by Tiffany Snow
Kade pulled Kathleen into him, shielding her with his body. Blane took a step toward them, his eyes on Kathleen. Kade wanted to growl at him, like a dog staking its territory.
“She’s fine,” Kade said, his eyes narrowing as he watched his brother. It was a warning veiled inside a statement, but Blane heard it loud and clear. He stopped in his tracks.
Kade and Blane stared at each other, something shifting between them, but Kade was too far gone to care. He was furious and inches from losing control.
Another ten seconds and Kathleen would’ve been dead. But he had her now. She was in his arms, her weight almost fully resting on him—trusting that he would keep her standing. Trusting Kade to protect her from harm…from Blane. And if Blane took one more step toward her, he would regret it. And Blane knew it. Kade could see in his eyes that he’d read Kade’s body language.
She was gasping now, pulling Kade’s attention away from Blane and back to her. “Breathe, princess. Just breathe,” he said, but the wheezing gasps continued.
“She’s going into shock, Kade. We need to get her to the hospital.” Blane spoke but remained where he was, keeping his distance from Kade as one would give a wide berth to a rabid animal.
“Haven’t you done enough?” Kade’s hissed accusation was laced with fury.
Kathleen’s knees gave out and Kade whipped his head around to see her eyes roll back in her head as she lost consciousness.
“Kat!”
Blane’s cry seemed far away as panic burned away the fog of blind rage inside Kade. He scooped her up in his arms. She weighed next to nothing, her head lolling back against his arm, exposing the column of her throat.
“Let me take her,” Blane said from behind Kade.
“Fuck that shit,” Kade shot back. “She doesn’t want a damn thing to do with you right now.” He bypassed Blane and headed for his car. Blane reached around him to pull open the door to the back seat. Kade carefully arranged Kathleen’s limp body on the leather. Blane opened the passenger door, preparing to climb in.
“I don’t think so,” Kade said, slamming the door shut and going toe-to-toe with him. “You’re in this shit up to your neck, brother, and whoever’s behind this nearly turned your girlfriend and me into a matching set of charcoal briquettes.”
Blane’s jaw tightened as he stared at Kade. “You think I don’t know that?” he ground out.
“So get your head out of your ass and find this guy,” Kade snapped, stepping away and rounding the car to the driver’s side.
“And what are you going to do?” Blane shot back.
Kade pulled open the door. “What I was told,” he said. “If they want to kill her, they’ll have to get through me.” He slid behind the wheel and a moment later was speeding toward his apartment, Kathleen unconscious in his back seat and his brother in the rearview mirror.
CHAPTER NINE
It was no easy feat, juggling an unconscious woman in his arms while unlocking his apartment door and getting inside, but Kade managed. She wasn’t heavy—it was just awkward. Finally, he laid her on his bed, still unconscious.
He tugged the boots off her feet, then the shredded nylons covering her legs that he’d fantasized about touching just hours before. The tuxedo jacket had fallen off in the car and now Kade could see the Santa outfit Kathleen wore was torn and dirty. It bothered him. It was too much of a reminder of just how close she’d come to dying tonight.
Reaching into his pocket, Kade took out a switchblade. A practiced flick of his wrist and the knife appeared, its edge wickedly sharp. Sure she would wake, Kade grasped the velvet fabric at the top and sliced between her breasts straight down her torso all the way to the hem. He was exceedingly careful, lest he accidentally nick her skin. But even with the sound of the fabric rending, she didn’t open her eyes.
The crescent of skin revealed by his cut teased him and the velvet slid away. Kade swallowed.
She was as perfect as he remembered. She wore no bra, not with that outfit, and Kade could only be slovenly grateful for small favors. Her breasts were full and plump, the nipples rosy against her pale skin. Her waist was narrow, the indentation of her navel drawing his gaze. Tiny, black bikini panties was all that was left, coyly hiding the paradise between her thighs.
Forcing himself to turn away, Kade quickly undid his shirt, yanking the tails from his pants. It took only a moment to whisk away the ruined Santa costume before easing her arms into the sleeves of his shirt. He probably should get her a clean shirt, but the instinct deep inside him wanted to brand her as his and mark her with his scent.
Fantasies took hold in his mind, the sight of her in his bed, her hair spread in a river of gold on his pillow, all of it seemed surreal. Things like this didn’t happen to him, not good things.
Starting at the top, he began doing up the buttons, concealing her body from his gaze. Not that anything would ever erase the image from his mind. His fingers brushed her skin more than was necessary, the satin texture so soft, it made him wonder how much softer the center of her would be.
Imagining made his hands shake and his cock stiffen. He lingered over the buttons, trying not to think about all the reasons he had for not touching her even as his hand drifted over her abdomen. His fingers trailed lightly across her ribs and down her side.
His skin was darker than hers, and in the low light of the lamp, his hand looked dirty against the pure ivory of her flesh.
Kade yanked his arm back, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. What was he thinking? She was out cold and he was going to touch her without her knowledge or consent. The thought made his stomach roll and he swallowed down the bile that rose in his throat.
Quickly, he finished buttoning the shirt, then went to his closet, discarding his tuxedo slacks, shoes and socks for jeans and a long-sleeved Henley. He cast one last glance at Kathleen, still sound asleep, and left the room. He’d make her some tea or something. They did that, right? Like in the movies and shit? Hot tea was supposed to help.
But he didn’t have tea, he only had coffee. Ten minutes later when he returned with two steaming mugs, Kade saw Kathleen had woken and was sitting up. She was looking around the room as though poised to bolt.
“Take it easy now,” he said, sitting next to her on the bed. He handed her a mug which she automatically took.
“Where am I?”
“My place.”
She frowned. “Your place? I thought you lived with Blane.”
Kade snorted. “Not likely. As if I could stand living with him for more than a few days.”
He watched as she took a few careful sips of the coffee. Kade knew how she took it—too sweet and too much cream. After a moment, she spoke again.
“Um, how did I get into this?” She tugged at the hem of the shirt he’d dressed her in.
Best to avoid that question. “Yeah, that little red outfit’s a goner. Sorry.”
She blushed, her cheeks turning rosy. Kade wasn’t surprised. Modesty wasn’t a trait he often ran across, which made it even more charming when he did. She looked down, letting her hair swing forward to conceal her face. Kade couldn’t have that. He brushed her hair back so he could see her, tucking the silky strands behind her ear.
“Would it help if I said I didn’t look?” he lied through his teeth. The image of her body spread out on his sheets would haunt him forever.
Kathleen smiled a bit at that, though it quickly faded.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” he asked.
She looked at him in surprise. “You don’t know?”
Did he have an idea of what Blane had done? Yes. Did he want her to spell it out so she would be forced to deal with it? Yes.
She set aside the coffee. “I’m going to need something stronger.”
Kade watched the shape of her body through the thin cotton of his shirt as she rose from the bed and walked into the kitchen. Her legs weren’t long, but had curves in all the right places. He followed her, leaning against the counter
as she began searching through his cabinets.
He knew what she was looking for, but decided to wait it out. She seemed completely oblivious to the way the shirt rose up her thighs when she reached, or how exposed she was when she bent to open the lower cabinets. Kade caught flashes of the black panties and he abruptly set his mug down before the death grip he had on it broke the ceramic.
Finally, she gave up and turned toward him. “Where’s your liquor?”
Kade dragged his gaze up from her legs to her hips and breasts, finally reaching her face. Holding on to his control felt as though he were trying to keep from falling over a cliff. He took two steps, right up into her space, and heard her breath catch as she looked up at him.
“It’s where it should be,” he replied, reaching behind her to open the freezer door. He took out a bottle of vodka, pulled the stopper, and set it on the counter. “Straight?”
“Please.”
Grabbing a couple of shot glasses, Kade filled each, then handed one to Kathleen. “Cheers,” he said, clinking his glass against hers.
The both tossed back the liquor and she didn’t even flinch, just sucked in another breath, set the glass back on the counter, and tapped it.
Kade filled their glasses again as Kathleen rounded the bar and climbed onto one of the barstools. It was only after they’d both downed the second shot that she spoke.
“I walked in on Blane and…Kandi.”
Anger flooded through him, and his voice was tight when he asked, “Doing what?” He wanted her to say it out loud, so it was good and real. Blane didn’t deserve her, would only lie to her and hurt her, and she’d do well to remember it.
But she wouldn’t answer, just tapped her glass for another refill. Kade obliged and they drank in silence.
He watched her, but she didn’t cry, thank God. Kade could handle a lot of shit, but crying women wasn’t one of them. She seemed lost in thought, her eyes gazing off into the distance, but seeing nothing.
“You all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said.
Yeah, Kade had been fine once, too. It sucked.
Kade emptied the bottle into their glasses, then got another from the freezer. The vodka was hitting his veins now, which was why he didn’t see anything wrong with giving in to the urge to be closer to her. He slid onto the stool, his eyes drawn to the length of her bare thigh alongside his denim-clad one.
“People leave, you know?” she said. “They desert you, forget about you. People hurt you, betray you, don’t love you anymore. They get hurt. They die. I don’t know why I thought it might be different with…”
But she didn’t finish, just reached for the fresh bottle and gave them both refills. A little spilled on the counter.
“Well, aren’t you the cynic,” Kade said, reeling. Every word she’d said was true, and more than enough reason to not allow anyone inside. To hear it spelled out so plainly, especially by someone like her, was a shock. He’d thought darkness hadn’t touched her soul. He’d thought wrong.
“When has anyone you’ve been close to not left?” she asked.
Kade took a moment before he answered. “I don’t stick around long enough to give them the chance.” The one time he had stuck around, he’d had to watch his brother leave for a war from which he might not have returned.
“Why is that?” she asked, jerking his thoughts back to the present.
Shrugging, Kade tossed back the vodka. “I’d rather be the one leaving than the one who’s left behind.”
“Why am I here?” she asked, changing the subject. “Why not just take me home?”
The thought hadn’t even occurred to Kade, not that he could tell her that. The burning need to have her near, keep her safe, had overridden any other logical thought. He scrambled to come up with a believable answer.
“You’ve nearly gotten yourself killed several times in the last few days,” he said. “It’s easier to keep you safe here.” And keep himself sane.
She snorted. “What do you care? Blane and I are through, so no one’s making you play bodyguard anymore. You can’t stand me as it is—you should be glad to be rid of me. I’m just the white-trash gold digger, remember?”
Ouch. Her words twisted like knives. “I never said that.”
“Which part?”
Their eyes caught and Kade couldn’t look away. The hurt and despair written on her face made him want to beg for forgiveness. He’d been wrong. He’d hurt her, just as Blane had, and he was so fucking sorry. But the words wouldn’t come, and deep down he knew he could never say them. He’d finish this case, keep her safe even if Blane was through with her, and then he’d get the hell out of town and as far away from her as possible. She made him feel things, want things, and it was too much.
“You need some food in you,” he said, desperately searching for safe ground. “When was the last time you ate?”
But she just shrugged and reached for the bottle of vodka.
“Nope,” Kade said, snatching it from her. “Not until you eat.”
“But I’m not hungry!”
Was that a whine?
Kade went to his cabinets and pulled out a box of moon pies. That sounded awesome right now. He dumped a pile of them on the counter in front of her.
“Moon Pie?” she asked, gingerly picking up a package as though it was going to bite her. “Where did you get these?”
“I have my sources.” Kade ripped open a package and took a bite. Best junk food ever. He caught Kathleen staring at his mouth with enough interest to make his jeans suddenly uncomfortable.
“Try it,” Kade said. “You can’t have that much booze on an empty stomach or you’re going to be puking, and I’m not holding your hair for you.” Another lie. He totally would.
She still hesitated, eyeing the pie he held.
“Here, just try,” Kade said, then an impulse struck him. Before he’d even thought it through, he’d dipped his index finger into the marshmallow fluff, scooped out some, and held it out to her.
Kathleen glanced up at him in surprise. Kade held his breath, wondering what in the hell he was doing. He hoped she’d take the bait, and dreaded what it would do to him if she did.
She leaned forward and wrapped her perfect pink lips around his finger.
Kade sucked in a breath, the hot slide of her tongue brought fantasies to mind immediately. She was very thorough, and when she lightly sucked, he had to swallow down a groan. He gripped the counter, grounding himself so he wouldn’t move, wouldn’t cross over to her and do something he couldn’t take back.
Kathleen leaned back and his finger slid from her mouth. She raised an eyebrow, then took a bite of the Moon Pie. Kade scrambled to think of what to say, and ended up saying the first thing that came to mind.
“If I’d known you’d do that to anything covered in marshmallow, I would have put it in a different location.”
She laughed, not realizing of course that he was dead serious. Finishing the pie, she licked the chocolate from her fingers. Kade couldn’t look away, the sight mesmerizing him.
“Are you going to take me home now?” she asked.
Kade tore his gaze from her mouth to look her in the eye. “Wasn’t planning on it.”
“I need to go home.”
That was so not happening. He needed her here, where he could be sure she was safe. Not that he could tell her that. But logistics worked in his favor. “And then what? In case you haven’t noticed, you have no car. No car means no transportation.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. A not-uncommon occurrence. Kathleen looked as though he’d hit her. Her face was white and her mouth open in a little O. Then her blue eyes filled with tears that spilled over and down her cheeks.
“Dammit,” Kade cursed himself, hurrying around the bar. He took her in his arms, an instinctive gesture, and at first he thought she might push him away. But she didn’t. She just leaned into him and cried like her cat had just died.
&nbs
p; Kade tucked her head under his chin and held her, mindlessly running his hand over her hair and murmuring, “Shh. I’m sorry, princess. Don’t cry. Please,” over and over.
Her sobs tore through him like a knife, and if slicing his gut open would have made her stop crying, Kade would have wielded the blade himself.
“Please, Kathleen,” he begged. “Please don’t cry.” He’d do anything, just so she’d stop crying as though her heart were breaking, which maybe it was. The thought made him want to slam his fist into Blane’s face.
Finally, she was all cried out. The tears stopped and she lifted her head. Her eyes were swollen and her nose was red, but Kade saw none of this. All he saw was the most beautiful creature he’d ever laid eyes on, staring up at him with heartbreak in her eyes.
“There, that’s better,” he said, brushing away the tracks of her tears from her cheeks. “I’m sorry Blane’s such a bastard. And I’m not any better. But you’re not alone, okay?”
“But I am,” she whispered. The sadness in her voice had Kade tightening his grip on her as he gazed into her eyes, purity and innocence shining through her tears.
“You have me,” he vowed.
Kade wasn’t worth much, but he was loyal. He never offered anything to anyone, so the fact that he’d just impulsively offered this woman a piece of his soul would have been earth-shattering to him, if he’d paused to dwell on it. So he didn’t.
She was so close, her eyes full of trust and gratitude, as though he were her hero. The idea was absurd, but it sure did feel good for her to look at him like that.
Kade pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss, then smiled at her. He’d gotten her to stop crying, made her feel a bit better. He, Kade Dennon, had done that. No one else.
She gave him a tremulous smile back, sniffling. The touch of her skin against his lips was like silk and Kade didn’t think before pressing another kiss to her cheeks, first one side, then the other, her skin like warm velvet. His hands cupped her jaw, his fingers buried in the long strands of hair at the nape of her neck. His eyes settled on her lips again, and without thinking, he kissed her.
