“Did you play sports in school, other than calf roping?” Kelsey asked.
“In high school I was a decent linebacker,” Kade said. “Also did pretty well in right field on our baseball team.”
“I bet you were more than pretty good.” Kelsey could just imagine him in those tight pants that football players wore. Nice. “After high school?”
“I headed off to the University of Arizona.” Kade shifted in his seat and leaned one forearm on the table. “I wanted to go into law enforcement, and while I was in college I decided to get on with the Border Patrol. I trained at FLETC after graduation, and later was stationed along the Texas border. That’s where I met Trent’s mother.”
“Your son is precious,” Kelsey said. “You’re fortunate to have such a great kid.”
He smiled. “Yeah, I am.”
Kelsey returned his smile. “And he’s lucky to have you as a father.”
The waiter served their lunch, and they ate while they talked. Kelsey told Kade what information she’d gathered so far on the problems with illegal immigration, and he ventured his opinion on a few issues.
As far as Kelsey was concerned, their lunch was over too soon and Kade had to get back to work. He walked her to the SUV, and as she opened the door he said, “Thanks for having lunch with me.”
“Thanks for asking.” Then, surprising even herself, Kelsey reached up and brushed her lips over his. “Later, cowboy.”
Before he could react, she turned away, climbed into the vehicle, and shut the door, her lips tingling from the brief caress. He just smiled and watched her drive away.
Late-afternoon sun peeked through the monsoon-darkened sky as Kade reached the offices of The Douglas Herald. The newsroom occupied the bottom floor of one of the town’s oldest buildings. Smells of ink, newspaper, and stale coffee overpowered the dingy lobby.
“Kade. Long time no see,” said Patti Duarte, the paper’s combination office manager/columnist. She stood up, her blond ponytail bobbing as she bounced toward the front counter. “Where ya been hiding out?”
He leaned against the counter. “Looks like you’ve been keeping this place above water. And looks like you’re about to pop. I didn’t even know you’re expecting. Congratulations.”
Patti, who had always reminded him of a pixie, patted her enormous belly. “Thanks. Twins, can ya believe it? I look like I’m about to explode, but we’ve got another two months.”
Her blue eyes sparkled, and her cheeks seemed full and shiny. That old saying about pregnant women was true. They did have a special glow to their faces. For one strange minute, he pictured Kelsey, her belly large with his child, her features as radiant as Patti’s.
He shook his head, pushing the vision to the back of his mind. “Twins. Bet Paul’s as proud as a rooster at the crack of dawn.”
Patti snorted. “He’s scared shitless.”
“Can’t say that I blame the guy.” With a laugh, Kade nodded to the back room. “That new reporter here? Gerald Spitz?”
“You mean you’re not here to see little of me? Hold on, let me get him.” Her ponytail bobbed as she disappeared through the doorway. Within a minute, she returned. “Come on back and meet God’s gift to the newspaper business.”
Kade raised his brows. “God’s gift, huh?”
Patti rolled her eyes. “Thinks he is. Every time AP picks up one of his stories you’d think he won the Pulitzer.”
“Miss working with Gerardo?” Kade asked.
“You betcha.” Patti led Kade into the back room, past an ancient printing press to a man sitting behind a computer at one of three metal desks. “Gerald, this is Border Patrol Agent Kade Owen. Kade, this is Gerald Spitz, editor-in-chief and reporter extraordinaire.”
Patti winked at Kade as she left the room, and he held back a grin.
“Pleased to meet you, Agent Owen.” Spitz didn’t offer his hand. Instead, he made a show of tossing his head, flipping his dark hair from his face.
“Uh, yeah. My pleasure.” Right off, Kade didn’t like the guy. Something about the arrogant look in Spitz’s brown eyes made him wary. Still, he had to get what he came for, so he stuck out his hand and forced a smile.
Spitz gave Kade a limp handshake. Soft and damp. No calluses, no weathering.
“Have a seat.” Spitz pointed to one of two vinyl chairs in front of his desk. “What can I do for you?”
“Thanks.” Kade settled into the chair. “Gerardo was a good friend of mine. Thought I’d come in and get acquainted with you.” Spitz gave Kade what amounted to a patient father-speaking-to-child smile. Only this father was about ten years younger than Kade. “But you have another reason for being here as well.”
Might as well lay it on the table.
“No wonder you’re such a good reporter, Spitz.” Kade let his expression go serious. “Let’s get to it. One of your sources gave you a big story on the life of an undocumented alien, and he mentioned a coyote named Gordo.”
Spitz tossed his hair back again and smirked. “I don’t reveal my sources, Agent Owen.”
Kade nodded, trying to maintain his cool. “I understand what you’re saying. Any source of yours that I might talk to would never be connected with you.”
“I don’t reveal my sources.”
“Hold that thought, partner.” Kade leaned forward in his chair. “While it’s real good of you to stand up for your journalistic ethics, I want you to sit back and think for a moment. Think about all those good people crossing the border and dying. Dying ‘cause some bastard coyote doesn’t give a damn about them. Some bastard that’s stealing from, beating, raping, and murdering these folks.”
Spitz shifted in his chair. “I have my professional integrity to consider.”
“It’ll remain intact.” Kade didn’t blink as he stared the man down. “Give me a name and no one’ll be the wiser.”
“Like I said, my integrity is on the line.” Spitz’s eyes shifted to the doorway and back to Kade.
Kade spread his hands on Spitz’s desk. “Consider this. How can a man look in the mirror and know he could’ve saved lives, but left them dangling for his own gain?”
Spitz’s eyes narrowed, and his lips thinned. “Why do you give a rat’s ass?”
Kade gave the reporter a level stare. “Tell you what, Spitz. I don’t give a damn what you think of me. What does concern me is day after day these coyotes get away with murder. But my conscience is clear, and I don’t lie awake at night, because I know I’m doing all I can to save lives. It’s not enough, but I’m trying.” Kade got to his feet. “How well do you sleep at night?”
Spitz didn’t move. “I sleep fine.”
“Uh-huh. The next time you get to write a story about some poor man, woman, or child, dead at the hands of a coyote, you think real hard if something you can tell me might have saved their lives. Or many lives. And ask yourself if you’re not just as bad as the man who killed them.”
Spitz’s lips thinned, but he said nothing.
Kade pulled his business card out of his wallet and tossed it on the reporter’s desk. “Call me if your conscience gets the better of you. I can find my way out.”
Chapter 14
A couple of hours later, after stopping at the station to shower in the locker room, Kade reached the ranch and his temper had cooled. He noticed Chuck’s truck was gone, but Sadie’s SUV was parked in the driveway.
When Kade walked in the door and kicked off his boots, he smelled something great, like Italian food. Tomatoes, basil, and oregano. He headed to the kitchen and smiled when he saw Kelsey. Her back was to him and she was wearing a pink blouse, a short little skirt, and was barefoot. She stood at the range lifting the lid off a pot, then turned off the flame beneath it. She looked good there, like she belonged.
He walked up behind her and slipped his hands around her waist. She gave a little yelp and whirled around, brandishing the pot lid. She held her other hand to her heart. “Don’t do that.”
He took the lid from
her and set it on the counter. “I should’ve learned by now that you’re pretty dangerous to startle.”
“You’d better watch yourself, cowboy.” Her voice was low and breathless, her eyes wide.
“I’d rather watch you.” Kade studied Kelsey’s lips and braced his hands on either side of her, pinning her against the counter. “Where is everyone?”
“I think they’ll be back from Tucson in an hour or so.” She glanced at the stove, then back to him. “I’m making angel hair pasta for dinner. With garlic bread and steamed broccoli.” She sounded a little nervous as fast as she was talking. “The sauce is done, and I’ve got everything else ready to throw together once they get here.”
He didn’t take his eyes off her lips. “I’m hungry.”
She waved one hand, shooing him away. “Don’t you have to take your shower or something?”
“Didn’t do any fieldwork,” he murmured. “But I took a shower in the locker room.”
“Oh.” She would have been happy to volunteer to soap his body all over...
“Let’s start with dessert,” he said, his lips inches away from hers. Kelsey caught her breath, then swallowed. “Dessert sounds good.” She gave a surprised yelp as Kade grabbed her around the waist and set her on the countertop, away from the range top.
***
Her pulse raced as he pushed her skirt up around her waist. Thank goodness she was wearing her nice silky pink panties and not cotton grannies. “What are you doing?”
“Sampling dessert.” He hooked his fingers onto the sides of her panties and looked at her, waiting for her to tell him to stop.
Kelsey worried her lower lip as she stared at him. Why not? Why not enjoy what he was offering?
Yeah, when it came to Kade she was a total goner.
Instead of answering aloud, Kelsey braced her hands on the countertop and lifted her hips.
Kade gave her that slow, sexy smile that made her insides melt. He pulled her panties down her thighs, then gradually eased them over her legs and ankles, teasing her with every deliberate movement. Just the way his fingers caressed her legs as he brought the panties down was enough to make her ache from her nipples to the juncture of her thighs.
He stuffed the pair of pink panties into his back pocket, then pushed her thighs apart with his hands, totally exposing her to his gaze. The countertop was cool beneath her, but her body was already burning up. She was faintly aware of the pot of sauce bubbling on the range and the smell of garlic.
Everything faded as her world came to a pinpoint on the man between her thighs.
“You are so beautiful, darlin’,” he murmured as he lightly brushed his fingers over the blond curls of her mound.
She trembled at the contact and her cheeks heated.
Kade set his Stetson on the counter beside Kelsey, then knelt on the tile floor between her legs. He gripped her thighs with his large hands as he brought his face to her folds. He paused and inhaled. “You smell like heaven.”
Kelsey shivered and bit back a moan. This was right. This was good... Feeling and experiencing what life had to offer and doing it with Kade.
Go for it, Kelsey. Live.
She couldn’t hold back that inner voice that worried about the consequences. “What if everyone comes home early?” What if I can never say no to you?
He gave her a wicked grin. “Then I’ll throw you over my shoulder and cart you off to my room and finish the job.”
Before she could think of a suitable reply, Kade parted her folds with his fingers and licked her slit with a long, slow swipe of his tongue.
Kelsey moaned from the exquisite sensation and watched him sliding his tongue over her clit. She clenched the edge of the countertop as he pressed her thighs wider apart and licked and sucked her swollen nub.
His tongue swirled and tasted her as he slipped two fingers into her channel. Blood pounded in her veins and in her ears, so loud she could hear nothing else.
She’d never had a man do this to her before, and the feeling was incredible. Nothing on earth could replace the feel of a man’s mouth on her folds, licking her slit, and his fingers thrusting inside her. She could just imagine him sliding into her channel, his rock-hard body pressed against hers.
She tilted back her head and felt her nipples, hard as stones beneath her blouse. Kade’s stubble was rough against her folds and the insides of her thighs, driving her closer to that place inside her that was growing, budding, and blooming. She’d never felt anything like this and she was sailing so fast toward her climax that it fully blossomed inside her in a rush. She gave a little cry as heat burned her from head to toe and back again.
Kade slowed his movements but continued licking her until Kelsey’s hips finally stopped rocking against his face. “No more,” she begged, and shuddered with another aftershock.
He stood and moved between her thighs. Slowly he brought his face to hers and kissed her long and deep. It made another tremor go through her.
With a smile he moved back and caught her around the waist. He lifted her off the countertop and set her on her feet.
Kade tugged her skirt down over her hips while Kelsey tucked in her shirt. “I can’t believe we just did that,” she said.
His lips quirked as he dragged his hand over his mouth and chin. “I’ve been dying to taste you since I met you.”
At that moment the front door crashed open and Trent’s yell shattered the moment.
“Dad! We’re home!”
Kelsey bolted out of his arms before Trent made it into the kitchen. Kade winked at her and then smiled at his son. “How’s my favorite guy?”
After Trent had run off to his room and Kade greeted his mom and dad he excused himself and headed down the hallway.
Kelsey’s gaze widened as she watched him walk away and she prayed that no one else had noticed.
Her bright pink silky panties were peeking out of his back pocket.
***
“Eduardo Montano, please,” Kelsey said to the courthouse’s elegant receptionist. The nameplate on the woman’s desk read PORTIA ZAPATA.
“Do you have an appointment with the mayor?” The receptionist wore a sleek black business suit, her voice smooth and professional. She seemed accustomed to heading off unwanted visitors.
“Yes. I’m Kale C. Nichols with San Francisco’s City by the Bay magazine,” Kelsey replied.
While the receptionist buzzed the mayor’s office, Kelsey ignored the urge to fuss with her skirt and her press badge, doing her best to appear calm, cool, and collected despite the humidity. She’d spent the past week in casual clothing, and for the first time she could remember she felt confined wearing a silk suit. On top of that, the leather heels pinched her toes and she longed to be in her casual sandals or tennies. She’d arranged her hair in an elegant chignon at the nape of her neck, applied her makeup so that it gave her an air of elegance, and she wore diamond studs in her ears.
One of the most important things she’d learned early in her career was to dress as the natives do. When interviewing a rancher, dress comfortably in jeans and a blouse. When speaking with an office clerk, wear nice slacks or a pant outfit. When meeting with a politician, dress to kill.
A few moments later, the receptionist escorted Kelsey into the mayor’s office. The news reports she’d seen of the mayor hadn’t done him justice. He was almost beautiful with his long black eyelashes and aristocratic features. Not a speck of gray marred his ebony hair or his full mustache.
“Buenos días, Señorita Nichols,” the mayor said with a small bow. “With the name Kale, I expected a man. Instead I find myself in the company of a most beautiful señorita. Or is it señora?” His voice was well modulated, his manner that of a true politician.
She smiled. “Thank you, Mayor Montano. I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me. Is there a Spanish word that translates to Ms.?”
He took Kelsey’s fingers lightly in his, lifted them to his mouth, and brushed his lips across her knuckles. H
is cologne was heavy, a cloying smell that reminded Kelsey of her ex-husband’s cologne. “I’m afraid not. Call me Eduardo, please. May I call you Kale?”
She didn’t share that her real name was Kelsey in situations that involved individuals in politics or certain other areas. As she withdrew from his grasp, Kelsey replied, “Of course.”
“Have a seat, Kale.” With a sweep of his arm, he gestured to one of two leather chairs in front of his desk. After Kelsey sat, the mayor hitched up his slacks and settled into the chair next to her. “Mr. Montano—”
“Eduardo, please.”
“Ah, yes.” Kelsey swallowed. “Eduardo. May I record our interview so that I can ensure my notes are accurate?”
He nodded and crossed his legs at his knees. “By all means.” After Kelsey pulled the cell phone out of her purse, she prepared it, then withdrew her notepad of questions. She glanced at the rich furnishings, trying to get a sense of the man she was about to interview.
Behind the desk was a large window, but the wooden blinds were drawn shut. Bookshelves lined one wall, filled with brass sculptures of bullfighters and bulls, as well as a few thick volumes. Oil paintings of matadors in vivid hues of reds, greens, blues, and yellows dominated the other two walls, the fighters waving traditional red capes before powerful black bulls.
“You have a lovely office,” she said. “I see you have a penchant for bullfighting.”
“Si.” Montano’s mustache twitched and he gave a ruthless smile. “The greatest of all sports.”
Kelsey turned from looking at the sculptures and gave him her let’s-get-down-to-business smile. “I understand you’re running for United States Congress in this fall’s election, and your campaign is on an immigration reform platform.”
“Yes, that is correct.” He placed his elbows on the arms of his chair and steepled his fingers. “I feel very strongly that something must be done to alleviate this ongoing problem.”
“Will you explain?”
He nodded. “But of course. First, I believe we should grant amnesty to all Mexican nationals now living in the U.S.” He ticked off the points on his fingers. “Second, I advocate free schooling for children of undocumented aliens in all states, and that we should not require these children to prove citizenship in order to go to school. Third, I believe that no one in any state should have to provide a Social Security number or proof of residency to obtain a driver’s license.”
Kade: Armed and Dangerous Page 12
