Deceit (The Vindicated Series Book 1)

by Addison Jane

  “C’mon,” he says reaching out for my hand. I let him take it, and we walk toward the cabin.

  I can’t help but look over my shoulder, I’m waiting for Luca or Axel to pop out of the shadows at any minute. I’m on edge, and I hate this feeling.

  We step inside the cabin, and it looks even more country than the outside. I wonder how a Russian can have a place that looks so… not Russian. I don’t even know what a Russian place is supposed to look like to be honest, but I don’t picture this. A giant open planned cabin, the living room, kitchen and dining, all in one. The couch has a circular rainbow patterned rug placed over it. The dining table with a plastic tablecloth draped over the sides and has doily table settings. The kitchen has bright yellow cabinetry.

  This is blowing my mind a little.

  “Don’t look so shocked, Lily. You don’t choose the place you’re sent to. Trust me, I wouldn’t live like this unless I had to,” Yana says as if to read my thoughts.

  Chewing on my bottom lip, I nod and give her a curt smile as she pulls out a seat at the dining table gesturing for us to sit down. Kace pulls out a seat for me. I smile at him and his gentlemanliness and take my seat as he sits next to me.

  “So, you obviously haven’t been kept in the loop?” Kace asks and Yana rolls her eyes shaking her head.

  “Kace, the only time I’m in the loop is when they send me for a waste order.”

  He nods.

  I raise my eyebrow. “A waste order?”

  Kace stiffens, and Yana smiles. “A kill job… Lyubimaya moya,” she replies confusing me with her Russian tongue.

  “Lubimaya… what now?” I ask, and she rolls her eyes as Kace smirks.

  “Urgh. It means a waste order is a kill job, my love. There… you happy. God, why are civilians always so dense?”

  I furrow my brows as Kace stiffens beside me. “Yana, stop! Lily is an innocent in all this. She doesn’t need to be insulted by you as well.”

  She looks from Kace to me then back to Kace, and a small smirk crosses her lips. “Da. Da. Okay. So talk to me. What’s going on?”

  “Shit is happening with SO7 and The Agency. What can you tell me about them?”

  She purses her lips and shrugs. “They weren’t really on the Russian government’s radar until a few years back. As far as I know, they deal mostly with domestic threats to the United States, which are far more common than the public realize. There was a movement at some point. They started branching out, trying to break down outside countries agencies before they came in with threats against America. Suddenly, they weren’t the protectors anymore… they became the aggressors. Anyway, this happened around the time when your mom took over, and your dad was killed.”

  I open my eyes wide, I had no idea that his dad was killed and that his mother was a part of his agency, let alone took it over.

  I guess she’s the boss?

  No wonder he’s stressed.

  His orders were given by his mother.

  Shit!

  “But this doesn’t make any sense? Why would we be the aggressors?” Kace asks furrowing his brows so tightly together they join.

  She stands and takes a deep breath as she begins to pace around the dining area. “People like power and fear. You make people fear you, you gain all the power.”

  Kace shakes his head like he’s battling the thoughts inside his head. “But The Agency is about peace, not power?”

  She tilts her head frowning. “Is it?” She walks toward him, swaying her hips slightly as she steps up to him. Standing directly in front of his knees, he looks up at her as she sighs. “There’s so much you don’t know. I could tell you.” She moves her finger out and runs it along his arm then up to his cheek. He flinches as she smiles. “But it would cost you.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me?” I murmur under my breath.

  Kace abruptly stands from his seat and takes a step back from Yana and her flirtations. “I know what you’re selling, and we aren’t buying.”

  Yana smiles. “Oh, c’mon Kace. Remember that time in Prague when we were trapped in that freezer, and we only had our bodies to keep us warm? You remember… don’t you?” she asks, and my eyebrows raise up in complete jealousy.

  Kace screws his face up and huffs. “Yes. Only because I needed you alive.”

  She chuckles. “Oh, I was alive all right. My whole body was alive that night,” she says stepping closer to Kace and pushing out her fake breasts accentuating her amazing body.

  I almost gag on the spot. Fuck my life! She’s so stunning, and she’s throwing herself at Kace, and I’m here watching it all unfold like a voyeur. It’s like I’ve stepped into a porno.

  “Can you just give me something solid, Yana?” Kace demands.

  “You know how this works, Kace. This isn’t worth giving my life for. Unless I get something worthwhile in return?” She winks suggestively.

  I hate this, so I do the only thing I can think of. “It’s time to go,” I call out, standing up suddenly drawing all the attention back to me.

  Yana smirks, as Kace furrows his brows and nods.

  “Yeah, I think it is. Thanks, Yana. Don’t tell anyone we were here. Got it?”

  She tilts her head and smiles placing her hand over her chest and scoffing. “Oh, Kace… you hurt my feelings. You know I would never betray you.”

  He flares his nostrils and nods. “Thanks, Yana, you’ve helped a lot.”

  “I know, now go,” she says picking her rifle back up and aiming it at us. I open my eyes wide and grab onto Kace as he rolls his eyes at Yana. He quickly runs his fingertips up my arm to soothe me and turns us. We walk out the door onto the porch, down the steps, and toward the van.

  “Kace,” Yana calls out. He turns back to look at her. “Don’t come back.” Her voice is hard, and I can tell she means it. It sends a chill down my spine, and my stomach flips. I don’t like Yana, not one little bit. And it’s not just because she was hitting on Kace in front of me, she gives me the uber-creeps. He nods then turns us, and we head for the van.

  “Get in and buckle up Lily,” he announces.

  I don’t want to argue with him because right now, I just want to get out of here. So I jump into the van and slam the door shut quickly behind me and click my seatbelt into position. He slides in through the driver’s door and looks back at Yana. She stands on the porch and watches us leave, and I can’t help but think she’s opened up a can of worms with Kace.

  The silence as we drive down the darkened road away from the cabin is eerily quiet, so I decide to break the tension.

  “Well, that was…” I pause not being able to find the right word.

  He turns to look at me, a worried expression on his face. “I didn’t sleep with her, Lily,” he says.

  Instant relief hits me like a tidal wave. I know I have no right to be jealous, after all, it was way before me. But nevertheless, I want to scream and yell from the rooftops and dance in the streets that he hasn’t been with a slithering snake like Yana. However, I keep my face calm and shrug instead. “Doesn’t matter if you did,” I reply blasé.

  He furrows his brows and keeps looking from me to the road then back again. “She was just trying to make you think that. She could see there’s more to us than meets the eye. She’s a bitch when she wants to be… she was trying to cause an issue between us. Yana wanted you to be jealous.”

  Chewing on my bottom lip, I sag in relief. “You really didn’t sleep with her?”

  He chuckles. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Even though you were freezing and only had your bodies to keep you warm?” I mock in a terribly bad Russian accent.

  He laughs pulling the van onto the main highway with a bright smile. “Even though we were freezing. No, she isn’t my type. I don’t fornicate with the enemy.”

  I raise my eyebrow at him, and he seems to get my message instantly. “Hey, you’re not the enemy.”

  Scoffing, I shrug. “Your friends seem to think otherwise.”

&
nbsp; He reaches out grabbing my hand and squeezes. “My friends are wrong. I’ll make them see that… somehow.”

  I don’t answer, but figure I’ll change the subject. “Okay, where to next?”

  He sighs and shakes his head. “Philadelphia.”

  After driving for too long, we arrived in Philadelphia and Kace thought it was a good idea for us to get a change of clothing seeing as we only left with the clothes on our backs. So he drove us to a mall and now we’re walking into Macy’s to purchase something to wear.

  “Get anything you want,” Kace whispers in my ear as we walk through to the women’s department.

  Raising my eyebrow, I chew on my bottom lip. “Am I going to have to get ready to run with the clothes, Kace?” I ask quietly so the staff doesn’t hear.

  He chuckles and shakes his head. “No, we will pay for them. No stealing today.”

  My body slumps in relief, and I smile for the first time in a while. “Thank God. Not sure I want to add shop theft to my grand theft auto record as well.”

  He shakes his head with a smile and leads me to the women’s clothing section. “True. Okay, pick out some pants and tops. Anything you want.”

  We walk around the store, and I grab a few items then we head for the underwear section. I tense up, not knowing what to look for. Picking underwear with Kace watching is more than a little intimidating.

  “Here, you’ll need some of these,” he says handing me some sexy red, white and blue striped boy shorts.

  Smirking, I take them from his fingers and raise an eyebrow. “Boy shorts? And in the Unites States colors? How very patriotic of you, Kace.”

  He grins and shrugs. “I love my country, so sue me.”

  Giggling, I roll my eyes and pick up another couple of pairs of panties, some a little less patriotic and more on the sexy side. I chew on the inside of my mouth wondering what Kace is thinking as I choose them, but I don’t dare risk looking at him for fear of what I might see. Selecting panties with him is doing strange things to my libido, and for some reason all I want to do is turn around and jump on him, pressing my lips to his, feel his cock pressed between my legs, and ride him all the way to our next destination. But instead, I have to control myself. We’re in the middle of Macy’s for crying out loud.

  I pick up another pair of panties, not really looking at them, and as I reach out to put them back, Kace lets out a small groan. I tense at the sexy noise then look down properly at the panties noticing they’re black lace with little hooks hanging down for suspenders. I clear my throat as I attempt to put them back on the rack, but Kace grabs my hand stopping me. A spark shoots through his hand as he touches me and fireworks erupt in my very soul. I risk looking up at him, and an intense burn lurks in his eyes. Those gorgeous deep blue eyes that are sparkling with an insatiable lust. My nipples harden, and my thighs clench together to relieve the throbbing in my clit.

  “I think you should get these ones, Lily.” His deep, gravelly voice sends my heart into overdrive, and I shrivel into a puddle on the floor.

  Simply nodding my head, I pull them back and add them to the pile. I can’t help the thoughts racing through my head of all the things we could do together with these few simple sets of black lace lingerie.

  Being near Kace right now is making me feel hot, so much so I feel like I might pass out. I need a break, just a small reprieve away from him to pull myself back into normal working order. I have to stop thinking like a sex-crazed teenager all the damn time and calm myself down. So I do the only thing I think of to get some time away from him.

  “I need to go and try this stuff on.”

  He raises an eyebrow and sighs. “I don’t really want to leave you alone, so I’ll come with you.”

  My muscles clench and I exhale. “You can’t come in the room with me, the assistant won’t let you.”

  He exhales running his hand through his hair. “Okay, then I’ll hang outside. But I’ll be right there…” he points, “…so if anything happens you just call. I don’t give a fuck about the assistant, I’ll be in there breaking bones to get to you.”

  A slight chuckle erupts from my chest at how scary and sweet that was at the same time. “Thank you.”

  We walk to the dressing room section, my hands full of clothing and underwear. Kace takes a deep breath while I head inside and the assistant looks at me with a smile and takes me to my dressing room. She opens the door and absentmindedly turns away as I look back to Kace, he’s tense, his muscles rippling with alertness as he scans the shop making sure there’s no trouble heading our way.

  I hate that I’m taking a beat for myself while he’s on guard, but I need this. Just a moment to regroup and stop my raging hormones from erupting and taking over. Kace has an effect on me, and picking out panties with him is making me crazy. I just need a moment. Just one, that’s all, and I’ll be okay. I know that’s all I need.

  Walking into the stall, I turn and lock the door behind me placing the clothes on the bench and lean my back against the wall taking in a deep centering breath. Closing my eyes as my heart races frantically, all I can think about is Kace, me, and those black lace panties. I didn’t come in here to try anything on, I know it will all fit. I came in here to just breathe. But my mind is conjuring all sorts of images, and as I rub my thighs together to ease the ache between my legs, my breathing becomes heavier. I think briefly about touching myself to relieve the ache, but I quickly dispel that thought from my mind. I’m in a Macy’s department store, and I really only want Kace to bring on all my pleasure.

  The images behind my closed eyes are beginning to be too much to bear, so I open them and staring right at me are the black lace panties with suspender holders—the absolute cause of my irrational desires. I shake my head and lean down to grab them. Checking them out with my eyes, they really are cute, and I begin to wonder if I could actually look sexy wearing them. Turning toward the mirror, I hold them out over my jeans in front of my pussy and chew so harshly on my bottom lip I wonder if I will break the skin.

  “Fuck it!” I murmur to myself as I place the panties down then start unbuttoning my jeans. I pull them off, kicking off my sneakers and pulling down my panties. Taking a deep breath, I grab the black pair and slide them up my thighs, the feel of the silky lace fabric is heavenly on my skin, and I giggle slightly as I bring them all the way up my legs and fasten them around my hips. Dragging my top up so I can see the full effect of them, I glance in the mirror at my lower body and grin. Kace is going to love them. I have to admit they look amazing on me, but it doesn’t help my raging libido at the moment.

  “Lily?” Kace’s deep, gravelly voice echoes from behind the door making me jump literally off the ground. My heart snaps into gear as I gasp for air almost falling over as my feet fall back to the ground.

  “Shit, Kace! Scare me half to death. What are you doing in here? The assistant will tell you off,” I say against the door.

  “Let me in,” he demands his voice stern and hard. It scares me slightly making me think something’s wrong, so I immediately turn the lock and step back letting him in. He steps through the small door, turning and closing it behind him.

  “Kace, what’s wrong? Are they here?” I whisper.

  He turns to face me, then his gaze falls down to the black panties I’m wearing. His eyes widen as he swallows hard and he clenches his jaw with a slight smile. He takes a step forward and presses his hips into mine and instantly I feel his hard cock. I open my eyes wide and pull my lips together as his arms wrap around my waist pulling me to him completely.

  “They really are an excellent choice,” he murmurs, and I grin.

  “Thank you. But seriously, Kace. Are they coming?”

  He shakes his head slowly from side to side as he turns us around and pushes me against the door. “No, but you will be.”

  I gasp as his hand slides down my side and to my hip. His fingers dip inside the black lace, and my teeth clench on either side of my bottom lip.

  “Ka
ce, we’re in a change room. We can’t.”

  He leans in, pushing me roughly against the door. It moves slightly with a little bang, and I tense up as he chuckles, his face inching closer to mine. “We can and we will, Lily. You want a release, that’s why you came in here. I can read you better than you think.”

  Practically panting, my body disobeys me and grinds into him as my lips inch closer to his. “No, we can’t. People will hear.”

  “Then be quiet. Let me ease your ache, Lily,” he whispers against my lips.

  I can’t hold back any longer and push my mouth against his running my fingers through his hair and holding his face to mine. Our tongues dance together, my body aches to be near him. How he knew what I needed, I don’t know, but now he’s here and nothing else matters.

  His hand skims along my panty line and dips down between my legs. I part them further bringing one leg up to rest on the bench seat. There’s not a lot of room to maneuver so we’re forced close together. I’m not complaining, I need to be close to him.

  His finger pulses on my clit and I moan into his mouth quietly. I can’t help myself. His tongue continues to ravage me as his finger circles on my clit. A wave of pleasure rolls over me, instantly easing the tensing in my muscles. One hand curls into his hair gripping tight, the other needs something to hold onto, so I move it up the door, grabbing the top and holding on. If the attendant was to look she’d probably know something was happening in here, but right now my embarrassment of being caught is being blown away by his fingers caressing me.

  He moves his fingers up and inside me as he leans his body into my side rubbing his cock into my thigh. Whimpering at the feel of him stroking inside me and hitting just the right spot, I shudder as a tingle runs down my spine. The door is creaking slightly from my body moving in time with his fingers, and as I pant I’m trying my hardest to be quiet.

  I can hear women coming and going trying their new clothes on, but it only adds to the excitement of being caught. Being somewhere so public with Kace and him moving inside of me, even if it is only his fingers is tantalizing. I was aching for him, now I’m drowning in a sea of need as he caresses me perfectly.