by Tiffany Snow
“You taste like cotton candy and smell like spring after a storm,” Kade said so softly, his lips against my skin, that I nearly didn’t hear him. Something inside of me, something that I’d denied existed after his cruel words to me last night, soaked up his words like a parched desert. An agonizing ache bloomed in my chest and I wanted to cry with relief to see just a small part of that Kade from Chicago, the one who had lain exhausted with his head on my lap. The one who had trusted me.
“Do you always melt for a man who'll fuck you up against a wall?” Kade whispered in my ear.
My eyes flew open. His words were a cold bucket of ice water that sent a stab of pain inside me. What a fool I was.
My fingers were still in his hair and I angrily fisted a hunk of it, tugging until he lifted his head and looked at me. His eyes burned into mine.
“I just closed my eyes and pretended you were Blane,” I said, my voice like sugar-coated ice. I didn’t examine why I wanted to hurt him back, I just knew I did.
Kade’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing in anger. Inside, I quaked, feeling much too vulnerable pressed this close to him, his hands still on me, the echo of what he’d told me still whispering through my head.
“And who do you pretend it is when it's Blane?” he sneered. My face drained of color as I stood there, unable to reply to his insult.
Kade’s eyes bored into mine until I heard him curse under his breath, then say curtly, “Let’s go.” He abruptly stepped back and grabbed my hand, tugging me to his car. In moments, we were speeding down the road back to my apartment.
The silence in the car was stifling and I regretted immensely not talking to Blane about Kade while I’d had the chance. I could still feel the imprint of his lips on my skin, their ghostly afterimage mocking me.
“Where were you really today?” Kade broke the silence.
“What are you talking about?” I asked stiffly, playing dumb.
“Don’t give me that crap about errands again,” Kade said with derision. “I’m not an idiot, princess, and I want to know where you were.”
I pressed my lips tightly together and turned to look out the window, refusing to answer. My eyes stung, and to my shock, I realized I was close to tears. I couldn’t keep it up, this adversarial game with Kade, not when one minute his hands and mouth were on me and the next he was making me feel like a scheming idiot.
It wasn’t until we had pulled into my apartment’s lot and Kade was parking the car that I found the courage to say the words hammering inside my head.
“You can’t stay,” I blurted, still staring out the window. “Not with me.”
“You don't get a say in this, princess,” Kade dismissed dryly.
He got out of the car, slamming the door behind him.
That set me off. I jumped out of the car, rounding it quickly to confront him.
“I absolutely have a say,” I spat furiously, poking my finger in his chest for emphasis. “And I don’t want you here. Tell Blane whatever you have to, I don’t care, but you have to leave. I know that you couldn't give a shit what happens to me, and I know you don’t want to be here. So just go already!”
His brow furrowed and his lips pressed together in a grim line, his eyes searching mine.
I turned and stalked to my apartment, looking back only once to see Kade staring after me. My apartment was a welcome respite and I closed and locked the door before sinking onto the couch.
I knew I had to call Blane, tell him that I’d thrown Kade out, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. Instead, I took a shower.
The water masked my tears as I had a good cry. I felt I deserved it. I’d done the stiff upper lip thing for a few days now, had even resisted the temptation to drown my sorrows in booze tonight. The fact that I’d been in Blane’s arms and then Kade’s in the same night had nothing to do with my dejection, or at least that’s what I kept telling myself. Even if it had been a ploy with Kade, I still felt guilty.
Throwing on coat and boots over my pajamas, I took Bits outside. Thankfully, he was quick this time and we were back in my apartment without incident. I had noticed Kade’s car was no longer in the parking lot. I wondered where he had gone, if he’d gone to Blane’s.
I took a deep breath and picked up the phone, dialing Blane’s cell. It rang four times, then went to voice mail. That was a little strange. He usually kept his cell by his bed in case he got calls in the middle of the night. Being a lawyer, that sometimes happened. Brushing it aside, I took a deep breath and waited for the beep.
“Hey, it’s me,” I said with forced cheer. “Listen, I know you wanted Kade to stick around, but that’s just not going to work out, okay? Don’t worry though, I’m fine. I’m sure our little scene tonight threw off track whoever’s watching. Hope you’re okay. I’m going to bed. See you at the firm tomorrow.” I hung up. I’d spoken too fast, betraying my nervousness, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it now.
I fell into bed, tossing and turning before finally getting to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. I must have been tired, because I slept like the dead. When I woke up, I stretched and turned over. Blearily, I opened my eyes and looked at the clock.
“Holy crap!”
I sat straight up in bed and threw off the covers. I was already a half hour late for work. Diane was so going to kill me.
Jumping out of bed, I hightailed it into the bathroom and took a three-minute shower. Wrapping a towel around me, I hurried to the kitchen. Maybe if I started the coffee pot now, by the time I got dressed, it would be done brewing. I had to have my coffee.
I stopped short at the sight of Kade sitting at my kitchen table, sipping from a coffee mug and reading the paper.
He glanced up at me, his eyes taking a slow journey downward and back up, and I wished I wasn’t standing there dripping wet with only a towel wrapped around me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked through gritted teeth, gripping my towel to my chest like it was a lifeline. I was quite sure I’d thrown Kade out last night and locked my door very securely. I had hoped he'd be two states away by now, or at the very least across town.
A small smirk lifted the corner of his mouth.
“You didn’t think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?”
Chapter Eight
“Actually, I thought I had,” I retorted, ignoring my own self-consciousness at my lack of appropriate armor in front of Kade.
“Doesn’t work that way, princess,” Kade said, taking another sip of his coffee, “especially since you have my clothes.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, then tipped his head to acknowledge the suitcase still sitting by my couch. I noticed he’d changed into a dark gray pullover that looked warm. His hair was also slightly damp and he’d shaved. I wondered if he’d made himself at home in my shower while I was sleeping.
“I’m late for work,” I said stiffly, not moving from where I stood.
“Don’t worry about that,” Kade said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I called in sick for you.”
“You called in for me?” I said in disbelief. “You...you can’t do that!” Not to mention that if Diane caught wind of the fact that I wasn’t really sick, she’d fire me on the spot.
“Already done. Blane thought it was a good idea,” he added. “If that helps at all, though if prior experience has taught me anything, it’s that you have a mind of your own.”
Water still streamed from my hair and a heavy drop trailed down my neck and disappeared between my breasts. Kade’s eyes followed the path.
He suddenly cleared his throat, jerking the paper and returning his attention to it.
“Get dressed,” he said flatly. “Then we’ll talk.”
I didn’t argue, but skittered back to my bedroom where I pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a navy blue turtleneck. I blew my hair dry, then twisted it up into a knot and pinned it. I surveyed myself critically in the mirror. My hand reached for my mascara, then stopped. If I had a day off, I normally wouldn�
��t wear makeup. No need to wear it today just because Kade was here.
“Right,” I muttered.
Going back into the kitchen, I avoided looking at Kade as I poured myself a cup of coffee, dumping in my usual amount of half-and-half and sweetener. Turning, I sat down at the table, still not looking at Kade. Instead, I saw a piece of paper lying in front of him. Reading it upside-down, I realized it was the paper I’d had in my purse with the names of the witnesses I was investigating and their addresses.
“How did you get that?” I asked indignantly, reaching for the paper only to have Kade snatch it up ahead of me.
“Since you weren’t being very...cooperative,” he replied dryly, “I thought I’d see for myself where you’d been yesterday.”
He held up the paper so I could see my writing on it.
“Who are these people?” he asked.
I considered not answering again, but thought twice. Kade hadn’t stopped me from going to Chicago when I had been trying to foil TecSol. He was only here because of Blane – he really didn’t care what happened to me. It was doubtful he’d be overly concerned with what I had been doing.
“They’re people I thought might know something about who is behind these threats to Blane,” I said with a shrug.
“And how would you know that?”
“I read through the case,” I answered. “Ryan Sheffield is the JAG officer who testified the other day for the prosecution. Stacey Willows is the fiancée of the man who commanded the mission. Ron Freeman and Brian Bowers are SEALs on that same mission with Kyle.”
Kade silently raised an eyebrow.
“I figured whoever was doing this might be someone they knew,” I explained. “Someone who disagreed with what they’d done and had the know-how and skills to fire that sniper shot at me.”
“How unexpectedly intelligent of you,” Kade said, “color me shocked.”
My face flushed, but I didn't want to get into it with him, so I didn't bother replying to his wisecrack.
“You went to see these people yesterday?” Kade asked when I was silent.
“Two of them,” I answered. “Stacey Willows and Ryan Sheffield. I was planning on going to see Ron Freeman and Brian Bowers today.”
“Well, you can mark Bowers off that list.”
“Why?”
“Blane told me he's disappeared,” Kade said grimly. “No one can find him. That makes him look guilty, makes Kyle look guilty, and makes things a hell of a lot harder for Blane. But that just leaves us Freeman to visit.”
He pushed himself away from the table and stood, folding and pocketing the piece of paper. I remained sitting, stunned.
“Really?” I asked. Was he offering to help me?
“Really,” Kade said evenly, bending over me and bracing his hands on the arms of my chair. “See how easy that was? If you’d just told me this yesterday, you wouldn't have pissed me off, resulting in that rather unpleasant scene when you got back.”
He face was close to mine, his eyes startlingly blue and framed by dark lashes that a woman would kill for. My mind unwittingly flashed back to last night in the alley as I looked at him. His smirk faltered for a fleeting moment, then it was back.
“I’m hungry. Let’s eat first.”
He abruptly moved away and I released my breath in a rush. Kade opened my refrigerator and peered inside.
“Don’t you eat?” he asked, his head still inside the refrigerator.
“Of course I eat,” I replied, flustered. “I just haven’t been to the store lately, that’s all.” That, and food was the easiest expense to cut when funds were tight.
“Come on,” he said, shutting the fridge and shrugging into his leather coat. “I know a great breakfast place.”
I was putting my coat on when my phone rang. I picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Kathleen,” a woman’s voice said. She sounded vaguely familiar. “It’s Gracie.”
Gracie! I hadn’t spoken to her for weeks. She had been friends with Sheila, working in the same business as a high-priced call girl. Gracie and I had become friends of sorts and she’d helped me find the people responsible for killing Sheila by helping me gain entry to a private party hosted by the escort service.
“It’s good to hear from you,” I said as these things flashed through my head. “How are you doing?” I sank down onto the couch, noticing as Kade rolled his eyes at the delay. He began examining the ornaments on my Christmas tree.
“I’m good,” Gracie said, before adding, “I just wish I could’ve called you under better circumstances.”
“What do you mean?” I asked anxiously. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, don’t worry,” she said hurriedly. “It’s actually you that I’m worried about.”
“Why?” Surely Gracie didn’t know about what had been going on?
“I was given a message to deliver to you,” Gracie said hesitantly, “and I’m really sorry.”
“What is it?” I asked, a sense of foreboding creeping over me. “What’s the message?”
“It’s from Simone,” Gracie said, naming the madam of the escort service. “She says you owe her $5,000 in expenses for participating in that party.”
“Five thousand dollars?” I said in disbelief, suddenly glad I was sitting down. “For what?”
“Clothes, accessories, the hair and make-up, plus the fee for attending,” Gracie replied. “She said she wants to be paid in full by Saturday, or else she’s going to send someone to collect it.”
I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know what to say. There was no way I could come up with that kind of money, period, and certainly not with only two days’ notice.
“I know it sounds awful,” Gracie said anxiously when I didn’t respond.
“Why so much? Why now? It's been weeks.” Once I found my voice, the questions came flooding out.
“I don't know,” Gracie replied. “I wish I had a better answer for you, but she did offer an alternative.”
“What’s that?” I asked carefully, afraid that I knew what the answer was going to be.
“She said you could work it off,” Gracie said.
“What?!”
Kade winced at my high-pitched shriek.
“It's a good offer. She even said that it would be just one job and she’d call it even.”
“That's a 'good offer?'“ My voice was thin and strained. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kade had stopped examining the tree and was now watching me.
“Yeah,” Gracie replied, “it really is. You should take it. You really don’t want her to send someone after you for the money, trust me. It won’t end well.”
I swallowed hard. No, I was sure it wouldn’t end well if Simone sent her personal collection agents for me.
“Listen,” Gracie said, “just go to the Crowne Plaza hotel Saturday night at eight o’clock. At the desk, ask for Bernard and tell him you’re Lorelei. He’ll give you a room key.”
“Um, okay,” I said numbly, my mind reeling in shock at this turn of events. Perhaps some of my dismay must have come through the phone line because when Gracie spoke again, she was soothing.
“It’ll be all right, Kathleen,” she said kindly. “A few hours’ work and this’ll all be behind you.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said, knowing there was no way I was going to do it, but anxious to get off the phone. “Thanks for letting me know, Gracie. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay,” Gracie said unhappily. “Sorry, Kathleen.”
I hung up the phone, staring off into space as I contemplated my new predicament. Well, I supposed I might be dead by Saturday, so the appointment could be moot anyway.
“Who was that?” Kade asked.
I turned to look at him and saw he was holding one of the ornaments, a large, golden locket.
“Gracie,” I replied. At his questioning look, I explained the conversation. Kade listened, opening the locket and examining the picture inside as I talked.
; “I fail to see the problem,” he said curtly when I finished.
My anger rose quickly to the surface. “Of course you wouldn’t,” I snapped, “just another day in the life, right? You think I sleep around already so why not get paid for it?”
He turned to meet my angry gaze.
“I meant that I’m sure Blane will pay whatever the cost to make sure you don’t have to fuck somebody on Simone’s orders,” he said evenly.
I flushed in embarrassment at his crudeness, though I supposed there was no sense in sugar-coating it. I shook my head.
“I'm not asking Blane for that kind of money,” I said flatly.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Kade snorted. “It’s not like he doesn’t have it.”
I just shook my head again. It was pointless to try to explain to Kade why I couldn’t ask Blane for the money. It would be humiliating, demoralizing. There was no way I was going to do it. I’d just have to figure out a way to get the money on my own, or find some other way out of it. For a moment, I half expected Kade to ask me why I didn't just pay Simone using the money he'd left for me. I didn't want to tell him how I had sent nearly every dime to the bill collectors. No doubt he'd roll his eyes and tell me what an idiot I was.
“I thought you were hungry,” I said, changing the subject and shoving my newest problem to the back of my mind. Getting to my feet, I grabbed my purse. “Let’s go.” Kade didn’t follow and I realized he was still studying the ornament in his hand.
“Your parents?” he asked, looking inside the locket.
I stepped up to him and peered down at it. The picture had been taken before I’d been born, my parents posing together in front of a fireplace. They looked happy. It had always been my favorite ornament. Seeing it now was both nostalgic and poignant.
“Yes,” I answered, taking it from him and carefully replacing it on the tree.
“Where are they?” Kade asked. “Where are you from, anyway?”
I realized with some surprise that Kade actually knew very little about me. It’s not like we’d ever had the getting-to-know-you conversation. Our relationship, if you could call it that, had always been one of circumstances, not to mention hostile. “I’m from Rushville, Indiana,” I answered. “And they’re no longer with me.”