They had been expensive, and Valerie almost wanted to say yes. But the idea of him being so much like a caveman was too much to resist and she shook her head. Kavan gripped the delicate satin and ripped it apart like tissue paper. In the next moment, his tongue was there, lapping at her. Everything inside of her tightened, and Valerie clutched at the pillows, crying out.
“So sensitive,” Kavan sighed between licks. “So delicious.”
“Kavan,” she breathed back. “Like that. Yes! Oh, I like that.”
Kavan continued his ministrations while Valerie moaned. His hands stayed firm on her thighs, holding her in place while she writhed beneath him. All her stresses melted away, focused solely on the heat flowing through her veins and the way Kavan curled his tongue.
When she was trembling and on edge, he made his way up her body, kissing lightly over her bra, and then entered her in one thrust. She was so slick already that he entered smoothly. The pleasure intensified as he thrust steadily, one arm bracing himself on the bed while the other wrapped around Valerie’s shoulders and held her up. As her fingers dug into his shoulders and she thrust her hips in time with his, she never wanted this to end.
***
Maybe he could work it out that he didn’t have to dig up any dirt on her.
Kavan lay in bed, feeling Valerie tucked up around him. Sometime after they’d fallen asleep, they had started to spoon. Only, he was the little spoon. Her breasts pressed against his back; her leg slung over his hip. Her lower arm was tucked under her own head since they had lost the pillows, her upper arm over him, clutching at him possessively.
He liked how it felt. He’d never had anybody hold him like this before. He’d always been the big spoon. Maybe it was because of himself, he wasn’t sure, but he knew that he did like this. His whole body was relaxed, and he didn’t want it to end. He certainly didn’t want it to end because he betrayed her.
How else was he supposed to get back with the Family, though?
Kavan repressed a sigh, feeling the tension start to creep into him again. Whatever. It wasn’t like he’d found anything that he could offer Lancaster anyway. Valerie was very, very careful about her work. She rarely would even give him enough information to know if it had been a bad or a very bad day. If he even brought up Lancaster, she ended that conversation in a lightning strike.
Right now, he just wanted to revel in this moment. He wanted to enjoy having a woman’s arms around him with no expectations but not leaving before morning, either.
If Philip wasn’t such a strait-laced, follow the rules guy now, he might have been tempted to brag about it in the morning. Kavan remembered the way they used to talk, ribbing each other and comparing notes if they happened to have seduced the same girl. He could just imagine his old friend’s face if he came swaggering in and said he seduced a judge.
Kavan chuckled to himself, cutting off quickly when Valerie stirred. He waited a moment, caught between wanting her to wake up so they could resume their fun and wanting her to finally have a decent night’s sleep.
She was so stressed. It had taken him quite a bit to finally wheedle out of her what she had said to the governor and after hearing it, he was surprised she hadn’t already given herself an ulcer. There was so much pressure on her, from the people around her, from herself. It was… not great.
Did he really want to make her life harder?
Kavan tried to turn his mind away again, but it was useless. He needed to confront his plan after all. Get close to her, find something to use against her, go skipping off to the Family and live happily ever after as a criminal. Until the police shot him. Or he was jailed again. Or he was told to kill an innocent bystander and Lancaster killed him for refusing to do so.
Maybe… maybe it would be better if he took Valerie up on her offer? Go to cooking school?
Except if he didn’t have the Family’s backup, he was going back to jail. If he wasn’t able to convince Lancaster to take him back, he was never going to be free. He’d spend the rest of his days in a cell and would die in prison.
His phone lit up on the nightstand. Kavan frowned, thinking about ignoring it, but nobody ever called him these days except Philip. It had to be an emergency…
He eased himself away from Valerie, earning a sleepy moan of protest, and answered the phone as he slipped out of the bedroom. His heart jumped to his throat when the familiar voice spoke. Lancaster.
“Ah, Kavan. I wasn’t sure if you would be awake at this late hour.”
“Godfather.” Kavan was so shocked that he couldn’t resist pinching himself to make sure it wasn’t a dream.
His heart started pounding and he quickly put distance between himself and Valerie’s room. Why was Lancaster calling him? Had he decided that Kavan’s relationship with Valerie made him a traitor and was going to kill him now? He didn’t dare ask. Lancaster would get to the point soon enough. For him to call this late at night meant that he was trying to catch Kavan off guard.
“Kavan, my boy. It’s been so long since we last chatted. Come meet me at that little bar where we used to get together, will you? I do so want to catch up.”
Kavan recognized a summons when he heard one. Elation warred with dread in his chest as he agreed without hesitation. As he dressed and headed out on his motorcycle, he wondered what this could be. Either Lancaster had decided that he could be of use after all, or he had decided to kill him. Kavan wasn’t sure which was more likely. Nor did he know what he’d do if Lancaster had decided to kill him.
One thing was sure, though. If Lancaster didn’t want to kill him already, refusing to meet him was a sure-fire way to end up dead.
The streets at first seemed deserted, but soon enough they started being populated by homeless beggars, streetwalkers, kids with nothing to do and all the time to do it and other such people Kavan was intimately familiar with. He pulled up to the bar in question, parked his motorcycle inside the entrance to prevent it getting stolen, then looked around the dimly lit bar.
Lancaster waited in a booth near the back. There was nobody else in sight, which was hopeful. Kavan strode forward, keeping his hands in plain sight. He’d elected not to wear a jacket because it would be too easy to hide a weapon in it. When he got to Lancaster, he got down on one knee and kissed his hand.
“Godfather,” he murmured.
And it suddenly struck him that he hoped that nobody would recognize him. Or, if they did, nobody would talk to anybody about it. Because if they did, Valerie was sure to find out somehow.
“It’s good to see you again,” Lancaster said, grinning. His teeth were sharp, meaning that his wolf was close to the surface.
Kavan’s own wolf pulled back. It growled and snarled but Kavan bent his head, submitting to the unspoken demand. He kept his gaze down, waiting. After a moment, Lancaster lifted his hand and waved it airily.
“Come sit and drink with me, Kavan. It’s been so long since we last were able to have one of our little chats.”
Our last ‘little chat’ ended when you ejected me from the Family, Kavan thought. He was unsettled by his own bitterness as he took a spot across from the Godfather. Lancaster stared at him with such an intense look on his face that Kavan had a difficult time holding his gaze. Had he come here just to die? Or was Lancaster still deciding his fate?
“I hear that congratulations are in order. Engaged to Valerie Gilson.”
Valerie might want to play at this being real but Kavan wasn’t going to save her face at the cost of his life. “It’s not real.”
Lancaster rose a brow.
Kavan explained the situation, that she was afraid of losing respect and having her name dragged through the mud even more than it already was if people thought she had a one-night stand with some random criminal. He finished by stating that it seemed like Governor Bloom was indeed trying to get her fired since he all but blackmailed her into taking Matthew’s case.
When Kavan was done, Lancaster nodded slowly. He laced his hands together, a gla
ss of untouched wine nearby. “I see.”
“I agreed,” Kavan continued, hoping that Lancaster would believe him, “because I thought it might be advantageous to the Family. I’m close to her now, I can try to find out—"
“And have you found anything?”
Kavan winced. “No. She’s very careful about these things. I can hardly get her to open up about her favorite color with the excuse that we need to play the happy couple if her plan is going to work.”
“I see.”
How could two words be so intimidating? What did Lancaster think about all this? Did he understand where Kavan was coming from or did he think it was all a convenient excuse? Kavan kept his hands clasped on the table, not letting himself break. Any nerves could be taken as a sign that he was lying. Right now, all he could do was wait and see what Lancaster decided.
“Well. When you do find something, let me know.” Lancaster nodded. “It will be very useful… I want you to concentrate your efforts on the case against Matthew. Get everything you can on it. You can use this to give me updates.”
Lancaster slid a burner cell across the table.
He didn’t say Kavan was back in the Family. He didn’t say that this was a chance to earn his place back. Kavan took the cell, fighting against his doubts. He didn’t say it because it didn’t need to be said. He was giving Kavan a job; what other proof did he need?
Cooking school. The words came back to him unexpectedly. He remembered the way Valerie had looked at him when she suggested he could open up his own restaurant. Her bright, sparkling eyes. The way she had sounded so enthusiastic and genuine. He’d never considered any sort of legitimate career. The human world didn’t want him, so why should he want them? Their ‘normal’ lives weren’t accessible to the likes of him.
“Is there a problem?” Lancaster asked, arching a single brow.
“No.” Kavan tucked the cellphone into his pocket, keeping his face utterly blank. He didn’t let any of his doubts show on his face. He was just experiencing the endorphins of sex still. It was only natural that he’d start feeling some attachment to the woman he was living with.
Valerie didn’t care what his past was. She just thought he deserved to be in jail. And maybe he did, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to go back, so why should he waste any time wondering if he should be taking a different path? The Family had always protected him, and they would protect him again, just as soon as he proved that he was worthy.
He wasn’t good at anything but being a criminal. Him, running a kitchen? Owning a restaurant? Nobody would come, and besides that, he didn’t have the funds to start something like that. Maybe once he was back in good with the family, he’d bring it up to Lancaster. They could use the restaurant as a front for something else.
Lancaster stood, smiling down at him. “Be sure to give me regular updates, and don’t let me down.”
Kavan took his hand and kissed it again. He murmured the appropriate good-bye, then watched as Lancaster left the bar. He waited a few minutes before he, too, left.
He tried not to think on the way back to Valerie’s house. He was tired; after he got some sleep, he’d figure out how to get the information he needed from Valerie on Matthew Lancaster’s case. He hadn’t been pushing hard yet, but he had noticed that she brought home her briefcase every now and then. Moreover, he was let into her office by himself often now. Camille trusted him implicitly.
All it would take was finding where Valerie kept the key for her cabinets. Then he’d be able to go through them easily. Hell, he could arrange to go looking for something she left there at night and have time to go through it all.
Not right away, though, because Valerie didn’t trust him enough for that. He would have to take this slowly. Lancaster would understand that he couldn’t get it all at once; it was more valuable to let him go at his own pace. Soon, though. Soon, he was going to have what he always wanted.
Family.
Chapter Eight
Kavan idly watched the security screens, drumming his finger against the tabletop. It was a particularly slow day in the jewelry store and there hadn’t been any attempts at stealing anything yet. Beside him, Philip seemed to be restless. He kept shooting Kavan looks from the corner of his eye. Twice he opened his mouth only to shut it again right away.
If you’re going to say something, just spit it out.
He wasn’t going to say anything first, that was certain. Kavan kept his gaze straight ahead, determined not to give Philip anything more than he already had. Although, what Philip was so worked up about, Kavan wasn’t sure. Had he somehow found out about his meeting with Lancaster?
That had been a couple of days ago now and if Philip found out about it, it was only a matter of time before Valerie found out. If she didn’t already know. She’d been acting weird lately, although that could just be because of their night of passion. It hadn’t exactly been something they had a lot of build up to, after all, and since then she’d even refused to have dinner with him.
The question was, did she know or was she just trying to avoid a repeat? Was she ashamed of what they had done? It made him cringe to think that she might be. Their first time together it was understandable that she would have a bit of a freak-out afterward, seeing as how they had both been drunk and that it had ended up all over the news that they were together.
This time, though… She had wanted him. She had said she wanted him. She had thrown herself into their lovemaking as though there was nothing else in the world she wanted to do.
Maybe she’s getting deeper feelings than she anticipated.
Kavan snorted to himself. There was no way that was happening. Maybe she had let go of her control that night, but she was always so steadfast and determined in what she did. The only way she would start falling for him is if she decided she liked tattoos after all.
“What are you finding so funny?” Philip snapped.
Kavan rolled his eyes. “If you‘ve got something to say to me, just say it, Phil. These quiet looks and uncomfortable clearing of your throat are getting on my nerves.”
“What would I have to say to you?”
“Ouch,” Kavan muttered, rolling his eyes again. “Spit it out already.”
Philip was silent for a moment. “Valerie Gilson.”
Kavan tensed. “What about her?”
“It’s all over the news, don’t ‘what about her’ me, Kavan. You’re engaged to a judge. You. You hate everything to do with law enforcement and now you’re engaged to a judge? What are you wanting from her, huh? Is this because you’re trying to get back in with the family? Or is it because you think she can keep you out of jail?”
“So, you don’t think that I could actually love her?”
Philip gave him a hard look.
Kavan traced the path of one of the store’s patrons with his eyes. Maybe if they were out some place where they wouldn’t be overheard, Kavan would have told his old friend the truth. Everything. He wanted to, on one level. Let him know about Lancaster’s demands, about how this was Valerie using him for her desires as much as it was him using her.
But here? He was certain there was a camera around here somewhere for Jonston and Carter, the owners of this store, to be spying on them. The vampires seemed to be very bored with their lives and on more than one occasion hinted that it was okay to ‘let loose’ on the job, whatever that meant.
“Both Valerie and I know what this is,” he said, even his heart gave a slight twinge.
Yes, both of them knew it was a fake engagement and they both knew that this wasn’t something that meant anything real to either of them. But Valerie didn’t know that he was now spying on her for Lancaster, to get his snake of a son out of jail.
“And what is it?” Philip demanded.
“It is what it is.”
“Kavan—”
“My business,” Kavan interrupted. “I’m sure that Valerie doesn’t want me going around gossiping about her with other people, especially if tho
se people are ex-cons.”
“You’re an ex-con.”
“But I’m not other people, am I?”
Philip scowled but didn’t argue the point any longer. They were silent for a few minutes, the tension humming between them. Kavan wanted to make a joke or something to lighten the mood, but he didn’t really know Philip anymore. Back when they ran together in the Family, Philip was almost like a big brother to him, though Kavan would never admit that out loud.
Now, Philip had his mate. He had his kids. He’d gotten what he wanted, a life outside of the Family. And Kavan was happy for him. Sometimes he felt a little jealous, wishing that he could have that sense of family, too. But he was still happy for him. His life was in that happily-ever-after stage of romance, and Kavan didn’t want to ruin that for him.
“Have you heard anything more about your case?” Philip asked suddenly.
“Yeah, I got a call from my lawyer the other day. Apparently, the prosecution has been granted another continuance. They’re having a hard time finding evidence that isn’t ‘tainted’ from the first investigation. It’s kind of funny.” Kavan shook his head. “You’d think that what they had would be enough to convict me even if it didn’t exactly follow the chain of command. Instead, it’s all being thrown out because, apparently, my confession isn’t enough.”
“Someone must like you,” Philip said dryly and there was a clear current of disapproval to his tone.
Kavan sighed. “It’s not because of Valerie. Or maybe it is. The governor wants her out, but she’s too popular with paranormal beings for him to outright fire her. Which is why the media is trying so hard to paint her as being racist against paranormal beings. Turn the crowd against her, the governor fires her, he sees a boost in popularity and all of a sudden you have shifters voting for him even though he’ll make them sign up on a registry.”
Philip was silent for a moment before he jerked his chin. “Let’s go out and do some rounds.”
Kavan, tired of sitting anyway, agreed. They walked around the store a little and when the two customers that had been in there walked out after purchasing some rather expensive jewelry, they leaned against one of the displays and stood there chatting for a bit.
The Shifter's Fake Fiancé Page 9
