by Lynn LaFleur
“I don’t want to be paid for helping your daughter.”
“Then consider it a gift…an early Christmas present.”
“All the Christmas presents I’ve ever received wouldn’t amount to this much.” A sudden thought occurred to her, one that made her stomach clench with anger. Surely Slade wouldn’t have told his father of her debt. “Did Slade tell you to do this?”
Leon’s eyebrows drew together. “No. Why would my son have anything to do with this?”
She wasn’t about to discuss her financial situation with Leon Blackstone. “Never mind.” She looked at the check again, trying to decide what would be the right thing to do.
“Sit down, Kari.”
She sat on the end of the bed. Leon sat beside her, a respectable two feet away from her. “I’m a wealthy man. I’ve been very blessed with wise investments. I donate to charities, scholarships, food banks. But this…” He motioned toward the check in her hands. “This makes me feel good. I have no idea of your finances and I don’t care. It’s none of my business. But I want you to cash the check and spend the money however you choose. Please.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. It was no wonder Slade had spoken of his father with such love and respect in his voice. Leon Blackstone was a very special man. “Slade and Brenda are lucky to have such a wonderful father.”
He smiled tenderly. “No, I’m the lucky one to have two such wonderful children. Yes, Brenda can be a handful at times, but I went through the same thing with Slade when he was a teenager. If children could jump from age twelve to twenty, it would be so much easier on parents.”
Kari laughed. She liked Leon very much. He was not only handsome and generous, but charming and funny.
“Speaking of my son, he cares a great deal for you.”
Her laughter abruptly died. “I don’t think so.”
“He told me last night he hadn’t trusted your visions and that hurt you. He regrets that deeply. I hope you’ll give him a chance to explain and apologize.”
A knock on the door saved Kari from having to respond to Leon’s request. “Excuse me.” She slipped Leon’s check into the pocket of her jeans as she walked to the door. Slade stood outside, dressed in black jeans and a dark purple T-shirt. A hint of woodsy aftershave drifted to her nose. Her toes curled with desire.
His gaze passed over her face. “Good morning,” he said softly.
“Good morning.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“Almost.” She opened the door wider. “Come in.”
Slade entered the room. Kari saw surprise flare in his eyes when he looked at his father. “What are you doing here, Dad?”
“Having a nice conversation with Kari.”
“About?”
“It’s up to her whether or not she tells you.” He stood and smiled at Kari. “It was a pleasure talking to you.”
She returned his smile. “For me too.”
Leon glanced at his watch. “I arranged for breakfast to be served in fifteen minutes in Slade’s suite. Alora and I are going to the hospital to pick up Brenda. I do hope you’ll stay long enough to talk to her, Kari. I know she’ll want to thank you in person.”
Kari had planned to leave for Truckee as soon as Slade arrived. The mention of breakfast made her stomach rumble loudly. Leon chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes to breakfast.” He turned to his son. “Come to my suite about noon. Brenda should be settled in by then.”
“Sure. See you later.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
Kari faced Slade after she walked Leon to the door. “Breakfast in your suite?”
“Dad wanted me to spend the night. I think he felt better knowing his son was close.” Slade shrugged. “I told him a regular room was fine. He insisted on the suite.”
“He’s a generous man.”
“Yes, he is.” He took a step closer to her. “Are you going to tell me what you two talked about?”
Not yet. She hadn’t decided whether or not to accept Leon’s check, or whether she would listen to Slade’s explanation of why he’d been so quick to mistrust her. “We should get to your suite before the breakfast arrives.”
For now, having breakfast seemed like her best option. She was hungry and eating would give her time to think of what she should do about Leon’s check…and Slade.
Chapter Eleven
Slade opened the door to the Alpine Suite and let Kari enter before him. He set her suitcase at the end of the couch and watched her look around the spacious living room. Slade had stayed in all the suites. Other than his father’s and Alora’s suite, the Alpine was the most luxurious one in the hotel.
“Do I dare ask how much this costs a night?” Kari asked.
“I don’t know. I’d guess at least a thousand dollars.”
“At least.” She laid her purse on top of her suitcase. “Way out of my price range, that’s for sure.”
“Mine too.”
The look she gave him clearly said she didn’t believe him. “Kari, my father has money. I don’t. I earn my living just like you do.”
“He wouldn’t help you if you needed it?”
“Of course he would. I could go to him right now and tell him I need fifty grand. He’d hand it over and never ask me a question. It feels good to know that. But I don’t run to my dad when times get hard. I make it on my own.”
“But you have the security of knowing your father is there to help you. Most people can’t say that.”
“Your father may not have the financial stability mine does, but he would probably do anything for you.”
“My dad died last year.”
Sympathy welled up in his heart. It had hurt like hell when his mother died. He couldn’t imagine life without his father. “I’m sorry.”
He heard a knock on the door. Slade silently cursed the interruption. She was finally talking to him and he didn’t want her to stop. “That’s probably breakfast.”
Slade shifted his attention from the waiter setting their food on the dining room table to Kari standing at the window in the living room. He wished he knew what she was thinking. She looked so sad, so lost. He’d love to take her in his arms and hold her until she felt better.
Once the waiter had left, Slade walked over to Kari. He lightly touched her shoulder. “Ready to eat?”
She nodded.
His father had outdone himself. Slade uncovered plates of ham, scrambled eggs, hash browns, mixed fruit and warm croissants, enough for four people. Freshly-squeezed orange juice and a carafe of coffee complemented the meal. “Looks like Dad wants us to eat hearty.”
“I don’t think I’ll have any trouble eating. I didn’t have anything last night except that soup at the hospital.”
Slade poured Kari a glass of orange juice. “You didn’t have any dinner?”
She shook her head while tearing a croissant in half. “I couldn’t eat.”
“Because you were upset with me?”
She glanced at him, but quickly turned her attention back to her croissant.
“I tried to talk to you at the hospital. You didn’t want to listen to me.”
“I wasn’t ready.”
“Are you ready now?”
She took a bite of the flaky pastry and swallowed before speaking again. “I think so.”
Now that she wanted to talk, Slade wasn’t sure where to start. He stalled by filling her plate with as much of the ham, eggs and hash browns that it would hold.
“You don’t really expect me to eat all this, do you?” Kari asked.
Slade paused while adding a spoonful of sliced strawberries to her plate. “I figured you were hungry.”
“I’m a girl, Slade, not a linebacker.”
The twinkle of laughter in her eyes pleased him. If she could tease with him, perhaps she was ready to forgive him. He smiled and began filling his own plate. “So eat what you can. That’s what my mom always told me.”
“So did my dad.”
She’d given him the perfect opening
to ask about her father. He could wait to tell her about his disastrous relationship ten years ago. “What happened to him? Illness or accident?”
“Both. He was in a car accident. Broken bones, internal injuries, head trauma. His heart stopped on the way to the hospital. The paramedics revived him.” She wrapped both hands around her coffee cup and took a sip. “My mom and I thought he’d be okay. He’d always been such a strong man, both emotionally and physically. But there were a lot of complications. He had one foot amputated and infection set in. He slipped into a coma and never came out of it.”
She set her cup back on the table. “My mom had to make the decision to take him off life support. He died a few hours later.”
“That must have been very difficult for your mother.”
“They were so much in love,” she whispered. “I always envied that.”
A long illness and hospital stay cost a lot of money, even if a person had insurance. “That’s why you have so much debt. You’re paying for your father’s medical bills.”
“And helping my mom. She mortgaged their house to pay for his care.”
“But you said he was in a car accident. Was it his fault?”
“No.”
“So there should’ve been a settlement.”
“It was a hit and run late at night, Slade. We never found out who hit my dad. All the bills fell on my mom. I had to help her.”
He had to touch her, to offer her whatever comfort he could. Slade reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “No medical insurance?”
“Yes, but it wasn’t much. Dad worked for a privately-owned auto parts store. His insurance was a small policy with a large deductible. He drove a ten-year-old car with only the basic insurance coverage, so no medical payments there. His life insurance paid for his funeral. That’s about it.”
Kari had generously and unselfishly gone into debt to help her mother, and Slade had accused her of being a gold digger. He felt lower than a snail.
Rising from his chair, he rounded the table and dropped to his knees by her. “God, Kari, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry about your dad and I’m sorry for hurting you.”
She touched his cheek. “I know you are.”
He took her hand and kissed her palm as he gazed into her glittering eyes. His heart seemed to expand, fill his chest, the longer he looked at her. The feelings inside him were so strong, he had to express them. “I’m falling in love with you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“So what do we do about it?”
“I think this is where you’re supposed to kiss me.”
Slade smiled. “I like that idea.”
He stood and pulled her into his arms. Her lips parted as he covered them with his own. Her warm mouth tasted of coffee. He tugged her closer to his body, wanting to touch every part of her.
The clothes had to go. He needed to feel her bare skin beneath his hands, his mouth. He needed to be one with her. “I want to make love to you.”
She kissed him once, twice, before nodding her head.
Slade wouldn’t let his inner caveman take over. Not this time. This time, he wanted to make love to Kari, show her with his body how much she meant to him. Lifting her in his arms, he headed for the bedroom.
Housekeeping hadn’t come yet. He laid Kari on the white sheets that were mussed from his tossing and turning during the night. He kissed her full lips once more before he straightened and pulled his T-shirt over his head.
Kari curled on her side and watched Slade undress. He looked into her eyes the entire time he removed his clothes. She moaned softly when he lowered his briefs. His cock was already hard and standing straight up.
“See something you want?” he asked.
“Very much.” She crooked her finger at him. “Come here.”
As soon as he placed one knee on the bed, Kari leaned toward him and took his shaft in her mouth. He hissed. “Mmm, babe, no fair. I haven’t taken your clothes off yet.”
She ran her tongue from the head to his balls and back again. “I think it’s kinky for me to be dressed and you naked.”
She sucked his cock back into her mouth. He tunneled his hand beneath her hair and pulled away from her. “How about if we work on kinky later? Right now, I want to touch you, kiss you. I want to run my hands all over your body, then trace the same path with my tongue.”
Her breath hitched at his sexy words. The man definitely knew what to say to make her weak.
He unbuttoned her blouse, one slow button at a time. He kissed her neck, her shoulder, as he drew the cotton down her arms. Kari closed her eyes and threw her head back. She felt the gentle sting of his teeth on her neck, then a soft sucking. It took her a moment to realize what he was doing.
“You’re giving me a hickey.”
“Mmmm,” he mumbled, his mouth still fastened to her neck.
The gentle suckling sensation traveled through her body straight to her clit. It throbbed with each movement of his lips. “I haven’t had a hickey since I was sixteen.”
He released her skin with a soft pop. “Well, now you have a good one, about the size of a quarter.”
She laughed at his grin. She’d fallen in love with a man who loved to tease. “Are you marking me?”
“You bet. I want the whole world to know you’re mine.” The teasing look faded from his eyes. He ran his hands up and down her sides and over her hips. “I mean that, Kari. Nothing can separate us now. I want to be with you. Only you.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. His words were so beautiful, and she had no doubt he meant everything he said. The adoration in his eyes proved that.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him softly, gently. The tender kiss turned bolder when Slade parted her lips with his tongue and dove inside. Kari whimpered. She went willingly when he lowered her to the bed and stretched out on top of her. His hard cock pressed against the junction of her thighs. He shifted from side to side as they kissed, brushing her clit every time he shifted.
She’d never climaxed without being touched on her bare flesh. She didn’t think it was possible to come without even taking off her clothes.
Slade was quickly proving that belief wrong.
“Feel good?” he whispered in her ear.
“Yessssss.”
“Come for me, babe.”
Kari planted her feet on the bed and let her legs fall open. Slade kept thrusting his shaft, kept up the stimulation on her clit. She moved her hips until she found the perfect spot. There. Her breath caught. Her heart pounded in her ears. She dug her fingernails into Slade’s shoulders and gave in to the pleasure streaking through her body.
Kisses on her neck and collarbone brought her back to earth. Kari opened her eyes to look directly into Slade’s intense dark brown ones. He rose to his knees and tugged her into a sitting position. Her bra soon joined her blouse on the end of the bed.
“Lie back,” he ordered, his voice gruff.
She did as he said, raising her hips so he could remove her jeans and panties. They landed on the floor along with her shoes and socks. Hands on his knees, his gaze passed over her breasts and mound. “You are so beautiful.”
Kari opened her legs and arms to him. “Inside me. Now.”
Slade shook his head. “Not yet.” He lay between her legs and slipped his hands beneath her buttocks. “Not until I do this.”
Kari closed her eyes again when he licked her. His tongue moved slowly, so slowly, over her tender clit. He dipped down to lave her feminine lips and anus, then returned to her clit. He repeated his actions again and again, driving her desire higher with each round.
The orgasm should’ve left her satisfied, yet she wanted more. Hooking her hands beneath her knees, she spread them wide.
“That’s the way.” He tickled her moist flesh with the tip of his tongue. “You like it when I lick your pussy, don’t you?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Good, ‘cause I’m not stopping.” His tongue darted i
nto her ass. “God, you’re delicious.”
He tongue-fucked her ass and pussy, suckled her clit. Kari released her legs and grabbed Slade’s head, holding him in place. “There. Right there. Slade! Yes!”
She arched her back and cradled her breasts, her thumbs flicking her nipples. Her body trembled. Slade pushed two fingers inside her channel and felt the contractions milk his fingers.
He loved watching her climax.
Slade moved over her body. Slipping his arms beneath her knees, he spread her legs wide again. He looked into her eyes as he entered her with one long, smooth glide.
Deep. Deeper. Push in. Pull out. Slade kissed her, mimicking the movements of his thrusting cock with his tongue. Kari pulled the leather band from his hair and clutched handfuls of it. She returned his ardent kisses while meeting every movement of his hips. He kept his thrusts slow, even, wanting to draw out Kari’s pleasure as long as possible.
She slid her hands down his back and gripped his buttocks. “Faster.”
Apparently she didn’t want slow and even. Slade picked up speed, driving into her as hard as he could. She whimpered in pleasure.
Slade released her legs and slipped his hands beneath her buttocks. His fingers slid into her cleft. The moisture from her pussy slicked her anus. He easily pushed a finger inside her ass. She mewled and clutched his cheeks tighter.
“You like my finger in your ass?” he panted between thrusts.
“Yes.”
“How about two?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, but pushed another finger inside her. Her breathing became heavier, more labored. “Yeah, you do like that, don’t you?”
“Yesssssss.”
He pulled his fingers out, then pushed them back inside her. “How about my cock? Would you like that in your ass?”
“Ahhhhhh!”
Her body jerked, trembled. His own orgasm barreled through him before he could stop it. He wrapped his arms around Kari and growled deep in his throat when the pleasure skittered down his spine and grabbed his balls.
It took several moments for him to lift his head and kiss her. “Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“That was…”
“Incredible.”
“I’ll go with incredible.” He lifted to his elbows so she could breathe easier. “I’ve always thought lovemaking improved as two people got to know each other. I don’t know how this could get any better.”