by Nora Flite
“Daddy!” Francesca shouted, whirling on him. “What’s going on? Why is everyone here?”
“Good to see you, too, Sis,” the stranger said.
She ignored him, her stare was forever frozen on Maverick’s face. I paid attention, though, because I felt like I needed to learn who everyone in this family was if I was going to get out of here.
Another brother, I thought curiously. Was he older or younger than Kain? I needed to start taking notes.
Maverick looked down his nose at his daughter. Whatever kindness was in his voice was rivaled by the severity of his words. “Our family is being threatened. Your brothers are here to help me take precautions.”
“Threatened?” She pushed a hand to her mouth. I caught her wary look in my direction. “Sammy’s in danger, too, isn’t she?”
I tried to smile, but everyone’s somber faces made it a struggle. “Someone attacked me tonight, but I’m fine.”
“Who?” she demanded.
Her question felt like an accusation, but I didn’t know why. “He said his name was Jameson. He was this tall, reedy kind of guy. He spoke to me for barely a minute in the kitchen.” I realized they were all hanging on my words. “Reddish hair, kind of pale.”
I almost added that he’d had a crooked, sweet smile, but the memory of his sneer when he’d stalked me through my home made it impossible to associate anything sweet with him.
Kain put his hand on my shoulder. That was when I noticed I was shaking. Francesca looked me over, from my bare feet to my long, white nightshirt.
I didn’t have a bra on; I hugged myself, suddenly uncomfortable under their stares.
“I’ll need you to look over photos from the wedding,” Maverick said to me.
“Not tonight.” It was Frannie who spoke, her arm circling my shoulders and brushing away her brother’s. His eyes darkened, but she didn’t care. “Sammy needs to rest. Can’t you all see how freaked out the poor girl is?”
I didn’t feel like a poor girl, but Francesca was getting me away from this weird interrogation. I appreciated that, because I was burnt out. I itched for a hot shower and a warm bed.
Blue Eyes spoke, his voice quiet but hard. It was the kind you couldn’t ignore. “Francesca is right.”
She scoffed. “Of course I am, Costello.”
Costello? So that was his name. The longer I looked at him, the more he reminded me of a feral wolf. He watched me from under the heavy fringe of his eyelashes, light skin contrasting against the rich, mahogany, ruffled hair on his head.
A warm, welcoming scent prickled my nose. It was electric: distilled alpha male. Kain had drawn close to me again, his body subtly separating me from the rest of his brothers—especially Costello.
Kain brushed my fingers beside my hip. “Fran is right, everyone back off. We’re not getting anything done tonight. She can look at photos tomorrow when she’s fresh.”
I was so thankful I came close to hugging him.
Maverick shook his head, grunting low in his throat. “Fine. Get her settled in, make sure she has anything she asks for.” His chin swung through the air, aimed at the other two brothers. “Come with me to the den. Kain, join us as quick as you can.”
He nodded, standing like a sentinel beside me long after the other men had tracked from the room. Kain’s shadow fell over me; I was kissing distance from his Adam’s apple. His heat was all-encompassing, his nearness sapping the last of my strength away.
I was supposed to be angry with him . . . not comfortable.
Not eager.
I saw the corner of his mouth rise. The tempo of my heart was infectious. It demanded I move, so I did. I backed up, my bare heel crunching on something that bit into my sensitive skin. “Shit!” I screamed, stumbling sideways.
Kain caught me, supporting me as Francesca bent down. “Oh, no!” she gasped, noticing the shattered photo. Lifting it, I saw that it contained the smiling faces of five kids of various ages, as well as two older people—Maverick and Carmina.
Fran shook the last of the glass shards off of the family portrait. They tumbled like diamonds over the laminated floor of the hallway. “Are you okay, Sammy?” she asked.
“It’s just a small cut.” Balancing on Kain, I eyed my heel. A tiny fleck of blood shone there. “Show me to your bathroom, I’ll clean it out.”
Francesca shook her head. “Gawd, why aren’t you wearing any shoes?”
“I was getting ready for bed when that guy attacked me.”
Her face fell. “Oh. Sorry.” Too quickly, she glared at her brother. “Well? Carry her upstairs.”
“Oh, no!” I laughed nervously. “That’s not—”
“You heard the lady,” he said, scooping me up. “I didn’t think I’d get to hold you like this twice in one day.”
“Whaaaat?” Frannie gasped, flapping her hands like a bird.
Blushing to my ears, I bit my tongue. “Please don’t ask.”
Kain took a path I remembered. I recognized the stairs that led to the landing and past his bedroom. Just passing by it made me feel scandalous.
The bathroom we entered was gigantic. The tub on one side was big enough for a horse, and the shower could have held multiple people. He set me on the edge of the double sink, grabbing a few tissues and wetting them.
“I can do it,” I said firmly.
Ignoring me, he knelt down and grabbed my ankle. With a tenderness not meant for men like him, Kain dabbed at the glass, working it out with hardly any pain. “Relax,” he said quietly. “I’ll be gentle.”
Gentle is exactly what I’m afraid of. The nicer he was, the more I couldn’t hold on to that slippery monster called resentment. Kain washed my cut, placing a bandage over it when he was finished. “There,” he said, looking up at me. “All set.”
I’d never looked down on him before. Somehow, it made me feel smaller. It was like being a flimsy piece of ribbon caught on a tree branch before it vanished into the world, never to be seen again.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
Gripping the edge of the counter, I locked up so hard that my joints popped. “Nothing.”
The cockiness that fit him best rolled through his almond-shaped eyes. “Must be about me, then.”
“I—what? No!”
“You’re not the best liar.”
Flushing, I stepped gingerly to the floor. Testing my heel, I said with some surprise, “It doesn’t even hurt.”
“I’ll take that as a thank you.” His smirk split his hard jaw. “Or a kiss will do.”
“Like hell.” But my lips buzzed at the very mention of kissing him. Rolling my ankle experimentally, I said, “Your dad said if I needed anything, to make sure I got it.”
“Of course. Just ask.”
“I need to make a phone call.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You know you can’t call the cops.”
“I’m not. It’s someone else.”
“And you won’t tell me who?”
Chewing my bottom lip, I thought it over. If I tell him about my mother, can it be used against me? I didn’t know if I could trust this family. I’d been told they were dangerous, but Kain had also rescued me from harm.
But I was trapped, so . . .
Who was really a threat to me?
“No,” I finally sighed. “I can’t.”
Shaking his head, he ruffled his thick hair. “In that case . . .” One step and he was looming over me, the sink at my back. “It’ll definitely cost more than a thank you.”
The thumping of my heart vibrated into my teeth. “You think you can blackmail me into kissing you?”
“I don’t think I need to blackmail you at all.” Chuckling warmly, he showed me the edge of his teeth. That grin shredded my defenses, and the thickness in his voice did the rest. Kain had me pinned, his hips pushing into mine. “I think you’ve been wanting to kiss me all day, Sammy.”
Swallowing, I whispered, “You’re wrong.”
“Am I?”
>
Darting my eyes to the side, I breathed faster. His scent was in my brain. “For most of the day . . . I wanted to punch you.”
He started to laugh. His body rippled, muscles rubbing over my chest. His joy was contagious. Everything he did was contagious.
The last of his laughter went down my throat, tickling into my heart. He kissed without limits. His strength pressed me into the porcelain, but it was his lust that held me still. Kain Badd was a man who consumed whatever he desired.
I was ready to let him eat me whole.
- CHAPTER TEN -
KAIN
I could see myself in the mirror behind her. Arousal colored my skin and coated my tongue. Her taste was like a deep breath after years below the ocean. I’d never kissed—or wanted to kiss—like this.
My cock reached for her through my jeans. Her moan when she felt me grinding against her sweatpants sent a new throb through my shaft. Each brush of my tongue on hers sent pulses of excitement through my pores.
Our heat met, her hips pushing back on mine. Sammy had stopped pretending she didn’t want me. Whatever wrongs I’d done, they wilted when compared to her desire. I knew the feeling.
“Fuck.” I bit the word off, my teeth chasing her lower lip. “I’ve been wanting to do this since I saw you outside my room this morning.” It could have been years ago, it felt like forever; another time, another world.
Sammy buried her hands in my hair, trailing her nails down my neck. Her touch called forth goose bumps. “I’m still mad at you,” she whispered. Her eyes dared me to challenge that fact.
Grinning, I set my thumbs on her cheeks and kissed her again. “That just makes it more fun.”
Her whimper made my cock swell uncomfortably.
Scooping her ass into my palms, I lifted her so she was sitting on the counter all over again. Before, I’d tended to her foot, but it was the rest of her I was interested in now. Sliding my hands down her thighs, I squeezed her knees, vising me between them.
Sitting as she was, her eyes were level with mine. Fisting her hair, I forced her chin back, exposing her long neck. My grip was rough, but my mouth was soft as butter. I tasted the hollow of her throat, the corner of her ear.
Sammy tried to look at me. That half-lidded stare revealed the wet edges of her green eyes. She was aching as much as I was, and fuck if that wasn’t a rush. Her excitement pushed mine over the edge. I was free-falling into helpless lust. It was a ride I’d take again and again, if she let me.
Her nipples were hard through her shirt. Without a bra, it was easy to see them and the shadows they cast down her front. Leaning forward, I let her hair go so I could dig my fingertips into her spine. I forced her to arch into me, her body shaping like a bow about to fire an arrow.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket; I jumped forward, startled.
Sammy laughed softly, her forehead pushing into mine. “For a second, I thought your dick was vibrating.”
“Yeah? Would you like me more or less if my cock could do that?”
“I don’t think I’d complain.”
Reaching back for my phone, I chuckled through my teeth. “I’ll remember that.” Eyeing the text, I frowned sharply. Between my heavy need to get laid and Hawthorne calling me, I knew which I’d rather focus on.
She leaned away, sensing our moment was fading. “I’m guessing that’s your dad.”
“Brother, actually.” My phone buzzed again. “Oh. No. That time it was Dad.” They were blowing up my phone, telling me to get my ass downstairs. Frustrated, I ran my fingers through my hair.
Sammy gripped the counter, her legs spreading farther. It was the pose of someone relaxing—taking it easy—but it just made her look more tempting than ever. Groaning loudly, I pushed my shaft back against her. “Why can’t they leave us alone a little longer?”
Her smile lit up her eyes. It was so good to see her happy. “It’s fine. Go see them, but first . . .”
“I bend you over and rail you until you can’t stand?”
Blushing hard, she shoved a hand into my chest. “Let me make that phone call.”
Right. I forgot about that. For a second, I endured a twinge of self-doubt. Had she been making out with me just to get her way? Was it all a show? No. She couldn’t fake it like that. I’d spent the night with her once already, her touch . . . her moans . . . they were the same as then.
Handing her my phone, I backed up. Sammy stayed as she was, her eyes tracking down to my palm as I adjusted my painful erection. When she saw I’d caught her, I winked. Her perfect teeth crushed her bottom lip, making my core swim.
“Can I do this alone?” she asked.
Shrugging, I headed out the door. My father would have told me I was an idiot for not listening in. But truthfully, I trusted Sammy. I couldn’t find a reason not to. She’d gone out of her way to help my sister three different times, and while money had been involved twice . . . no one had paid her to be the maid of honor.
Lifting my hand, I brushed my mouth. Everything was still tingling with the feel of her. It was the way a lightning bolt must feel if it slid beneath your skin.
As awful as it was, I comforted myself with the knowledge that she wasn’t going anywhere tonight. If I couldn’t have her to myself yet, there’d be a chance soon enough.
The door opened behind me. “Here,” Sammy said, offering the phone back.
I didn’t take it. “You’re done already?” That seemed too fast to talk to anyone.
Her chin dipped, like she didn’t want me to see her expression. “They didn’t answer. It’s probably fine, but . . .”
“But what?”
Hugging herself, Sammy rocked side to side. “It’s a lot to ask, but if I gave you an address, would you go check something out for me?”
I scooped her hands up. The touch made her jump, her wide eyes flying upward to mine. If I’d doubted it before, I was sure now: Sammy was terrified. “Tell me what you need me to do. I’m here for you, Sammy.”
I could swear that I saw her heart as it filled her mouth. It took her a full minute to find her voice again. “It’s my mother. She isn’t well, and if someone came after me tonight, there’s a chance . . .” She stopped herself, or maybe the words just wouldn’t leave her tongue.
Her mother? So I had heard her say that earlier.
Rubbing the backs of her palms, I smiled solidly. “Tell me where she is. I’ll go over there and check things out. I won’t even let her see me unless I have to. Okay?”
Relief pulled her shoulders down. I expected her to be happy, but I didn’t expect her to embrace me. It’s strange how much more intimate a touch like that can feel after you’ve caressed someone’s naked body in the dark.
Holding her close, I shut my eyes so I could lose myself in her arms. We breathed together, our lungs matching speed—growing faster by the second. Sammy untangled herself, typing into my phone quickly. “That’s where she lives. It’s kind of far from here.”
Nodding, I pushed the phone into my back pocket. “It’s fine. I’ll go see everyone downstairs, then I’ll head out.” I motioned down the hall. “Frannie will set you up for the night.”
“I’ll take a shower first, if that’s all right.” Her fingers crinkled in her hair. “I’m a serious mess. You can probably smell me from there.”
“Definitely.” I lowered my face, inhaling the side of her throat. “And it’s wonderful, babe.” Kissing her once—okay, twice—I stepped away. Her fingers touched her skin where I’d just been.
With a smirk, I started down the stairs. “Kain,” Sammy said, stopping me. When I looked back, she was still cupping her neck. “Thank you. Just . . . thanks.”
“You already thanked me, remember?” Brushing my lips, I flicked my fingers like I was throwing her a kiss.
I thought she’d just blush some more. Her hand came up, clasping the air to catch my imaginary lips. Though she grinned, I realized she was just as surprised by her reaction as I was.
What’s goin
g on between us? It was a question that had been tickling in my skull for some time. The weight of all my missteps with this woman had been ruining my mood the longer time went on.
She’d told me with conviction that she was still mad at me.
But did angry people catch air kisses?
I wanted to leave with an aura of indifference. I was known for being the cocky bad boy, that was who I’d always been. I didn’t keep souvenirs like sparkling heels, and I didn’t tend to tiny cuts with genuine tenderness.
When I exited down the staircase, I took the steps two at a time.
- CHAPTER ELEVEN -
SAMMY
“Mic,” I hissed, pushing the fluffy dog away from my face. “Leave me alone.”
It was the eighth time the animal had come over to snuffle at me. It wasn’t entirely his fault, I was sleeping on Francesca’s bedroom floor. I was easy access to his little, wet nose.
After I’d showered, I’d entered the darkened room to find the girl had already gone to bed. Not wanting to wake her, I’d curled up in the bathrobe I’d found and just tucked myself into a corner of the room.
Shivering, I rolled away from the panting dog again. Okay. This is too much. In a mansion this big, there had to be a place I could go to find some privacy. Standing, I stepped around Mic and slid quietly into the hallway.
The big clock on the wall said it was after three in the morning. My eyes were puffy, my skull heavy on my neck. Creeping along the soft rugs, I tested the doorknobs of several rooms. Most were locked, and I didn’t have it in me to sneak into Kain’s bed tonight.
Especially not after our bathroom heavy petting session.
Burning from the memory, I headed downstairs. As I passed the hallway, I slowed down. I hadn’t seen it happen, but at some point, someone had hung the photo I’d broken back up.
There were a few low lights along the ceiling. They allowed me to squint at the photo, studying the people in it. Maverick was easy to recognize—he was younger, but just as big as ever. Carmina still held the same elegance she did now, though her hair was shorter.
The children were clearly theirs; I bent closer, intrigued by what Kain looked like as a child. It didn’t take me long to spot him; he and Francesca were nearly mirror images of each other with their blue eyes and dark hair.
