by Tl Reeve
“I saw one,” Keeley said. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah?” Danielle had been so caught up checking in with the caterer, she hadn’t had a chance to see anything else.
Keeley pushed through the partitioned door, entering the staging area. The centerpieces sat on cookie sheets in a stackable cart. She gasped. It’d been more than she expected. Tears blurred her vision. They weren’t simple pots held together with a white ribbon, like she thought they’d be. Instead, they sat upon a bed of moss surrounded by five-spot desert flowers and cactus blossoms. Small red rocks from Sedona gave the pieces structure, reminding them of their roots. They were magnificent. More than she could have ever imagined.
“Wow.”
“Right?” Keeley beamed. “I thought about leaving the plates off the table until we’re ready to serve the food. It’ll give people more room, so they don’t feel pinched in.”
Danielle agreed. “I like it. Everything is almost finished in the kids’ room. I thought we could introduce them to Crow. So they can see where their money is going. Maybe even Kingston and Mace.”
“I don’t want it to feel like we’re parading the kids.”
“We won’t.” She didn’t want that either. Yet, she still believed putting a face to their organization would be for the best. How else did they think they would keep the funds rolling in? “We should also make a community board. Fill it with pictures and drawings. We both want these kids to succeed. We want them to find homes and loving families. I think we can do maximum exposure with subtle treatments.”
“We can work it out tomorrow,” Keeley stated. “It’s exciting to think of all the things we could do. Let’s get through tonight first.”
“Deal.” They walked out of the prep space and entered the main area once more. “I should change.” Danielle frowned. She’d been so wrapped up in making sure everything would be perfect, she hadn’t started getting ready. Thankfully, the hotel comped her a suite for the evening.
Keeley flicked her hands in a shooing motion. “Go. I’ve got this. We’re on in less than two hours now.”
Nervous butterflies tickled her insides. The reality of the situation hit her then. Yes, she’d been in prep-mode all day, but the idea she and Keeley would be in front of everyone, asking for their help to fund their project and help the orphaned children find forever, loving homes... She placed her hand over her stomach to still the tide of anxious energy flowing through her.
She closed the door to her room behind her and pressed her back to it, trying to catch her breath. A soft knock moments later startled her. She turned and peeped through the portal in the door. Caden stood on the other side, waiting for her. Holy crap. He looked like edible art, or as Keeley would put it, sex on a stick. Her mouth watered, and the burgeoning anxiety became something more primal. Danielle twisted the handle, allowing Caden entry into the room.
“I came to check on you,” he said, brushing past her. “I thought you would have been dressed by now?”
Did he even realize how delicious he appeared at that moment? The tailored suit he seemed to have poured himself into hugged every inch of him, showcasing his firm ass and broad, sculpted chest. If ever Danielle had a jealous moment, it’d been then. She wanted to hug his body like the material did. “Am I now?” She continued to devour him with her gaze, eating up every bit of him. Note to self, find more reasons for Caden to dress up.
“If you keep eyeing me like you are, we’re never leaving this room.” Caden growled, adjusting himself. “Tell me what you’re thinking about.”
“You should be able to tell me.” She arched a brow as she strolled past him to the closet where her dress hung in a black garment bag.
He came up behind her, stilling her progression. “What fun would that be?” Caden nuzzled her neck. “Were you thinking about fucking me? Getting me naked and out of this suit? Does it turn you on?”
“Yes,” she whimpered.
“Yes, what?” he murmured against the shell of her ear.
“All of it.” She rubbed against him. “We don’t have time.” She hated ruining an otherwise perfectly good reason for a quickie with her mate, but she had to get ready or else Keeley would be on her own.
“No, you’re right, we don’t.” He nipped her mark. “Afterwards, you’re all mine.” His voice lowered, taking on an aggressive, lusty tone. “I can’t wait for you to undress me then ride me.”
She shivered as he took a step away from her, then another. The heat of his body dissipated, and she hated it. In the last few months she’d become accustomed to it, seeking it out without even realizing what she needed until he was there for her, wrapping her in his embrace. “You’re on.”
He laughed. “I’ll see you out there. I have it on good authority, the women running this shindig have gone all out with it.”
“I heard the same, only both of them are pains in the ass.” She grinned, reaching into the closet to grab her gown.
She didn’t think she’d like it in the beginning. The cocktail frock came to her knees and was made of French silk. The Grecian-style dress had an open back and wrapped around her neck. The powder-blue made her eyes stand out and gave her curves she’d still worked to regain every day. She placed the dress on the bed, then made her way into the bathroom. She’d grab a quick shower before dressing. Since she’d cut all of her hair off, getting ready had been a cinch for her.
Twenty-minutes later, she exited her room and came face to face with Caden. He held his hand out to her. She stared at him in confusion for a second before placing her hand in his. “I thought you were going back to the ballroom?”
“I was, then I imagined you all wet and naked and well...I couldn’t leave. I’ve been standing here fantasizing about you.” He placed her palm against the crotch of his pants. “See.”
She bit her lip to stifle the moan threatening to bust through. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Your fault, mate,” he stated. “You put ideas in my head.”
“Mmhmm, sure I did.” Her words dripped with sarcasm.
“Don’t believe me?” He tucked her into a darkened alcove. “Should I prove it?” His hand slid over her hip to her thigh.
“Caden...” Her voice had been a bit too breathy for her tastes. “We’ll get caught.”
He trailed his fingers along her flesh, following the hem of her dress, before dipping underneath it. “Only if you scream.” His breath brushed across the shell of her ear.
She groaned. The tips of his fingers teased her sex. “Oh God.” She allowed her head to fall back on her shoulders.
Caden placed a kiss to her neck. “I plan on winning you tonight, pumpkin. Then fucking you all night.”
His words left her lightheaded. Her heart pounded, and her pussy ached for him to finish what he started. She ran her fingers through his hair, and the sound he made at the back of his throat, a combination of a moan and a growl, sent a rush of desire through her. “Then you better have come prepared with enough money to beat Rapier. I have it on good authority he’s coming to throw down.”
Caden snarled. “Oh, I dare him to bet on you, pumpkin. It won’t end well for him.” His incisor gleamed in the low light of the space.
“Fuck, you’re a sexy beast,” she murmured.
“I’m your sexy fucking beast, and I’ll prove it tonight,” he replied. “Now, let’s go before your sister tans my ass for keeping you from your duties.”
* * * *
Caden left Danielle with Keeley before making his way back to the ballroom where the auction was to take place. Having already gotten his table assignment when he registered earlier, he bypassed the long line at the check-in table and made his way to table one.
All the Raferty brothers, even Jace, were in attendance. Royce was seated, playing on his phone. Mackenzie stood behind his son, trying to have a conversation with a pacing Kalkin, and Jace sat on the other side of the table, away from his brothers with a dark scowl on his face. Caden knew his younger broth
er hadn’t wanted to come. Jace had made that abundantly clear. In the end, Blake had been the voice of reason and had promised not to leave Loraine’s side the entire night.
“What’s your problem?” Caden cocked a brow.
Things still weren’t back to normal with them. Often times he just didn’t know how to act around his brother, and he knew a confrontation was brewing between them.
“I don’t particularly like the idea of my mate being auctioned off like a piece of meat.” Kal growled.
Caden chuckled. He couldn’t help it. His brother was freaking out about his mate going to someone else. “It’ll be fine.”
“I should have put my fucking foot down when the girls came up with this cockamamie idea.”
Caden snorted, knowing full well Kalkin wouldn’t have been able to talk the sisters out of anything once they had their minds set on it.
Pussy whipped. Both of them.
“Fuck you,” Kal spat.
“I didn’t say anything.”
Kal tapped his temple. “I heard you, asshole. I’m not pussy whipped.”
Shit.
He needed to keep the connection with his brother locked down tight. Otherwise, Kalkin would take his aggression out on him. Being bruised and battered would hamper tonight’s activities with his mate, and he wasn’t willing to risk it.
“You think anyone is going to be stupid enough to bid against you?” Caden kept the laughter from his tone.
“We have outsiders here. They don’t know who or what I am,” Kalkin reminded him.
“Just don’t lose,” Mackenzie replied with a hint of mirth.
Caden laughed. Mackenzie didn’t give a shit about poking the burly wolf in front of him.
Kal stopped pacing, his icy blue gaze finding Caden’s. “We need to talk.”
Before he could respond, Rapier approached them with his brothers and whistled. “Shit, you Raferty boys clean up purdy.” He clapped Caden on the back of the shoulder. “Whodafuckinthunkit.”
Kalkin didn’t hold back. “Watch your fucking mouth. This is a charity event.” No one bothered to point out Kalkin had in fact just cursed himself. It’d do no good and only piss him off further. The rest of the Dryer clan were dressed in dark slacks, dress shirts of varying colors, and ties.
“Ignore him. Kalkin’s not digging the fact his mate is going to be sold to the highest bidder in less than twenty minutes,” Caden said.
“Go get a shot or ten of Tequila, boy,” Mackenzie said.
“I’m not—”
“Done with your bad mood and it wasn’t a suggestion.” Mackenzie glared at Kalkin who stared the oldest Raferty down for a half a minute, before turning and storming away.
Rapier rubbed his eyes. “If I hadn’t just seen that shit, I’d never fucking believe it.”
“Don’t get hopeful. Only Mac and now, maybe, Keeley could get away with pulling this shit with him. Anyone else tries, and he’d beat the ever-loving shit out of them,” Caden cautioned.
“Oh, I know. Doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to watch,” Rapier replied.
Caden couldn’t agree more. After excusing himself, he made his way over to the bar and his twin. Kalkin’s foot rested on a metal bar running the length of the bar. He had a shot glass in his hand and a bottle of clear liquid in front of him.
“Take it from me, drinking away your sorrows doesn’t help anyone,” Caden teased.
Kalkin saluted him with the glass. “Believe it or not, this is my first.”
The bartender strolled over asking if he wanted a drink. Caden shook his head, turning his attention back to his brother. “Fucking Keeley before this shindig would’ve helped keep your aggressive wolf at bay.”
Kal downed the shot, then picked up the bottle and poured himself another. “Tried. She wouldn’t let me. Something about fucking up her hair and makeup.”
Caden snickered. “Two peas in a pod.”
“You tried too, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Aren’t we a fucking pair,” Kal remarked.
He cleared his throat. “I told Danielle.”
“Figured.” Kalkin placed the glass down on the bar before turning to face him. “Did you tell her everything?”
His gaze moved around the room. Most of the tables were filling up with guests. Servers hustled about, delivering drinks and hors-d’oeuvres to the guests. Their mates had done an excellent job of pulling this off in the middle of a shit storm.
“She knows about the baby,” he said. “Asked her if she wanted me to find out where you placed her.”
“Are you ready to find her though?” Kalkin voiced the million-dollar question.
“No,” he answered with honesty. “Maybe after Dani and I are in a stronger place and I’ve fixed the relationships I’ve managed to wreck.”
Kalkin nodded.
“Promise me, she went to a good home.” He needed reassurance from his twin that at least someone in his family had done right by his daughter.
“The best,” Kal vowed. “I’ve kept an eye on her and the family over the years, Caden. She’s become a strong, independent woman. You’d be proud of her. When you’re ready, I’ll give you everything you need to find her. If you have questions, ask, I’ll answer them.”
A howl of pain clogged his throat, preventing him from speaking. When he finally got his wayward emotions controlled, he choked out, “Now isn’t the time.”
“When is the time, Caden? I know you…every fucking day you let pass, whatever you’re thinking is festering inside of you. Eating more at your soul.” Frustration laced his brother’s words.
“You stopped trusting me,” Caden accused. “All those years ago.”
Surprise flickered in Kalkin’s eyes. “What the fuck are you talking about? I trust you.”
He snorted. “No, you don’t. I’m your Beta, and I know you keep important shit from me.”
“Fuck me. Is this about Everett?”
“Everett and other things I know you’ve been hiding,” he muttered.
Kalkin frowned. “Jesus Christ, Caden, you know me better than anyone. Would I ever, in a million years, place someone I don’t trust as my Beta? You’ve got some big balls to stand there, telling me I don’t trust you. It’s a two-way street, and your lack of faith in me to know when as your Alpha, fuck that, your brother, to tell you information when you need it.”
“Everett was undercover for a long time,” Caden reminded him, not backing down.
“Seriously? Not for nothing. You don’t always need to know everything when it happens. And I didn’t tell you about Everett, for the simple fact I needed Raymond to believe it. It was well known how close you and Everett were. Your disgust at your best friend’s defection made it believable. And I’ll remind you.” Kal got into his face, flashing his elongated canines. “I’d already lost one brother to him. I’d do fucking anything and everything to make sure it never happened again. You were teetering on the edge, brother. I was losing you, and I’ll be damned if I was going lose another Raferty, especially my twin, to that bitch or the Quincy pack.”
“Boys,” Mackenzie said. “You two are drawing attention and not the good kind, I might add.”
Caden tensed. He hated the involuntary reaction he had whenever Mackenzie approached him. But, again, tonight wasn’t the night to hash out their past, but soon they would. “Right.”
Kalkin smirked and flipped his thumb in his direction. “Talk to my twin.” Kalkin poured another shot then drinking it down. “Evidently, he thinks I don’t have any confidence in him.”
“Perhaps we should settle this old school.” Old school for them was beating the shit out of each other in the backyard till one of them passed out.
“Maybe.” Kalkin flipped his empty glass upside down before placing it on the bar. “And maybe now is the time to start mending some of those broken fences you were referring to, brother.” Kalkin laid two twenty-dollar bills on the counter and strutted away, leaving Caden with Mackenzie, a man h
e’d done everything in his power to avoid for the last year.
Uncomfortable silence ensued. Caden’s gaze darted to his older brother’s only to find familiar blue eyes watching him.
“Unlike our esteemed Alpha, who gives no fucks about drawing attention to himself. Now isn’t the time or place for our conversation. It’s going to happen, boy, and soon.”
Caden sighed, tapping his knuckles on the wooden bar before he answered his brother. “Yeah, I believe you might be right, old man.”
He left Mackenzie standing by himself and weaved his way through the crowd, slowly making his way to their table. When he arrived, he noticed the only open chair had been next to Kalkin.
Son of a bitch. Karma was a fucking asshole sometimes.
After he pulled out his chair, Kalkin leaned over, catching his attention. “It’s becoming abundantly clear we’ve got some unresolved issues we need to hash out.”
What an understatement. “Yeah, we do. However, now’s not the time.”
“It’s not. I was wrong to push.” Kalkin’s words surprised him. “Tonight’s about supporting our mates and trying to have fun. We’ll talk about it in the morning.”
He simply bobbed his head instead of answering. If Kalkin planned on saying anything else, it was halted when the MC stepped on the stage. A hush fell over the crowd as she went over the rules for the auction before she introduced Danielle and Keeley.
Danielle thanked the woman then cleared her throat. “Every dime we raise will directly benefit the children, either with medication, schooling, housing, or therapy. My sister and I” —Danielle held her hand out to Keeley— “are dedicated to making this our life’s work. With your donation, whatever it may be, we can help those who have been forgotten, abandoned by their families and society. They deserve and have a chance to be able to better themselves. And with your help, we can make it possible.”