by Liv Brywood
“Dammit.”
She slammed her hand against the steering wheel. A face appeared at the fogged-up window on the driver’s side. She jumped. She wiped condensation from the glass to reveal Kade’s concerned face.
“Car trouble?” he yelled through the window.
She rolled it down. “It won’t start.”
“Let me check it out. Pop the hood.”
She did. While she waited, she massaged her temples to relieve stress. Over the years, she’d learned many different tension-releasing exercises so she could keep her bear inside. She couldn’t exactly unleash her bear in public. Although humans were aware that shifters existed, they wouldn’t think twice about shooting her on sight. For her safety, and for the safety of others, shifting was prohibited by the sheriff’s department.
“Looks like your carburetor’s busted. The choke spring is broken so it isn’t closing properly.”
“Can you fix it?”
“Not without the part.” He glanced at his watch. “And the stores close in thirty minutes. There’s no way we’ll make it down the mountain in time.”
“Shit.”
“I guess you’re stuck here for the night.”
“Stop grinning.”
“You have to laugh at the irony.”
“It’s not funny.”
“Come inside and get warmed up.” He started toward the door. When she didn’t follow, he stopped and turned to face her. “Look, it’s pretty clear that you don’t want to be friends because, for whatever reason, you think it’s going to interfere with your job. I disagree, but I get it.”
“It would be a huge conflict of interest.”
“Can we call a temporary truce? Can you put aside all that court stuff until morning?”
“I suppose.”
“Good. Also, I don’t like living in the past. It’s not a happy place for me.”
“Me either.”
“Then can we forget the past, just for tonight? We can go back to arguing in the morning. Sound good?” He flashed a disarming smile.
“Sure.”
“Should we shake on it?”
He extended his hand. When she reached for it, he pulled her close and wrapped her in a warm embrace. He leaned forward until his lips brushed her ear.
“I know you’ll never forgive me,” he whispered. “But I’m sorry I fucked up that day.”
He didn’t need to specify which one. He was apologizing for missing her father’s funeral for the hundredth time, but she wasn’t ready to forgive him. Not yet. Maybe never.
“Let’s go inside,” she said with a sigh.
She could make it through one night with Kade, especially if they didn’t talk about the past. But what else could they talk about? They were complete opposites in every way. She upheld the law; he broke it. She was responsible to the point of obsessively dotting her “I’s” and crossing her “T’s”; he was totally careless. They were so different, they’d never be able to find common ground. It was going to be a long night.
* * *
Kade rummaged through the contents of his cupboard, alarmed by the ratio of booze to food. Maybe the judge wasn’t entirely wrong about needing to cut back on the drinking. If he could make it 90 days without a drink, then maybe he could quit for good.
Although he was only twenty-eight years old, he’d been drinking over fifteen years. He’d started at thirteen, the night his father had punched his mother so hard she’d blacked out for the rest of the night. Kade had never been so scared in his entire life. The look in his father’s eyes right before he’d hit her had been terrifying enough to send Kade running. He’d hid in a closet for the rest of the night. He’d found his mother’s secret stash of vodka under a pile of old blankets. After a couple of swigs, the pain in his heart dissolved as he faded into alcoholic oblivion.
Over the next three years, he’d used booze to cope with his father’s beatings. Then one night, his dad hadn’t come home. His mother and brothers never spoke of him again. Kade didn’t know what had happened, but he’d suspected someone had done something to his father. Either way, it didn’t matter. His mother stopped drinking. She became the sweetest, most loving mom he could have ever wanted. But it wasn’t enough to keep him out of the bottle. He used booze to dull the pain in his heart. It had gotten to the point where he couldn’t sleep without a shot of whiskey. He’d tried to stop several times over the years, but couldn’t. Now that he had a son, he had to get his life together.
He grabbed a bottle of vodka and unscrewed the cap. As he poured it down the sink, Emily slid into a seat at the kitchen table. She didn’t comment as he worked his way through the cabinets. After pouring out the last drop out, he set the empty bottle on the counter next to the others.
“That’s all of it.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did. I know you have zero faith in me, but I swear I’m going to be a better father than my old man.”
“You never talk about him.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. He ran out on my mom and never came back.” He didn’t share his suspicions that something had happened to him. She might be required to investigate, and he didn’t want to put her in that position.
“Do you need help with dinner?”
“No thanks. I’m going to cook up some gourmet mac and cheese with peas. I hope you like powdered lemonade mix.”
“I haven’t had that since I was a kid.”
“Maybe it will make you nostalgic for the past.” He swallowed and dropped his gaze. Why bring up the past again? He needed to stop focusing on it and look to the future. A future that didn’t include Emily.
Tucker cooed. Emily smiled as she headed over to pick him up. A sliver of pain spiked through Kade’s heart. Emily would make the best mother. He’d really messed things up when he’d gone out drinking the night before her father’s funeral. He should have stayed home. If he hadn’t been too drunk to charge his phone, he wouldn’t have missed her frantic calls. Eventually she’d given up and had called a cab. He didn’t blame her for not trusting him. He didn’t trust himself half the time. But all of that was going to change now. It had to. Living a reckless day to day existence may have worked for him when he didn’t have any other responsibilities, but now that he had Tucker, he had to get his shit together.
“He looks exactly like you,” Emily said.
“Same eyes.”
“Same smile.”
“Have you ever thought about having kids?” he asked as he filled a large pot with water.
“Not really. You need a man if you want kids.”
“Funny how that works.” He smiled. “But if you did have someone, would you want kids?”
“If I knew they would come out as cute as Tucker, I’d consider it. Wouldn’t I?” She tickled Tucker’s belly. “Yes, I would.”
Her baby-voice cooing melted the tension in his gut. His bear pranced around in his chest, stopping only to watch Emily with his son. Kade shook his head slightly. He’d really fucked up all those years ago when he’d let her down. The one time she’d really needed him, he hadn’t been there. She’d probably never forgive him, but he had to try. He missed her.
Ten minutes later, he set two steaming bowls of macaroni and cheese on the table. He added two cups of lemonade to the dinner table before taking a seat across from Emily. She’d placed Tucker in the car seat in the chair next to her.
“I know you want mac and cheese,” she said to Tucker. “But this is grownup food. You can have it in a few years.”
“I made rice porridge for him, but he fell asleep before I could feed him.”
“He looks good for his age. His mom took good care of him.”
“I don’t understand how she kept him a secret from everyone.”
“It’s not hard. You wouldn’t believe the secrets people keep right under the noses of the ones they love.”
“I bet you’ve seen a lot of bad stuff.”
“Sometimes
I see the worst in people, sometimes the best. It depends on the day. What I know for sure is that some people try to change their circumstances, while others whine about it without taking action. The people who take action are the ones who pull themselves out of bad situations.”
While he contemplated her insightful comments, he forked another pile of macaroni into his mouth. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was also wise. The perfect woman. He really had to make things right between them. Even if he had to settle for friendship, it would be better than not having her in his life.
“What should we do after dinner?” he asked. “I have movies and board games.”
“Board games?”
“Can I confess something?” he asked in a serious tone.
“Do I need my tape recorder for this?”
“Sometimes,” he whispered with mock seriousness. “I set up a Monopoly game for two players… and… I play against myself.”
Her laughter opened the door to his heart. For the first time in years, pure joy filled his soul. He hadn’t felt this happy in a long time, and it was all because of Emily.
6
Emily eyed the pile of Monopoly money sitting in front of Kade. Flickering light from the fireplace danced across the pile. She could have sworn it was smaller before she’d taken a trip to the bathroom. Had he swiped money from the bank?
“Did you land on Free Parking while I was gone?”
“No. I didn’t touch anything.”
“Really?” She cocked her head to one side. “Because your money pile looks bigger.”
“Because I own more hotels. You’ve had to pay up several times during the last trip around the board.”
“Um hum…” She wasn’t buying it for a second. He was up to no good, as usual.
As she picked up the dice to roll, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She caught Kade reaching for the bank.
“Freeze!”
He actually froze like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“I knew it. You were cheating!”
“I was paying myself dividends for my, uh, stock investments.”
“You can’t own stock in Monopoly!”
“Actually, you can get dividends when you land on Chance or Community Chest.” His impish grin sent flittering waves of heat through her belly. How could he look so good when he was being so bad?
“Well, now we have a problem,” she said in a stern tone.
“Uh oh, Officer. Are you going to arrest me?” He held out his upturned wrists.
“I have handcuffs.”
“Don’t tease me.”
She laughed before tackling him to the floor. She pinned his hands over his head and straddled his waist.
“You’ve got the right to remain silent.”
“Déjà vu.”
“Do I even need to rattle off the rest?” She arched a brow.
“Nope. I know it by heart.”
“Because you’re always getting into trouble.”
“I love trouble.”
He tore his wrists from her grasp and grabbed her hips. He flipped her on her back so fast that she didn’t realize he’d taken control until it was too late. When his lips pressed into the hollow of her throat, she whimpered. He nibbled and licked a trail of scorching kisses across her collarbone.
“You smell like orange marmalade,” he murmured.
“Orange marmalade?”
“It’s your perfume.”
“I’m not wearing any.”
“Then it’s you.”
He nuzzled her neck before taking her earlobe between his teeth. As he gave it a tug, she shivered. He always had this effect on her, turning her into a shuddering puddle of pure need. When his hand slid down the side of her breast, she wanted to resist, but she couldn’t. She’d never been able to summon enough willpower to say no to Kade. Not when every inch of her body screamed, yes!
A low growl rumbled across his lips. “You’re sweeter than molasses.”
“Your flattery won’t work on—Oh God.”
His thumb and forefinger closed over the taut peak of her breast. He tugged on her nipple and rolled it between his fingers. She moaned and arched against him.
The rigid length of his cock pressed against her thigh. Even fully clothed, his heat seeped through the cotton of her jeans to warm her, but it was nothing compared to the fire in her belly.
Her bear roared with pleasure and pranced around in her chest. The beast sucked in Kade’s scent until she was intoxicated. Her bear rolled around, flailing her paws against Emily’s ribcage.
“Knock it off, bear,” Emily hissed.
Her bear chuffed and quit flailing around.
“Bear gone wild?” Kade asked in a husky tone.
“Something like that.”
“I know how to calm her down.”
As he unbuttoned her jeans, she tried to remember all the reasons why she should stop him. The moment his hands grazed her panties, she couldn’t come up with a single one. Her brain turned to jelly as he peeled her jeans down to her ankles. He didn’t even bother taking them all the way off. Her panties quickly followed, leaving her exposed.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured.
“Kade…”
“Hum?”
His mouth found the inside of her thigh. With the slow precision of an expert lover, he licked a damp trail of tiny circles toward her pussy. She arched and tried to kick off her tennis shoes. She managed to get them off. After sliding her jeans and panties over her socks, she kicked free. He crawled between her legs and slipped his hands under her knees. As he roughly pulled her legs apart, she trembled. He could be so soft and so hard at the same time, a paradox of sensuality.
When his lips returned to scorch her flesh, she whimpered. His tongue teased the skin around her pussy without touching her core. She wriggled her butt, hoping to get his tongue where she wanted it. He grabbed her hips and held her still.
“So impatient,” he whispered.
“Please…” She hated the desperation in her tone, but it was the truth. She wanted him, needed him, and dammit, she was going to have him.
He blew warm air against her clit. She couldn’t take it anymore. She needed his tongue on her pussy—now!
As she laced her fingers into his thick hair, he growled. She pulled him down against her pussy. When he lashed his tongue against her clit, she cried out.
“Is this what you want?” he mumbled against her quivering sex.
Before she could respond, he sucked her clit between his lips. She gasped. Sharp sparks of electric need sizzled straight to her pussy. He increased the intensity until she was ready to shatter.
“It’s too much… Oh, my God.”
She tried to push his head away, but he shook it from side to side. The added vibration excited every nerve ending in her body. She positively buzzed with erotic energy.
Overwhelmed by his tongue, she bit the edge of her lip. Her fingers curled into a throw rug so she wouldn’t float away on a cloud of absolute bliss. The longer he sucked, the tighter she spiraled toward the pinnacle of pleasure. She was close. So close.
He pulled back to lick her slick folds.
“Don’t stop,” she begged.
“We have all night.”
“But I need… I need…”
“I know what you need.”
He stroked her with his tongue. As the long, languid licks continued, she writhed against him. She clamped her mouth shut. She couldn’t keep from pleading with him to make her come. The more she begged, the more he’d teased. He was taunting her, showing her that he held complete command over her body. And she was helpless to resist.
His hands lingered on her thighs before sliding to caress her hips. She was curvier than most women. Normally she’d be embarrassed by her extra padding, but Kade seemed to love it. He didn’t stop stroking her, alternating between feather-light touches, and kneading her pliant flesh.
Blood throbbed throughout her bod
y. Primal surges of mating lust coursed through her veins. The longer he kissed and licked her pussy, the wilder she became. She stopped caring about behaving like a lady. She needed him to fill her pussy.
She reached between them to grasp his cock. As she fumbled with his belt buckle, he groaned. He grabbed her wrist and pinned it at her side.
“No,” he whispered. “This is all about you.”
“But I need you inside me.”
He plunged two fingers into her shivering pussy. Her body clamped down, greedy for more. As he dragged his fingers halfway out, she moaned. When he sunk them back inside, she whimpered and rocked her hips against him. Slow rhythmic thrusts devolved into frantic strokes. She soared higher and higher until she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, and couldn’t feel anything but him.
She screamed as her entire body erupted. Shattered by her climax, she couldn’t stop crying out as intense spasms radiated throughout her entire pussy. Tension flooded out of her. She was so overwhelmed by the intensity, that she started sobbing. She dropped her arm across her face and curled to one side.
“Baby, are you okay?”
“I’m just…”
She quivered as a second wave of rapturous ecstasy tore through her. No one had ever made her feel like this. No one but Kade.
In an instant, every reason why she shouldn’t have let him touch her came rushing back. She’d just made the biggest mistake of her life and she couldn’t take it back. Not when he pulled her into his arms to comfort her. Not when he whispered that everything would be okay. And not even when he scooped her up to carry her to his bed. She’d opened her heart to him again, and now he’d be able to hurt her.
* * *
Kade wasn’t sure what to make of her tears. She’d seemed to be enjoying everything until the very last second. Where had he gone wrong? Did she instantly regret letting him touch her? Maybe he should have backed off, but she was so tempting. The urge to plunge his cock into her tight, wet heat nearly overwhelmed him, but he hadn’t wanted to go too fast. Maybe he should have waited longer.
He paced in front of the closed door to his bedroom. As much as he wanted to go in and talk to Emily, he didn’t want to wake Tucker by bringing him into the bedroom. Torn between comforting her, and watching over his son, he had to choose his son. He could talk to Emily in the morning when she’d had more time to process what had happened between them.
