by Ravenna Tate
“Oh, Kane.”
“The house was hit, but there was only some roof damage to the top floor. The other kids were still in the basement when their parents and my parents finally got home. I heard the other kids come upstairs, and I could hear everyone calling my name, but I’d … Julianne, I’m so embarrassed to tell you this.” His voice shook, and he hated that. He hated showing weakness in front of her.
She took his hands, which he almost wished she hadn’t done because he was certain his palms were damp and cold right now. “You can tell me anything. Nothing you say will make me stop loving you. Nothing.”
Kane had never loved this woman more than he did at that moment. “I had wet my pants. I hadn’t done that since I was first taken out of diapers. I was so ashamed!”
“Kane, I would have done the same thing if I’d been in a closet when my house got hit by a tornado, even now, as an adult.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
“I mean it.”
She gave his hands a squeeze, and he drew strength from their warmth. “When they finally found me, my father recoiled as he realized I was sitting there in my own piss. He yelled at me for hiding, and when I tried to explain what had happened, the other kids lied. Just flat out lied and said they’d tried to find me to take me into the basement, but that I’d hidden from them.”
“Didn’t your parents believe you?”
He snorted. “Are you kidding? This man was a god to my father. He was not about to call his kids liars.”
“That’s horrible.”
“That’s my father in a nutshell. I’ve never really gotten over it. I can still hear the sounds outside, and I can still feel the warmth spreading in my groin and traveling down my legs. I can see the faces of those rotten children, laughing at me. I can hear their fucking lies, and I can see my father’s face, so full of disgust and shame.”
Julianne held him for long moments, whispering all the right words. “It wasn’t your fault. Those children were assholes, and your parents should have believed you. You’re not a frightened little boy any longer. You’re a charming, successful man with a killer smile and the sexiest eyes I’ve ever seen. I love you. I will never stop loving you, Kane, and I will do anything I can to help you make sense of that horrible night. I promise you that.”
He closed his eyes and held her closer, absorbing everything about her, from her warm skin to her scent, and all that hair. He’d fight everyone on the planet to have this woman in his life. No one was going to take her away from him.
Not even his father. Especially not his father.
Chapter Nineteen
Julianne woke while it was still dark and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. They’d only gone to bed a few hours earlier. Kane was sleeping beside her, and her entire being ached for him. It had been a few days since they’d made love because they both were exhausted. Between all the pre-wedding festivities, and Kane having to deal with the fallout from what Isabelle had done, by the time they returned to their apartment in the evenings, they could barely stay awake.
Last night, as Kane had told her the story of his trauma at age seven, her heart had nearly burst for him. She’d asked him why he’d gone into the family business after all the things his father had done to him, and he’d looked at her like she’d just asked him to explain why the real sky is blue.
“You said the definitive word. It’s my family business. Who would run it if I don’t? Business is business. You don’t toss that out the window after hundreds of years because the people who ran it before you are assholes.”
As she watched him sleep, her heart filled with pride. He was not only the sexiest, most intelligent man she’d never met, he was also the bravest. That he could separate his family’s empire from them as people was a testament to that. He was so good at what he did. Clearly he’d been born to do it, and if he had given it up, the financial world would have lost his expertise.
She’d asked him how many other people knew the story he’d told her, and he said no one but the people who had been there, and her. He’d never even told the other Weathermen. That made her feel so special, even if the circumstances were less than ideal. He trusted her with his most painful memory.
Julianne used the bathroom, and when she returned to the bed they shared, she turned on a soft light and kissed him until he stirred. He grinned and held her face with both hands. “I thought I was dreaming.”
“So did I. The day I first walked into your office.” She covered his body with hers and rubbed against his dick with her pussy until she was nice and wet. He moaned softly, stroking her back as she ground herself into him, and then he grabbed her ass.
“Julianne, you’re the only woman I’ve ever really loved.”
Her heart nearly burst from joy as she kissed him again. When she released his mouth, she sat back on her heels and sheathed his cock with her pussy. Resting her hands on his chest for leverage, she fucked him with all her strength. Kane reached between her legs and rubbed her clit in exactly the right way, and when she came she cried out loudly. There wasn’t anything she’d deny this man for the rest of her life.
He flipped them over with one deft move, and then he sat back on his heels and grasped her breasts, thrusting into her with more speed and strength than she’d have thought possible. “I never get enough of you. Never.”
She came again without warning, and then he did, too. The room was filled with their cries of pleasure, and then only the sounds of their soft breathing as they drifted off to sleep again, wrapped in each other’s arms.
****
The next morning, the day before the wedding, Julianne finished all her stories, including the interviews with Harper, Liane, and Angela. She emailed everything to Patti, and told her that she and Kane were taking the train back to NorthEast the day after the wedding. Patti promised to try to have them all proofed by the end of the next week.
Kane hadn’t stopped smiling since he’d woken this morning. Julianne wanted to believe that had as much to do with their quickie midnight sex as it did with him telling her that story. Perhaps the mere act of finally getting it all out had freed him from some of the pain?
They made breakfast together and sat at the counter to eat it, talking about all the things they still had to do in preparation for tomorrow. “Are all weddings this much work?” asked Kane.
Julianne laughed. “They don’t have to be. It depends on how lavish the couple wants it.”
He gave her a thoughtful look. “How lavish would you want yours to be?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Is that a trick question?”
His laugh wasn’t very convincing. “No, of course not. Just curious.”
“I honestly haven’t given it much thought. I wasn’t one of those teenage girls who sat around planning her dream wedding.”
A worry frown creased his forehead, but it was gone so quickly she thought it might have been a trick of the light. “Don’t you want to get married one day?”
“I would if the right man asked me.”
They stared at each other for long moments as everything else faded into the background. The spell was broken only when Kane’s phone buzzed with an incoming text message. He picked up the device and read the text, frowning.
“Bad news?” Had something else happened at work?
“No. That would be preferable to this.”
“What is it?”
He sighed and gave her a sympathetic look. “I don’t want to tell you, but you’ll find out soon enough so you should hear it from me first.”
“Kane, just tell me.”
“My father is on his way to NorthCentral. He’ll be here this evening. He’s decided to come to the wedding after all.”
Fuck. “I didn’t realize he and Ace were close.”
Kane gave her a droll look. “They’re not. He’s coming here because of what happened with Isabelle. He wants to confront me in person.”
“Can’t it wait until you’re home? You�
�re here for a wedding.”
Kane slammed his phone down so hard that Julianne was afraid it had broken. “This isn’t fair to Ace and Harper. It’s their day, not my father’s.”
“Then don’t let him ruin it for them.”
“You don’t know him very well. He won’t give a shit that it’s their wedding day.” Kane picked up the phone again. “I’m sorry. I need to deal with this. Please finish eating.”
She watched him walk toward the office he’d been using while they stayed here, wishing there was something she could do to help, but knowing there wasn’t. This was his issue to deal with, and she had to back off and let him take care of it.
As Julianne washed the dishes after she’d finished eating, the text message and all it implied brought back the reality of her situation. Kane might as well still be that frightened little boy with the wet pants, in his father’s eyes. He was still controlling his son’s life, and that might not change until one of them was dead.
Did she really want to be part of such a fucked-up dynamic for the rest of her life? Could she handle something like that? Did she even want to try?
****
Julianne and Kane were too busy all day to think about Daniel Bannerman. When the day was finally done and they sat down in Ace’s and Harper’s apartment to eat dinner with the pair, plus Liane, Emmett, Dominic, and Angela, Kane’s phone buzzed several times. The set of his jaw told Julianne the texts were from his father, and finally he excused himself and left the room.
Emmett shook his head. “That man needs to step down and let Kane run the company.”
Julianne wasn’t sure how much Kane had told his friends about his father’s behavior, so she kept silent.
“It wouldn’t matter,” said Ace. “Daniel doesn’t approve of anything Kane does.” Ace shot her a quick look. “Have you met him? Daniel, I mean.”
“I haven’t had the pleasure.” She picked up her wine glass and took a sip. “I do know him by reputation, however.” She also wasn’t sure how much his friends knew about that incident five years ago, and this wasn’t the time to bring it up.
“He tried to get you fired, didn’t he?” asked Harper, quietly. “Five years ago.”
At least that answered her question. They knew. “Yes, he tried.”
“No one at this table cares about that anymore,” said Dominic. He cut his gaze toward the hallway. “Kane told us everything, and we won’t judge you or him for what happened.”
She swallowed hard. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. I wish all of you could convince his father I’m not out to ruin Kane or the family business now.”
“We know you’re not,” said Emmett. “Kane knows it, too. His relationship with his father is … complicated.”
“I know.” She glanced toward Ace. “Are you really going to let him crash your wedding?”
Ace shrugged. “Let him come. If he sneaks inside, I’ll have Dominic’s security team toss him out of the building.”
She cut her gaze toward Dominic. “They’d do that?”
“Damn right they would. He’s not my father. If Ace and Harper want him gone, he’ll be gone.”
She glanced around at the six “You all would do pretty much anything for each other, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes,” they all said at once, including Liane, Angela, and Harper.
“I’m so glad I met you.”
“We’re glad we met you,” said Angela. “Dominic said none of them have seen Kane this happy in all the years they’ve known him.”
She raised her brows.
“It’s true,” said Liane. “Emmett told me the same thing. This is the real deal. He loves you.”
“He might not have said that to her yet,” said Emmett, his voice holding a note of warning.
“He has said it, and I’ve said it back to him.” She hoped that Kane didn’t mind.
“Well then.” Ace raised his glass. “A toast! To Julianne and Kane. May they overcome every adversity, and be as happy as each of the couples at this table.”
“That’s a nice toast,” said Kane, joining them once again. He took his seat and raised a glass. “How did we end up making it?”
Ace summarized the conversation Kane had missed. Kane glanced at her, placed his glass back on the table, and then kissed her, tongue and all. Julianne barely heard the catcalls and whistles as she moaned into Kane’s open mouth. When he released the kiss, she knew her face was beet red but didn’t care. She couldn’t stop staring into his beautiful eyes.
He cupped her face gently. “I do love you. With my entire heart and soul. No one—no one—is going to change that. Do you understand me? Nothing will come between us. I will never allow it.”
Had his father tried already? No doubt he had. “Thank you,” she whispered, afraid to ask what the phone call had been about.
Kane picked up his glass again. “Now about that toast…”
Chapter Twenty
Julianne had never cried at weddings, but her eyes misted up several times during this one. To say it was beautiful didn’t do it justice. Ace wore a tux with a crisp white shirt and white bowtie, which made his dark hair and dark eyes even more stunning.
Harper looked like something out of a fashion magazine in a sleek, white strapless dress that showed off her curvy body and floated behind her like a cloud. She wore her hair up in a complicated series of twists that had taken Julianne, Angela, and Liane nearly an hour to hold in place with pins. The end result of all that work was worth it.
They’d written their own vows, and they were perfect in both their simplicity and their emotion. After the official pictures were taken, everyone moved into the hall for the reception. There was a band, a dance floor, and more food than all the people there could eat in a month.
Even though Kane was in the bridal party, he made sure Julianne wasn’t left alone any longer than necessary, and even pulled an extra chair over to the bridal party table so she didn’t have to sit with strangers. He looked so damn gorgeous in his tux that she couldn’t stop staring.
She’d noticed him glancing around all morning and afternoon and assumed he was looking for his father. The reception had been going on for about two hours when the toasts were finally done, and everyone had eaten. The cake had been cut, and the band began warming up. Kane leaned over and whispered he’d be right back.
Julianne frowned as she watched him and Ace sprint away toward an unused part of the building. She leaned over and asked Liane, who was the closest to her of the women she knew, where they were going. Liane’s green eyes filled with mischief. “No clue.”
Julianne narrowed her eyes, but one look at Liane’s resolute expression and she knew it was no use badgering her. “All right. Tell me one thing, though. Will I be embarrassed as hell?”
“I hope not.”
She watched the couples who were eyeing the dance floor, standing at its edges. It was traditional for the bride and groom to have the first dance, so why had Ace chosen this moment to leave with Kane? Something was going on.
When the three finally returned, Kane’s eyes were shining a bit too brightly, and he gave her an almost desperate look as he took his seat next to her. Ace stood next to Harper and held out his hand. They rose amidst loud cheering and applause, and the band leader introduced them again as they took the floor. Ace guided Harper around the floor as easily as if he’d been born to dance, and Julianne’s happiness was genuine. She was so grateful she’d been a part of this.
When they finished, instead of the band leader inviting other couples to join Ace and Harper on the dance floor, Ace stepped up to the microphone and gave Kane a huge smile. What was going on?
“Thanks again to everyone for being here today,” said Ace. “Harper and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. To share this day, and our public declaration of love, with friends and family means the world to us.”
He paused as his gaze swept over Kane and Julianne again. “We have two very special friends with us here today,
who traveled from NorthEast. Kane Bannerman is a name most of you know as the current CEO of Bannerman Investments, a company whose tradition dates back hundreds of years. It’s one of the oldest businesses still in existence today that survived the move underground intact. He’s joined by the lovely Julianne Wallis, who is a feature reporter for Underground Technology Update. You know that name well, too, no doubt. The online magazine boasts a readership in the millions, and is the most respected trade journal of its kind.”
She glanced toward Kane who looked like he was ready to jump out of his skin. What the hell was going on?
“Kane has asked for some time before we invite everyone to join us on the dance floor, because he has a public declaration of his own to make. Kane?”
Kane rose and walked toward the band, while Julianne broke out in a cold sweat and wondered how quickly she could make it out of the building without anyone coming after her. She watched him give Ace a firm handshake and then step in front of the microphone. None of this felt real. She felt as if she was viewing it from above the crowd, out of her own body.
“Thank you, Ace, and congratulations again to you and Harper. I know you’ll have a long and happy life together.” Kane glanced toward Julianne, and her mouth went bone dry. “Julianne, you are the most endearing, engaging, elusive woman I have ever known, and I am head over heels crazy in love with you.”
The crowd made noises consistent with his words, a few clapped softly, and suddenly all eyes were on her. She tried to keep breathing. He had planned this along with the others. She knew it was true because as she glanced at each of the Weathermen in turn. There wasn’t a surprised or confused expression in sight. The women knew, too. She could see it in their eyes.
“I know you hate surprises,” he continued, “and you’re not crazy about large crowds either.” A few people in the crowd laughed softly, and she debated whether it would look foolish to crawl under the table. “But there was no other way to ask this in front of everyone, and that’s what I want to do. Ask this in front of everyone. You’re my entire world, and I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without you.”