He damn sure wouldn’t admit it to anyone but he fucking missed Kye. He missed everything about the man. Not merely the sex, although that was likely what he missed most.
“What about Dani?” Kye asked.
The words surprised him, forcing Hunter to open his eyes. He noticed Kye had stepped into the room, but the door was still open. He obviously didn’t intend to stay.
“Do you think about her, too?”
“Yeah,” Hunter groaned. “I fucking do. Why?” He hated admitting that, but it was the truth. Like it or not.
Kye shrugged. “It took me a while, but I finally put two and two together. You shared her with Josh.”
“Yeah. So?” He squeezed his cock, the topic not doing a damn thing to stave off his orgasm.
“Do you think about me and Dani?” Kye inquired. “Together?”
Hunter met Kye’s eyes, but he didn’t respond. He held his gaze, continuing to jack off, wishing like hell he could come and get this over with. At the same time, he wanted to prolong the exquisite torture. This was as close as he’d been to Kye in months and having him right there, so close…
“Tell me what you think about,” Kye commanded, his tone firm.
“Sliding into her wet pussy,” Hunter bit out roughly. “While you’re fucking her mouth.” He sounded as though he was strangling, trying to hold on to the last vestiges of his control. “Coming inside her, hearing her tell me she lov—”
He snapped his mouth shut, realizing what he almost revealed.
“Don’t stop,” Kye commanded, his tone rough with his apparent lust.
Hunter wasn’t used to Kye being the demanding one, but he couldn’t deny that he liked it. He fucking craved it. Like that night Kye had barged into Hunter’s house and fucked him. Kye had never done that before, never been quite so demanding. And just like that night, Hunter wanted to let go of his control, to let someone else take the reins. No doubt, Kye was good at it. He would shatter Hunter’s control given the chance.
Rather than say as much, Hunter stroked himself, his balls tightening, his insides coiling as his orgasm neared. It was as much from his hand as it was from the heat he saw in Kye’s eyes as the man watched intently.
“Come for me, Hunter,” Kye demanded. “Let me watch. Just this one time.”
It was clear Kye had caught his blunder, but the man wasn’t going to let Hunter get lost in his own head this time.
“Think about what it’d be like to sink into my ass while I’m lodged balls deep in her pussy.”
Yeah. That did it.
Hunter didn’t take his eyes off Kye as he came, his dick jerking in his hand.
Before either of them could acknowledge what happened, Kye turned and walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.
Funny. The guy never did tell him what he needed.
It took a long time for Hunter to catch his breath, and when he did, he managed to relax. He needed to get up, to clean himself. Then, perhaps he’d be able to sleep.
Then again, probably not.
DANI DIDN’T BUDGE FROM WHERE she stood, her bedroom door slightly ajar as she stared out into the hallway. She didn’t even move when Kye came out of Hunter’s room, his eyes sliding right over to her.
Think about what it’d be like to sink into my ass while I’m lodged balls deep in her pussy.
She could still hear Kye’s words in her head. Hell, she could feel them in her entire body. Warmth had instantly radiated out from her core when she heard him talking to Hunter. He obviously knew she was there. Which made her wonder if his questions to Hunter had been for her benefit. It kind of sounded like it.
Dani knew who Hunter was. She knew what he enjoyed. Obviously, he’d enjoyed Kye a time or two. For all she knew, they could still be lovers, but she didn’t think so. There was something off between them. As though things hadn’t ended well, whatever those things might have been.
Which made her wonder why Kye had seduced her. To get back at Hunter? Had he fucked her so he could rub it in Hunter’s face?
Mortification flooded her, making her face hot.
Had she played right into his trap?
Dani sighed and peered out into the hallway.
Whatever had happened in that bedroom tonight was definitely of the intimate nature and not once had Kye mentioned sleeping with her, so maybe that hadn’t been his intention. From the second she heard the two men talking, Dani’s curiosity had gotten the best of her and she’d gone to the door, too chicken to do anything more than peek out.
Good thing, too. She wasn’t sure she could’ve handled seeing Hunter like that. She had a fairly good idea what he’d been doing. And the fact that Kye had been watching…
There was an ache between her legs that caused her to clench her thighs together. No way was any of this doing them any good. Yet as though someone was intent on punishing them, they were all confined to this house for the foreseeable future. How in the world were they going to get through the endless days and never-ending nights?
Her thoughts drifted back to dinner, to the way Hunter had told her Josh was dead. It had taken everything in her not to sob uncontrollably at that revelation. She had wanted to accuse him of lying, but she’d seen the pain in his eyes.
Josh was dead.
She didn’t know how or why or even when, but it was clear from Hunter’s expression that it was still haunting him. First, she had walked out and then Josh had died. At some point, Hunter had been completely alone.
Although she knew she shouldn’t care, Dani’s heart ached for him. He’d lost her and Josh. And she suspected that was what had transformed him from the cold, calculating man he’d once been into this heartless asshole.
No, Hunter had never been the hearts-and-flowers type. He’d told her she was beautiful a million times, but other than that, he hadn’t been the sort to shower her with kind words. But she’d felt his love when they were together. The way he’d protected her, always making sure she was all right.
But she’d blown any chance she could have with him when she walked out, leaving him at the altar without so much as a goodbye.
Because she had convinced him that she had no family, Hunter would’ve had no way of locating her. She wondered if he had even tried.
Dani walked back over to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. A tear dripped down her face, but she didn’t attempt to hold it back. For so long, she’d had to be the strong one, always on guard, always looking out for the danger that lurked. Oddly enough, she felt safe with Hunter and Kye. Regardless of their feelings for her, she knew they wouldn’t allow anything to happen to her.
Another tear fell, then another. The next thing she knew, Dani was crying uncontrollably as all those emotions flooded to the surface. She was so caught up in it she didn’t hear the door open, didn’t realize someone was there until Kye was sitting on the bed beside her, his warm arm coming around her shoulders as he pulled her close.
“It’s all right, baby,” he whispered, tugging her closer to his chest. “You’re safe now.”
Her first thought was to push him away, but she didn’t. She welcomed the safe haven of his embrace, needed it even. Although he had lied to her, she had come to trust him.
And she wanted to believe that everything would be all right, but it was only a platitude. Until they figured out who was gunning for her, she would never be safe. The only thing she knew for certain was that she was not running anymore. She would figure this out if it killed her.
She only hoped it didn’t come to that.
For the longest time, she sat there, relishing the warmth of Kye’s arms holding her. She probably should’ve turned him away, but she hadn’t felt anyone’s touch in so long. Not until him. When he pressed a kiss to her forehead, the tears fell even harder.
“I hate this,” she admitted, leaning into him. “I hate running. I hate hiding. I’ve been doing it my whole life and…” And she wanted to go home.
No, she wanted to go ba
ck in time and make her way into that church, to walk down the aisle to say her vows to Hunter, to accept his ring. Perhaps they would’ve had a happy ever after if she had. Maybe Josh wouldn’t be dead.
But then she wouldn’t have met Kye. And though she was angry with him for what he’d done, she didn’t want to think about a life without him in it.
“You don’t have to run anymore,” Kye assured her. “We won’t let anything happen to you. I swear it.”
Pulling back, she stared up into his eyes. She didn’t know what she was looking for, but what she found appeared to be a promise. He wasn’t merely talking to console her. He was serious.
“Why’d you do it?” she asked, needing to know. “Why’d you sleep with me?”
“Because…” Kye sighed. “Because I wanted to be close to you.”
He sounded sincere, but could she believe him?
“I was with you, Dani, because I couldn’t stay away from you. I hated that I had to lie to you, but…”
“It was your job,” she told him, suddenly realizing that what he had done was no different than what she’d done to Hunter.
“Not that part,” he said softly. “Never that part. I made love to you because I needed you, Dani.” His voice dropped again. “I still do. I want to take care of you, to keep you safe.”
“I don’t deserve it,” she told him. “I don’t deserve anyone’s help.”
“You do,” he said, his hand curling around her neck as his thumb brushed the tears from her cheek.
Dani shook her head. “No. I don’t. Hunter hates me, and I don’t blame him. I fucked up his life. But I had my reasons.” He would know because he’d done the same to her.
“Maybe you should tell him the reasons,” Kye whispered. “Maybe there’s a chance to salvage what you once had.”
No. There was no chance of that. Hunter deserved far better than what she could give him. And it had nothing to do with her past or her family. What she’d done was unforgiveable. She had allowed Samuel to blackmail her, to convince her to infiltrate the Kogans’ world. It didn’t matter that she’d fallen in love with Hunter. He would never forgive her for that.
“I’m so tired,” she admitted.
“I know, baby.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead once more. “Lie down.”
When Kye nudged her back onto the bed, Dani didn’t try to stop him. She wasn’t sure she even could. She was exhausted, her mind and body wrung out from the stress of running for so long.
When her head hit the pillow, Kye got to his feet. He pulled the blanket from the end of the bed and draped it over her.
“Sleep, Dani. It’ll all be here in the morning.”
When she didn’t try to fight it, Dani felt herself drifting off, tears still leaking from her eyes.
KYE WAITED UNTIL DANI’S BREATHING had evened out before he slipped out of her bedroom and into the hall. He found Hunter standing there, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Care to tell me what happened between the two of you on that op?”
Kye shook his head as he pulled the door closed. “No. I don’t.”
“You fucked her,” Hunter accused.
Kye glared at him.
“She’ll manipulate you if you let her,” he said roughly.
“She’s not manipulating anyone,” Kye told him as he walked right past Hunter on the way to the living room.
“No? And you think you know her because you’ve spent a few hours with her?”
Kye spun around and glared at Hunter. “This chip on your shoulder…it’s going to get someone killed, Hunter. I don’t intend to die, and I don’t intend to let anything happen to Dani. So, if you have an issue protecting her, I suggest you take your ass on back to Dallas.”
Hunter’s eyes narrowed. “Chip on my shoulder?” He snorted. “Is that what you call it when the fucking woman I loved left me at the altar? A fucking chip on my shoulder? She lied to me, Kye. She lied about who she was.”
“Did you ever ask her why?” Kye questioned.
Hunter barked a laugh. “She didn’t give me the chance.”
“Well,” he motioned toward the bedroom door, “it looks like you’ve got the chance now.”
Hunter dropped his arms and walked into the kitchen. Kye didn’t feel the need to follow him. For so long, he had allowed Hunter to get the best of him. To use him the way he needed. Kye wasn’t about to go back to that place. He’d put months and miles between them and he intended to stand his ground. As much as he’d missed Hunter—something he damn sure wouldn’t admit to—Kye wasn’t a glutton for punishment.
As he was taking a seat on the couch, Hunter reappeared, a beer in his hand. He leaned his shoulder against the wall and stared Kye down.
“She’s not Max’s cousin,” Hunter said.
“Okay.” Kye wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
“She’s Max’s sister.”
He couldn’t hide his shock that time. “What? When did you find that out?”
“Today. She dropped that little bomb on Max.”
“Max didn’t know?”
Hunter shook his head. “Didn’t look like it. Then again, that was about the time the bullets started flyin’.”
Kye glanced down the hallway. “His sister?”
“Yep. Good ol’ Samuel Adorite is her daddy.”
Kye considered this for a minute, trying to tie it all together. He leaned back on the couch and stared at the wall. “So, her mother and Max’s dad had an affair?”
“Probably. Can’t trust an Adorite to save your life,” Hunter said with a grunt. He took a long pull on his beer.
Kye’s head snapped toward Hunter. “What? Are you saying Dani’s mother willingly jumped into bed with that psychopath?”
Kye hadn’t known Samuel Adorite, but he’d done some research on the man. It had all been in an effort to understand Hunter better. The way the man treated his brother-in-law wasn’t typical family drama. There was something about Max that Hunter didn’t like. Probably had a lot to do with the fact the guy was into some illegal shit. That went against Hunter’s nature, so it made sense.
What Kye had learned about Samuel Adorite had made his stomach turn.
“How else would you explain it?” Hunter countered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“My mother was raped,” the soft voice said.
Kye’s head jerked over to see Dani standing in the mouth of the hallway, staring at them both. Her eyes were still puffy from crying and probably from exhaustion. He’d hoped she would sleep, but clearly that wasn’t in her plan. He glanced back at Hunter, noticing the way the man’s entire body had gone rigid.
“Raped?” Kye questioned, motioning toward the couch, hoping Dani would at least sit down.
She slowly moved toward them, her arms wrapped around herself as though she was cold. Or perhaps trying to hold herself together.
“Yes. No one was off-limits to Samuel,” she said, not speaking to anyone specifically. When she sat, she stared off into space. “He used everyone for his own personal gain. And he was batshit crazy. My mother never willingly slept with him,” she stated adamantly, glancing up at Hunter. “And I doubt Genevieve did, either.”
Kye knew Genevieve was Max’s mother, the woman Samuel had married when she was merely a child herself. The guy truly was despicable.
Kye expected Hunter to say something spiteful, but surprisingly he kept his mouth shut.
“Why didn’t you take Samuel’s name?” Kye asked.
Dani glared up at him. “I didn’t take the Adorite name for my own protection.” Her gaze dropped. “Or rather that’s why my mother chose to give me her maiden name. She said I was safer not being part of the family.”
“That makes sense,” Hunter mumbled.
“Well, it didn’t protect me completely,” she bit out. “Samuel still got his hooks into me.”
“Did he know?” Kye asked. “That you were his daughter?”
; She nodded. “Oh, yeah. That bastard knew. And he used it against my mother all the time.”
“Against her?” Hunter moved into the room. “He threatened to tell her husband?”
Dani laughed, but there wasn’t any humor behind it. “Oh, no. Nick knew. He knew about every single time Samuel had forced himself on my mother.” The words came out as though they were bitter in her mouth. Dani shook her head. “No, my mother didn’t want word getting out that I was Samuel’s illegitimate daughter for my own protection. The man has some serious enemies.”
“You mean had,” Hunter countered.
Her gaze lifted to him once more. “There are still people out to get him, Hunter. Doesn’t matter that he’s dead.”
“I’m lost,” Kye said, mainly hoping she would elaborate.
Dani sighed heavily, clasping her hands together tightly. “My mother protected me as best she could while she was alive. However, Samuel still managed to get me to do his bidding. He…” She swallowed hard but didn’t look up. “He started blackmailing me when I was nineteen years old. Said if I didn’t do what he wanted, he would kill my mother.”
Kye shifted his legs when Hunter came and sat on the coffee table in front of Dani. She continued to stare down at her hands.
“He insisted that I dig up as much dirt on your father as I could,” she told Hunter without looking at him. “That was the reason I came into your life.”
“And did it work?” Hunter asked, his voice lower than before.
Dani shook her head. “I never actually tried. I simply told him a bunch of crap when he asked for updates. Nothing he didn’t already know. I would’ve done anything to protect my mother.”
“What happened to her?” Kye asked.
“She died.” Her fingers clasped together tightly. “Lung cancer. It stole her from me three weeks before I was set to marry…” Dani nudged her shoulder toward Hunter.
Holy shit. It all made sense to Kye. Dani hadn’t run out on Hunter because she didn’t love him. She had left because she did.
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