Point of No Return

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I screamed. His hand went to my throat, grabbing me and lifting me to my toes. I didn’t bother trying to pull his arm away—I knew I wouldn’t be able to. His hand squeezed.

My hands were free, so I cupped both my palms and slammed them over his ears. I got him good and he howled in pain, releasing me. I dropped back down to my feet and stumbled. I scrambled, turning to run, but he grabbed the neck of my shirt and yanked me off my feet. I landed hard on my back on the floor and the force of it knocked the wind out of me.

He must’ve decided he didn’t care about the noise a gunshot would make, because that’s when he pulled out a gun. He pointed it right at me and I froze, terror icing my veins. There was nowhere I could go, nothing I could do—

Kade came out of nowhere, hurtling into the guy, and they both crashed to the floor. I watched in horror as they grappled. The gun went skittering across the floor and I crawled to it, then picked it up. I pointed it but couldn’t fire. I wasn’t a good enough shot that I was sure I wouldn’t hit Kade.

They fought dirty and I saw up close and personal how deadly Kade could be. His face was terrifying, cold fury blazing in his eyes. The guy didn’t have a chance, something that became immediately apparent. I heard the crack of breaking bone and the guy cried out, then Kade’s knife was in his hand. A split second later, Kade had slit his throat.

I was still on my ass on the floor, my eyes wide as I tried to breathe. Kade was straddling the now motionless body and he glanced my way, getting to his feet and moving toward me.

The gun I held shook like a leaf in my hands, my eyes glued to the blood seeping from the man’s sliced throat onto my wooden floor.

“Hey,” Kade said softly, crouching down. He reached out and slowly wrapped his hand around the barrel of the gun. “It’s okay now. Give me the gun, sweetheart.” But my fingers wouldn’t move, as though they’d been dipped in ice. Kade gently pried my hand loose and took the gun from me, tucking it in the back of his jeans.

“He’s . . . dead,” I croaked.

“Yes, and you aren’t,” Kade said.

I broke my stare and turned to Kade. He pulled me into his arms, holding me tight against his chest. My fingers clutched at his shirt, but my eyes were dry. It seemed I had no tears to shed for people who tried to kill me and ended up dead instead.

If Kade hadn’t been there, I’d be dead now and so would our baby. A shudder went through me.

“It’s all right. I’ve got you,” he murmured soothingly in my ear.

After a few minutes, I felt strong enough to pull away and stand. I looked at the dead man on the floor.

“Now what?” I asked.

“Now you find me an old sheet that you don’t want to see again, and a trash bag.”

I left, returning quickly with the items he’d requested. Kade wrapped the head and throat in the sheet, then tied the trash bag around that. Pulling the dead man by the arms, he hoisted the body in a fireman’s carry.

“Grab a shovel and follow me,” he said.

I ran to the garage and found an old shovel, then followed Kade as he trekked into the woods. We went some distance, then Kade dropped the body and held a hand out for the shovel.

“At least there’s a bright side to you living in the middle of fucking nowhere,” he said. “Plenty of places to bury a body.”

It took a while for Kade to dig a hole deep enough, but finally the body was buried and the dirt replaced. Kade was drenched in sweat and had discarded his shirt some time ago, but hadn’t shown any sign of fatigue until he was through. He leaned on the shovel for a few minutes. I stayed quiet and watched him.

After we got back to the house, he had me get a bottle of bleach and we cleaned the blood off the floor. Well, Kade did. I started dry heaving, so he ordered me into the kitchen to wait until he was done.

I had time to think while I waited, which probably wasn’t a good thing. Keaston had sent someone after me, just like Kade had said he would. What was I going to do? Just wait for the next killer? I’d be a sitting duck.

Kade came back into the kitchen carrying another garbage bag. “We’ll burn this one,” he said, heading to the sink. “No one’s going to come looking for that guy anyway. It’s the nature of the business.”

As he washed the dirt and blood from his hands, sweat still shone on his skin from the hard work he’d done digging in the warm sunshine. I’d need to wash his jeans. They were dirty from the digging.

“Thank you,” I said. “For being here. If you hadn’t—”

“Let’s not discuss what might’ve happened,” Kade interrupted, drying his hands on a dish towel. “I’m going to take a shower.”

I nodded, glancing at the clock. “Okay. My shift starts soon.”

“You’re going into work?” Kade asked.

I looked at him strangely. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I would think being attacked and having to bury a body might make you see sense,” Kade retorted. “The sooner you hightail it back to Blane’s the safer you’ll be.”

“The only place I’m going is into work,” I shot back. It stung every time he brought up the idea of me going to Blane, as if I were a burden to be shoved off onto somebody else.

Turning away, I headed upstairs, leaving him to fend for himself.

Going to my bedside table, I retrieved my gun from the top drawer. I checked to make sure it was loaded, then set it by the door so I wouldn’t forget to put it in my purse.

The uniforms at O’Sullivan’s were a lot less revealing than the ones at The Drop, just jeans and a T-shirt with the pub’s logo printed across the chest. The shirts came in black, white, and green, and tonight I put on a green one before doing my makeup. At least my jeans still fit, though they were more snug than I was used to. I heard the shower start in the bathroom across the hall.

I sat on my bed, thinking. I wanted two things—for me and my baby to be safe, and I wanted Kade. Now I just had to figure out the best way to go about getting them.

After a few minutes, I grabbed the gun and opened my bedroom door just as Kade came out of the bathroom.

I froze. Kade was naked save for a white towel wrapped low around his hips. He had another towel he was using to dry his hair, so he hadn’t seen me yet. My gaze drank in his damp chest, following the thin line of hair that started below his navel and disappeared beneath the towel. My hands itched to reach forward. It would just take a little tug to pull the towel loose. It would drop to the floor and I would drop to my knees—

I think I made a little sound, kind of like a whimper, because Kade suddenly stopped drying his hair. He may have looked at me—I didn’t know. I was still eyeing the towel and trying to figure out if I could grab it faster than he could stop me.

“Kathleen?”

“Mmm?” Maybe if I took off my shirt, distracted him—

“Everything all right? You okay?”

I sighed a little, making my eyes lift to his. “Fine. It’s just that being pregnant . . . Well, let’s just say I haven’t been this horny since . . .” I thought about it. “Ever.” Huh.

Kade’s face looked pained. “I don’t think sleeping together would be a good idea.”

“Really?” I asked. It sounded pretty damn good to me. “I didn’t realize you’d taken up chastity.” I sidled a little closer. Men were all the same. I could probably change his mind if I could get my hands on his—

But Kade caught my wrist just as I reached out to snag the towel. He yanked me forward and my breasts brushed his chest. I bit back a moan at the contact.

He was so close, his mouth inches away.

“I just killed a man,” Kade said in disbelief. “In your living room. And you want to have sex with me?”

Well, when he put it like that . . . Nope, still didn’t kill my mood.

A droplet of water trailed from the ends of his hair down his neck and over his collarbone, then started a slow path down his chest. It tantalized me, practically screaming “Lick me! Lick me!” so I obligingly leaned forward . . . only to have Kade jerk back, out of my reach.

I frowned at him. This was getting irritating. “You’re playing awfully hard to get,” I complained.

“It’s for your own good.”

Now that killed my mood. I stepped closer, getting in his face.

“You’re starting to sound a lot like Blane,” I hissed. I jerked my wrist out of his grip, turned around, and flounced downstairs. I knew I was in a snit, but I just didn’t care.

There was a knock on the front door and I froze. Carefully, I checked my gun to make sure the safety was off before I went to the door. I peeked out the side window . . . and my jaw gaped.

Pulling open the door, I said, “What in the world are you doing here?”

Blane reached up and took off his sunglasses, eyeing me. “Hello to you, too,” he said wryly.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “I’m just . . . surprised. Come in.” I stepped aside so Blane could enter. He was dressed casually in jeans and a white button-down shirt he wore untucked, the cuffs turned back several times.

Blane glanced around the house with interest, taking in the bedding on the couch where Kade had slept before his gaze landed on me again.

“I’m glad to see you’re all right,” he said roughly, hooking his sunglasses on his shirt. “A phone call would’ve been nice.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized again. “I just thought . . . you and me . . . we needed some time.”

“How’re you feeling?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Okay.” It was super awkward to talk about being pregnant with Blane, so I moved on pretty quick. “How about you?”

His lips twitched. “I’m fine, but I’m not the one who’s having a baby.”

So much for not talking about it. “So, uh, how’d you find me?”

“I called him,” Kade said.

He had come downstairs, again without making a sound. I was really going to have to make him show me how he did that. Then I processed what he’d said.

“You called him?” I asked, facing off with Kade. I could feel my temper flaring.

“Don’t get upset,” he warned.

“Then don’t do things that make me upset,” I ground out.

“Thought you might want to know how Lewis was doing,” Blane interrupted.

I glanced around to him, confused. “Lewis? Alisha’s Lewis?” At his nod, I asked, “What’s wrong with him?”

“Kade shot him.”

I whipped my head back toward Kade, who was glaring at Blane. “What?” I screeched. “You shot him? What the hell for?”

“Really?” Kade said to Blane. “I tell you where she is and that’s the bomb you wanna drop? Asshole.”

“I’m not the asshole in this situation, and Lewis is fine, thanks for asking,” Blane said.

“I already knew he was fine,” Kade retorted in disgust. “I know where I shot him.”

“So you did shoot him?” I asked, interrupting their argument.

Kade’s gaze swiveled to mine. “Alisha wouldn’t tell me where you’d gone,” he said simply, as though that was justification enough for shooting Lewis.

“Oh my God,” I moaned, grasping the sides of my head. “Alisha’s going to hate me! And poor Lewis!” It’s not like being shot was any fun. Even if he was going to be all right, it wasn’t okay that Kade had done that.

“Alisha’s not going to hate you,” Kade said.

I jerked my head up and got in Kade’s space. “You’re right,” I said. “She’ll hate you!” I poked his chest hard to emphasize my point.

Kade’s eyes narrowed. “May I remind you of what would’ve happened this morning if I hadn’t been here?”

I swallowed, some of my anger leaching away.

“What happened this morning?” Blane broke in.

“Do you want to tell him about the body now buried in your backyard or shall I?” Kade asked.

“A body?”

I ignored Blane. “You didn’t have to threaten Alisha,” I argued. “I’m sure she would have said where I was if she knew I was in danger. You could’ve just told her that. You certainly didn’t have to shoot Lewis!”

“I’ll keep that in mind for the next time you disappear and someone has a contract out to kill you,” Kade sneered, not at all apologetic.

“Let’s talk about that,” Blane interrupted again. “Kade, what’s going on? Who’s after Kathleen? And what body’s in the backyard? And last but not least”—he held his arms out, palms up—“why am I here?”

“Yeah, I’ll let you two figure it out,” I groused. “I’ve got to get to work.”

“You’re not going to work,” Kade said.

“Watch me.” I grabbed my purse, stuffed my gun into it, and headed outside.

“Come on,” I heard Kade say to Blane, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t have both Blane and Kade following me in their separate cars into town.

I parked and got out, glancing around to see both Kade and Blane mirroring my actions. In a moment, they were trailing two or three steps behind me as I headed into the pub.

Yeah, this isn’t conspicuous or anything, I thought grumpily. So much for blending back into my hometown. Blane and Kade stuck out like they’d been dropped from another planet into Smalltown, Middle America—their planet being one filled with designer clothes, cars that cost six figures, and a surplus of incredibly hot men who accessorized with deadly weapons.

I went in back to clock in, grabbing a black apron to tie around my waist. The morning cook, Randy, was finishing up and he waved hello as I walked by. Danny would be in any minute. Carol was clocking in, too.

“Glad to see you survived your midnight visitor last night,” she said, falling into step with me as we headed out the kitchen door.

I sighed. “Survived, but didn’t ditch. He’s still here.” I nodded to where Blane and Kade now sat side by side at the bar. Sal, the other bartender, was just setting two bottles of beer in front of them.

“Wow,” Carol said. “Who’s the new guy?”

“My ex.” And I left it at that.

Carol looked at me, her eyebrows raised, but she didn’t ask anything further. Since she was someone who seemed to keep her business private, I appreciated that she didn’t want to pry into mine. I wouldn’t have known how to explain anyway.

I relieved Sal, a guy in his late fifties who poured drinks at the same speed he moved—turtle slow. He was fine during the early part of the day, but I was glad I didn’t have to work with him in the evenings. It would have driven me nuts.

There was barely a handful of customers, since it was still before the dinner rush, so it didn’t take me long to put the bar in order and make sure everything was set the way I liked it. When I was through, I walked over to Blane and Kade.

“So you two are just going to sit here all evening?” I asked.

“I’m not too thrilled with someone trying to kill you in your living room,” Blane replied.

“Then call your uncle and take care of it,” I retorted. “Hasn’t he done enough now? You know he was behind Summers taking me, that he tried to have Kade killed. I’m just trying to figure out why you’re sitting here instead of taking this right to his front door.”

“It’s not that easy,” Kade broke in.

“What would you have me do, Kat?” Blane asked. “Go kill my uncle?”

“So you’d rather he kill me?” I asked.

“No, of course not—” Blane replied angrily.

“Well, then you two better figure something out,” I interrupted, “because I’m not living this way, looking over my shoulder all the time and being afraid. Something’s gotta give.” I stalked away.

We got busier soon after that, and it was a while before I returned to Blane and Kade.

“You two want something to eat?” I asked, handing them each a menu. I waited while they looked it over. I couldn’t help it—even with what had happened this morning and the awkwardness of being with both of them, I was happier for their presence.

They both ordered the exact same thing, big surprise, and declined more beer. Instead, I gave Blane water and Kade a Coke.

“So did you come up with a plan?” I asked as I slid two plates of double cheeseburgers and waffle fries in front of them.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Kade asked.

“Hello—I’m working,” I said in an isn’t-it-obvious tone, resting my elbows on the bar, chin in hand, and eyeing his fries.

Kade must’ve read my mind, because he picked one up and offered it to me as he said to Blane, “Keaston’s gotten out of hand.”

I leaned forward and snagged the fry from his fingers with my teeth. Yum. Still hot and crispy.

“You said you’d found something linking him to Sheffield and the Waters trial,” Blane said, taking a bite of his cheeseburger. “What about that?”

Kade shook his head, chewing a fry before offering another to me. I let him feed me that one, too. “Won’t hold up,” he said. “A witness would be better. Someone who knows all Robert’s dirty little secrets.”

Blane chewed thoughtfully. “What about George?” he asked. “He’s his chief of staff. He’d know everything. Maybe he’d help us in return for something.”

Kade took a bite of cheeseburger, dutifully holding up another fry for me to eat. He swallowed, then said, “Yeah, George is dead.”

Blane paused mid-chew to glance at Kade, then rolled his eyes. “Let me guess,” he said, his irritation obvious. “He met up with you in a dark alley.”

“Mugging gone bad,” Kade replied. “Don’t you read the papers?” He shot Blane a look and I wasn’t sure who to believe, not that I cared much. My hatred for Keaston seemed to overshadow any qualms or ethics I had.

“Are you going to eat your pickle?” I interrupted, eyeing said pickle on Kade’s plate.

Kade looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Really? Pickles?”

I ignored his sarcasm. “Are you or not?”

Kade picked up the pickle spear and handed it to me. “You’re such a cliché,” he said, but he said it in a fond sort of way and the corner of his mouth twitched upward, so I didn’t think he really minded.

I chewed on the pickle while they talked.

“If not George, then I don’t know who,” Blane said. He finished off his burger. “It’s not like Robert lets anyone else get close enough.”

They both fell silent, thinking. I finished off the pickle, which had made me thirsty, so I copped a sip of Kade’s Coke.

“What about the wife?” I asked.

They both looked at me.

“Whose wife?” Kade asked.

“George’s,” I explained. “If Keaston had George into all kinds of bad stuff, which ended up getting him killed, she’s going to be angry. Resentful. And chances are she knows what’s up with Keaston, or could point us in the direction of where to look.”

“Us?” Blane asked.

I raised my eyebrows. “Surely you don’t think you two can go after Keaston and leave me behind?”

“Thought we could stash her with Mona,” Kade said to Blane. “Or maybe Clarice.”

“Clarice might be better,” Blane replied. “There’s no tie between the two of them anymore. They won’t think to look there.”

“Huh-uh, no way,” I interrupted. They both turned to look at me. “I am not going to sit this one out, nor am I going to bring danger to a friend’s doorstep. I either stay in my home, by myself, or I’m coming with you.”

Neither man looked pleased by my assertion, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to be sidelined.

“If she comes, we gotta drive,” Kade said to Blane. “The flight lists will be tagged to alert for her name.”

“Could you please stop talking about me as though I weren’t standing right here?” I said, irritated. I went to take their plates away, but saw Blane hadn’t eaten his pickle. I hesitated, then snagged it, holding it in my teeth while I carried the plates away. A ghost of a smile flitted across Blane’s lips.

Kade and Blane’s continued presence didn’t go unnoticed. More than a few glances were sent their way as the evening progressed, though the brothers didn’t seem to notice or care. Or if they did, I couldn’t tell. They were deep in conversation while I worked, and it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, especially since they didn’t seem to be arguing. I even caught Blane laughing once or twice and Kade grinned.

“Hey, Kathleen.”

I recognized Matt’s voice and turned to see that he and Steve had popped in and taken seats at the bar.

“Hey, guys,” I said with a warm smile. “No practice tonight?”

“Got rained out,” Steve said, jerking a thumb toward the windows. Sure enough, it was pouring outside.

I got them both draft beers, catching Matt looking across the bar at Kade and Blane.

“You going to tell us who the guys are?” Matt asked me.

I hesitated, but it wasn’t like it was a secret. “I met them in Indy,” I said. “Just some friends of mine. Thought they’d drop in for a visit, that’s all.”

“That one looks familiar,” Steve said, his face creasing in a frown. “Yeah, I know. He’s that guy running for governor, right? The one who dropped out?”

“Um, yeah, that’s him,” I confirmed, unsure what else to say.

“And you’re friends with him?” Steve asked, a bit of admiration creeping into his voice. “Wow. That’s cool.”

If Matt had been cranky before due to the presence of Blane and Kade, he was downright surly now. He finished his beer quickly and ordered another. As I delivered it, he started chatting with me.

“Remember old Mr. Tyler?” he asked.

“The basketball coach?”

“Yeah, that’s him. Well, he retired, but his son’s the coach now, you know Andy. And he married Betty McCarthy. They have two kids.”

“Really?” I said. “How ’bout that.” I was pulled down memory lane as Matt started reeling off names I knew and telling me what had happened to various high school friends. Even while I’d still lived in town when my mom was sick, I’d been so focused on paying the bills and caring for her that my social life had been nonexistent. I’d fallen out of touch with so many people.

The dinner rush was over, so I stood in front of Matt for a while as he continued to bring me up to speed on old friends and where-were-they-now. He had me laughing at a tale of how the geekiest kid had hit it big, and as a result, married the homecoming queen and moved to LA.

“And don’t get me started on Theresa Honeycutt,” Matt said with a laugh.

“What did she do?” I asked, grinning. Even I knew that Theresa had been dubbed Tiny Tits Theresa in high school.

“She decided she wanted a boob job,” Matt said, “so she went someplace in Indy, came back, I shit you not, like a double F or some shit like that. I thought Sal’s eyes were gonna pop right out when he saw her.”

“Oh my God!” I giggled, shaking my head. Theresa had always struck me as having more ambition than sense. Why someone would want boobs that big was beyond me. I was pushing a C cup and definitely wouldn’t want to be any bigger.

Steve had been laughing with us, but suddenly stopped. He took a nervous swig of his beer, then said, “Kathleen, I think your, uh, friends need a refill . . . or something.”

I glanced over my shoulder to Blane and Kade, then sucked in a breath.

Blane had always been on the possessive side, so it shouldn’t have surprised me to see the hard glare he was sending Matt’s way. But considering our new “friends” status, I wasn’t expecting him to still display that streak toward me, yet that’s exactly what he appeared to be doing. And as for Kade . . . Well, he’d apparently left the notion of possessive way behind, and by the look in his eyes, had already moved on to contemplating Matt’s untimely demise.

“Um, yeah, I’d better go see what they want,” I said uneasily.

“And they’re just friends?” Matt scoffed, bitterness edging his words.

I cleared my throat. “Maybe a little more than friends,” I admitted.

I thought Steve’s eyes were going to bug out of his head. “Both of them?” he asked.

My face felt on fire at the look Matt gave me. I didn’t bother answering Steve—it wasn’t any of their business anyway—and I scurried back to Blane and Kade.

“Will you two stop with the glaring at Matt?” I hissed at them. “Now he thinks I’m sleeping with both of you!”

Kade just raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“At the same time,” I clarified, my embarrassment reaching new heights, or lows, depending on how you looked at it.

Kade’s smirk got bigger. “That would be—”

“Awkward,” Blane cut him off.

I covered my burning face with my hands, moaning, “Oh my God . . .”

“Yeah, on that note, I’m gonna bug out,” Blane said, getting to his feet.

I dropped my hands. “Wait, where are you going?”

“Since it looks like we’re driving to DC, he’s heading home to pack a bag,” Kade answered.

I let out a breath, not sure why I was relieved. “Oh. Okay then.”

“I’ll grab Tigger and see if Mona will watch him,” Blane said. “I’m sure she will.”

My hand rested on the bar and Blane reached out, giving it a light squeeze. “I’ll be back in the morning,” he said reassuringly, then he clapped a hard hand to Kade’s shoulder. “Kade’ll pick up my tab, won’t you, Kade.”

Kade grimaced. “Why do I think I’ll be picking up your tab for the foreseeable future?”

“You got that right,” Blane said, then headed out the door. I watched it swing shut behind him.

“So we’re taking a road trip?” I asked. “Just the three of us? To DC?” Talk about epic proportions of awkward.

“Looks like it,” Kade said.

Hmm.

It was just after ten when the place had cleared out, and I thought we’d get to close early tonight, which would be nice. Matt and Steve had left shortly after Blane. Matt hadn’t said much to me, but Steve had given me a friendly smile on his way out.

Carol offered to close and since I was too tired to argue, I took her up on it. Kade followed me home and it felt good to kick off my shoes. I headed up to shower, trying not to think of how Kade had been the last one to stand under the water and how he must’ve looked while doing it . . .

My eyes suddenly popped open. Wait a second. Who said I had to wait for Kade to make the first move? If nothing else, the past few months had shown me that he wasn’t immune to the chemistry between us. If I could manage to get him back into my bed, that should put the kibosh on him shoving me at Blane. Surely not even Kade would think that I would sleep with him one moment, then get back together with Blane the next.

Excited and a little nervous, I hurried to dry my hair. Too impatient to get it fully dry, I settled on damp. Crossing the hall to my room, I dug through my closet. Surely I had some kind of sexy nightgown I could put on.

Okay, well, maybe not. I settled on the skimpiest, laciest black thong I owned. My little bump showed, but there wasn’t a thing I could do about that. I dug an old satin robe from a drawer. It was for looks only and I never wore it. It came just to the top of my thighs and was also black. I belted it around my waist, then for the final touch, I added the champagne-colored stilettos I’d gotten when Kade and I were in Vegas.

Looking in the mirror, I used my fingers to fluff my hair, then added a spray of perfume and a touch of lipstick. My intent was ever so obvious, but I didn’t care. If Kade was going to persist in being a stubborn ass, then it would take drastic measures to make him see the error of his ways.

I turned down the covers on my bed, wondering if I was being too optimistic. Well, I’d find out in a few minutes.

Taking a deep breath, I headed down the hall to the living room. I could hear Kade moving around as he settled into his makeshift bed on the couch. My heels clacked on the floor and I winced, now wishing I hadn’t worn them. Stupid stupid.

My pulse was hammering from nerves and my palms were clammy with sweat. If this didn’t work, I was going to feel like a complete and utter idiot.

I tried not to focus on that.

My steps slowed as I rounded the corner. I stopped, leaning sideways against the wall, which probably looked like I was posing, but really I needed the support so my trembling knees wouldn’t give out.

A lamp was lit, providing a soft glow in the room, and Kade glanced my way from where he lay on the couch. His entire body went still.

“I thought I’d check on you,” I said, my voice a little too high. “See if you needed, or wanted, anything.” I cringed inside. That was the best I could do? Yeah, there went my career as a telephone sex operator.

Deciding that actions spoke louder than words, I fiddled with the tie on my robe. The satin was slippery and it loosened and fell away almost immediately.

Even from the distance between us, I saw Kade’s throat move as he swallowed.

“What’re you doing, princess?” he asked, his voice soft and nearly like a touch.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” I replied. I trailed the tips of my fingers from my throat down between my breasts, the satin robe parting, just catching on my nipples. My palm splayed across my stomach, then down farther to my panties. Kade’s eyes were riveted to the path my hand took, which made my nervousness fade to nothing. When he looked at me like that, I felt beautiful, desirable. Wanted.

I took two slow, sultry steps toward him, watching as he sat up on the couch. His shirt was off and the sight of him made my mouth water. A slight shrug and the robe spilled from my shoulders, sliding down and off my arms to drop to the floor in a soft whisper of silk.

Kade groaned, a low, pained noise coming from deep in his throat.

I couldn’t help my satisfied smile. When I reached him, I didn’t hesitate. Settling my knees on either side of his hips, I straddled him. The tips of my breasts brushed his chest and I swear he ground his teeth. His hands automatically gripped my hips.

I leaned forward and tilted my head, allowing my hair to fall to the side and brush his arm as I whispered in his ear.

“What was it about this that was such a bad idea?” I teased. My lips brushed the shell of his ear and I could feel the shudder that went through him.

“I can’t fucking remember,” he rasped. His hand slid from my hip up to tangle in my hair. He closed his hand into a fist, the long strands wrapped around his fingers, which sent a sharp tug to my scalp, pulling my head back.

My pulse was racing as arousal shivered through my veins. His warm skin was against mine, my fingers tracing the contour of muscles in his shoulders. Our eyes locked, his pupils dark and dilated and surrounded by pure blue. His head bent toward me, his lips millimeters away—

A loud knock on the front door startled a shriek from me.

Kade swiftly and unceremoniously dumped me off his lap and onto the couch. Sliding his hand beneath the pillow, he pulled out his gun.

“It’s me!” called a voice through the door.

Blane.

I was cussing a blue streak inside my head as I scrambled to wrap a sheet around me before Kade pulled open the door.

“I thought you weren’t coming back until morning,” Kade said by way of greeting, and I was gratified by his tone that it wasn’t just me who wanted to scream in frustration at the interruption.

“Had a friend of yours show up at my house,” Blane said, stepping inside. “She insisted on coming along.”

I glanced up from where I was trying to cover my exposed thighs and my jaw fell open.

Branna was there.