Deceit (The Vindicated Series Book 1)

by Addison Jane

  I grab the strap of my handbag as I climb out of the car, stretching my aching body. Reaching my arms up into the air, the gentle pull on my muscles feels so good as I let out a quiet moan.

  A throat clears, and I look up, seeing Kace’s eyes watching me over the roof of the car. I shiver as his gaze bores into me and unconsciously lick my lips.

  “Let’s go,” he snaps, stomping around the car with his bag strung over his shoulder and snatching my hand as he pulls us toward the motel office.

  Kace books us a room, paying with cash and signing the forms all while the old lady behind the counter eyes him like he could be her next meal. I frown, pulling my body closer to his possessively and smiling as he places his arm around my waist and guides me out the door.

  “Jealousy is a good look on you,” he says, obviously amused.

  “She was old enough to be my grandmother,” I grumble. Kace just laughs. “That’s gross.”

  He slides the key in our second-floor room and pushes the door open. It smells slightly stale, but I’m surprised to see that it’s reasonably clean and tidy. There’s a double bed in the center, and butterflies splutter in my stomach as I realize we’ll have to share if there’s any chance of us getting the rest we need.

  Kace doesn’t seem to notice, dropping his heavy body onto the bed and running his fingers through his hair.

  I close the door and lock it behind me, toeing off my shoes and padding toward the bed. Standing in front of him, I take his hand from his hair and replace it with my own. I grip his hair in my fingers and tilt his head up to me. His eyes are now looking tired, his body wearing down.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I tell him softly. My fingers trace down his face, running along the scratchy stubble of his jaw. He doesn’t say anything, one of his hands simply reaches up and grasps the back of my neck drawing my face to his. The brush of his lips against mine is subtle but instantly makes me crave more.

  My eyes flutter closed as I press more firmly, my hand cupping his face. Just as I move to seek entrance to his mouth, he pulls back. Disappointment sinks into me, but when I open my eyes, I see everything I need to know in his face. He wants me. Just as badly as I want him.

  “Why don’t you go take a shower?” he whispers. “I need to gather my thoughts.”

  I swallow tightly but nod. He pulls me down again, pressing his lips to my forehead before releasing me and allowing me to step back.

  “You should probably get some rest,” I tell him.

  He smiles. “Yeah, I probably should.”

  Grabbing my handbag, I turn and walk to the small bathroom and turn on the shower, knowing that he won’t. He’ll sit there, alert and awake, ready to protect me from anything. And God, if it doesn’t feel good.

  A headache from the stress is coming on, so I dig through my bag to find some painkillers to ease the tension, it’s then I notice my cell phone is tucked away in my bag. I tense up knowing I need to tell Kace, but I look over, seeing the steam from the shower rising and calling to me. I figure a few more minutes won’t hurt, so I adjust the shower so it’s not hot enough to scold my skin but hot enough to cleanse my body. Stepping under the heat, the pressure of the water massages at my body. I try to make it quick, but it feels so fucking good that I just can’t convince myself to climb out until the water begins to run cold.

  Drying off, I wrap the towel around my body, stepping out into the room. “Umm… I don’t know if you want to have a shower, but you might want to wait. I kinda used all the hot water.”

  Kace is laying on his back with his arm across his eyes. He lifts it slightly, and I pull the towel a little tighter around me, shifting nervously.

  “I’ll um… get dressed.” I turn, but his harsh voice freezes me on the spot.

  “Lily,” he demands. I grip the towel in my hand and turn back to face him. “Come here.”

  “I should—”

  “Come. Here.”

  My feet move to the bed of their own accord, walking around to the edge where he lays. He pushes himself up, swinging his legs over the side and spreading them apart. Leaning forward, his hands grip the back of my thighs and pull me between his knees. My mouth falls open slightly as he looks up at me beneath hooded lids before his eyes work their way down my body, over the fluffy white towel and down my legs.

  “Jesus,” he mutters, the deep tone of his voice sending tingles straight between my legs.

  Without thinking, I rub them together eliciting a low growl from him. One of his hands moves around the front of my body, his fingers slipping inside the crease of the towel and following it up until he reaches the spot where only my hand holds the two edges together.

  I try to keep my breathing even, but with Kace so close and with his hands on me, the fight is one I can’t possibly win.

  “Let it go,” he tells me, his fingers moving over mine, slowly prying the towel from my hand. My heart races and my cheeks flush as he pulls it away from my body, and within a second, drops it. I stay frozen still as it falls into a puddle at my feet and I’m now completely bared to him.

  “Kace,” I whisper, my voice shaking with nervousness as his eyes take their time, wandering my body as though he’s committing it to memory. When he doesn’t speak, I move my hand, feeling as though I should cover myself, but he grabs my wrist and pulls it away.

  “You’re beautiful,” he tells me, his eyes finally meeting mine. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and he snaps. “Fuck.”

  I don’t even have a second to react before he grips my thighs, just under my ass and lifts me. My legs go either side of him, my knees resting on the bed and my pussy now spread and resting snugly against the crotch of his jeans.

  I gasp, my hands going to his shoulders to steady myself. One of his hands begins to knead my ass cheek, pushing my body down on the hardness I can feel growing under me.

  “Oh God,” I groan as his other hand grasps my breast holding it in place as his tongue swipes at my nipple.

  I dig my fingers into his shoulder as my head falls back, pushing my breasts further into his face. He latches on, sucking it into his mouth and flicking at it with his tongue. I push my hips down, moving my body against him as he explores me with his mouth and hands. The roughness of his jeans connects with my clit, and I moan out his name, “Kace…”

  “Just need to touch you. Remind myself that you’re here with me. That you’re real,” he whispers as he kisses up the center of my chest to my throat.

  I slide my fingers up the back of his neck, he’s tense and on edge and all I want to do is ease his fears. Everything inside me screams out to this man, the need to feel him and have him possess me, but also this strange desire to soothe the darkness and shadow that seems to be over him.

  I lean forward, using my hands to tilt his face up to mine resting my forehead against his. His muscles are tight, and his jaw clenched.

  “I’m here,” I tell him. “Right here. Not going anywhere.”

  With that, he slams his lips against mine. I reach for the hem of his shirt, breaking the kiss momentarily as I drag it over his head. His lips are quickly back on mine, his tongue invading my mouth.

  I squeal when I’m suddenly flipped onto my back on the bed, my body bouncing. He leans over me, his hands braced on either side, his muscles tense and bulging. I take the moment to appreciate the specimen in front of me. His body is contoured to perfection, from his amazingly toned chest and pecs to his sculptured abs and the delicious V shape that disappears below his pants.

  Just as I’m about to reach out, my fingers aching to touch something that seems too god-like to be real, he drops his face burying it in the crook of my neck, his lips once again tasting my skin.

  I tilt my head to the side and spread my legs wider to accommodate his hips. I know I must be soaking the front of his pants, I’m so excited and so wet I can feel it.

  He pulls away, and I miss his body over mine instantly. I begin to sit up but he lifts his head, a smirk tugging at the co
rner of his mouth.

  “It’s okay, baby. Just going to have a taste.”

  I shudder, knowing exactly what he means. Goose bumps cover my skin as his lips brush over my stomach, stopping for just a moment at my hips, peppering my skin with soft kisses.

  “Kace…” I whimper, lifting my hips. He hasn’t even touched me yet, and I feel as though I may explode.

  The second his tongue sweeps through my damp pussy, my body arches off the bed. He nips at the inside of my thigh.

  “Fuck,” he growls. “Better than I expected.”

  I grip the blanket beneath me, fisting it as he goes back for more, this time flicking his tongue when he reaches my clit and forcing a long moan from my mouth.

  “Tried to stay away from you for so long, Lily,” he says, blowing softly and sending a whole new sensation through me. My body is on fire and Kace is in total control of the flames. I thought I’d felt passion before, figured I knew what it was. But with the electricity buzzing and crackling between us, I know now that it was nothing. His touch, his voice, the way he holds himself, the power, there is no escaping the feelings I have building for him.

  He may be dangerous.

  But that’s what makes it so fucking good.

  “Don’t stay away anymore,” I tell him breathlessly.

  He chuckles, pulling my clit into his mouth and sucking, raising my pleasure higher and higher, releasing it just before I reach the peak. “No way in hell, baby.”

  I feel a thick finger slip inside me and I press down, wanting more, needing more. His other hand reaches up, his fingers tweaking my nipple as his tongue lashes my clit relentlessly. The burn begins to fill me, my body tingling in anticipation as I climb higher and higher. His finger begins to pump inside me. My eyes fall closed and my back arches, pressing my pussy against his mouth as my body begins to shudder with its impending release.

  “Kace!” I scream as it hits me, my body dropping back to the bed.

  I fight to find my breath as my pussy continues to clench tightly around his finger like the aftershocks of an earthquake. His lips move to my thigh, leaving soft, gentle kisses as though he’s trying to calm my body from the shock I just experienced. My heart is thumping so hard I can hear it in my ears while the blood pumps furiously through me.

  “Could get used to you screaming my name,” he murmurs as he makes his way up my body, his mouth never leaving my skin. He nuzzles his face into my neck, the front of his pants pressing against my sensitive clit sending a jolt through me. He chuckles as I wrap my legs and arms around him and hold him in place.

  “You gonna take them off?” I ask, my fingers floating down his back and tugging at his jeans.

  He pulls back, a serious look on his face. “Lily, once I get inside you, I’m gonna take my time. Been waiting all my fucking life for you.”

  His words are so intense, they hit hard. All I can do is nod.

  “Need to get the both of us some food, some energy,” he says, brushing away a stray hair from my face. “Then you can have everything you want and more.”

  He drops a soft kiss on my lips and pushes off the bed, and I instinctually move to cover my body.

  “Don’t,” he snaps, frowning down at me.

  I freeze.

  His eyes sweep over me one last time before he groans and grips his cock through his pants. “Gonna take that cold shower now.”

  Kace and I finally head out for food. There’s a small store just down the road so we walk there and grab a bag full of snacks and bottles of water. Just as we are about to cross the street back to the motel, Kace grabs my hand in his, jolting me back. I turn and look at him with my eyebrow raised, but he’s frozen, his hand gripping tightly to our bag of food and his eyes steeled on the motel building across the street.

  “We need to get to the car,” his voice calm and smooth.

  I turn back, squinting my eyes in an attempt to figure out why he’s so tense all of a sudden.

  Then, I see them.

  They’re dressed in casual clothing, but the way they move is with stealth and precision.

  Kace starts to move up the street, pulling me in beside him and wrapping his arm around my waist. I try to focus on the path in front of me, but my eyes continue to flick back to the building where one figure casually leans against the wall outside our room while the other hoists himself up onto the roof, moving swiftly like a cat.

  Our car is parked next to the main office of the building, the back end is in sight of the room, but the front is covered by a small overlay of the building.

  Kace prompts me to cross the road, his feet moving a little faster as we head back down the street, using the building as cover. He unlocks the car, pulling the handle softly so that it barely clicks when he pulls it open.

  “The rest of them are here… somewhere,” he whispers, handing me the bag. “Put on your seatbelt.”

  I slowly climb in, my hands shaking. I cringe as the plastic bag rustles when I place it at my feet.

  Kace takes a deep breath, as though preparing himself before he propels his body forward, racing around the car and diving inside the driver’s side. I slam my door closed as he starts the engine, throwing it into reverse, the tires spinning.

  I hear a voice yell, but I’m too busy fighting with my belt, attempting to click it into the buckle to look up. My body jumps off the seat as we bounce over the curb and onto the road, Kace hitting the gas with his foot almost to the floor. The engine screams.

  The sound of glass shattering has me grabbing my head and tucking it between my legs. I’m thrown side to side as we weave through early morning traffic, people on their way to work with no idea what’s going on.

  I risk a look behind me. The back window is shattered, and the screech of car tires follows us down the road.

  “They’re coming!” I yell.

  “How did they fucking find us so fast?” he snaps. “I took every damn precaution.”

  Guilt hits me hard and fast. “My cell phone,” I tell him, my eyes wide. “It’s in the motel room.”

  He bares his teeth. “What?”

  “I’m sorry! I didn’t know, it was in my bag, and I was going to tell you but we got distracted,” I tell him, knowing that no explanation was going to save me from this.

  He slams his palm into the steering wheel before he pulls it violently to the right, slamming my body against the door as we skid around a corner. “They traced it. How could you be so damn stupid?”

  A series of loud pings hit the metal of the car and more glass shatters in on the back seat.

  “They’re shooting at us!” I gasp.

  I look up. We’re on a long main street, there are cars everywhere, and a series of traffic lights. For a second I think maybe I’m delusional as all the lights down the street flick to red in the blink of an eye. Cars struggle to pull to a stop, and Kace swerves, barely missing a minivan in front of us.

  “Fucking Noah,” he screams, pulling hard on the wheel and accelerating through a small gap and down a side street. Cars honk and people yell and scream behind us.

  “The only advantage we have is that they’re not trying to kill us. They’re trying to catch us,” he says, seeming to calm slightly.

  “This is them not trying to kill us?” I cry.

  “Get ready to run,” Kace tells me and I turn to him in shock.

  “Run?” I ask in disbelief. “How are we meant to outrun them? They’re like fucking ninjas.”

  Kace bumps over a curb, and suddenly things go dark. I rub at my eyes, realizing we’re inside a parking building that’s connected to a large shopping mall. He speeds up the ramps, obviously not exactly looking for somewhere to park.

  “They won’t shoot at us inside an open mall where there’s too many people,” he races to explain. “If you lose me, go to the women’s bathroom on the second floor. I’ll find you.” His words are more than just a plan, they’re a vow. He reaches over and unclicks my seatbelt, and I brace my hands on the dashboard as
he slams on the breaks just outside two double doors that lead inside the mall. “Go!”

  I don’t waste a second, throwing myself out of the car and stumble as I pump my legs toward the doorway.

  Kace is right behind me.

  The bright lights of the mall stun me for a second, and I pause to try and catch my bearings. Kace gives me a shove to the left and I throw myself forward, he moves up beside me as we duck and dodge through the slow stream of people.

  “Kace!” I hear someone yell from behind, but neither of us stops.

  We reach an intersection with halls that lead off in different directions, and just as I turn to question Kace, Axel pops out from behind one of the walls.

  Kace doesn’t hesitate, throwing his fist into Axel’s jaw and throwing him off balance. “Run, Lily!” he yells as Axel gains his composure and throws a punch of his own which Kace blocks with his forearm.

  My sneakers grip the slippery floor as I turn in the opposite direction and force my legs to move. I bump into several people, not bothering to apologize. I’m running for my life here. There’s no time for pleasantries.

  As much as I want to, I don’t look behind me to check on Kace. I know he can handle himself. My mind is racing, and my breathing is becoming unbearably heavy. I can’t run forever, and these men are clearly well trained and a lot fitter than me. Trying to outrun them is ridiculous.

  I spot an escalator up ahead.

  The second-floor bathroom.

  If I can get there without someone seeing me, I can hide inside until Kace comes to find me.

  Taking the moving steps two at a time, my heart feels as though it’s going to explode out of my chest.

  Someone grabs my arm when I reach the top, and I jump backward. An old lady holds her hands up in surprise. “Honey, are you okay? Do you need help?”

  My eyes flick around me, there’s no commotion, no one running up the staircase after me.

  I shake my head. “No, I’m fine,” I tell her. “Do you know where the bathroom is?”