by L. P. Dover
I unlocked the front door and right away I saw Kellan’s hockey bag; he was there. “Kellan,” I called out. There was no answer. I walked down the hall to his room and heard the shower water running in his bathroom. The bathroom door was open so I crept up and peeked inside. When I saw Kellan behind the frosted glass door, I knew exactly what to do.
Once all my clothes were off, I slowly opened the shower door and snuck inside. Kellan had his back to me, rinsing out the shampoo in his hair. Biting my lip, I reached around and cupped his balls, only to have him jerk around in surprise.
“What the fuck?” Eyes wide, his gaze raked down my body. “I was wondering where you were.”
A wide grin spread across my face. “I was busy getting a job.”
“Did you get it?”
I nodded. “Yep. I start in two weeks.”
“Hell yeah,” he shouted, picking me up in his arms. “Tomorrow we’re celebrating. I’ll take you somewhere nice.” He slowly set me down, my body sliding against his growing cock. “I see you put your key to good use.”
I licked the water off my lips and nodded. “I think I need to do it more often.” Taking his soapy washcloth, I rubbed it over my breasts and down between my legs. I could see the heat in Kellan’s eyes and it spurred me on even more.
“Shit,” he groaned, unable to take his eyes away. “I could stand here and watch you touch yourself all day. It’s fucking hot.”
“What about when I touch you?” I murmured. I rubbed the washcloth over his arms and stomach before moving around to get his back.
He moaned again. “It feels so damn good.” Pressing my breasts against his back, I dropped the washcloth and cupped his balls, wrapping my other hand around his cock. I worked him hard, loving the way his cock pulsed in my hand.
Placing his hands on the shower wall, he leaned forward, his muscles tensing. “Baby, I’m going to come if you don’t stop.”
I worked him faster. “I don’t want to stop. I want you to come.”
“Ah fuck!” he groaned. His body jerked and he grunted as his release overtook him.
“How did that feel?” I asked, bending underneath his arm so I could face him. He had me caged in his arms, the water tantalizingly dripping down his chest to his still-hard cock.
Pushing me against the wall, he opened my mouth with his tongue and licked the water off. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on tight as he grabbed my thighs and lifted me above his waist, spreading me wide.
I gasped as he pushed me against the wall again, gazing down at me with heat-filled eyes. “You just messed up now, buttercup.”
He lowered me slowly, his arousal pressing into my opening. “Actually, I got what I wanted.”
Lowering his head to my breast, he sucked me hard and bit down. “Now it’s time to get what I want.” He pushed into me hard and I screamed, digging my nails into his back as I held on. His mouth was relentless, sucking my taut nipples intensely. My body tightened around his cock and I was so achingly close to the edge.
Wrapping my legs tighter around his waist, he grabbed my ass and rocked me harder, my back sliding up and down the slick wall. He trailed his lips up my neck, nipping the tender flesh behind my ear. “You feel so fucking good,” he growled.
“Yes,” I moaned.
As he rocked his hips more vigorously, I countered his motions, moving my body along with his. His muscles tensed and I could tell he was close. “I’m going to come so hard in you, baby.”
That was my undoing. Lowering my mouth to his neck, I bit down and screamed out my release as he pounded harder, coming inside of me. Breaking hard, he held me against the shower wall for a moment before lowering me to the floor.
I swayed when he set me down. “I needed that,” I murmured, smiling lazily up at him.
“So did I,” he admitted honestly. “I think shower sex might be one of my favorites.”
I laughed and kissed him. “I think it’s one of mine, too. Now let’s go get something to eat. You made me work up an appetite.”
He winked. “And then we can come home and do it all over again. We have lots to celebrate.”
Chapter 23
Kristen
For once in my life, everything was perfect. I was about to start working at the most prestigious designing company in the country, I had Cole’s parents back, and I had the most amazing man in my life. I never thought I’d be happy again, but I was wrong. Nothing was going to take that away.
I checked my makeup in the mirror and Kellan appeared in the reflection, biting his lip as he stared at me. “You look beautiful, buttercup.”
I’d bought the dress while he was at hockey practice and thought I’d surprise him. “Thanks,” I said, turning to face him. “You’re looking mighty sexy yourself. I didn’t know you could pull off a suit.” His suit was black, and underneath was a blue button-down shirt and tie. Even his face was cleanly shaven to go along with his nicely gelled hair.
Kellan brushed a hand down his jacket and winked. “I can look like an arrogant prick when I want to.”
Rolling my eyes, I smacked him teasingly on the arm. “You’re still one, what are you talking about?”
“You like it, though,” he teased back. “It’s what drew you to me in the first place.”
“Keep thinking that, jackass. I tried to get rid of you.”
He grabbed my hand and smiled. “Now look at us. I wore you down.” He glanced at his watch. “But now we gotta go before we miss our reservation.”
We hurried out to his truck and he opened the door for me. “Where are we going anyway?”
“You’ll see.” He shut the door and got behind the wheel. When we arrived at our destination, I couldn’t help but smile. “Is this good?”
I nodded. We were at Mason’s, a fancy steakhouse that Cole and I had always wanted to go to as kids. “Cole and I used to talk about this place all the time. He said that when we moved back here, we’d go.”
Kellan kissed my hand. “Well, now you’re here. We can have a drink in his honor.”
“He’d like that. But it has to be a gin and tonic. It was his favorite.”
We got out of the truck and headed toward the door. There were two hostesses inside, both probably around twenty-eight like myself, with blond hair and bright smiles. “Good evening. Do you have a reservation with us?”
Kellan nodded. “We do. It should be under Kellan Carter.”
The tall blonde glanced at the computer and then grabbed two menus. “If you’ll follow me, please.” Putting his hand at the small of my back, Kellan walked behind me. The restaurant was exquisite, everything I thought it would be and more. The hostess stopped at a secluded table in the corner. “Here you go. Your waiter will be with you in just a moment.”
“Thank you,” I said, gazing around the room in awe. We had a semblance of privacy, which was what I liked. Once we sat down, our waiter came to the table, but froze when he noticed Kellan, his awed expression almost comical. Sometimes I forgot that Kellan was a sports icon.
“I know I probably shouldn’t do this, but I want to start off by saying that I’m a huge fan of yours,” he said.
Kellan laughed and held out his hand. “Thanks. What’s your name?”
Eyes twinkling, he grabbed Kellan’s hand and shook. “Andrew, sir.”
“It’s a pleasure meeting you, Andrew.”
Andrew stared at him for another minute before shaking his head. “Okay, I’m fine now,” he said with a light chuckle. “What would you two like to drink?”
Kellan placed a hand over mine. “Two gin and tonics, please.”
Andrew nodded and hurried off, only to return shortly with our drinks. Kellan picked up his drink and lightly tapped the glass to mine. “To Cole,” he said.
My eyes burned but I held back the tears. “To my best friend,” I whispered. I took a sip and looked into the glass. To justice.
—
Dinner was amazing and I was stuffed. I had filet mignon wit
h asparagus and mashed potatoes. Then I topped it off with a piece of chocolate cake. “Did I do good picking this place?” Kellan asked.
Moaning, I put the last bite of cake into my mouth. “Very good,” I said. “Now I’m ready to go to your house and relax.”
A small smile spread across his face. “Relaxing isn’t exactly on my list of things to do.”
“You are an insatiable man, Kellan Carter.”
He shrugged. “It’s all your fault. You about ready to go?” A couple walked by and their coats were drenched in rain. Kellan looked at them and then back at me. “When we get to the front, you stay inside while I get the truck.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can walk in the rain, Kellan.”
“Not tonight you’re not. Now stop being stubborn and let me do this for you.”
We got up and started for the door. The rain was pouring down hard and you could hear it pounding on the roof of the restaurant. Before Kellan could go outside, I grabbed his arm. “I need to run to the restroom really fast. I’ll be out in a second.”
“All right, babe. I’ll wait by the door.”
I hurried to the bathroom and washed my hands. When I walked out, I pulled out my lotion and squeezed some into my hands, clearly not paying attention to where I was walking. The last thing I expected was to run into someone.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” I apologized. “I wasn’t—” But when I lifted my head to look at the person I hit, I thought my world had come to an end.
I recognized those dark blue eyes, the same eyes that used to make me tremble. They stared at me like I was a ghost. To him I was one, but then that look slowly turned from relief to anger. He wore the same cologne and looked exactly the same. It was too late to pretend I was someone else because I had no doubt he could see the fear on my face.
“Kristen?”
The sound of his voice was the trigger I needed. He tried to grab my arm, but I thundered past him toward the front door. The room closed in around me and all I could think about was Kellan. What if Mitchell saw me leave with him? Would he try to come after me? I needed to get out of there. Everyone stared at me as I ran past, but I didn’t stop. The door felt like it was a million miles away.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” one of the hostesses asked. I completely ignored her and pushed through the door, not even attempting to look behind me. Kellan waited by the truck and I ran toward him.
“Get in the truck!” I shouted. He started to come toward me, but I waved frantically. “No! Let’s go!” He raced around to his side while I jumped in, my whole body shaking uncontrollably. I felt like I was going to get sick.
“What the fuck?” Kellan thundered, slamming on the gas. The tires squealed as we sped away, but it wasn’t fast enough. I looked through the back window and there was Mitchell, his hardened gaze directly on us. I didn’t care if he found me; it was Kellan I was worried about. I wasn’t about to let Mitchell take anyone else away from me.
Chapter 24
Kristen
“What the hell is going on?” Kellan demanded.
I could feel the bile rising up my throat. Holding my stomach, I rolled down the window. I thought I was free, but now I was in deeper shit. I couldn’t tell him what was going on until we were farther away. If he tried to confront Mitchell, I’d lose him for sure.
“We have to go to Jason and Aylee’s.” I needed answers. Why wouldn’t they have told me if Mitchell was in town? Wasn’t the FBI still following him?
I knew I’d break down if I looked at Kellan. The thoughts of what Mitchell would do to us ran rampant through my mind. Kellan grabbed my arm and squeezed. “Look at me, Kristen!”
I shook my head. “Please, just drive.”
“Goddamn it!” he shouted. “What happened?”
In record time, we made it to Jason and Aylee’s house and I bolted out of the truck, only it wasn’t fast enough. Kellan grabbed me around the waist and jerked me around, his eyes blazing. “Stop running and fucking talk to me. What’s going on?”
The front porch light came on and Jason and Aylee burst out, rushing toward us. “Kristen, what’s wrong?” Aylee shouted.
Tears clouded my vision and I broke down. “He’s here,” I cried.
Kellan’s jaw tensed. “Who?”
Instead of answering, I turned my head to Jason and Aylee, anger boiling in my veins. Kellan let me go and stepped back. “Why didn’t you tell me he was here?”
“Wait a second,” Kellan roared. “Are we talking about your fucking ex?”
I swallowed hard. “Yes.”
He slammed his hands on the hood of his truck and I jumped.
Aylee glanced at him and then sighed. “We didn’t know, Kristen.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “How could you not know? I thought the FBI was keeping tabs on him.”
Jason and Aylee both glanced at each other, their expressions torn. Jason was the one who stepped forward. “We didn’t want to tell you this, but the FBI backed off on your part of his investigation. With your death, we figured you were safe.”
Aylee touched my shoulder. “You’ve been so happy. We didn’t want to ruin that.”
“Well, I can’t be happy now, can I? It’s over. I have to leave again.”
“What?” Kellan snapped. He grabbed my hand and turned me around. I looked into his eyes and my heart shattered. I loved him. “You’re not going anywhere. I love you, Kristen. I’m not about to lose you to that fucker.” My breath hitched and I froze. I didn’t realize how much I wanted to hear those words come out of his mouth. For just a few seconds, I let the world disappear and all that was left was him and me in that moment.
“I love you, too,” I whispered.
He brought his hands to my face, his stare dangerous and raw. “And that’s why you’re not going anywhere. You have me now. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.”
“We will, too,” Jason added. “He won’t mess with us when he finds out who we are.”
Kellan’s eyes softened, but I could still see the fire behind them. “So you see, you have nothing to worry about.”
“It’s not that simple, Kellan. He saw me, and by now he probably knows who you are. I can’t lose you like I lost Cole. Now that Mitchell knows I’m alive, he’ll come looking for me.” I realized the mistake as soon as I said his name.
Kellan stumbled back, clenching his fists at his sides. He looked like a bomb about to explode. “Mitchell who?”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Is it Blackwell?” Frozen in place, I stared at him, unable to contain the horror that must’ve shown on my face. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. How the hell did he guess his name? Kellan’s body shook in rage, his eyes wild. “I can’t fucking believe this. He’s so dead.”
He stormed to his truck and I chased after him. “Kellan, stop!” He opened his door, but I caught his arm before he could get in. “Please don’t go after him. He’ll know who you are soon enough.”
His phone beeped, and when he looked down at the screen, I barely recognized him. There was so much anger and hate he didn’t even look like himself anymore. “Too late. He already knows.”
He held up his phone and I felt like I’d been thrust in a nightmare.
Mitchell: Room 805. Now.
I stepped back, feeling sicker by the second. “How do you know Mitchell Blackwell?”
Kellan jumped into his truck and turned the key, his hardened gaze on his phone. “I’ve known him for a while now,” he hissed low. Then he turned his angry glare my way. “He’s married to my mother.”
Slamming his door, he sped down the driveway and I fell to my knees. “Oh my God,” I cried, my body trembling in shock. I couldn’t stop shaking, even when Aylee put her arm around my shoulders. All I could hear was her shouting at Jason to go after Kellan before it all became too much. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Chapter 25
Kellan
My whole body shook
with rage. I knew my mother was in town, but I had no clue her fucking husband was coming with her. I hated Mitchell before, but this was the turning point. I wanted him gone…dead. I knew he was an arrogant bastard, but I never thought he’d be a stalker or a murderer. I didn’t care who the fuck he was; I wasn’t going to let him anywhere near Kristen.
He and my mother always stayed at the same hotel when they visited, so I headed there. I got out of the truck and ripped off my jacket and tie. It was all going to end.
“Whatever you’re thinking, I wouldn’t do it,” Jason warned.
I slammed my truck door and faced him. I should’ve known Kristen would get him to follow me. “Fuck that,” I hissed. “You’re trying to say you wouldn’t go up there right now and beat the shit out of him.” Jason sighed, but I wasn’t backing down. I stepped toward him, my fists clenched. “He killed Kristen’s best friend, terrorized her to the point she had to fake her own death to escape him. I’m not letting him get away with it. You can either come with me or stay out of my way.”
He huffed and blocked me. “I’m going with you, but you need to let me go in first and do all the talking. We need to get something to pin on him and he may slip up and give us that.”
My fists were clenched so tight I could barely feel my fingers. “Fine, let’s go.” We stormed inside the hotel, straight to the elevators. A couple was about to get on with us, but once they saw my face, they pulled back. “Calm down, Carter,” Jason advised. “I know you want to kill the guy, but you can’t.”
“I hate him,” I growled. “I’ve always hated him. He used my mother for her money and built his empire. He thinks he can get anything he wants.”
“Aylee and I had no clue you had a connection with him. He’s your fucking stepfather.”
“And only a few years older than me,” I added. “My mother and I never got along, and when she got married, I was just disgusted with it all. Just the thought of him touching Kristen makes me so goddamn furious.”
The elevator doors opened and I marched down to Mitchell’s room, slamming my fist against the door. Jason stepped up beside me. “Remember, let me do the talking.”