Point of No Return

CHAPTER ONE

Counting. Counting minutes and hours until time passed, because the more time that passed, the less I’d hurt. Or at least, that’s what everyone always said: Time heals. I wasn’t sure how much I believed that.

I was in an unwinnable situation. In love with two men—two brothers—and the consequences of that would hurt us all. So I’d taken myself out of the equation, again, but that didn’t stop the ache in my chest or the acid eating in my stomach as I unlocked my apartment door and let myself inside.

Tigger wrapped himself around my legs, nearly making me stumble. I guess he’d missed me. I reached down to scratch behind his ears and was immediately rewarded with loud purring.

Aimlessly, I went to the refrigerator, staring into its lit depths. Nothing seemed appealing, not that there was a lot to choose from anyway. Going to the cabinet, I grabbed a bag of animal crackers and retreated to the couch.

I munched, trying not to think. Yet I couldn’t stop myself from seeing Blane and Kade inside my head. The first night Blane had brought me home when my car had died, the night he’d stayed when Sheila had been murdered. The Christmas tree we’d decorated together and the many meals we’d shared while curled up on the couch.

And Kade. The morning he’d been there in the nick of time when I was being chased by a man who would have killed me. He’d sat with me, staring daggers at me, a sneer curling his lips. Playing bodyguard when he’d seemed barely able to tolerate my presence. The night he’d been wounded and collapsed on my couch, to when he’d shown up on my doorstep just a few weeks ago, his mere presence breaking through the ice encasing my emotions.

What was I going to do?

A part of my mind asked a question I wasn’t sure I wanted to answer. If I had it all to do over again, would I have gotten involved with Blane? If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be hurting like this.

The truth was something I didn’t want to face, because I cringed from what it said about me. Yes, I would do it all over again . . . because I’d not only fallen in love with Blane, I’d also fallen in love with Kade.

My nearly nonexistent appetite disappeared completely and I set aside the crackers.

Even as I loved Blane, Kade had also made his way into my heart. That had become crystal clear in the hours I’d spent waiting to see if he’d live or die. So what did that make me? The kind of person I swore I’d never be—someone who could come between Blane and Kade.

What would happen to the three of us? Kade loved me—he’d told me so—but had offered me nothing that he hadn’t rescinded. When he’d been lying on the hard ground, his blood coating my hands and each breath possibly his last, all the worry and heartache over what I felt for Blane—what my admitting that I’d fallen in love with Kade would do to him—had paled in significance to the very real possibility that I might lose Kade forever.

Priorities tend to shift in the face of death. While I’d faced my own mortality before, I hadn’t until that moment faced Kade’s.

I couldn’t pinpoint where or when it had happened. It wasn’t like one moment I hadn’t loved Kade, and the next I had. It had been gradual, creeping up on me when I wasn’t looking.

I shouldn’t love him, not like this. By all rights, I should want to be with Blane. Blane was the good guy, the white knight. He wanted the same things I did—a settled life together and a family. His career had great potential and he was good at what he did. We were a good pair, had a good time together. Blane loved me, and yes, I loved him, too.

Yet Kade and I clicked, like two puzzle pieces fitting together. It shouldn’t work, shouldn’t be like that. Kade had done awful things. He’d been paid to kill people, and I’d never been brave enough to ask how many. He broke the law on an almost daily basis and displayed an alarming lack of concern as to what would happen to him if he ever got caught. My parents would roll over in their graves if they knew I’d fallen in love with such a person.

But I’d seen firsthand that there was more to Kade than what he allowed people to see. He’d let me in through the chinks in his armor. He did care, had cared about me right from the start, no matter what his mouth had said to the contrary. Kade may have been insulting me and cursing me six ways from Sunday, but he’d protected me from harm and saved me from certain death many times over. Whether it was as simple a thing as carrying me across a gravel lot so my feet wouldn’t get torn up, to pulling me from a car set to explode, to doing the impossible and finding me chained in a shed in the middle of nowhere.

It was dangerous, loving Kade. My run-in with Garrett had taught me that. Using me as leverage, Garrett would have killed me, if not for Kade’s timely arrival. Who was to say that wouldn’t happen again? There were probably a dozen people or more who could want Kade dead. I would be a weakness, an Achilles’ heel that could end up hurting him. Who’s to say that he would want to be together, even now? He’d once told me, You’re the most vulnerable part of me. A year ago, I would have killed you myself if I’d known. And I hadn’t doubted him.

But what would I do if Kade did offer me something? Would I take it? Hurting Blane in the process and losing him from my life? Or could I spend my life with Blane and hope my feelings for Kade would fade over time? No matter what I did, I’d be that person who came between two brothers. I didn’t know if I could live with that, but neither could I live without them.

I was too tired to think anymore, so I got off the couch and crawled into bed. The apartment was sweltering as the sun climbed into the sky. My head hit the pillow and I sighed, closing my eyes.

In the end, the only thing I might have to show for falling in love with Blane and Kade was a lonely bed and a broken heart.

I woke when it was late afternoon. Shadows were long in my room as I opened my eyes. I was cool and comfortable, and it took a moment for me to realize I was mostly lying on top of someone, my leg nestled between his. I jerked my head up in surprise, and green eyes met mine.

Blane.

The gentle affection in his gaze made words die on my tongue.

My heart ached at the warm strength of him and I rested my head on his chest with a sigh. One arm was curved around me, holding me in place. The other lifted to touch my hair, his fingers combing slowly through the strands.

“How long have you been here?” I asked quietly. I slid my hand over his shoulder, savoring the opportunity I’d just been handed to nestle more closely to him.

“Since shortly after you left the hospital,” he said. His voice rumbled in his chest. “Why did you leave?”

I gave a little shrug. “I didn’t belong. Don’t belong.”

Blane’s hand stilled, then moved to my chin, turning my face up to his.

“You belong with me.”

The absolute certainty in his voice made my insides warm. I opened my mouth to reply but didn’t get the chance.

Blane started kissing me, his tongue stroking mine. There was no urgency in his kiss, it was languid and sweet, as though nothing had broken between us. And just when my thoughts caught up with my actions and I was about to pull away, he did.

I stared at him in confusion, but he just smiled and brushed the hair back from my face.

“What are you doing?” I managed.

“Kissing you,” he said simply.

I was utterly confused. I’d told Blane I was in love with his brother. He should be yelling at me, looking at me in loathing and disgust, not holding me, gazing at me as if I were the most precious thing in the world.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I wanted to.”

I couldn’t think what to say, still bemused by his actions.

“I’m not giving you up without a fight, Kat,” he said. “Until you make your choice, I’m not going anywhere.”

My eyebrows flew up at that and I scrambled off him and out of the bed. “Choice?” I asked as he sat up. “What do you mean, ‘your choice’?”

“Me or Kade,” Blane answered, looking at me as though this were obvious.

I was already shaking my head. “No, I’m not doing that.” I backed up rapidly, hit the wall, turned, and hurried into the kitchen. Blane was right behind me.

“What do you mean?” he asked, latching onto my wrist and pulling me to a stop.

“I’m not doing that!” I exclaimed, horrified at the thought. “You make it sound like I’m picking which pair of shoes to wear or what movie I should go see. You and Kade are brothers. I am not choosing one of you.” Though the thought had occurred to me just hours ago, hearing Blane spell it out made me cringe in mortification.

Blane’s expression was unreadable as he stared at me. He let go of my wrist, pushing his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he leaned back against the wall.

“You have to,” he said with a shrug.

“Forget it,” I shot back. My mind was already playing the scenario in my head, me choosing a brother, forever alienating the one who remained. The one I chose resenting me for coming between them. Losing them both from my life, forever.

“I’m not . . . I can’t . . .” Suddenly, it was hard to breathe, anxiety swelling in my chest.

Blane was next to me in an instant, his hands wrapped around my arms to hold me steady. Worry and concern now creased his features.

My voice was a choked whisper. “I can’t . . . lose . . . both of you. I just . . . I can’t.” I shook my head, trying to dislodge the images in my mind. I stared up at him, willing him to understand.

It was the best I could do to explain it, the terror and despair that loomed at the mere thought of Kade and Blane no longer being in my life. I’d be alone, having lost the men I loved—the men who’d come to be my whole world. What I’d felt when Blane and I had split up four months ago would be a mere shadow compared to the agony I’d feel now if I lost them.

“What do you think is going to happen, Kat?” Blane asked with a frown. “It’s not like we can share you.” He seemed genuinely confused.

“I know it’s not fair,” I admitted, “but I’m not going to be what breaks you and Kade. Not now. Not after all that’s happened. We can be . . . friends.” A laughable goal, but it was all I could come up with.

“Do you need more time?” Blane asked, completely ignoring my friends comment. “Of course. It’s too soon. Kade’s still recovering and you’ve been pushed to the edge of your endurance.” He looked vaguely relieved, brushing the back of his knuckles down my cheek. The sweet touch made me ache inside.

Time. That sounded good. I latched onto that. “Yeah. I just need . . . some time.” I ignored that it’d be borrowed time. I was sure it wouldn’t take long before they’d tire of waiting for me to make a choice that my conscience wouldn’t allow me to make.

Blane studied me intently, as though seeing through my pathetic desperation. “You should know I won’t just walk away, Kat. And I know my brother. Neither will he.”

I swallowed, my stomach clenching into a hard knot. I didn’t believe him, not really. Eventually I’d lose them both, and all I wanted right now was to put that moment off for as long as possible. It made me incredibly selfish, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Holding on to Blane and Kade felt like an act of self-preservation.

“Are you going back?” I asked, anxious to change the subject. “To the hospital?”

“Yes.”

I eased out of Blane’s hold and he let me step away. “Tell him . . . tell him I said hi, would you?”

“You’re not coming?”

“I have to go to work,” I explained, glancing at the clock. I had to get moving if I wanted to shower first. “Did you turn on the air-conditioning?”

“Yes,” Blane said, snagging me around the waist as I made to pass by. I looked up at him in surprise. “Don’t turn it off,” he ordered. “I’ll pay the fucking bill. Just leave it on.”

“I can’t—”

“Leave it,” he ordered again, interrupting me. He seemed pretty adamant about this, and considering the conversation we’d just had, I wasn’t anxious to test his patience further. I nodded.

“Okay.”

Before I could say anything more, Blane had me pressed against the wall, his body hard against mine, his mouth pressing my lips apart. I sucked in a breath, my pulse kicking into high gear as Blane proceeded to remind me of just how well he did this sort of thing.

It was several minutes before we came up for air and I found my fingers pressing hard into Blane’s shoulders.

“Sooner or later, you’ll choose,” he whispered. “You’ll want one of us more than you don’t want to hurt the other. And you’ll choose. I want to be the one you can’t live without.”

I stared up into his eyes, a brilliant green boring into mine. Then he was out the door and gone, leaving me trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

Work was slow, which made it hard to stay awake. Even my nap today hadn’t been enough to curb how tired I was. I ate a little, not really having a choice when Jeff set a plate down in front of me and glared until I took a bite. Nothing seemed to taste good. I chalked it up to too much stress.

“What’s up with you?” Tish asked, leaning against the bar and watching me dry glasses.

“Just tired. Stressed,” I replied.

“Boyfriend trouble?” She grinned. “Please tell me you took tall, dark, and dangerous for a spin.”

I gave a small laugh even as my face heated. Her description of Kade was apt.

“Good for you,” she said, easily reading my embarrassment.

I shook my head. “No. Everything’s just . . . completely complicated now.”

“Sex has a way of doing that,” she commiserated. “You seeing him tonight?”

I hadn’t told her that Kade had been shot, so I explained what had happened. When I finished, her eyes were wide.

“He took a bullet for Blane?” she asked. I nodded. “And now Blane wants you to choose, him or Kade?” I nodded again.

She rolled her eyes, unsuccessfully trying to hide a grin. “Girl, to have such problems. I’m finding it real hard to be sympathetic.”

I smacked her lightly on the arm even as I laughed. “This is serious,” I said. “I have no idea what to do. I told Blane I wasn’t going to choose, that we could, you know, all be friends.” It still sounded ridiculous and Tish must’ve agreed, because she gave a snort of derision.

“What’d he say?” she asked.

“He kissed me.”

She whistled. “Gotta like his style, girl.”

“You are absolutely no help whatsoever,” I complained.

Tish spotted new customers walking in and pushed away from the bar. “I know,” she said, “but if you need pointers on a threesome, you just let me know.” She winked.

“Tish!” I exclaimed, but she was already sashaying toward the new table.

I rolled my eyes, sliding the now clean and dry martini glasses into the freezer before turning away to fill another order.

I was the last one to leave after we’d closed, though Jeff had hung around until it was time to go. Since I’d been attacked by James Gage, the district attorney for Indy, a couple of weeks ago, Romeo had insisted that there always had to be at least two people to finish up after closing.

Once I was in my car, I sat for a moment, thinking. I was exhausted, but I wanted to see Kade. I didn’t know how many times it would take of seeing him awake and talking before the worry eased in the back of my mind, I just knew I wasn’t there yet.

Twenty minutes later, I was parking in the hospital lot and heading inside. Visiting hours were long since over, but I managed not to run into any staff on my way to Kade’s room. The hallways were dim and I stepped as lightly as I could. When I reached Kade’s door, I paused and peeked through the window.

It was dark inside and I knew he was probably sleeping. I’d just pop in for a minute, then leave.

Carefully easing open the door, I slipped into the room. The door drifted closed behind me and I waited, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. After a moment, I stepped farther inside, listening intently.

I could hear machines, their quiet whirring as they monitored Kade’s vitals and dripped fluid into his arm. My eyes had adjusted and now I could see the outline of his form on the bed. Without even noticing I’d moved, I realized I stood beside him. I watched carefully as his chest rose and fell with even, deep breaths.

My whole body relaxed. My fingers itched to touch him, but I curled my hands into fists so I wouldn’t. What if he hadn’t made it? What would I have done then? I couldn’t think about it. I’d drive myself crazy.

I had to touch some part of him, so I settled for resting my palm near where his hand lay on top of the covers. If I tried hard enough, it seemed I could feel the heat from his body through my skin.

“About fucking time.”

I started violently at the sound of his voice, jerking my hand away. “I . . . I didn’t realize you were awake,” I managed to stammer. My face flushed and I was glad the room was dark.

“So I gathered.”

The dry note in his voice made my lips hover in a smile, but I was inexplicably nervous and embarrassed that Kade had caught me unawares.

“I, um, didn’t mean to disturb you,” I said weakly. “I was just on my way home from work.”

“You live in the opposite direction.”

I pressed my lips together and didn’t speak. I didn’t have to. We both knew why I was there.

Kade reached for me, his hand catching hold of my elbow and tugging. I obeyed the silent demand, slipping off my shoes before climbing into bed beside him. His arm wrapped around my shoulders as I nestled into his side.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Confined.”

I smiled. Yes, Kade would feel that way.

“Are you being nice to the nurses?” I asked.

“One of them tried to give me a sponge bath,” he replied.

I could imagine the fight it had been to determine who got the honor of giving Kade a sponge bath. “Was she pretty?” I asked, hearing the bitchy in my voice too late.

I felt more than heard Kade’s huff of laughter. “Is that jealousy I hear?” he teased.

I didn’t answer, instead burying my burning face into his side, which just made him laugh again.

“Would you still be pissed if I said she was ugly?”

“Who said I was pissed?” I protested.

“I love your jealous, bitchy side,” Kade whispered in my ear. The touch of his breath against my skin made me shiver. His hand drifted down to my waist, his fingers tugging my shirt free until he could touch my skin. “Blane said we’re all supposed to be friends now, that supposedly you’re not going to pick a side.” I could hear the amusement in his voice.

I stiffened, wondering what exactly from our conversation Blane had repeated to Kade.

“Need I remind you of what a bad idea the friend zone is for us?” he continued. His fingers trailed a feather-light path along my side and up my rib cage.

I swallowed. “It’s the only solution. I’m not going to pick one of you over the other.”

“So what are we then?” His fingers traced the outline of my ribs while my pulse beat a rapid staccato in my chest. My breath was much too fast and too shallow. “Friends with benefits?”

“I don’t want to lose you,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

We fell asleep like that, the warmth of his palm pressed against my side, his thumb lightly brushing the tender skin under my breast.

When I woke up, the sun had just peeked over the horizon. Kade was still sound asleep, no doubt the timed pain medication had taken hold at some point, sending him into a deep slumber. Reaching up, I brushed a lock of inky-black hair from his forehead before easing out of the bed.

I put on my shoes and used the bathroom, splashing some cold water on my face to wake up. While I’d been relieved to be with Kade last night, I hadn’t slept well. Each move or noise he made had caused me to come awake, my subconscious still steeped in anxiety about him.

To my chagrin, I ran into Blane in the hallway. He looked surprised to see me.

“Did you come by this morning or last night?” he asked.

I wondered what the correct answer would be, as his tone had definitely changed when he’d said “last night.” I decided to be honest.

“I came by after work,” I said.

Blane gave a brief nod, then took a sip of the coffee he held. “That was kind of you to keep him company.”

There hadn’t been anything “kind” for the reasons I’d had. I’d needed to see him, especially after what I’d said to him when he’d woken up. Since the daytime would mean running into Mona, Gerard, and Blane, the nighttime was preferable.

“I, um, I gotta go,” I said, the awkwardness getting to me.

“Sure,” Blane said easily. “I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

Okay, I was positive I heard a slight note of bitterness in that last part, but he was already past me and stepping into Kade’s room.

I headed home, where I showered and did my laundry. I had to go to work earlier than usual because I was filling in for Scott this week. He was out of town and had asked if I’d cover his shifts. Since he’d done the same for me on more than one occasion, I didn’t mind saying yes, but that meant I’d be spending the bulk of my days and evenings at The Drop for the next several days.

I went by the hospital again that night after work, crawling into bed with Kade without being asked. The pain medication was easing up so he was awake, and we talked.

We didn’t talk about Blane, or the future, or being friends. We talked about ourselves and our past, me more so than Kade, though he did tell me a couple of things from his childhood, like how he’d gotten the scars on his back and the one on his chest. Tears had dripped from my face onto his chest as he talked, his voice quiet in the darkened room. My imagination painted too vivid a picture of a child version of Kade, and the pain he’d endured made my heart hurt.

He told me about the first time he’d killed a man, and why. I told him the story of the night my dad died. He told me of the morning his mother didn’t wake up. I spoke of how hard it had been to sell my parents’ house and move away from home. He finally told me the story of the dragon tattoo on his arm, and I confessed how I’d almost gotten my navel pierced on a friend’s dare my senior year of high school, but had chickened out. Kade had chuckled at that.

Eventually, we fell silent, the rise and fall of his chest under my cheek lulling me to sleep in the wee hours of the morning.

The aroma of fresh coffee greeted me when next I opened my eyes. I sat up from where I’d been slumped, wincing as my neck and back gave sharp protests. I automatically glanced next to me, but Kade was gone.

“They took him for another X-ray.”

I jerked around to see Blane leaning against the wall, sipping a cup of coffee. He looked put together, his hair perfect, his jaw freshly shaven, clothes clean and unrumpled. I self-consciously combed my fingers through my hair, knowing I had to look a mess.

“Here,” Blane said, handing me another cup.

“Thanks,” I said. I took a small sip of the steaming brew, grateful Blane must have stopped at a coffee shop on the way rather than getting the hospital’s version. I didn’t think too hard about how he’d obviously known I’d be at the hospital.

I disappeared into the bathroom, trying to make myself look like I hadn’t spent the night scrunched next to Kade in a hospital bed. I didn’t think I was successful. Without makeup, I looked paler than usual and the circles under my eyes added ten years to my age. My stomach was complaining, too, though I didn’t really feel like eating.

When I came back out, Blane was still there and Kade still wasn’t.

“I, ah, guess I’ll head home,” I said, feeling incredibly awkward. Blane and I hadn’t really talked since he’d kissed me in my kitchen, and I was unsure how to behave around him. I couldn’t read if he was angry with me, had changed his mind about us being friends, or was just taking all this weirdness in stride.

Blane nodded. “I’ll let him know.”

I turned and left without another word.

The days seem to speed by, each one mostly like the one before, until they blended together in my exhausted brain. I spent what time I could at the hospital, going by after I got off work. And I had to work almost every night, covering my shifts as well as Scott’s. I’d crawl into bed with Kade and we’d talk for a while. I’d tell him about my day while he played with my hair. In the morning, I’d leave, trying to be gone before Blane got there without being obvious about it. I didn’t want to run into him again, couldn’t handle his seeming indifference and the awkwardness between us.

My schedule played havoc with my sleep patterns, and it seemed that no matter what I did, I was always tired. When I came home from the hospital in the mornings, I showered, ran errands, and did chores. Most days I had to be at work by four, so it was like each one passed in the blink of an eye. Eating was an afterthought. Guilt tarnished the happiness I felt about Kade and me growing closer, and the only respite I found was in the dark of night when I was in his arms. When I could pretend nothing outside of that room existed.

Kade was asleep this morning as I slid from the bed. I slipped quietly out the door and into the hallway, turned, and nearly ran right into someone.

“I’m sor—” I looked up into Blane’s eyes and my words died mid-apology.

“Morning, Kat,” he said, seeming completely unsurprised to find me there. He handed me one of the two cups of coffee he held. “You look a little tired.”

Self-consciously, I tried to smooth my hair. My ponytail had loosened during the night and I knew from the bathroom mirror that my makeup was long gone. I’d just climbed out of bed and I looked it. Whereas Blane was again impeccably dressed in full suit and tie, the knotted silk perfect at his throat against the crisp white linen of his shirt. His jaw was smooth and freshly shaved, and his dark blond hair didn’t have a strand out of place. I could smell the scent of his cologne, which made me want to lean closer for a better whiff. A bad idea.

“Um, yeah,” I said nervously. “Hospitals aren’t exactly conducive to sleep.” I took a quick gulp of the coffee, immediately regretting it when the hot liquid scalded my tongue. Shit, that hurt.

“How’s he doing?”

“Good,” I said. “He seemed good.”

“They said he’s healing really well,” Blane said.

“I’m glad,” I replied. This was different, Blane talking to me again. He didn’t seem angry that I was spending so much time with Kade. I was glad. I missed Blane, but could do nothing but take my cue from him on our relationship status.

“Do you have to work tonight?” he asked, leaning his shoulder against the wall. Somehow he’d moved closer to me.

I thought for a minute, then shook my head. “I’m covering for Scott this week so I’m working through the weekend, but I’m off tonight.” I’d planned on sleeping.

“Why are you covering for Scott?”

“He’s out of town and he asked,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t mind.” And I needed the money.

“Of course you don’t,” Blane muttered with a sigh, glancing away.

I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

His gaze returned to me. “It means you’ve been through a lot. You look like you can barely stand because you’re so exhausted, and you must’ve lost ten pounds that you couldn’t afford to lose the past couple of weeks. You need rest, not to be covering Scott’s shifts.”

I was sorry I’d asked.

“Go home and take a nap,” Blane said, taking a sip of his coffee. “I’ll be by later and take you to dinner.”

Dinner? That sounded alarmingly like a date.

“I can’t . . . we shouldn’t . . .” I stammered.

Blane stepped even closer, halting my words and forcing me to tip my head back to see his eyes. The warm scent of him wrapped around me like a blanket. “If you’re spending your nights with Kade, I should at least get dinner, don’t you think?” The low rasp of his voice made my pulse jump.

I didn’t know what to say. I swallowed hard and nodded.

Blane smiled. “Good. Then I’ll see you tonight.” He brushed a kiss to my forehead, then moved past me into Kade’s room. The door closed behind him, leaving me alone in the hallway.

Mindful of Blane’s comments about my appearance, I made a concerted effort to buy some groceries, eat lunch, and take a nap. It pricked my vanity, the things he’d said, so I took great care as I dressed for dinner.

“It’s not a date,” I muttered to myself as I flung hanger after hanger of clothes onto my bed, discarding each outfit in turn. And yet I was as nervous as I’d been that first night when Blane had given me a lift and walked me to my door.

Finally, I settled on a deep navy dress with cap sleeves and a V-neck. The skirt was why I’d bought the dress. It ended right above my knees, but from mid-thigh down, it was made of tulle with two thin strips of fabric that wrapped around the skirt. The result was that it was kind of see-through, because of the tulle, but not tacky, because of the fabric.

The color brought out my eyes and contrasted nicely with my long hair, which I curled and left loose. As I stood in my bedroom, surveying the results in the mirror, I caught sight of my jewelry box.

I opened it, eyeing for several long moments the sapphire pendant and earrings Blane had given me. They would go much better with the dress than the gold locket I was wearing.

Hesitantly, I removed the locket, setting it carefully aside before I added the sapphire jewelry. I felt odd, as though somehow I was betraying Kade.

The doorbell rang and I shook off the feeling, slipping on a pair of navy heels before going to answer the door.

It was déjà vu, opening the door to see Blane filling the space. His suit looked as fresh and polished as it had hours earlier. Light glinted briefly off one cuff link as he pushed his fingers through his hair and smiled wide enough to show the dimple in his cheek. The white of his teeth gleamed in the dusky light.

“You look . . .” He shook his head, as though any adjective he might use was inadequate. His voice trailed away as his gaze swept me from head to toe and back, lingering briefly on the pendant nestled in my cleavage. Appreciation and lust gleamed in his eyes, which, I decided, was compliment enough.

“These are for you,” he said, handing me a bouquet of red roses.

Surprised, I automatically took them. It had been a long time since Blane had brought me flowers. Their heady fragrance was divine and I buried my nose in the velvety depths.

“Thank you,” I said, stepping back to let him in. I went to the kitchen and reached for the cabinet above the stove for a vase.

“Here, I’ll get it,” Blane offered, and I had to suck in a breath.

He was standing right behind me, so close I could feel the brush of his body against mine as he stretched up to retrieve the vase. My hormones kicked into high gear and I bit my lip hard. Whatever problems Blane and I had, they’d never been in the bedroom, and my body was forcefully reminding me of that fact.

Blane took his time getting the vase down, his hips pressing lightly into my backside as he moved, then he gently set the vase on the counter and took a step back. I couldn’t tell if he was doing it on purpose, or if I was imagining things.

I arranged the roses and added water to the vase before grabbing my purse.

“Ready?” Blane asked.

“Ready,” I said too brightly.

He opened the door and I stepped through, not at all sure if I was ready for my non-date with Blane.