“It’s beautiful, huh?” Kade traces my collarbone with a fingertip.
I sigh, enjoying the moment. I can’t believe this is my new life. “Very. How’d you find this place?”
“I didn’t. Big called Bongo and he found it for us. Someone owned it, but hadn’t lived here in years. Big made an offer and the rest is history.”
“It’s nice.”
“We can decorate or fill it with whatever ya want. Most of the stuff here were things Big had delivered, or I bought. There’s a neat second-hand store not far from here. Maybe we can go there sometime, between your jobs.”
Not wanting to shoot down Kade’s thoughtful idea, when I’m more than satisfied with what’s already here, I reach back and squeeze the side of his thigh in thanks. “I’d like that.”
“Me, too.”
In companionable silence we stare over our land for a few more peaceful moments before continuing the tour.
The only bathroom is our final stop. As predicted, it’s basic. Nothing more than I need and just enough to feel cozy.
Interior walk through finished, Kade escorts me out the back to a barn thats color matches the front door.
“This is my favorite part.” He yanks open the large sliding door that squeaks as it rolls over ancient metal tracks. Taking my hand into his, fingers slotting together like a real couple, Kade drags me inside with excitement akin to a toddler on their birthday.
Four feet is all it takes for me to stumble to a halt. My shoulder collides with Kade’s arm as I gape stupidly at the interior, that’s fully outfitted with training equipment. And I don’t mean a small mat and punching bag. We’re talking the motherload. Holy shit!
A throaty chuckle resonates beside me and Kade’s hand squeezes mine before letting go. “Take it you likey?”
“Holy fuck.” There are no better words to describe the sight. I think I’m in hunter’s paradise. This barn is quite deceiving on the outside compared to its impressive interior. On the far wall are multiple round, wooden targets set up to use for throwing stars, knives and axes alike. There’s a wooden man, darker than those I worked on in my younger years, but no less enticing. A large, thick mat that you’d find in any upscale dojo rests smack dab in the center of the whole place. There are punching bags, free weights, and a bench to go with them. It’s a full out gym. There’s even a couch and a TV beside a small mini fridge. I’d consider it cozy… for a woman like me.
Still soaking in every rich detail, I gesture toward the whole picture. “How’d you do this?”
“I can’t take all the credit. It was a joint effort. I said you needed a place to train. Big suggested the barn. Bongo’s the one who ordered all the stuff and had it installed.”
These men are damn mind-blowing. I’m lucky to have them in my life.
Leaving me at the entrance of the barn, Kade saunters across the concrete-floored room to a black trunk not far from the targets. He presses a series of buttons on a locking mechanism and opens the lid. “I’ve got us a cabinet ordered for the house to store some of our weapons. But I thought the rest of them would be safe here.” He juts his chin toward the trunk, voice echoing through the cavernous space. “It’s fireproof, waterproof, and bulletproof. It won’t move a fuckin’ inch, with all the drilling they had to do to secure it to the foundation.”
“That’s amazing.” And cool as hell.
Kade caresses the matte black lid as he recloses the box. “It is. Bongo’s one smart motherfucker. I wanted to put it in the house. He said it’d be smarter out here. Ya know, in case something happened, and we needed weapons. They’d hit the house first. And even if they hit the barn, our stuff would be safe.”
Not a half bad idea.
I wade a few more feet into the bowels of the barn, eyes on the dark prince. “That is a smart move. Plus, the barn is only about fifteen yards from the woods.” It’s not as dense of tree cover as I’d prefer. But the woods would provide the right amount of protection should anything go awry. This house isn’t as strong and resilient of a structure as Ryker’s cabin. He built that with protection in mind.
“You caught that already?” He grins.
I tilt my head to the side and deliver an unimpressed are-you-kidding-me look. “I pay attention to everything. Like our bathroom needs a whole new window. The lock’s shit. Our bedroom also needs a new window. A bulletproof one, so we don’t get killed in our sleep by random gunfire.” It’s my job to notice the important stuff. It’s also so ingrained in my DNA that I’m not sure I could shut it off even if I wanted to.
Kade takes a seat on the black couch and props a booted ankle on his knee, getting comfortable. “What else did you notice?” That charming, hotter-than-Hades smile is out in full force. It sets off a chain reaction of butterflies and other unwelcome feelings in my center that I do my best to ignore. Now’s not the time to swoon. Frankly, no time is swoon time. Swooning is for women who romanticize romance. I’m a realist, even if my insides have trouble getting with the program.
“We need motion detectors like we had at Ryker’s for optimum safety,” I reply, my tone professional. “And the back door needs to be replaced with a steel one.” It’s wooden. Nothing more than a kick from me would shatter that lock in two. I can’t live anywhere that doesn’t offer the highest-level protection on the market. Not in my line of work. When I’m traveling all over the country, never settling in, I’m not that worried about detection or tracking. Setting down roots is a different story. It gives me a home base. A place for sick fucks and their brothers to find me. I can’t darken our doorstep with that and not do my best to protect Kade at all costs. He’s worth that and so much more.
A groan emits from H.B.B. as he adjusts his junk. Predictable. “Do you know how hot it makes me when you talk shop like that? Ugh, it’s fuckin’ sexy. Do it again.”
I snort in amusement. “You’re ridiculous.”
“No. I’m serious. You already know you plus knives are pure porn. Shop talk… Yeah, that does it, too.”
Of course, it does. This man…
I shake my head at his silliness and smile like a loon, even though I know I shouldn’t encourage this kind of behavior.
Kade cracks his knuckles. “Soooo, what else we gonna need to buy before you start trainin’ me?”
“Training you for what? You already know how to use a knife.” Please don’t say he’s referring to what I think he’s referring to.
“To hunt with you.”
Yep. He went there. Sonofabitch.
“To what?” I double check in case my hearing has crapped out.
Mr. Sure-Of-Himself angles his body to face mine. “I want to hunt with you. Help rescue girls and shit.”
Sure, he does. We both know what Kade wants.
My eyebrows hike to my hairline. “You mean, kill people.”
“That, too…” The dark prince shrugs as if that’s of no consequence. A full-fledged smirk transforms his face from handsome to downright wicked. “Might as well get my kicks doin’ something good in the world. Your brand of justice sounds perfect. I want in. And seein’ as though we’re together now, since you kinda love me… I figure once I’m up to your sidekick standards, I can be the Robin to your Batman. Bucky to your Captain. Loki to your Thor.”
Arms crossing over my chest, my tongue grows heavy, unsure of what to say. He’s a handful now. What will it be like living together?
“You’re insane. You know that, right?” I remark.
Kade taps his fingertips on the couch arm. “Uh, babe, I’m pretty sure that ship sailed before I hit puberty.”
True.
“Loki and Thor are brothers. One of which is always tryin’ to kill the other,” I point out for no other reason than to shine light on the fact he won’t try to murder me. He needs to work on his analogies.
“For someone who claims they don’t like TV, you seem to know your Thor-ology. Is he the superhero that gets your panties wet? He seems to do it for most ladies.”
&n
bsp; Where does he come up with this shit?
Because I can’t help myself, I roll my eyes. “This is worse than the Monopoly conversation.” A hundred-fold more absurd.
Relaxed on the sofa, not a care in the world, H.B.B. continues to torment me. “Come on. Enlighten me. These are things we should know about each other… Here, I’ll start. Harley Quinn makes my dick hard.”
I groan inwardly, suppressing a second eye roll. “The wind blowing in the right direction makes your dick hard. That’s not difficult.”
Those intense baby blues bore into mine, willing me to share.
Fine. Fine.
I relent. “Kat likes Thor, not me. I’m surprised you didn’t know that.” She gave me a firsthand rendition of her love for the man. Moreover, the actor who portrays Thor… Chris something-or-other.
“We don’t talk about everything. So, if the hunky Norse God doesn’t do it for ya, who does?”
Like a dog with a bone, he won’t let this go. So, I toss whatever name at him that first comes to mind. “I prefer Loki.”
Kade frowns, a deeply disturbed one that morphs his entire face. “Out of all Marvel and DC verse you pick Loki?”
Has he not seen Tom blah-blah-son? Enough said. Not that I’d consider him a favorite. I don’t know much about the Marvel or the DC world beyond the limited comic book exposure I had as a kid, and equally limited exposure as an adult. See, Kat strikes once again with her forced pop culture education.
I redirect our conversation down the right path before Kade forces me to watch a marathon of Marvel movies and my eyeballs start to bleed. “Can we not talk about this nonsense and get back to you wanting to hunt with me?”
“Is that gonna be a problem?” The tap tap tap on the arm of the couch ceases as he awaits my reply, as if he’s afraid of what I’ll say.
“I dunno. Is it? Are you gonna try to take lead? Men like to take lead. They don’t like takin’ orders from women.” Big—case in point.
Kade’s face twists into the sexiest, lip pursed, nose crinkled, jaw clenching scowl. It suits him. “You’re my woman, not some random bitch. And I already said I’m your sidekick. You lead and I’ll follow. I’m a damn good soldier. Ask Pops.”
“I can’t take you hunting until you learn the lay of the land. You also need to work on your hand-to-hand,” I explain so he’s aware.
A decisive nod. “Consider me your eager pupil.”
I massage the nape of my neck, worried this is a terrible idea. “This is crazy, you do realize that?” A one-way ticket on the you’ve-lost-your-mind express.
“Why? You hunt to handle your demons. Mine are bloodthirsty bastards. We both love knives, and I’m down with protectin’ your six. I think I’ve proven that twice already. Both times I could’ve stepped in. But I didn’t.”
He’s right. I knew Kade was different from the moment he let me take the lead with those Caddy bastards, and again at the cabin, when he hid in the shadows. Maybe this could work. Or, maybe it’ll be the biggest mistake of my life. Either way, we’ll find out one way or the other soon enough.
“Let’s take it a day at a time.” That way if things don’t work out, neither of us are at each other’s throats. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. You don’t know unless you try.
“That’s all I’m askin’.” The wink Kade flashes my way says all I need to know… That he’s pleased with my response. His phone chimes with a text. He pulls his cell from a pocket and groans, nose and forehead wrinkling in distaste.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“I guess.” He scratches the side of his head. The foot bolstered by his knee begins to bounce. “Ryker says they want me to ride with them to his place to deliver a truckload of baby stuff for Katrina. They wanna surprise her with it and the results of Walker’s paternity.”
That’s sorta sweet. One point for jackass Ryker.
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”
“She will.” He nods. “But that means I gotta leave and I don’t want to. We just got here.”
“I’ll be fine here by myself until you’re finished. It might be good for me to get some alone time with the place. Maybe even break that guy in.” I point to the wooden man, gazing fondly at my favorite piece of martial arts equipment. It’s been far too long. An hour reconnecting with it might do me a world of good. I’ve slacked off with my training the past couple months. Spending a few hours breaking a sweat and re-sharpening my skills is just what the doctor ordered.
A frisson of excitement bubbles in my chest. This is good. Alone time in the barn. I’m ready to wear my muscles out.
“You sure?” Concern transforms his face. “I can tell them I can’t make it. Or you could come along.”
As much as I care for Kat, I don’t want to rain on their parade. Delivering the paperwork was as far as I want to be involved. I’m an outsider looking in and that’s perfectly okay with me. Plus, I wouldn’t know the first thing about baby stuff or how to act. I’ve never been to a baby shower. When I was pregnant with Sebastian, I never had anything like that. Gifts come from family and friends and all I had was Johnny.
I keep things light. “That’s for family. Trust me. It’s fine.”
Kade’s phone goes off a second time. “Okay. If you’re sure… Then I’m gonna meet them at the clubhouse. I gotta check on Mouse anyhow.”
I nod my reassurance as he pushes off the arm of the couch and gets to his feet. Joining me across the wide-open space, Kade stops once we’re toe-to-toe and takes my hands into his large, much warmer ones to pepper the tops in extra sweet kisses that have my stomach going berserk in the worst of ways. “You’re triple sure this is okay?”
I try to pull my hands from his grasp, but he refuses to let go. “Very sure.” The quicker he goes the easier this will be on us both.
His lips drag across my knuckles and I shiver. “It might be late.”
“I’m a big girl, remember?” A big, big girl with plans to get bruised, beating the hell out of the wooden man. Gah, he has to quit with the kisses and intimate touches, my lady bits are waking up and they’ve been used plenty in the past twenty-four hours. A break will do them just fine. Then again… maybe he could, you know… Do that thing with his tongue again. It was fucking magical.
No.
He must go.
Another bottom lip knuckle drag has my toes curling in my boots, and panties soaking straight through. Kade smirks as if he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. The jerk. “I know,” he growls, gaze darkening around the edges. “But this is our place. I was hopin’ I’d get to spend the day here with you. Maybe christen the place a time or… twenty.”
Twenty. That sounds perfect. Let’s do twenty. Hell, why not thirty?
Dammit. He’s gotta go. Kat needs him.
“We can do that later,” I choke out, throat scratchy. Maybe his tongue could quench my thirst.
That smirk stretches to full on panty-melting. “Yeah?”
“Sure. Now, you gotta go.” I try to break away, but he still won’t let me. He’s holding my hands hostage and damn if I don’t like it a little too much.
“God, I love you.” Kade’s eyes dance with mischief and reach into mine as he lowers his lips to nibble on my knuckle, the one attached to my ring finger.
Oh. Ohhh. My breath seizes in my lungs, mouth hanging open in a silent moan as I come a little. It’s achy down there, hot. I shudder, hard. It’s impossible to stop as an inferno of need lays its claim. What’s he doing to me?
Still not finished, the horrible, horrible man bites down on that same arousing spot and my knees almost buckle. He catches me before I go down. A protective arm holds me steady as he licks the sting away.
“Kade,” I half moan.
“You want me to take care of you, babe? I can lick your sweet pussy before I go.”
So, tempting. So damn tempting.
“Later.” I can wait. He’s gotta leave.
The naughty prince licks the p
ad of my thumb before drawing the whole digit into his mouth and sucking it, turning my brain to mush. “Sweetheart, I’ve got time,” he mumbles around my flesh. “Let me make you feel good.”
It takes everything within me not to strip off my pants right now and let him ravage me.
Dropping my forehead against his pec to catch my breath, I shake my head. “No.”
Kade groans as if I’m denying him a treat, and I guess I am. Evil me. Serves him right for starting this right before he has to go somewhere.
Once I’ve got my eager lady bits in check, I lift onto my tippy toes and deliver a simple kiss to Kade’s lips. As I pull away, sexually-charged smiles are exchanged before I wind up cocooned in his thick, muscular arms. My body presses to his, front to front, erection to belly. I tip my head back just enough to get a good look at the dark prince’s handsome face from this angle. In turn, he drops a kiss upon my forehead. “This fuckin’ sucks,” he grouses, his cock doing push-ups against my stomach.
“This is your Watermelon Tits,” I reason. “You know you want to see her and the girls.” It’s adorable that he doesn’t want to leave me. And I shouldn’t find it adorable, because I don’t do adorable. But it’s… adorable. Kat is also his best friend. There’s no disputing that. Not that I’d ever want to. She’ll want him there and I respect that. That’s where he belongs, with his nieces, brother, father, and… whatever he considers Ghost, apart from VP.
“True. But I don’t wanna fuckin’ leave you.”
See. The adorableness has spiked another ten levels. I’m not even sure Kade realizes how sad his puppy-dog eyes are. Or how droopy that mouth is getting. He’s killing me.
“It’s only a few hours.”
Kade heaves a melancholic sigh that crashes straight into my heart. Not wanting to let him go, I wrap my arms around his middle, cheek on chest, and hug him tight. His heartbeat threads with mine as it lub lubs against my ear. He holds me even tighter, his chin resting atop my head.
Wrecked & Reclaimed (Sacred Sinners MC - Texas Chapter Book 5) Page 22
