by Apryl Baker
Why did he have to be charming? Half-naked and charming was not a good mix. She couldn’t stand there looking like an idiot, so she sat at the head of the bed, as far away from him as she could get. Kade only smirked. How could he be smirking in that sexy way of his when the situation was so dire? After those awful photos? How? Was it some kind of trick they learned in the FBI? He worked for the behavioral analysis unit. She watched Criminal Minds, and she knew he tracked down serial killers. Maybe he had to learn to do it to stay sane after seeing what he must see every day.
“Hey. Earth to Angelique…come in, Angelique.”
She smiled despite herself. Maybe he was being charming to take her mind off that awful photo. If that was the case, it was working. “So what do I need to know, Kincaid?”
His expression became more serious, and he lay back, staring at the ceiling. “The call I got last night was Bailey telling me they found the body of Julie Helton, the girl our unsub took two nights ago.”
“That’s too soon,” she whispered. “He always keeps them longer than that.”
“He’s sped up his timeline, which means he’s escalating, making mistakes. The bodies are usually clean, but they found motor oil under one of her fingernails. He usually takes his time and scrubs them down, but he missed a spot this time.”
“Those photos…I think she was in a garage.” She made herself not flinch as the image swam up into focus. Yes, she was sure of it. The background had been some kind of garage, a professional garage.
“I know. I already told Jeremy. They’re looking into places that might be abandoned in Boston. Sending you those photos was his third mistake. We’ll find him, Angel. There’s no need to put yourself in danger. He’s not getting away this time. I promise.”
“What if he takes someone else, though?” She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. “Then that is my fault.”
“No, it’s not.” He rolled over to face her, propping his head up on his hand. “None of this is your fault. Please believe that.”
She shook her head. He didn’t understand. Kade was in a position to actually do something, while she had to sit and wait. It made her feel helpless.
“Tell me about what you did after you left Miami.” She needed to distract herself, and talking about anything except the serial killer fit the bill.
Kade regarded her curiously. She’d just done another one-eighty on him. “What do you want to know?”
“Anything and everything, as long as it’s the truth.”
Her head was on her knees, and she was curled up so tight, she might snap. Talking about his past might not be the best thing, but it might distract her from blaming herself for things she had no control over.
“The next police academy class didn’t start for two weeks, so they sent me home, to my uncle’s house in Virginia. Dimitri was there, and he kept me company. Kept me out of trouble too. I think I stayed drunk the entire time I was home. I spent six weeks at the police academy in Georgia, and then I was assigned to one of the precincts in Atlanta.”
“Why Georgia?”
“Why not Georgia?” He rolled onto his back, pulling his knees up. “They asked me where I wanted to go, and that popped out of my mouth. I don’t know why. I graduated in Atlanta and spent two years on the force there before I applied to the Bureau. Given my success record undercover and the work I’d done in Atlanta, it didn’t take them long to accept me. I passed my tests, took the classes needed to work in the behavioral analysis unit, and I’ve been there since.”
“That’s the most watered down version of events I’ve ever heard.”
“That’s the gist of it. What else do you want to know?”
“I don’t know. Did you have any serious girlfriends?”
He tensed. No, not a question he wanted to answer. “Did you?”
“Have a serious girlfriend? Nah.”
“Don’t be a smart ass.” He gently kicked at her legs. “Did you have any serious relationships?”
She raised her head so that her chin sat on her knees. “I’m a woman Kade, a healthy woman who enjoys sex.”
“So are we talking like one or two? Or are we talking more than ten?” He hoped she said more than ten simply because it would make him look less of the manwhore Lily accused Nik of being. In truth, Kade was far worse than Nikoli. His little brother let women talk, claim they’d bedded him, when in truth they hadn’t. Kade couldn’t say the same.
“Two serious relationships that didn’t work out.” Her eyes narrowed. “Why do you look so crestfallen? What did you do? Go out and sleep with anything that moves?”
“I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” he hedged. How was he going to say this without pissing her off more than she already was?
“Then what would you say, exactly?” Her eyes narrowed, the green in them almost glowing.
“I started to drink, a lot. It got so bad, my supervisor noticed it. He told me to get clean or get gone. I took some time off. I met a woman. She was everything you weren’t.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
He hurried to explain when Angel’s expression turned hostile. “You were a ray of sunshine, bright and bubbly, full of joy and love. She was cold, shallow, a showpiece. There was no real substance to her.”
“Oh.” Angel looked down at her hands, but Kade caught the small smile she tried to hide.
“Her name was Jessica Frasier. I told myself I loved her. Almost convinced myself too. Until my baby brother decided to hang out for the summer.”
“You’re talking about Nikoli?” Her voice was so soft he turned his head to look at her.
“Yeah, how’d you know that?”
“Lily said something the other day about something that almost tore the two of you apart, but Nik didn’t elaborate.”
“She found out he was loaded and seduced him. Left me for him. I was hurt, angry, but not at her. I couldn’t care less about her. That’s what shocked me, I guess. I convinced myself I loved Jessica, but when she set up house with my brother, I felt nothing but disgust.”
“You were upset with your brother.”
He nodded. “Yeah. She was a gold-digging bitch. She was with me for the prestige of being on the arm of an FBI agent, but when she found out my little brother owned his own gaming company and was worth millions, she turned her predatory sights on him. He was young, stupid, and horny.”
“But it still hurt that he’d do that to you.” Angel’s voice had gone soft, the compassion evident. After what he’d done to destroy her family, he always felt he deserved what happened to him. Fate’s way of slapping him up the side of the head for being a jackass.
“We figured it out and got past it, but it taught him that most women only wanted his money. He never told anyone at school who he was. He refused to date a woman. He only fucked them once and moved on. Until Lily.”
Angel laughed, and he glanced at her. “What?”
“That boy ended up in my bar so many times during those first few months with her. Railing at the injustice of not being able to screw anyone else. It was one of her stipulations, and she had the gall to ask for his car in their bet.”
“Bet?”
“He didn’t tell you?” A grin spread across her face. “They had a bet going. If he got into her pants, he got Lily, if she stayed out of his bed, she got his car. He was so appalled.”
“The Cuda?” Nikoli loved that car. He wouldn’t even let Kade drive it.
“Yeah. Apparently, Lily knows cars. Her dad was some kind of famous NASCAR driver or something. He said she lusted after that car more than she did him. It drove him nuts that she could resist his charms.”
“I’ll bet.”
“We’re off topic, Kincaid. You still haven’t explained that look to me.”
Damn it. Here he thought he’d sufficiently distracted her. “You really want to know this?”
“I really want to know this. I have to know the whole truth. No more lies, Kade. Not if you want me to
forgive you. I need to know it all.”
“So you’re considering giving us another chance?” Hope bloomed to life, that tiny little kernel that had refused to be doused all these years.
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you did.” He couldn’t stop the shit eating grin that took over his face. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was thinking about giving him a second chance. That was all he needed to press his suit. Dimitri was right about one thing. He’d made her love him once, and he could do it again.
“Why are you always trying to tell me what I’m thinking?” She looked exasperated.
“Because I can.”
“Answer the original question, Kincaid. What don’t you want me to know?”
He sighed. He might as well tell her. “Like I said, I drank a lot, especially after the situation with Nikoli. And I fucked a lot. I drowned in booze and women. The one thing I learned was that no one was you. No matter what I did, they never measured up to you. I gave up trying to find a relationship. I just fucked ’em and moved on.”
“So you’re as much of a manwhore as Nikoli?”
He sat straight up and looked at Angel. “I am not a whore.”
“Well, if you’re fucking anything with a skirt, then you are kinda are.”
He glared at her. She was laughing at him. It was better than her being pissed, he guessed.
“You’re a prudish whore.”
“What?” he growled. Prudish whore? What the hell was she talking about?
She pointed to Nik’s closet, unable to contain her laughter. “Oh my God, if you could have seen your face when you saw his container of butt plugs!”
“Why would anyone want a big piece of metal shoved up their ass?” He still couldn’t come to terms with some of his baby brother’s needs. Why the fuck did he need to tie up a woman to get off? It made no sense.
“Well, it serves two purposes.” Angel released her legs and leaned against the headboard. “They prepare your ass to be fucked by your man, and they can enhance sexual pleasure for both partners. It mimics double penetration.”
“How the fuck do you know this?” His eyes narrowed.
“I read, asshole.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Besides, there is something inherently sexy in being tied up and fucked.”
“So you’re telling me you’d let me tie you up, shove a plug up your ass, and fuck you senseless?”
“Only if you let me tie you up first.”
“Nobody is shoving anything up my ass!”
Angel laughed. If only she could record this conversation. His entire face was the color of a firetruck. It reminded her of the guy she fell in love with, and for a minute, she let her guard down, she let herself laugh and bask in the glow of Kade.
“You never know, Kade, you might enjoy it.”
“Bite your tongue, woman. Seriously, though. Have you ever tried that? Been tied up?”
“No. I never had the courage to do it. I didn’t really think about it until I started reading erotica. Then you start to wonder what it would be like, but I never trusted anyone enough to let them tie me up.”
“And all that other stuff?” He gestured toward the closet.
“I don’t know. Some of it, definitely not. But that’s not to say I wouldn’t try other things.”
“You’re a closet freak, that’s what you are.”
She giggled. “At least I’m not a prudish whore.”
Kade scooted closer, watching to see if she paid any attention to how close he was. Fortunately, she was too distracted with laughing at him instead of paying attention to the wolf about to pounce Little Red Riding Hood.
“Just because I think good old fashioned sex trumps all that mechanical and plastic shit doesn’t make me a prude. Personally, I think if a man needs all that to get his woman hot and bothered, he’s not doing something right.”
“But all that mechanical and plastic shit enhances the experience,” Angel countered, her eyes twinkling.
Kade saw the girl he’d fallen for and knew he had a chance. She wouldn’t be sitting here teasing him if she hated him as much as she claimed. Maybe their conversation last night had broken down some walls she wasn’t aware were gone. Or maybe his charm was getting to her. Either way, he’d take it.
He inched closer until his knees bumped hers and she went still. He saw her eyes shoot to where they were touching then widen in alarm. But he also saw the barest spark of desire kindling to life in those green depths.
“What the hell are you doing, Kincaid?”
He watched her breathing quicken ever so slightly, her tongue dart out to wet her lips. She leaned as far back as the headboard would allow, but it only served to thrust her breasts higher, and her nipples hardened. She wasn’t wearing a bra, only a thin t-shirt.
“Kade…don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” He heard the change of tone in his voice and let that lazy smile she used to love turn up his lips.
“What happened to staying far away from bone jumping distance?”
He leaned closer, until there were just a few inches between them. Her eyes were wild, and he saw the shock, the fear, the desire all swirling around. She was afraid of getting too close, shocked that he’d snuck up on her, but she wanted him.
Angel didn’t know if she wanted to run or if she wanted to close the distance between them. Confusion wracked her. What should she do?
His hand snaked out and he pressed it against her chest, right where her heart rested.
“You want me, Angel. You know you do.”
She shook her head, unable to speak. His hand felt like a white hot iron against her.
“Your breathing is heavy, your heartbeat is wild, and your eyes are all sleepy, moye serdtse. You can lie to yourself all you want, but your body doesn’t lie. You want me to kiss you. You want my hands on your body. You want my mouth on those nipples of yours already standing up and begging for the hot, moist heat of my lips. You want my fingers stroking you.”
Angel dragged in a ragged breath, the images his words inspired assaulting her. His voice had gone all gravelly and his eyes burned with a heat she craved. What should she do?
He pushed closer, his lips nibbling along her jawline. The scrape of his stubble scratched at her as heat started to pool in her belly. His other hand slid up her arm and then back down, the movement gentle and feather light. Her breathing became more labored. The hand on her chest shifted so that it cupped her breast, his fingers tugging at the already hardened nipple. A ripple of desire shook her.
Angel knew this was a bad idea, knew she should push him away, but the moan that slipped out of her laughed at common sense. This man had always been able to make her ignore her better judgement.
Kade feathered kisses down her neck, pulling her t-shirt aside so his mouth could trail kisses along the exposed skin. The whimper that sounded in his ear had his other hand sliding under her shirt and caressing the heated skin of her belly.
“Kade.”
He ignored the husky sound of her voice. She wanted him. That was all he needed to know. Despite his own body’s protest, he pulled back and placed his hand on her heart again. The rapid beating was the sweetest music he’d ever heard. She looked up, confused, the growing lust making her eyes sleepy, and he reminded himself he needed to take this slow.
“Kade?” Angel frowned at the devilment dancing in his eyes. What was he up to?
Kade pulled his hand away from her heart and jumped off the bed. He stood there grinning like an idiot.
What the hell?
“Let’s go shopping.”
“What?” she asked, her voice strangled.
“Christmas shopping.”
“But…”
He leaned down and kissed the end of her nose. “You can jump me whenever you want, Angel, but I’m not touching you until you decide to touch me. Now, get your ass up, get dressed, and let’s go shopping!”
She watched as he strolled out of the room,
leaving her in a mess of want and need.
Bastard.
He’d put the ball squarely in her court. Now what the hell was she going to do?
Chapter Nineteen
Kade loved shopping. How had she forgotten that? This was the fifth store he’d dragged her to. Retail therapy. Here he was, taking his sweet time, examining every little thing, when she was going out of her mind, watching every face in the crowd, seeing the serial killer hiding in corners, just waiting to snatch her. How was Kade so calm?
“I think we have enough.” She gripped the handle of the shopping cart so tightly her knuckles were white. “We need to be back before they deliver the tree.”
Kade turned and frowned. The lukewarm smile she offered made him frown harder. “What’s wrong? You love Christmas shopping.”
“Are you sure we should be out here, in the open?”
“Angel, you’re surrounded by a team of ex-military as well as an FBI agent. You’re safe. Look, there’s Watkins, just a few feet away. His job is to be wherever you are. He’s not going to let anyone get close to you. If I thought there was any danger, I wouldn’t have brought you out.”
Angel spotted the security guard lounging by the tree display. He looked like he wasn’t paying attention to anything. She had to trust that Kade was right and she was safe surrounded by her own personal security team. Target during the holidays was one of her favorite stores, and she was letting her own paranoia ruin it for her.
She turned her attention back to the Christmas ornaments and picked up a box of purple bulbs. The sound of disgust from Kade made her turn a baleful eye on him. “What?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“No, you just made that noise you do when you want to say something and are biting your tongue instead.”
“Well, why don’t we mix in some white and blue, maybe red or green? You know some traditional Christmas colors.”
“I like purple.”
“I know.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m just suggesting an alternate color scheme.”