by Tina Bass
“Cap, let’s just say I met this girl and then later found out some bad shit had happened to her. It happened a long time ago, but I just found out, and it’s killing me not doing anything about it. I want to open the case and find out what went down and—” Kade was trying to explain, but he was interrupted.
“No, you don’t.” Cap shook his head. When he didn’t say anything else, Kade stood up and walked around his desk, leaning back against it and folding his arms across his chest. “Son, this girl. She mean something to you?” Cap asked, looking him in the eyes.
“Yeah, she does. That’s why I want to check into this case. Maybe I can—” Kade started but again he was interrupted.
“What you need to know is what she tells you—” Cap began to explain to Kade, but this time Kade jumped in before he could finish.
“She hasn’t told me much of anything. That’s the problem!”
“You think maybe she doesn’t want you to know all the details? That if you knew, you might would look at her differently? Yeah, you can sit there and tell yourself you won’t. But, you will. That’s one of the many reasons we pull a cop from a case when it hits too close.” Cap paused and then continued. “Give her time. Maybe she will tell you. Probably not all at once. Maybe, but it’s doubtful. But, what she tells you, it will be what she wants you to know, when she wants you to know it, and you don’t ever need to know everything. If you want to help her and be there for her, then you’re going to have to give her that.” Kade dropped his head and stared at his boots.
“Hell.” And that was all Kade could say. He heard Cap chuckling, and jerked his head up to look into the face of a smiling Captain, shaking his head.
“Yeah, you got it bad.” Cap walked over to Kade and put his hand on his shoulder. “Go on get outta’ here. We don’t got the funds to replace a desk this quarter.” Kade took a step to leave, then turned back and looked at his Captain.
“Thanks, Cap.” Kade walked out the door and to his truck which was going to take him straight back to Krista. With a smile on his face, he got in, started it up, and took off.
Chapter Twelve
Krista knew she would have time after cutting the grass to take a shower and fix herself up a little. She wanted to look nice when Kade came over. So far he had only seen her sick or not at her best. Today she thought she could at least add a little makeup, fix her hair, and put on some of her nicer clothes. So, that’s what she was doing. Shower done, makeup done, and she was standing in her bathroom, fixing her hair, when she heard the front door open. And then she heard a muttered ‘fuck’ from a voice she was beginning to know really well.
“Irish?” she called out to him as she walked out of the bathroom, a smile on her face.
“Baby, why in the hell is your door un—” Kade’s mind went blank and he forgot what he was going to say as he walked toward the sound of Krista’s voice and her music, which, for once, was turned down to a more tolerable level. Kade stopped walking or talking when he caught sight of Krista coming out of her bathroom in nothing but that same short-short robe of hers. But this time, her hair was down and curled in waves, and her face—damn, every time he saw her she was beautiful, but now, she was fuckin’ gorgeous. He stood frozen for a minute. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her face. Even knowing how sexy she was in that damn short robe, he still couldn’t move his eyes beyond that gorgeous face.
“Irish, are you okay? Is something wrong?” He heard Krista ask a question. He even heard the concern in her voice, but still he could only stand there and stare. When she took another step toward him, he was finally able to speak again.
“You’re gorgeous…” He managed to croak out and she smiled, and that ‘gorgeous’ took a jump up. “You’re incredibly gorgeous.” He was repeating himself. She smiled bigger and walked up to him. “Damn, and you smell incredible too,” he groaned when she got close enough for him to catch her scent. Then he moved, pulling her close, and kissed her. Hard. He ran his hands down her back to cup her ass, but when they dropped lower, all he felt was skin and he froze again. Kade raised his head and took her hands in his. “Baby, you have nothing on under that damn sexy robe and you need to put something on.” Dropping her hands, he took a step back, away from her. When she just stood there and looked up at him, he could see disappointment in her face, but he also saw hurt. Did she think he was rejecting her? Before he could put a whole thought together, she wheeled around to go to her room. “Baby, you look so absolutely incredible, and it’s taking everything I got in me to hold myself back, but you gotta help me with that.”
Krista stopped in mid-step, coming back to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing him in the middle of his chest. When he met her eyes, she whispered huskily to him, “What if I don’t want to help you with that? What if I don’t want you to hold yourself back?” Krista knew she was playing with fire, but the look on his face made her feel powerful.
“Baby, do you know what you’re saying?” Was that voice his? That voice that seemed to tremble and break? Kade locked his hands behind his back, knowing if he touched her again, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.
“Yes.” Krista held the power and she felt sexy and alive. The one word was all she had time to say, and then his mouth was on hers again. With a groan, he slid one hand up her back, weaving it through her hair to the back of her head, tilting it to deepen the kiss. When an answering moan slipped from her lips, he used the other hand to grasp her bare ass, kneading the soft flesh, and pulling her into him.
For long moments, he worshipped her mouth, kissing her like he was starving to death. Finally, he gave her one more soft kiss, raising his head to lay his forehead against hers. “Are you sure, baby? I don’t want to rush you. And I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do,” he whispered to her, breathing hard and unable to catch his breath. She was breathing hard too and he felt her nodding her head.
Kade locked eyes with her, and slowly untied the belt of her robe. Running his hands up her arms to her shoulders, he pushed the garment off of her and let it fall to the floor. Looking down at her, he let his eyes roam down her body and then back up. “So damn beautiful,” he choked out. When his eyes met hers again, he trailed a sweet kiss down her cheek to crash against her lips, kissing her—hard, wet, and long. Damn, he wanted her. He didn’t remember ever feeling as desperate as he was at this moment. His dick began to fill, and he had to clench his fist to take things slowly. For her. “You doing okay?” he asked. He wanted to be sure. When she only nodded again, he prompted. “Baby?” He had to hear her say something so he would know she was okay and wanted this as much as he did.
“Yes. I’m sure. I want this. I want you,” she whispered breathily.
“Thank fuck!” He scooped Krista up in his arms and walked with her to her bedroom, holding her close to his chest. Moving over to the bed, he gently laid her down, and then stood over her, drinking her in with his eyes.
“So beautiful, baby,” he growled when their eyes met again. She got up on her knees, reached for his shirt, and started pushing it up his chest. He took it from there and ripped it off over his head. Krista ran her hands up his stomach, over his chest to his shoulders, gazing up into his face the entire time. She loved the way he felt, all hard body and smooth skin. She didn’t know what she was feeling, but it was amazing. Slightly out of control and hot, so very hot. She felt sexy. “You want me?” he asked and shuddered when she gave him one of her signature sweet smiles.
“Yes, Irish, I want you.” Was that her voice? All husky and breathless?
“You got me.” He leaned down and kissed her slow and deep, running his hands down her sides and then around to her breasts, cupping one in each hand. Rubbing his thumbs over her nipples, he felt and tasted the moan which came from her mouth. Unable to wait one more second, he moved one hand to his jeans, working at undoing his fly, while the other hand
pinched one nipple between his fingers. He broke the kiss on another moan and kissed his way over her cheek, across her jaw, and down her neck, savoring her taste on his tongue. Then, retracing the path, he found her mouth and kissed her softly. When he moved again, he laid her back on the bed, sat down to remove his boots and socks, then stood again to shuck his jeans. Looking into her eyes, he saw them go wide when he stood before her naked. He leaned over her and touched his lips to hers, whispering reassuringly, “I’ll never hurt you, baby, and if at any time we need to stop, you just say the word, and we stop.” He pulled his head back to look into her eyes when she only nodded her head. “Baby, you sure?” He had to be sure they were on the same page here. He wanted her more than he wanted his next breath, but not if she wasn’t ready.
“Yes, Irish, I’m sure. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything before.” He stared into her eyes and all he saw was desire for him, no fear, and no hesitation. He lay down beside her, drawing her close to him, both of them on their sides, front to front.
“This is your first time, baby,” Kade stated firmly.
“But, I—” She started to interrupt him but then her words drifted off, suddenly unsure.
“No, baby, that…it’s not…” He began to tell her, as he rolled her to her back with him above her, looking into her eyes. “This, baby. This is your first time.” He punctuated each word with light kisses over each eye. “I don’t want to rush it.” He explained to her as he continued kissing her on both cheeks. “I only want it to be good for you.” He kissed a path across her jaw, down her neck, to her chest between her breasts. Tilting his head to look up at her, he again asked the same question. “Okay?” When she responded with a breathy and barely audible ‘yes,’ he kissed each nipple before he cupped one breast in his hand while sucking her other nipple into his mouth. Her back arched toward him as her hands held his head to her. The hand at her breast moved and glided down her side, over her belly, and down to cup her. Stroking her clitoris, he found her wet for him. “So wet, baby.” He crooned to her against her breast, and then he slipped one finger inside of her. He heard her throaty moan and raised his head to take her mouth. Kissing her, he could taste her desire. He added a second finger to the one inside of her, while using his thumb to stroke her clit. Her hips bucked. “Fuck, baby,” he growled, his lips still on hers. Then he moved to his jeans for a condom and while he rolled it on himself, he saw her breathing heavy as she watched him. When he had the condom in place, he raised up over her, his erection pressing against her. He held himself above her with his forearms and waited to catch her eyes. He looked into them as he slowly entered her. He felt her tighten up and stopped. “Relax, baby, I won’t hurt you,” he whispered softly against her lips.
“I know.” She managed to breathe out. He slowly pushed himself into her, then began to move in and out, going in a little more each time until he was buried to the hilt.
“Doing okay?” Kade asked, his voice breaking.
“I think…” Krista was breathing fast, and she felt something building. She didn’t know what, but she liked this. A lot. And she wanted to move. And for him to move. Them to move together? She didn’t know, but instinct was telling her to move and she was wiggling her legs, unable to be still. She was feeling frantic, so she decided to ask him. “I think it will be better, if you…we…I don’t know…move?” He smiled and started to pump his hips slowly. She couldn’t stop the moan that escaped her lips. “Yessss.” That was what she needed. She was almost there…what? Then he kissed her hard, wet, and long. And he rolled them, without breaking their connection, putting her on top. He pushed lightly on her shoulders until she was sitting up.
Looking up at her, Kade spoke as he moved both of his hands to cup her breasts, pinching her nipples between his fingers. “Ride me, baby.” Bracing her hands on his chest, she moved up and down the length of him, going faster and faster when she found her rhythm. “Damn, my baby is hot.” She heard from somewhere far away. He moved his thumb back to her clit and swirled it around.
He felt it, right before he heard her scream, “Oh my God!” He felt her contract around him.
Her vision dimmed. This was what she had been missing? Wow, that was the single most amazing thing she’d ever felt in her life! And right now, she felt liquid.
He pulled her to him, rolled them and started to really pound into her, all the while watching her face. But, then he lost sight of her as it hit him, and he came hard, just barely hearing her breathy ‘yesss’ as it hit her again and they came together. His arms gave out and he landed on top of her for a second before he rolled them again, with her on top, plastered to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, running his hands back and forth, down her lower back, across her ass.
“Baby, you okay?” he asked worriedly, after some time as she hadn’t moved or said anything.
That was…that was…nice,” she whispered to him.
“Nice?” he questioned, wondering if he should be insulted.
“No, not nice. Wait, my brain forgot to work.” She took a breath. “Amazing. No, better than amazing. I’ve never felt anything like it in this world.” Krista lifted her head, brought her hands to his chest and stared into his eyes. “Was it…uh…okay for you?” she hesitantly asked.
“Baby, it was fuckin’ phenomenal.” He assured her, smiling. Then kissed her, rolled her, and slid out. “Be right back, don’t move.” He got up and walked into the bathroom.
Chapter Thirteen
Krista lay there still. For a minute, she couldn’t move. She could only reflect. I had no idea sex could be this…this…this phenomenal, she thought as she remembered what Kade had said. Yea, it was F-en phenomenal. Then she heard water running in the bathroom. No, not just water. Bath water. Was Kade taking a bath, she wondered, as she sat up, ready to grab something to put on to go see what he was doing. Just then, Kade walked back into the bedroom, completely naked, and he seemed comfortable with that. “I told you not to move.” He tried to speak firmly, but couldn’t stop the smile on his face. He walked over to her, scooped her up, then carried her into the bathroom. “Baby, you may be a little sore, and a hot bath will help with that.” He kissed the top of her head. “I was going to add some of your bath shit, but it smells too girly. I’m not going out smelling like some girly shit.” When she only giggled at his words, he bent his head to her chest and kissed the top of each breast before he kissed her lightly on her lips. He set her on her feet beside the tub, helped her step in, and then got in behind her. She reached over and grabbed a clip for her hair. He leaned over her back and kissed a path down her spine as he sat down. When she had her hair clipped up, he helped her sit, pulling her back to his front, wrapping his arms around her. “How you feeling, baby?” he asked, concerned for her, as he lightly kissed her neck.
“Good. No, great. Really great.” Krista sighed as she melted back against him.
“Will you tell me about your mom and dad?” He meant to ease into that, but it just popped out of his mouth unbidden.
“What uh, do you, uh…want to know?” she asked hesitantly. Kade could feel her whole body tense up when he asked about her parents, could hear the hesitation in her voice.
“When you were telling me some about you growing up, you told me about living in the country, and how much you loved it, but not so much about your parents.”
“Oh,” she barely whispered, but he could feel the tension beginning to melt away. Then she turned to look at him and smiled. He loved to see her smile, so he had to kiss her. It was short, but sweet. She laid her head back against his shoulder and began speaking. “As far back as I can remember, my mom and dad were always there for me. Most of the parents of the kids from school didn’t understand my rare blood or the treatments, so I had no real friends. Back then, the treatments were closer together and didn’t last as long in between. So, I was sick more often and for longer per
iods of time. The parents of the kids at school feared what they didn’t understand, so they were never allowed to play with me, but I can never remember a time that I felt sad about that, or lonely. My mom and dad made sure of that. My dad used to call my mom his Juliet, you know, from Romeo and Juliet. She and dad would read it aloud all the time, each of them changing their voices with each of the characters they read. Except when they would read Romeo and Juliet’s lines, they would use their own voices.” Krista melted more into him and sighed, and when she started talking again he understood where her memory was taking her. “They changed the ending. Romeo and Juliet didn’t die in their version. Instead, they ran away together and lived happily ever after in the country. It was years later before I found out the real ending.” He heard her laugh a little, but he also heard a hint of sadness in her laugh.
“What is it, baby?” Kade didn’t like that hint of sadness in her voice.
“They had that. My mom and dad. They loved each other so much, just like Romeo and Juliet. My dad’s parents died when he was seventeen, so I never knew them, and dad didn’t talk about them. Or, if he did talk about them, it wasn’t to me. But my mom’s parents didn’t like my dad, as in really didn’t like him. They always thought my mom could have done better and when she picked my dad and left home to be with him, they turned their backs on her. When they found out she’d married my dad, they disowned her, and as far as I know, they never spoke to her or my dad again.”
“You never met your grandparents?” Kade was shocked. How could anyone not want to know this wonderful woman? How could anyone, especially a parent, turn their back on their own child?
