by Beth Alvarez
He untangled his fingers from her hair, tidying the counter before trudging past her. “I’m exhausted.” Spreading his arms wide, he flopped face-first onto the bed.
Felicity stifled a laugh. It was a wonder he hadn’t lost his towel. She followed, clambering onto the bed after him, straddling his middle and working her thumbs into the knotted muscles of his back. “At least part of our problems are taken care of, right?”
“Maybe,” he grunted into the bedding, then lifted his head. “I haven’t figured out how I’m supposed to handle bein’ blackmailed for a bounty I ain’t gonna get, since there ain’t really a hunt goin’ on. Ow.”
“We’ll work on that this evening.” Until now, she’d never known him to carry tension around with him. Whether it was from that situation, the fight the night before, or from something else entirely, she didn’t know. The soft grunts and groans her kneading yielded made it clear he found comfort in her ministrations, though.
Felicity couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. The side of him she saw most often was relaxed and playful. Since he’d taken up residence in the bunkhouse, that had all but disappeared. Hints of mischief still shone through now and then, but he was stressed and frustrated, tense and angry. She hadn’t seen his temper often but she knew it was there, teetering on the edge of boiling over.
Her hands moved down his back, avoiding bruises left from his midnight scuffle, coaxing tension out of his muscles.
He didn’t let her work for long, catching her wrist and pulling her down for a kiss. “You’re good to me, Filly. Better than I deserve, for all I put you through.”
“We’ll see if you still feel that way after the wedding is over,” she teased, toppling to the bed beside him.
“Maybe,” he chuckled, stealing another kiss. His lips were warm and insistent. She always enjoyed the way he felt just after a shower, the warmth of his skin pleasant after his normal chill. What he was didn’t bother her—not anymore—but there was something comforting about his warm body against hers.
Kade shifted over her, his fingertips toying with her hair, his mouth against hers growing more aggressive. Heat bloomed in her middle, even as her heart skipped and worry knotted itself in her stomach. She didn’t want to deny him. Her body ached for him, her senses thrumming with an awakening need. But she’d asked for time apart, a cessation of... this. The way he made her breath quicken and her toes curl with the kisses he trailed down her throat didn’t help, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure she’d have the willpower to refuse.
“No,” he murmured against her collarbone, drawing a thumb across her forehead as if to wipe her thoughts away. “None of that. I promised.”
Relief eased the knots in her stomach. She shouldn’t have doubted.
“No biting, no sex.” His lips brushed her chin, then found their way back to her mouth. “But you never said no kisses. Let me have this much.”
“Just this once,” she whispered back, draping her arms around his neck.
At least for a moment, they could pretend everything else was all right.
FOURTEEN
* * *
LIGHT FLASHED INTO the room and Kade shot out of bed, landing on his knees with his pistol in his hand.
Cole put his hands up, making a face when his eyes landed on Felicity. “Aw, come on, man. I gotta sleep in that bed!”
Rolling his eyes, Kade thunked the gun down on the nightstand before crawling back under the covers. “Don’t you know how to knock?”
Felicity sat up beside him, rubbing her face and squinting at the clock. He didn’t think she’d meant to fall asleep, but he appreciated that she’d stayed.
“Considering I thought I was the one staying in this room, I didn’t think it’d be necessary.” Cole averted his eyes when Felicity climbed out of bed, his brow furrowing when he realized she was still fully dressed.
She crept to the dresser, fishing clean boxers and socks out of the top drawer, tossing them to the bed. Then she fetched a pair of jeans and a gray plaid shirt from the closet. “I apologize for giving him a key. Next time we give a room to somebody, I’ll make them come get me to unlock it every time they go in and out.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Kade muttered, pulling on his undergarments beneath the blankets before getting back out of bed. A cursory inspection of his arm showed the burns had healed more; he didn’t think they needed new bandages. “I need to get ready for work, anyhow. You hear from Justine?”
Cole scrubbed a hand through his blond hair, standing it all on end. “Yeah. She’s on her way. She wants to talk to Brady in person before they close the contract.”
“Of course.” It wasn’t unreasonable or outside of protocol, but the house was getting crowded enough without a Keeper in the mix. Kade took the rest of his clothes from Felicity with a murmured thank-you. “And where is Brady? Moonrise’ll be here before long, won’t it?” It was late afternoon. He hadn’t intended to sleep that long, but weariness eventually caught up with him, whether or not he was dead.
“He didn’t like the idea of being locked up. I don’t blame him.” Cole chuckled. “He’s got his wits about him better than I’d expect for a young lycan, so I don’t see any reason to pen him anywhere. He’ll be out on the range. I already agreed to supervise.”
“What about your Keeper?” Felicity asked. “Don’t you need to be here when she arrives?”
“Nah. I already told her to come here. Hope that’s okay. She’ll probably just borrow your internet connection and work until I get back in the morning. Then she’ll interview Brady.”
She smiled, but the expression was strained. “The Hilltop House is filling up fast. I hope everyone will be out before peak season.”
“Before the weddin’, you mean,” Kade said.
“That, too. We’ll have a lot of guests who need to stay here. As it is, I’m going to have to make people share.” Felicity checked the clock again, then sighed. “I’d better go. Dad and Penny will need me to help close up the bakery. They were expecting me there before now.”
Cole sidestepped away from the door. “I’m sorry for interrupting, ma’am. I expect Justine will arrive later tonight. I’ll try to make sure her presence doesn’t cause any problems for you.”
“Thank you.” This time, Felicity’s smile held a little more warmth. She laid a hand on Kade’s arm, planting a quick peck on his cheek. “And you be careful out at the ranch. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
Kade stole a kiss, swatting her hip as she turned to leave. “Be good.” He managed to hold on to his half-smile until she closed the door, then he sobered. “So you’re gonna be runnin’ with Brady?”
“Yup.” Cole made himself comfortable on the edge of the bed, unlacing his combat boots. “Hopefully, it’ll be an uneventful night.”
Kade’s eyes raked the room. Where on earth had he left his hat? “I’m gonna need you to keep him well away from the cattle. I don’t think he’ll mess with them, but... well, you know. Just in case. Until I get one of the pack members down here from the Dakotas to show him the ropes, I won’t be comfortable lettin’ him run. I know this job probably sounds silly, but...”
“I get it, Kade. I really do.” The earnest look Cole gave him reminded him—uncomfortably—that he was talking to a friend and not just another hunter. “I’m a family man, too. First and foremost.”
“But it ain’t what you picked,” Kade said.
“I won’t lie, I miss having you ride shotgun on my messy contracts. But regardless of the job, I understand. Everything I do is for my little girl. But the dynamic we have, her living with her mom... it was better this way. But your lady?” Cole grinned. “She needs you, man. And honestly, seeing you two snuggled up like that, I think you might need her even more.”
Unsettled, Kade looked away.
“It’s all right.” Cole made a placating gesture. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. And it’s not hard to see you’re happier this way.”
Kade couldn’t deny
it, but hearing it from someone else—someone he trusted—made it both awkward and embarrassing. “Why do you think that?”
“You weren’t like the other hunters.” Shucking off one boot and then the other, Cole shrugged. “You never wanted to be alone, not really. You were happiest in the group exercises. The team contracts. I think more than anything, you just wanted a place to belong. Now you’ve got that with her. Don’t you?”
He had more than that with Felicity. He had a place at the ranch; a place in Holly Hill. Her welcoming warmth had been what first drew him in, but what she offered was only the beginning. Kade had never felt like he belonged in Nashville, or even like he belonged with his family. It was different here. Within the first week after his arrival, stepping into the Hilltop House felt like going home.
“I do,” he said at last, as if he understood it for the first time.
Cole nodded. “I’m glad you finally found what you wanted.”
“Well, that’s heartwarming, but getting a little too warm-fuzzy feelin’ for me.” Kade mustered a grin, gathering his things from around the room. His hat was still in the bathroom, his cell phone beside the bed. He grunted at sight of the shattered screen before dropping the phone into his pocket. “If you need me, I’ll be back in the bunkhouse come mornin’.”
“Not planning on needing anything,” Cole replied, waving him off.
Kade shut the door behind him.
The rest of the house was quiet, indicating Felicity had already left for the bakery. He stood at the top of the stairs for a moment, unsure what to do next.
He finally opted for trudging down the stairs and peering around the corner of the kitchen, half expecting Felicity to fly out of nowhere and chastise him for peeking. But she wasn’t there, and neither was her sewing machine, or her dress, or any of the other sewing gadgets he’d expected to see. A twinge of relief soothed his nerves.
The moment he stepped through the door and saw his brother at the far end of the table, that relief vanished.
Owen stared at him for a time before he resumed chewing, putting down his half-eaten sandwich and reaching for his napkin.
Avoiding any further eye contact, Kade stalked to the sink and filled a glass with water.
“How’re you feeling?” Owen’s tone was calm, not too interested, yet too carefully neutral to keep his concern from showing through.
“Fine.” Kade’s voice echoed in his glass. He drank, the silence that followed growing uncomfortable. The weight of it made no sense until he realized he wasn’t wearing a bandana. The gauze wrapped around his neck was plainly visible. He took another sip of water before speaking. “Ain’t as bad as it looked. Kinda like when you cut yourself while shavin’. Bleeds like no tomorrow, but it’s not much more than a nick.”
“Ah.” Owen’s expression didn’t change. It was clear he didn’t buy it.
Silence fell again. Kade drained the last of his water and put his glass in the sink.
“Kade, I-” Owen started, faltering for a moment before he put his words in order. “I... owe you an apology.”
That wasn’t what he’d expected. Kade raised a brow. “Just one?”
His brother ignored the remark. “It was my fault. Things were always strained between you and Dad, but when you left... it was me that pushed you over the edge.”
Kade turned to face him, leaning back against the counter.
“I didn’t have the right to treat you the way I did. I was just so sick of the excuses. It always felt like Mom favored you. She might’ve been proud of me, but she always had some way to justify any situation you were in. When I was younger, that bothered me. That no matter how I succeeded, she never saw me and you as anything but equals.”
“And you didn’t,” Kade concluded, lifting his chin. “Probably still don’t.”
“That’s not the point,” Owen said. His brow furrowed and for a moment, he looked ten years older. “I thought you’d gone out for a drink, the way you always did when you were angry. Then you’d come back, and... things would just carry on the way they were. Then you didn’t. Mom called the police that night, but they made her wait. They found your truck a few days later. Mom thought you’d committed suicide.” His voice cracked. “And for ten years, I tried to live knowing I’d been the one who caused it.”
Something stirred in Kade’s chest; a deep, painful ache that ran down to his stomach and left it feeling like ice. He crossed his arms.
Owen swallowed hard before going on. “I couldn’t believe it when Dad called me, back in January. I knew I should have gone to see you, but knowing what I’d done, I couldn’t. I couldn’t make myself face that. It was like you were back from the dead, and I couldn’t help thinking that one wrong move would send you right back to the grave.”
The irony was almost enough to make Kade laugh. “Truth be told, you ain’t that far off.”
“It scared me, seeing you like that this morning.” Owen shook his head, staring at his sandwich like he’d lost all his appetite. He probably had. “It brought those feelings back. And for just a second, I thought I’d never get the chance to tell you how sorry I was for everything I’d done.”
Kade stared, unsure how to reply. He’d expected a lot of things out of Owen’s visit, but that wasn’t one of them. “Thank you.” It wasn’t like his brother to bare his soul. Maybe following suit would help. “I didn’t expect that. I don’t... I don’t really know what to say.”
“I don’t need you to say anything.” Owen gave a weak smile. “I just need you to know.”
For a moment, Kade considered leaving. He did have to work tonight. But he checked his watch, mulling it over. Now was a chance to change things. Did he really want to pass it up?
Lowering his arm, he made his way to the table. “I still say you coulda just called.” He dragged back a chair, spinning it on one of its legs and straddling the seat. “Gettin’ a phone number from Dad would’ve been just as easy as getting a whole address.”
“And miss a chance to bond with my little brother?” Owen’s smile cracked a little wider, a more genuine spark lighting in his eye. It was the first time Kade had seen him even remotely happy in... well, since before he’d left to become a hunter.
“Considerin’ you’ve got designer socks on, I can’t imagine you bondin’ with cowboys.” Still, Kade chuckled, resting his arms atop the back of the chair. “Thing is, Owen, you might be sorry for what happened, but I ain’t. Won’t say I wasn’t mad at you. I maybe still am. A little bit. But if you hadn’t been that way, who knows. I might not be here, sittin’ in the kitchen of this big ol’ house. I might not have ever left Nashville. Never met Filly. Never made my money.”
Owen sobered. “About the money-”
“You’re still gonna get it,” Kade said before he could finish. “But don’t think a couple nice words mean you’re gonna get out of workin’ for it.”
“I’ve been working for it.” His brother almost rolled his eyes. “Your fiancée made me hand address more than two hundred wedding invitations the other day. My hand still hurts.”
Kade could have cackled. “Oh, so she is makin’ you earn your keep!”
“I’m just glad she had self-adhesive labels with your return address. Before she left just now, she said something about having me scrub a barn.”
“And I hope you’ll do a good job of it, since that’s where we’re supposed to get married. I bled everywhere in there.” Kade touched the bandage around his neck.
A shadow crept across Owen’s face. “How exactly did that happen, anyway?”
The thought of telling him crept through Kade’s mind. Now, while it was just the two of them, was probably best. “That’s...” He drew a breath. “Well, I guess that story starts back in Nashville.”
A harsh knock sounded at the door.
“Are you kiddin’ me?” Kade groaned, pushing himself up. “Sorry. Give me a minute.”
Owen nodded, but the sour twist of his mouth made his displeasure clear.
Oh well. It wasn’t as if Kade could help it; he could finish the story later. Or start it, rather. He hadn’t even begun.
Trying not to grumble, he skulked through the house and adjusted his hat before opening the door. On the other side, a handsome, umber-skinned woman in a smart pant suit lifted her head. Her dark eyes fixed on the bandage at his throat before lifting to his face, one delicate brow quirking upward. “Colton.”
He offered a strained smile. “Ma’am.”
“I hear you’re getting my hunter in trouble,” she remarked dryly, leaning sideways to look past him.
“Savin’ his hide, more like, but you can call it what you please.” Kade leaned against the door. “He’s upstairs. Want me to get him?”
The left corner of her mouth pulled back, not far enough to constitute a smirk, but dangerously close. “What, I don’t get an invitation indoors?”
He looked her over, from her reasonable black flats to the folded umbrella in her hand. He recognized that kind of umbrella. It made his spine crawl. “I don’t make a habit of letting Keepers into my home.”
She chuckled. “Wise.”
Fighting the urge to keep his eyes on her, Kade turned his head. “Cole! Justine’s here!”
A thump somewhere upstairs was the only response he needed.
“He’s comin’.”
“Good.” Justine planted the black umbrella’s tip between her toes, resting her hands atop its crook handle. “Care to step outside?”
Movement behind her drew his attention. The driver’s door of the black sedan out front swung open and another black umbrella popped out. Beneath it, a tall, slender figure wearing a bowler hat climbed out of the car.
Cole bounded down the stairs with his hunting gear slung over his shoulder. He froze on the bottom step, staring outside. “What’s he doing here?”
“Business,” Justine said, shifting aside as Kade’s Keeper scaled the front stairs.
