by Tiffany Snow
“Will you boys stop?” Mona said, slapping at Blane’s hand. “I just made those.”
“And we’re just eating them,” Kade said, sneaking another one while she was occupied with Blane.
Mona huffed, but wasn’t successful at hiding a smile.
“When will you be there?” Blane asked.
“Not until I absolutely have to,” Kade said. Blane gave him a look. “I’ve got to take Kathleen to work first, then I’ll show,” he said. The GPS had shown her returning to her apartment an hour ago. He waited to see if Blane would ask about Kathleen, but it seemed he didn’t want to open that particular can of worms again.
“Gotta go,” Kade said to Mona, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “See you later.” He snagged another meatball as he passed by.
“You boys have fun,” she called after him. “Kade, tell Kathleen I said hello.”
Kade didn’t bother knocking when he reached Kathleen’s, he just let himself in. He was nervous after last night. Would she look at him differently? Would he see the pity again in her eyes? He didn’t know if he could handle that.
He heard her in the bathroom. The door was open, so she must be doing her hair or putting on her makeup. Kade hoped she was doing her hair. He’d like to watch that. Maybe she wouldn’t think it was too weird.
Kade silently leaned against the doorjamb to the bathroom. Damn. She was already done with her hair. But she was wearing that cocktease Santa outfit again, so that was a definite plus.
“Nice night, princess,” he said. He couldn’t help a smile. It was strange, how he felt when he saw her. No one else made him feel that way. Anticipation and pleasure—and all he was doing was talking to her. Donovan’s words echoed in his head before he shoved them away.
She spun around in surprise and Kade caught a flash of relief cross her face. Why? Was she glad he was there? And if so, was it because she was afraid? Or maybe, just maybe, she’d wanted to see him, too?
“Hey,” she said. Her gaze dropped to the tux he wore and Kade was gratified to see a flicker of appreciation in her eyes. “Going somewhere?”
This should be interesting. “Kandi’s Christmas party is tonight,” he said. He noticed her mouth was swollen and hope flared briefly. She’d been kissing someone else today—she was having an affair.
“Is Blane going?” she asked with forced nonchalance that didn’t fool Kade for a second. She brushed past him on her way to the living room. He caught a whiff of her perfume.
“It would seem so,” Kade said, taking her coat from her and holding it so she could slide her arms into the sleeves. It was an excuse to touch her. Now that he was close, he could see that yes, her mouth was swollen, but it was cut, too, which meant someone had hit her. Someone who’d just put themselves on Kade’s shit list. People on that list had a nasty habit of dying, usually in a painful, drawn-out kind of way.
“What happened today?” he asked, sliding his hands under her hair to lift it from underneath the collar. The strands were so soft, his fingers lingered longer than they should have.
“What do you mean?”
Kade lightly grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. His thumb touched her abused lip, and she winced. “This is what I mean,” he said. How the hell had this happened? “I told you to stay put today. I see you did your usual bang-up job of not listening.”
“It’s nothing,” she said, pulling away from him. “And you gave me a promotion, remember? I had a job to do.”
Yeah, he was already regretting that promotion.
“Aren’t you going to be late for the party?” she asked.
“Wanted to take you to work first,” Kade said. “Make sure you arrive alive.” His eyes narrowed as he tried to think of how he could figure out who’d hit her.
“Great, let’s go,” she said.
Although Kade had already checked outside and knew there were no lurking threats, he didn’t tell Kathleen that. Instead, using it as an excuse to wrap an arm around her and pull her close, shielding her with his body as they walked to her car. It seemed she’d come to accept it, and didn’t protest.
Following in his car, Kade walked her into The Drop and settled at the bar while she clocked in and stashed her purse. She set a cup of coffee in front of him while his gaze roamed down to her thighs, covered in thin nylon that would feel like silk against his hand.
“You don’t have to stay, you know,” she said. “I can take care of myself.”
There was nothing Kade could say to that ridiculous assertion that wouldn’t piss her off, so he just looked at her over the rim of the coffee mug. She had no trouble reading his unspoken thought.
“I ran into some trouble today,” she said defensively, “but I’m fine. So go. Have a good time tonight.” Her smile was fake, but hey, at least she made the effort.
It was better to leave now. She was safe here and he could go put in his appearance at the party and leave in plenty of time to take her home. “I’ll be back by closing,” he said, taking one last sip of the coffee. Sliding off the stool, he headed for the door.
Kandi’s father’s house was overflowing with people, as Kade had known it would be. Kade’s perfectly done bowtie lasted exactly thirty minutes. By that time, he’d undone it and the top button on his shirt. He hated the constriction of a tie around his throat.
Drink in hand, he clung to the outer edges of the ballroom, avoiding people if at all possible. He didn’t have to try very hard. Most had enough sense to stay away from the man with the cold and deadly look in his eyes.
Kade watched Blane dancing with Kandi. They made a striking couple. She was clinging to him like a vine, and it didn’t seem Blane minded. When the strains of music faded, Kade saw Kandi take Blane’s hand and lead him out of the ballroom through one of the side doors.
Kade finished the rest of his drink in one swallow. He’d never before cared what Blane did in his love life, who he screwed or how many hearts he broke. Until now. Now there was an angry ball of bitterness in the pit of his stomach.
Kade wanted to follow him to wherever Kandi had led them for what he was sure would be a private room for fucking. Then he wanted to kick Blane’s ass for cheating on Kathleen as well as thank him, because if he was cheating on her, then Kade could move in.
But he didn’t follow them, because as much as he wanted Kathleen to be available, it scared him, too. Was it just because he hadn’t slept with her? Was that why he couldn’t get her out of his head? What if Donovan was right? What if it was something…more?
“You seem awfully lonely, over here by yourself.”
Kade turned from where he’d been staring at the door through which Kandi and Blane had disappeared and saw a woman had approached him. She was pretty, with dark hair and dark eyes, and perhaps older than him, but very well-preserved. A divorcee, maybe, or a rich, bored housewife.
“Being alone doesn’t make me lonely,” Kade said, handing his empty glass to a passing waiter.
“And not being alone doesn’t ensure you’re not,” she shot back.
Kade’s lips lifted in a smirk. She had sass. He liked that.
“So you came over to talk to me?” he asked, his sarcasm thick. “Keep me company?” His gaze traveled deliberately down her body and back up, lingering on the lush amount of cleavage on display. He’d seen better—Kathleen’s immediately sprang to mind—but this one would do. Maybe she’d help rid him of this fixation he had.
“Talking wasn’t the first thing on my mind, no,” she replied.
Her bluntness was appreciated, and not something Kade usually saw in the women who approached him.
“Good, because I’m shitty at small talk.” Taking her hand he led her swiftly from the room, finding an empty place as close as possible, which happened to be a bathroom.
Her dress was unzipped and on the floor before she’d managed to undo his fly. She stretched up to try and kiss him, but Kade evaded her, turning her around and fastening his mouth to her shoulder. She wore no bra and h
is hands cupped her breasts, making her moan.
If he closed his eyes, he could pretend it wasn’t some nameless woman who didn’t give a shit about him. He could pretend it was a girl with blonde hair kissed by the sun and blue eyes so pure they could see right through him.
Slipping a condom from his pocket—never leave home without one—Kade rolled it over his erection as the woman shimmied out of her panties. Using his knee to spread her thighs, he pushed her down, bending her over the counter, then sheathed himself inside her.
He pumped hard and fast, his eyes tightly shut and the image of Kathleen behind his lids. He felt the woman come before him, which was good because he didn’t care enough to make sure she came once he was finished.
Discarding the condom in the trash, Kade rearranged his clothes. The woman was panting, still bent over the counter. Placing his hands on her waist, he slid them up her sides, pulling her back until she stood upright, her back to his chest. Kade focused on their reflection in the mirror. She was naked, he fully dressed. Her eyes were sated as she gazed back at him.
Lifting his hands, he cupped her breasts, his thumbs flicking lightly over her erect nipples. Bending, he placed a kiss to her shoulder, trailing his lips up her neck to her ear. She smelled nice.
“Thanks for keeping me company,” he whispered. She shivered at the touch of his breath, her eyes slipping closed, then Kade was out the door and gone.
He felt better, but it hadn’t helped that he’d pictured Kathleen during that. If he wanted to get her out of his head, thinking of her while having sex with someone else probably wasn’t the best way to go about it.
As if his thoughts had conjured her out of thin air, a door across the ballroom burst open and in walked Kathleen.
Well, not walked. She was speed-walking, almost running. What was she doing here? He’d left her at work a few hours ago and she’d obviously just come from there, because she still wore the Santa outfit.
People scurried to get out of her way and now Kade saw Blane enter the ballroom in hot pursuit of Kathleen. Kade frowned, wondering what the hell was going on, then he spotted Kandi. She stood next to Senator Keaston and seemed unsurprised at the scene playing out in her ballroom.
Several people followed Blane and Kathleen, including Kade, who pushed his way to the front of the crowd in time to see Blane grab Kathleen’s arm when she reached the front door. She swung around, her fist nailing him right in the jaw.
That had to hurt—her, of course, not Blane—but it was her face that held Kade’s attention. She was paler than he’d ever seen her, and tears coursed down her cheeks.
Everyone seemed to stop breathing for a moment, including Kathleen, who looked horrified that she’d hit Blane. There was no doubt in Kade’s mind that whatever Blane had done, he probably deserved it. Then she was out the door and everyone began talking at once. Kade went up to Blane, who still stood by the door.
“What the fuck did you do?” Kade hissed, his temper raging. He felt a consuming need to protect Kathleen and to hurt whoever had hurt her.
“Not now,” Blane said in a low, tight voice. The look he shot Kade told him something was going on, but damned if Kade gave a shit right now. This hadn’t looked like the scene at the bar the other night, where Kathleen had known Blane was setting her up. This had looked pretty fucking real.
“She ran out of here, crying like you just shot her fucking cat, and you tell me ‘not now’?” Kade retorted. He got in Blane’s face. “You told me to protect her. Am I protecting her from a psycho who wants to kill her? Or a sociopath who wants to rip her fucking heart out?”
Blane said nothing, the two of them caught in a stare-down. Kade’s hands curled into fists and he turned away first, mostly so he wouldn’t cold-cock his own brother. Without another word, he walked out the door, following the path Kathleen had taken.
The night was bitter cold and still. Kade thought of what Kathleen had been wearing, realizing she had to be freezing in that getup. Had she gone? He searched for her car, finally spotting it. She hadn’t left yet, hadn’t even started the engine.
Worried dogged him as he hurried toward the piece of shit Honda, a little voice in the back of his head asking him what the hell he thought he was going to do when he got to her. It wasn’t like comforting crying women was something he did. Ever. But he shoved the thought away. He’d think of something. Right now he just had a burning need to make sure she was all right.
He could see her behind the wheel, staring straight ahead as though in shock. Kade’s gut twisted.
“Kathleen,” he said, talking through the window to her. She jerked in surprise, her red-rimmed eyes wide as she turned to look up at him.
“Kade—”
“Open the door,” Kade ordered. “You’re in no condition to drive.” The last thing he needed was her wrecking the car on her way home, and he tried not to think about that driving urge to protect her that still burned white-hot in his gut.
“No! Wait!” Her shout was laced with panic and made Kade freeze in place. “Look,” she said, pointing to the windshield.
Kade’s brow creased in a frown as he tried to see what she was pointing at. It took a moment, but he finally made out the word someone had written on the glass.
BOOM
“Fuck.” Someone had planted a bomb on her car, or wanted her to think they had. Only one way to tell for sure. “Don’t move,” he ordered, then crouched down on the cold, wet asphalt.
He saw the device immediately. Strapped to the underside of her car was enough C4 to make sure she didn’t walk away. Wires led from the explosive up into the car, but without more light and time, Kade couldn’t see where. What he did see were the red, glowing numbers counting down.
Getting back to his feet, he spoke through the windshield.
“Okay, now don’t panic,” he said. “There is a bomb underneath your car.”
Those words had an immediate effect as Kathleen slumped in her seat. Shit!
“Don’t you pass out on me, Kathleen!” He’d never get her out if she was unconscious, and watching her die was out of the question.
Kathleen jerked upright at his yell and Kade spoke again.
“Listen to me. The bomb is rigged to something inside, but I can’t tell what it is. It could be the door, ignition, radio, anything.”
“That’s not helpful,” she said.
A visceral part of Kade appreciated the fact that she had a sense of humor even under these dire circumstances. God, he loved this woman.
“It’s also on a timer, Kathleen.”
Her eyes slid shut and Kade could practically see the despair slide into her soul.
“How much time?” she asked. He barely heard her.
No sense lying. “Three minutes.”
She took a breath and resignation replaced the despair. “You should go,” she said, her voice choked. “Back off. I can try to open the door.”
Yeah, not gonna happen. “I’m not leaving you, Kathleen.”
She glanced back at him, and the strangest thing happened. She looked at him—really looked at him—the way other women had looked at him a thousand times, but never before by her. A slide of her gaze from his head down his torso and back up, like she was drinking him in. Then the moment was gone.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Kade,” she snapped, looking away again. “You don’t even like me. Now go.”
As if she could order him around. “I don’t have to like you to save your life,” he retorted. “Now roll down the window.” Blane had said to keep her safe so that’s what Kade would do. For Blane.
Right.
“Can’t,” she said. “Not without turning on the car.”
It figured. The one time a ten-year-old piece of shit car could be helpful with manual windows and hers didn’t have them.
“Turn away then,” he said.
She obeyed and Kade bent his elbow before sending it hurtling against the glass. The collision sent a jolt of pain through his arm, but he
ignored it and tried again. The glass splintered, but stubbornly held together. Fuck. There had to be something around that he could use to help break that window.
Kade began searching the ground. A big chunk of asphalt would probably do the trick—
“Wait!” Kathleen’s shout made him whip around. “I forgot something,” she said. He saw her dig underneath her seat and a moment later, she brandished something in her hand, a slim device about six inches long. “This!”
She pressed one end of it to the window and it shattered immediately. Kade wasted no time in reaching through the window for her. Luckily, she was tiny enough to fit through the opening. Once she was on her feet, Kade grabbed her hand and pulled her backward. The clock inside his head said they had only seconds remaining.
“Run!”
They both ran and the explosion followed moments after, the shockwave knocking them off their feet. Kade grabbed Kathleen, pulling her into him and twisting so her body landed on top of his. She was small, but big enough to knock the wind out of him. They both lay there for a moment, the night sky lit from the fiery blaze engulfing her car.
Kade sat up, pulling her still form onto his lap. Was she okay? Had she been hurt? She wasn’t talking.
“Are you all right?” he asked anxiously.
Her entire body was wracked with tremors and she didn’t speak, just gave a nod.
The ground was cold and hard, so Kade got to his feet, helping her up as well. She didn’t look so good. Her face was deathly pale and the shaking was even worse now. She was going into shock.
Shrugging out of his tuxedo jacket, Kade swung it over her shoulders and pulled it closed. She was too cold.
“Kathleen!”
Kade turned to see the explosion had brought the party outside and Blane was running toward them, the expression on his face one of stark fear that changed to relief once he saw Kathleen standing next to Kade. He skidded to a halt a few feet away, his breath coming in harsh pants.
“Keep him away from me. Please.” Kathleen’s whispered plea only just reached Kade’s ear, but it had the same effect as if a switch had been thrown. The burning in his gut that wanted to protect her flared, solidifying into one all-consuming purpose.
