by Tiffany Snow
“Yeah,” Kathleen answered. “They’re gone. Thanks anyway, though.” Her voice wasn’t all that steady. She redid her ponytail in what seemed more of a nervous reaction than an actual attempt to fix her hair. Looked like that had shaken her more than she was letting on.
Kathleen dropped to her knees and began cleaning up the mess while the other waitress went to get a mop. Kade watched for a moment as she picked up glass. Her knees were in a puddle of beer, but she didn’t seem to notice. He crouched down.
“You all right?” he asked.
She glanced at him. “I’m fine.” Her lips stretched in a fake smile that was more of a grimace.
Kade raised an eyebrow, but Kathleen just cleared her throat and dropped her gaze, resuming her task with shaking fingers. It would seem pretty asshole-ish if he didn’t help, so Kade picked up some glass, too, standing back when Jill returned with a mop.
Finding an empty seat at the far end of the bar, Kade settled in. After a while, Kathleen asked him if he wanted anything to drink. She returned with a mug of fresh, black coffee and slid it in front of him, which was the extent of their interaction for a couple of hours.
It was busy at first, then slowed down, and Kade kept a close eye on her, which wasn’t a hardship. She was graceful in her movements, efficient as she worked. Occasionally, she’d laugh at something one of the waitresses or customers said, and soon Kade was watching for when those moments occurred.
Her whole face would light up, her lips spreading wide in a smile as she laughed, a feminine sound that didn’t grate on his nerves, but made Kade want to smile, too. It was a carefree sound, evoking feelings and memories he could only recall having at a very young age. It simultaneously made him want to hear more…and made his chest ache with a feeling too close to loneliness.
She was singing softly to herself—some ridiculous Christmas carol—when Blane walked in. The blonde on his arm made Kade’s eyebrows climb, but it damn near made Kathleen gasp, judging by her reaction. The glass she’d been washing slid back into the water as she watched them walk to a booth and sit down. And Kade abruptly realized what Blane’s ploy was.
Dick. He could’ve at least warned her.
“Excuse me, bartender, can I get a refill?”
Kathleen turned, her face blank, then seemed to realize it had been Kade who’d spoken. She grabbed the coffee pot and walked to his end of the bar, stiffly pouring more coffee in his mug.
“Play along, remember?” he said in an undertone.
She blanched and Kade tipped his head ever so slightly toward Blane. Understanding dawned in her eyes and her entire body relaxed. Interesting. So she felt enough for Blane to be upset that he’d bring another woman here.
Kade nipped that thought in the bud. It wasn’t like she was in love with him. Any woman would be pissed. Their pride demanded it. It had nothing to do with what feelings she may or may not have for him.
“Oh my God!”
They both turned to see another waitress standing by the bar, her eyes glued to Blane and the blonde.
“Isn’t that your boyfriend?” she asked Kathleen, appalled.
Kade winced at the designation. If some woman called him her “boyfriend,” he’d slit his fucking throat. Or hers.
Kathleen and the waitress started talking, their heads together, and Kade watched as the waitress approached Blane’s table a few moments later, then hurried back to report to Kathleen. Throwing her shoulders back, she walked to the table.
The three of them talked for a minute and Kade couldn’t hear them, but he could see perfectly well when Kathleen dumped an entire glass of ice water right in Blane’s lap. Kade had just taken a sip of coffee and damn near spit the whole thing out.
Kathleen was making tracks back to the bar, high-fiving the waitress when she got there, and sent a quick glance Kade’s way. What else could he do but raise his mug in silent toast to the size of the balls she had to possess to pull off a stunt like that. Blane was never going to hear the end of it, courtesy of Kade.
Kade watched in silent amusement as Blane hustled the blonde and his soaked slacks out the door. Yeah, it was below freezing out there. Have fun with that.
By the time closing rolled around, Kade’d had enough coffee to keep him awake half the night. Kathleen hadn’t said a word beyond refilling his cup and she headed to the back for what he assumed were more supplies. But after several minutes, she hadn’t returned. Uneasy, Kade was just getting ready to head back there when she reappeared carrying several bottles.
Her face and neck were flushed and she wouldn’t look at him. Her lips were pink and swollen and he could read the signs of arousal on her as though she held a flashing neon sign.
“Christ,” he groused. “Blane couldn’t stay away, could he.” Not that Kade could blame him. Knowing Kathleen had just been making out with Blane in the back room was enough to give him an uncomfortable niggle of jealousy. “Blane doesn’t usually do something so stupid,” he continued, irritated at her, at Blane, and now at himself.
“He made sure he wasn’t seen,” she said.
Her defense of Blane only pissed him off more. “You don’t know that. And neither does he. It was a dumb move.”
She didn’t reply, just grabbed a rag and started wiping down the bar.
“We’re going to have to fix it,” he continued, an idea forming in his head. An idea she wasn’t going to like and one Blane would hate, but hey, what he didn’t know…
“How?” she asked.
Kade’s lips twisted. “Ever pick up a customer, princess?” Of course she hadn’t. Little Miss Innocent would be shocked at the idea of a one night stand. But she got the message, judging by the appalled look on her face.
Yeah, that wasn’t a blow to his pride or anything.
He held her coat for her and she obediently slid her arms into the sleeves, hurrying to retrieve her purse from under the bar. The waitress caught up with her and they started talking in an undertone, both of them shooting glances his way. Kade’s lips lifted in a one-sided smile.
The waitress headed out the front and Kade herded Kathleen toward the back. Just before she reached for the door, he grabbed her arm.
“Try to make it look good,” he said, “or at least, believable.”
Confusion was written in her eyes as she looked at him, but she nodded, heading outside and locking the door behind her. And maybe Kade could be honest enough with himself that his pulse was racing in anticipation of what was coming.
He scanned the alley. Not only was no one around, there wasn’t even a place someone could hide and watch. Which made what he was about to do damn near inexcusable, but that didn’t stop him from doing it.
Grasping her shoulder, Kade spun Kathleen around, his hands pressed to the wall on either side of her head as his body closed in on hers.
“What are you doing?” she squeaked.
“Making it look good,” he said. “Pretend you like me and I’ll do the same.”
He couldn’t resist her. Even here in the back alley, her elusive scent teased him. Leaning into her, he nuzzled her neck where the scent was potent. Kade’s eyes slid shut. This was what he remembered. The last time he’d smelled that was when he’d been in her apartment the morning after Blane disappeared. She’d been sleepy and rumpled from bed and he’d had her pinned to the wall just like this.
“Put your arms around my neck.” He wanted her to touch him. Her hands tentatively rested on his shoulders. The slim fingers clutching at the leather of his jacket made him wish he had on fewer layers.
“Blane’s not going to like you doing this,” she said in his ear.
No fucking kidding. “Blane told me to keep you alive. This nut job needs to think you and Blane are through, that you have no influence over him. So I’ll do what I have to do.”
He slipped his hands inside her coat, already knowing how well she fit in his palms. The curve of her waist, flare of her hip—all of it had been committed to memory. But memory hadn�
�t done justice to the feel of her, the softness of her skin, the sweet brush of her breath against his ear.
Tasting her was imperative and he no more could have resisted than if someone had pulled a gun on him and ordered him to step away. He pressed his lips against her neck. Once, twice, a third time.
“Close your eyes,” he whispered.
Kade forgot everything—where they were, why he was doing this. He was blind and deaf to all but the woman in his arms.
He pressed closer, working a leg between her thighs. Desire coursed through his veins as he nipped at her delicate collar bone, moving toward the tantalizing swell of her breasts bared by the deep V of her shirt.
His tongue traced the line of skin at the edge of the fabric, dipping between her breasts as his hands moved to cup her ass. His dick ached inside the confines of his jeans. Kade pulled her hips closer and heard the soft gasp from her lips as his thigh connected with her pussy. He could almost pretend he could feel the heat of her through the fabric separating his skin from hers.
Kathleen was breathing hard now, her fingers threading through his hair in a way that made him have to swallow a groan.
He didn’t even think. He just spoke. “You taste like cotton candy and smell like spring after a storm,” he murmured against her skin.
And those must have been the magic words because while she hadn’t been pushing him away, now she melted into him like warm caramel. It was amazing, exquisite, and left him wanting more.
Which was precisely when reality hit like a ton of fucking bricks. What the fuck was he doing? Judging by how things were going, in another two minutes he’d have her pants off and be fucking his brother’s girlfriend in a goddamn alley. He was supposed to make sure she hated him. She was pretty far from hating him right now. Instead, she was clinging to him like a vine while he licked her neck and tried to see if he could keep one hand on her ass and pull her neckline down with the other hand so he could suck her nipple into his mouth.
He said the first hateful thing that popped into his head. “Do you always melt for a man who’ll fuck you up against a wall?”
Kathleen stiffened immediately, a sharp gasp issuing from her lips, and this time it wasn’t one of pleasure. Her fingers were still threaded through his hair and she fisted a handful, causing a sharp pain in Kade’s scalp. He welcomed the pain. She should knee him in the balls for that one.
She pulled on his hair until he lifted his head from her breasts to look her in the eye.
“I just closed my eyes and pretended you were Blane.”
And there it was. Maybe not an actual kick in the nuts, but it hit somewhere just as sensitive. Kade clenched his jaw. The sugar-coated venom in her voice was the same fire she’d had earlier. But the thought of Blane’s hands and mouth on her, of Kathleen lying spread beneath him, sent a jolt of burning jealousy through Kade. Guilt was close on its heels.
“And who do you pretend it is when it’s Blane?”
Kade’s vicious insult smothered the fire in her gaze and he watched in dismay as her face visibly paled. Hurt and betrayal echoed in her eyes and now the guilt Kade felt was twofold.
He cursed and stepped back, his arms immediately feeling her loss. “Let’s go.” Taking her hand was necessary for his sanity, an unspoken apology he couldn’t utter. She hated him all right. And that was good. Because that—kissing her, touching her—could not ever happen again. If it did, Kade didn’t think even the threat of overwhelming guilt and regret would make him stop.
CHAPTER THREE
Kathleen’s silence as he drove seemed to accuse Kade. He’d hurt her, which she didn’t deserve, but he couldn’t make himself stop. He felt like he was sliding down a slickened ice-covered hill toward a cliff, desperately trying anything to stop the destruction waiting for him at the bottom. Because that’s all this would be—it’s all it could be. Obsessing over his brother’s girl was about as cliché as he could get and one helluva way to fuck up his relationship with Blane.
But then again, it wasn’t like Kade had ever chosen the easy way.
“Where were you really today?” he asked her. There was a sicko out there, that much was certain. It would be wise for Kade to get back on track. Blane hadn’t called him here to fuck with his girl, but to keep her safe.
“What are you talking about?” she replied.
As if she could lie to him. Kade was a master at lying and as such, he knew how to spot ‘em. “Don’t give me that crap about errands again. I’m not an idiot, princess, and I want to know where you were.”
But she refused to answer. Turning away from Kade, she stared silently out the window.
Kade was cussing a blue streak inside his head, his hands clenched on the steering wheel. Way to go, dick. She’d trusted him earlier today, but that little stunt outside the bar had set things back a whole-fucking-lot, and he had only himself to blame.
Kathleen didn’t speak until they were pulling in to her building’s parking lot.
“You can’t stay,” she blurted, still not looking at him. “Not with me.”
Alarm shot through Kade, but he carefully disguised it when he replied. “You don’t get a say in this, princess.” Hoping to end her little rebellion, Kade got out and shut the door behind him, but he’d been wrong. She was out of the car and met him on his way around to her side.
“I absolutely have a say!” She was furious, angrily poking her finger into his chest. Ouch. “And I don’t want you here. Tell Blane whatever you have to, I don’t care, but you have to leave. I know that you couldn’t give a shit what happens to me, and I know you don’t want to be here. So just go already!”
Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, though Kade didn’t think she realized it. Every word had been like sinking a claw into his skin. She believed he didn’t care, that he didn’t want to be here, and while she was right on that last part, it was for an entirely different reason than what she thought.
Kade pressed his lips firmly together so he wouldn’t speak the words to contradict her, to tell her he was sorry, that he didn’t know what the fuck he was doing, and that he felt like he was drowning.
Turning on her heel, Kathleen hurried away, not looking back until she’d unlocked the door to her apartment. Kade stared at her, willing her to come back, beckon him in, anything. But she just went inside and closed the door behind her.
Kade’s breath let out in a rush. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding it. Bracing his palms on the hood of his car, he bent and took a deep breath. He had to get a fucking grip. Blane was going to kick his ass just for being a little bitch.
Straightening, Kade headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. A moment later, he was letting himself into Kathleen’s apartment. She’d be pissed if she knew he could break in inside of thirty seconds, but it wasn’t like he planned on telling her anytime soon.
Tigger and the dog ran to greet him and Kade absently crouched down to pet them, the sounds of running water meeting his ears. Kathleen was taking a shower. That was an image he didn’t need inside his head.
Then he heard another sound. Getting to his feet, he moved toward the bathroom, pausing outside the door to listen.
Kathleen was crying.
Fuck.
Kade could hear her sobs over the spraying water and it felt like someone had sucker punched him in the gut. His hand was turning the doorknob before he even realized what he was doing.
What was he going to do? Bust into the bathroom while she was taking a shower just because she was bawling? Really?
Kade jerked his hand off the knob as though it burned and took a step back. Christ. He scrubbed both palms over his face. He had to get out of here.
He called Donovan on his way to his car.
“Do me a favor,” he said. “Send a couple uniforms to watch the girl for a few hours. I need to…” he faltered, “…be somewhere.” He winced. Yeah, that was lame.
“No problem,” Donovan said. “They’ll be there in ten.”
&n
bsp; “Thanks, man.”
Kade waited until he saw the cop car pull up and park on the street. He flashed his lights and waited for the return flash before he drove out of the lot, then he headed for Blane’s.
He fully expected Blane to be pissed when he arrived. What he didn’t expect was to meet Kandi leaving his house.
“What an unpleasant surprise,” she sneered as they met on the sidewalk. “Blane’s favorite charity case.”
Kade took note of the shirt she was wearing—Blane’s—and his eyes narrowed. “Hey look, it’s Blane’s easiest lay, though not his best. It’s still early so I’m guessing that was a wham-bam-don’t-let-the-door-smack-you-in-the-ass.”
Even in the low light, Kade saw a flush creep up her neck and her eyes flashed.
“At least Blane doesn’t have to pay for it,” she retorted.
“Oh, he pays,” Kade shot back. “Trust me on that one.” His lips twisted in a smirk as his gaze ran over her. “Don’t let me keep you. I’m sure you need your—well, not beauty sleep, that’s for sure. Let’s say not-look-like-a-middle-aged-hag sleep, shall we?”
He brushed past her as she sputtered in anger.
“Fuck you, Kade!” she called after him.
“Not on my worst day, sunshine.”
Kade closed the door behind him and walked through the darkened foyer. God, he’d never know what the hell Blane saw in that bitch. His cell buzzed in his pocket and he glanced at the caller ID before stepping into Blane’s study.
“Looking for me?” he asked.
Blane turned, grimacing as he ended the call and tossed his phone onto his desk. “I just got a voice mail from Kathleen. She said you staying there, protecting her, ‘isn’t going to work out.’ What the fuck does that mean? Did you piss her off? Can’t you not be an asshole for a couple goddamn weeks? For me?”
Yep. Blane was pissed. Shit.
Too bad Kade was, too.
“Maybe you could be over there watching her back if you didn’t need time off from your girlfriend to screw Kandi.”
Blane’s jaw clenched. “I’m not screwing Kandi. Not that it’s any of your business.”
