He kissed his way down her stomach. Her skin was like silk. And that scent. Not that he needed it, but it pulled him right in. Dade caught onto her right leg and lifted it over his shoulder so he could kiss her exactly the way he wanted. The way she apparently wanted, too, because she gasped. Moaned. And then cursed.
Dade was positive it was a good sign.
So was the fact that she thrust her hips forward and shoved her hand into his hair.
He would have finished her off then and there, with the taste of her burning like fire through him. But Kayla obviously didn’t want things to play out this way.
She jerked her leg off his shoulder, and with her hand still in his hair, she yanked him back up. Not gently, either. Nor was she gentle with his zipper. Kayla was a woman on a mission, and she batted Dade’s hand away when he tried to help. She got his zipper down and shoved her hands into his shorts. Dade could have sworn a freight train rammed through his head.
Restraint, he reminded himself again.
It was as useless as the last reminder. Kayla freed him from his shorts and wrapped her legs around his waist.
Dade did try to ease into her, but that didn’t work, either. She was tight, wet and hot. And she used those long legs to push him deep inside her.
She made a sound. Not a gasp or moan this time. Her breath shuddered, and the sound came from deep within her throat. Dade recognized it. It was something beyond pleasure. It was a sound he would have made himself if he could have figured out how to breathe.
The moment seemed to freeze. They were there, their bodies fused together. Their gazes locked. And maybe it was because of that intimate position, Dade knew exactly what she was thinking.
This felt good.
No. Not just good. It felt way too good. He’d figured sex with Kayla would be extraordinary, but this was a million steps beyond that.
“We’re so screwed,” he managed to say.
“Oh, yes,” she managed to say right back.
They didn’t take the time to weigh the consequences of this beyond-sex moment. The moment unfroze. The heat roared through them.
And they dived at each other.
Dade caught onto her hips. Kayla caught onto his back and his neck, digging her fingers into his skin and completing the thrusts inside her.
He felt her closing in around him. She was so near climax. This was usually the part when he buried his face in his partner’s neck and went to that dark primal place where the only thing that mattered was finishing what he’d started. First her, so he could rid his body of this fire that was consuming him.
But he didn’t do that this time.
Dade never took his eyes off her, even though his vision was blurred. He knew this would be over too quickly, and he wanted to see every moment. Record every touch, every sensation.
He wasn’t disappointed.
And he wondered how many times in life reality lived up to a man’s fantasy.
Kayla sure did.
She met each of his thrusts, but her grip went gentle on his neck. Her fingers stilled but not her body. The climax wracked through her and she reached for him, pulling him closer. So he was careful.
Gentle.
And it was that gentle coaxing and that look in her eyes that ended it all for him. Dade thrust into her one last time and let himself fall.
Right into Kayla’s waiting arms.
Chapter Fourteen
If Dade hadn’t kept a grip on her, Kayla was certain she would have slid right to the floor.
All in all, that might not be such a bad thing because Dade and she were half-naked, but with the climax high already starting to fade, Kayla knew that sooner or later they would have to talk.
Best not to be naked on the floor when that happened.
She was out of breath again. Felt as if her bones had dissolved to dust, but Dade obviously had a burst of energy. He scooped her up, deposited her on the bed that was only about twenty feet away. He had the good sense to fix his jeans so that at least one of them would be semipresentable if someone knocked on the door.
Kayla got a good look at him while he was dressing. Mercy. No man deserved a body like that. Lanky but with just enough muscles to make him interesting. And then there were the tattoos. A small dragon on his left shoulder blade and a badge on his hip. Appropriate because he was a lawman to the core.
“I know,” he mumbled, sounding disgusted with himself. He dropped down on his side next to her. “I’m sorry.”
Well, that took care of any shreds of a sexual buzz. Kayla just stared at him until Dade cursed.
“Hell, I’m not sorry for that,” Dade amended. But that didn’t clarify anything until he leaned down and kissed her. “I’m sorry I didn’t use a condom.”
Oh. Kayla might have cursed too if her throat hadn’t snapped shut.
“I’m not on the pill,” she was finally able to let him know. Mainly because it’d been a year and half since she’d had sex. “But I think we’ll be okay. It’s the wrong time of the month.”
She didn’t want to get into a discussion about her irregular cycle. Nor did she want to think about this onetime sex with Dade making her pregnant. Good grief. She wasn’t a kid, and even though this need for Dade had consumed her, she still should have remembered to take the simple precaution of using a condom.
He got on the bed with her, slid his arm beneath her neck and drew her closer. Just like that, her thoughts about the unsafe sex faded, and Dade—and his incredible body—took control of her mind.
“For the record, you’re not as delicate as you look,” he whispered.
“Delicate?” Again, she wasn’t sure how to take that. “I hope that didn’t disappoint you.”
“Nothing about you disappointed me.” And yes, there was some frustration in his voice. She understood that. Kayla was frustrated at the strength of all of this. “Besides, I wouldn’t be a good fit with delicate. You’re more my match.”
He dropped a kiss on the top of her breast. Right on her tattoo. He might as well have poured warm wax over her because the heat went through her entire body. A slow hunger that was still there despite what had happened just minutes earlier.
“Why a tattoo?” he asked, kissing her breast again. This time, he used his tongue on her nipple.
It took a moment to form words, and her fingers found their way into his hair. “A way of rebelling.”
“With a pink heart?” he mocked.
She dredged up a smile. “My rebellion has a feminine side. I wanted something pretty.” And it was impossible to concentrate with his hand trailing down her back. The slow hunger suddenly wasn’t so slow. “You’ve got pretty nailed down.” His breath was hot when he blew it over her nipple that he had wet with his mouth.
Kayla’s breath broke, and that hunger suddenly became hot, slick and all-consuming. “What are you doing to me?” she begged.
“Post-sex foreplay.” He flashed a grin that could have seduced her all by itself. But that wasn’t necessary because Dade had other lethal weapons in his arsenal.
Kayla knew this would lead straight to a broken heart, but she pulled him to her anyway. She wanted his mouth. His body. She wanted all of him, all over again.
At first, she thought the buzzing was in her head, but then Dade cursed and snatched up the phone on the table next to the bed.
“Dade,” he snarled.
Kayla, too, wanted to curse at the interruption, but then she forced herself to remember that one floor beneath them in the sheriff’s office there was a major investigation going on. One that was a matter of life and death—hers.
Dade put his hand over the receiver. “It’s Misty. And she says that she has to talk to you now.”
Kayla didn’t even try to choke back a huff. She wanted to hear from her sister, was worried about her, but Misty’s timing wasn’t good. Kayla got up, sandwiched the phone between her shoulder and ear so she could dress while she talked.
Dade lifted an eyebrow at that, but he, to
o, put his shirt back on. Bedtime was over, much too soon, and it hurt to think this might be the one and only time she would get to have Dade.
“I’m here,” Kayla said to her sister.
“I’ve been trying to reach you,” Misty fired at her. “When you didn’t answer your cell, I called the sheriff’s office, and some woman said she’d connect me. Are you really at the sheriff’s office?”
“I’m here.” And Kayla decided to get straight to business. “Where are you and why did you take all that money from your bank account?”
Misty made a sound. Maybe surprise. Maybe outrage. It was hard to tell. “Someone’s following me. I’m afraid Charles or someone is after me.”
Kayla was worried for her sister, but she wished she had more energy to deal with this. “Why would Charles have someone follow you?” She reached over and put the call on speaker so Dade could hear the answer.
“I don’t know!” Misty practically yelled. “Why does Charles do anything?”
“I could say the same about you,” Kayla countered. “Explain why you took the money from your account and the gun from your roommate.”
Her sister made another of those sounds. “Because I’m scared. Didn’t you hear what I said? Someone’s following me. I need to see you. Now. And I don’t want any of the cops around. I want us to be alone, so we can talk.”
Dade shook his head.
Kayla knew he was right. The last thing she needed was to be out and about to meet with Misty. “We can talk at the Silver Creek sheriff’s office,” Kayla pointed out.
“No, we can’t. The cops think I’ve done something wrong, and I haven’t. Well, not intentionally anyway.”
Kayla groaned and sank onto the edge of the bed. She was a hundred-percent certain she wasn’t going to like this. “What did you do?” she demanded.
“Nothing!” Misty hesitated after that outburst. “I didn’t know it was Charles who bought that painting, okay? I didn’t know.”
Kayla didn’t even bother to choke back a groan. This was not what she wanted to hear.
“When did you find out Charles was the buyer?” Dade asked.
Misty made another sound. This one was definitely from outrage. “He’s listening to us? Why would you do that, Kayla? Why would you let him hear a private conversation?”
“Because there’s too much at stake for this to be private,” Kayla explained. “Now answer Dade’s question—when did you learn Charles had bought the painting?”
Her sister took her time answering. “I figured it out a few days ago. Someone called, a man who didn’t identify himself. He said he’d bought the painting as a favor and he wanted me to tell him where you were. I didn’t know, but when I told him that, he didn’t believe me.”
Kayla could only shake her head. “The man who called was likely Danny Flynn, who’s in custody for attempted murder. Or maybe it was Raymond Salvetti, who’s dead.”
“Like I said, I don’t know because he didn’t give me his name,” her sister insisted.
“Did you specifically see someone following you?” Dade pressed.
“No, but I can feel it!” Misty snapped. “And I’m done talking to you. Kayla, I have to see you now.”
Kayla took a moment, not because she was debating her response—she wasn’t—but she wanted to word this as clearly as possible. Even though any wording would cause Misty to pitch a fit. “It’s too dangerous for me to meet with you anywhere but here.”
Her sister used some raw profanity. “I can’t believe you’re choosing that cop over me.”
Kayla was about to explain this had nothing to do with Dade, or choices, but Misty slammed down the phone.
Dade pulled in a hard breath, took the phone from Kayla and tapped the receiver. “Mel,” he said to the deputy who apparently answered, “did you get a trace on Misty Wallace’s location?”
Kayla couldn’t hear the answer, but she saw the frustrated look on Dade’s face. “All right. Thanks.”
“Where is she?” Kayla asked.
“In town. The call came from the hotel at the end of Main Street.”
Oh, mercy. Why hadn’t Misty just told her that? Maybe because her sister was genuinely worried that Charles or someone else would find her location?
Or maybe Misty had sinister reasons?
“Don’t go there yet,” Dade said in that I-know-what-you’re-thinking tone. He slid his arm around her. “Focus on the good.”
The good. Well, she certainly had some of that. Her son was at the top of that list. The fact that he was safe with Dade’s brother was another good. And then there was Dade. A good of a different kind.
The question came to her, and Kayla didn’t even try to stop it. “What will happen when this is all over?”
He tipped his head to the bed. Smiled. “More of that, I hope.”
Kayla didn’t want to smile. But she did. “Your brothers won’t approve.”
“They’re coming around.” He brushed his mouth over hers. Instant heat.
“And in the meantime?” Kayla kissed him back.
“We just remember to breathe when one of us walks into a room.”
She laughed. Couldn’t help herself. “You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?”
“Never,” he promised.
Kayla felt herself floating and realized Dade was easing her back onto the bed. She would have gone willingly, but the phone buzzed again.
“Misty,” she snapped.
Dade growled something much worse but answered the call. “This better be important,” he warned the caller.
But it must have been important because Dade went still. He just listened for what had to be a full minute and then finally said. “No. I’ll escort Kayla there.”
That brought her off the bed. “You’re not taking me to see Misty,” she challenged.
Dade shook his head. “Brennan’s request for another trial delay was denied. The judge wants you at the courthouse in the morning so you can testify.”
MORNING HAD COME way too soon for Dade. The night had flown by despite neither Kayla nor him getting much sleep. Both of them had tossed and turned.
And ached.
Well, he’d ached anyway, and he was pretty sure Kayla had done the same.
Despite the great sex they’d had on the desk, his body had kept on burning for her even after Misty’s call and the news that Kayla would be testifying soon. But Dade had finally managed to show a little restraint. There were no condoms in the apartment, and he hadn’t wanted to leave her alone to go get any. Besides, she had needed rest.
Not sex.
Except somewhere in the night, sex had felt like a need more than sleep. More than common sense. More than anything. Thankfully, Dade had kept his hands off her so they wouldn’t have a repeat round of amazing but unsafe sex.
Kayla had started her morning with a breakfast sandwich and coffee that Mason had delivered and a phone call to Robbie. Despite the gloomy cloud of the trial hanging over her, talking to the baby had helped her mood. It’d helped Dade, too, though he felt a little guilty for stealing some of her parenthood pleasure.
Now, Dade finished up some emails and made some calls while Kayla showered and dressed in the bathroom. They had plenty of time to get to the courthouse, almost an hour, and it was just up the street. Still, Dade knew he would breathe easier once he had Kayla in the witness room where she would remain until she testified against Brennan.
“And then what?” he mumbled to himself.
With luck, the trial would end soon. Brennan would be behind bars. And the reason Kayla was in his protective custody would end, as well.
Dade refused to dwell on that. He had to focus on getting Kayla to the courthouse and up on that witness stand. After that, well, he’d deal with all of that later. However, he couldn’t dismiss that he had complicated the heck out of their situation by sleeping with her. Not just sex.
But making love to her.
Cuddling with her in bed was no
t a good way to sort out his feelings for her. It was just another complication.
She stepped out from the bathroom, and there was complication number three. She looked amazing. So beautiful. And it wasn’t the clothes. The gray top and skirt that had been picked up from her estate was pretty much nondescript. The kind of outfit someone would wear to court. It was the woman wearing the clothes that made them look amazing.
Dade mentally cursed.
All this amazing junk had to stop. He had to clear his head so he could concentrate on getting Kayla through her testimony. He was doing a decent job with his concentration until she crossed the room and dropped a kiss on his mouth.
“You look like a cop,” she muttered.
Dade glanced down at his usual black shirt and jeans with the badge clipped to his belt.
“That’s a compliment,” Kayla assured him.
Oh. Suddenly he felt amazing again, so he gave in to it and kissed her. Not a peck, either. Dade made this one long and hard. When he finally let go of her, they both were smiling big goofy smiles. Oh, yeah.
This concentration stuff was working well.
“It’ll be okay,” she assured him. But then Kayla blinked. “It will be okay, right? You didn’t get any bad news when you were on the phone?”
“Nothing bad,” he assured her. “In fact, some of it is actually good news. Flynn was transported to the county jail last night, and he begged Winston for a deal. Flynn will testify against Brennan in exchange for a reduced sentence.”
Her smile wasn’t so goofy now. Her nerves were showing. “Because Flynn tried to kill me, I hope it’s not a too short sentence.”
“It won’t be,” he promised. And he would make sure of it. “Winston told Brennan’s attorney about the deal with Flynn. Let’s just say Brennan is not a happy camper.”
She blew out a breath of relief, then stared at him. “You’re right, that is good news. But does that mean there’s bad news, too?”
He made a so-so motion with his hand. “Alan is out of jail on bond,” he continued. “But a deputy from a neighboring town is keeping tabs on him.”
Dade Page 13
