the floor of the car. One hand went to her back, pulling her closer; the other moved up to massage her breasts. She sighed with pleasure in his ears, as he moved his kisses to her neck.
It was after he moved his hands back to her breasts and began unbuttoning her shirt that Caden’s prudence began to catch up with his impulsiveness. What was he doing? He shouldn’t have allowed himself to lose control like that. While he was thinking this, Caden was letting Kenya unbutton his own shirt and helping her remove his blazer.
“Ahh...Yaya,” Caden moaned as she moved her hips back and forth, rubbing her warmth against his ready erection. He couldn’t control his physical response, and used his hands now in an attempt to stop her movement. “Wait... wait!” He needed to catch his breath. “You’re drunk,” he reminded her.
“I don’t care,” she said, unbuckling his belt.
Was she serious right now? How much did she have to drink? And, how the hell was he supposed to refuse her with her body writhing atop him? His desire for her was like a bull, raging to break out of its pen. He’d seen red, and all he wanted was to charge. No, he thought shaking his head. Whether from Kenya, God, the universe, this was a test. Caden knew that. A very very cruel fucking test, but a test just the same. Even though it may not matter to her now, tomorrow it would matter. Tomorrow, she would kill him for this. Besides, it would just show her that he was a ponce, no better than the men he was berating if he took advantage of her when she was drunk. He captured her wrists in his hands and removed them from his pants.
“Cay, I want you. I want you so badly.”
“Do you?” Caden asked, losing control again. One hand moved between her thighs, and he began rubbing her heated center before slipping inside her panties. He nibbled on her ear. “Is that for me?” he asked, as his fingers played with her delicious wetness.
“Yes,” Kenya whispered, her hips rocking back and forth against his curious fingers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought their mouths back together.
Okay, he could not have sex with her. Caden had already made that decision. But, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t please her. It would only be taking advantage of her if he let her please him, right? If Kenya kept trying to have sex, Caden knew he didn’t have the ability to keep refusing her. But, if he made her orgasm then maybe she would be fine. Satisfied. And, she wouldn’t be mad at him tomorrow.
“Bloody hell!” he said, as he slipped his finger into her. Reveling in the feeling of her canal wrapping around his digit, he began to move inside her with powerful strokes. “Damn, Yaya. You’re so tight.”
He had changed their position and sat with his long legs apart. Kenya lay across his lap, her upper body propped up by his arm and her butt seated in the valley created by the separation of his thighs. Caden leaned over her as he continued his handiwork with more vigor. At the sound of Kenya’s moans in his hear, Caden quickened his pace. The hand of the arm that held her was teasing one of her breasts while he sucked and bit the nipple of the other through her bra.
“You like that, Yaya?” As he drilled her tightness with his finger, he was imagining that he was inside her.
“Yes...ohh...Yes!” Kenya moaned and whimpered as he played with her like an expert, doing all the things he knew she liked. “Aww...yah, Cay!”
“Are you going to cum?” he murmured, as he kissed her neck.
“Yes,” Kenya whispered, her eyes closed.
“Mmm...Good. Cum for me, Yaya,” he ordered as he increased his machinations.
Caden bit his lip at the sight of her. This was supposed to be the safe alternative, but watching Kenya as she began to climax in his arms was making him even more aroused. Just as Caden thought he would succeed in wrapping this up before all was lost, Kenya did the unthinkable.
“Aww...Yaya” he groaned, as Kenya slipped her hand into his pants.
Reveling in the feeling of her fingers wrapping around his throbbing erection and her hand’s slow determined strokes, Caden closed his eyes. Once again, all he could think about was how much he wanted to be inside her wet heat again. It was too much to bear, and Caden began to moan, his hips gyrating as he went back and forth in the tunnel of her hand.
“Wait...fuck!”
He’d forgotten about the plan.
Caden sat up, pulling Kenya with him, and captured her hands at her wrists, this time restraining them behind her back in an attempt to stop her. Unfortunately, the position also forced Kenya’s back to arch and thrust out her breasts toward him. They burst against the strained bra, her hard nipples pointing at him. Kenya leaned forward, bringing her lips to his, and Caden immediately capitulated. He released her hands, his own reaching around her waist and into her hair as his tongue explored her mouth more thoroughly. Any foolish thoughts Caden had about self-control were now completely abandoned. He flipped Kenya onto her back on the car seat, so he was atop her.
“Ahem!”
Surprised by the sound coming through the intercom of the car, Caden froze. His teeth held onto Kenya’s nipple, and his hand was clinging to the lace panties that he had begun to remove.
“We have arrived sir, madam,” the driver said, his voice cracking a bit. “Should I...ahem...should I keep driving?”
“Oh, dear God, no!” Caden exclaimed as he assessed the situation. Bloody Hell! He was the one who was going to need the shower. An ice cold one.
After adjusting their clothes, Caden helped Kenya out of the car. Kenya still had a fair amount of alcohol flowing though her, and though she was active while horizontal, once she was vertical her mobility was still quite impaired. Caden held her by the waist to lead her into his house. Fortunately, the white painted brick semi-detached low built house had a private driveway, which was bordered from the surroundings by a matching painted brick wall topped with a hedge. They did not have to worry much about being seen.
There had already been a few stories circulating about Baron Hargrove’s mystery woman and his “Secret Love Child,” after Caden’s appearance at her office and the addition of Cadence to the Hargrove family record. Caden knew the last thing Kenya wanted was this kind of publicity. So far they had not been able to determine who the mother of his child was, and for her sake, not including his outburst today, he tried to help keep it that way. If he’d gone all the way across town to her corporate apartment complex in bustling Canary Wharf, they would’ve been far more visible to prying eyes than in his exclusive Holland Park neighborhood.
