by Tina Bass
“So, let me get this straight. You don’t have a problem with me fuckin’ you, just as long as no one knows it? Is that it?” Kade snapped back. Krista took a step back.
“You did not just speak to me that way.” Krista took another step back. “You know dang good and well that was not what I meant. We’re together. I’m spending the nights at your house. You’ve spent the night at my house. I’m not stupid. I know people will assume we are…” She leaned into him and whispered, “Having Sex.” She stood back up. “But, that doesn’t mean I want it broadcast all over the world,” she said with hands and arms moving the whole time, then she dropped them to her side. “I had more respect for you, for our relationship, than to just throw it out there as common information, like it was nothing special, cheapening it in some way.” She turned to walk away, then stopped and turned back around to look him right in the eyes. “I thought you felt the same about me.” And that time, she walked to the end of the tailgate, jumped off and started walking toward the wooded area that surrounded them.
Kade just stood there for a beat. Then two. What the fuck just happened? He’d never had a woman who didn’t want every-fuckin’-body to know when he’d fucked them. Hell, he’d even had a few who said they had, when they hadn’t. He dropped his head. He had to admit, he’d never had a woman like Krista, and to her, what they shared intimately was special between the two of them, and should’ve been kept that way. Then he took off after her. When he reached her, he spun her around to face him, and then walked her backward to a more private area. “Baby, I’m sorry. What we have, what we share, is so fuckin’ special to me. I never meant to make you feel any different. Honest to God. I didn’t say any of it to disrespect you or us. I said it because I want the whole fuckin’ world to know just how lucky I am to have you in my bed.” That’s when she raised her head and he saw tears in her eyes. He knew he had put them there. “I fucked up, baby. I never meant to hurt you,” he whispered to her.
“You think you’re lucky because you’re with me?” she asked, and he raised his head to look her in the eyes.
“No, baby, I don’t think. I know I’m damn lucky,” he told her, and watched a small smile slowly form on her beautiful face.
“Irish, I’m the lucky one. You’ve changed my life. You’ve given me so much,” she said as she raised her hand and placed her palm on his cheek. “No, Irish, I’m the luck one.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Krista stepped out of the shower, smiling, and grabbed the towel Kade had laid out for her when he’d left her a few minutes before. That’s what you call a great shower, she thought to herself. They’d only stayed a little while longer, watched a few more trucks run through the mud, and then left. Kade led her upstairs to the master bath, and was starting the shower before she even realized how muddy she was. “I’m glad you told me to change my clothes and shoes. These shoes will never be the same again,” she told him as she was trying to pull off the shoes, which were covered in mud.
She didn’t notice Kade until she looked back up. He was standing in front of her completely naked. Krista froze for a beat and just stared. The man was hot with his clothes on, but dang, in nothing but skin, and all…male, he was irresistible. She wanted to touch and taste every inch of him. Krista reached out to touch him, but he grabbed her hands in his, raised them above her head, and walked them backward until she hit the wall behind her. With her hands pinned together in one of his above her head, he leaned in and kissed her lips, her cheek, across her jaw, and down her neck while his other hand was busy raising her shirt until it was just below her breast. He stepped back and yanked the shirt off, then dropped to his knees and kissed her stomach while he unfastened her jeans and slid them down her legs. He stood up, took a step back and just stared at her, running his eyes up and down her body as she stood there breathing hard, in nothing but her lace bra and panties.
“So fuckin’ gorgeous,” he growled low in his throat and before she could say a word, he picked her up and walked into the shower.
“Irish! I still have some of my clothes on!” she exclaimed, already standing under the shower jets…wet.
“Gonna’ rip ‘em off, then I’m gonna taste you, then I’m gonna’ take you,” Kade growled again, but he still didn’t move. He just stood there and stared as the water ran over her. She took one step and dropped to her knees as she reached for him and immediately felt him jerk in her hand. She rubbed a finger over the tip, then swirled her finger over the head. She locked eyes with him as she took him in her mouth. Gripping the base of his erection in her hands, she opened her mouth as wide as she could to take in as much of him as possible. She lost the connection with his eyes when he threw his head back. “Fuck, that feels good,” he moaned, and she felt his words vibrate through him. She moved her mouth and her hand simultaneously over the length of him, as she swirled her tongue around, then flattened it to take in more of him. When she felt him hit the back of her throat, she moaned, and felt his hips begin to pump as his hands tangled in her hair. “Suck me, baby,” he groaned as he rolled his hips once again. She moaned again and his grip on her hair got tighter, his hips pumping harder as she worked him with her mouth and hands faster. “Fuck, baby, you gotta stop,” he growled, but she was too into it to stop now. She tightened her grip on him and sucked him down to the back of her throat again, tightening her jaw muscles as she instinctively swallowed. That’s when she heard her name growled low in his throat, right before she felt jets of warm liquid shoot into her mouth and down her throat. Krista pulled back and let him slide slowly from her mouth, then ran her tongue over the tip one more time. All of a sudden, Kade was on his knees with her, kissing her long and hard, so long that when he finally raised his head from hers, she was breathing so hard she could barely speak. Then, he flipped her and had her sitting on the built in seat installed in the shower. Ripping off her bra and panties, he tasted her, then took her, just like he said he would.
After that most wonderful shower, she slipped on a pair of yoga pants and a tank top before walking out of the bathroom in search of Kade. She thought he’d be in bed, but the bed was empty, so she walked out of the room and down the hall. Krista saw a light on in the room he used for an office. She walked in, and…screamed!
Kade was sitting at his desk with his chair turned to the side, studying his white board that he used to help him in solving his cases. He’d put Price’s picture right in the middle and had notes and papers pinned around it. He was so focused on the board he didn’t hear Krista come in until she screamed. He jerked around to look at her. She was white as a sheet, eyes wide staring at his board. Then, she turned her head and locked eyes with him. “How could you?” she asked in a voice that sounded so betrayed and so very sad. She turned and ran. He moved to the door and down the hall, yelling her name, not knowing which way she went or why she’d run. Kade went toward the bedroom when he heard something that sounded like banging. He went into the room, only to see her standing by the bed throwing things into her bag, but when he started toward her, she threw out her hand. “Stop!” she shouted at him. She dropped her hand, fell to her knees and uttered in a voice he’d never heard from her before. “Don’t touch me.” It was a voice that sounded like a small child. Then it hit him. He felt like he’d been punched in the gut and had his heart ripped out of his chest at the same time. He remembered what Price had said during that long ass transport the day he’d met Krista.
“Had me a little girl once, never been touched…” The words now stuck in his head, playing over and over.
Son-of-a-bitch! The look on Krista’s face, standing in his office doorway and staring at Price’s picture was burned into his brain. Kade balled up his fist, drew back his arm, and slammed it into the wall. “Son of a bitch!” he snarled out loud. “I’m going to kill the mother fucker!” he shouted and then slammed his fist into the wall again. He looked down at the floor and the sight of his beautiful Kr
ista, curled into herself, her arms wrapped around her body protectively, broke his heart. “Baby,” he whispered softly as he moved slowly toward her. “Baby.” He repeated as he dropped to the floor. “It’s me, baby, your Irish.” He had to help her. He had to pull her back from where her mind had taken her. “Baby, please look at me.” He continued to speak gently as he moved his hand cautiously toward her, but made sure to keep in her line of sight. When his hand was almost touching hers, he repeated softly. “Baby, it’s me.” He let his hand brush lightly across hers as he spoke again. “I’ll never hurt you, baby, you know I won’t.” He moved his hand back across hers once more. When she didn’t flinch at his touch, he laid his hand across hers and felt when she shifted just enough to grab his. He moved slowly closer to her, still whispering. “It’s okay. You’re okay.” He continued to inch his body closer to her. “You’re safe, baby.” He was finally close enough, and he laid his body around hers, drawing her to him. “I’ll keep you safe, baby. I swear I’ll always keep you safe.”
He lay there on the floor with her in a tight embrace, her holding his hand like she was holding on for dear life. He didn’t know how long they lay there, but he felt like he hadn’t taken a breath since she stood in his office doorway and screamed. Until he heard her soft whisper. “Why?” It was spoken so low, he wasn’t sure if he heard it or imagined it. And then he felt her move, and she whispered again. “Why Kade?” His first thought was that he’d lost his Krista. No, he wouldn’t lose her, not this time, like the first time fuckin’ Damon Price stole her. But, this time, when he got her back, he was never letting her go. Not fuckin’ ever!
Krista turned to face him, maybe for the last time. She didn’t know. How could he bring one of the two men who stole her life, her everything, here? Why would he do something like that? She couldn’t look at him yet. She pulled away from him. She brought her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her legs, taking time to think what to do next. She closed her eyes and laid her forehead on her drawn up knees.
“I didn’t know. I swear for Christ, baby, I didn’t know,” Kade softly moaned. She raised her head to look at him and her breath caught in her throat. He looked as though he was mourning a loss. His eyes were wet with unshed tears. Did he really not know? She’d never told him, had never told anyone. No one knew. She didn’t even know what his name was. But, she knew what he looked like. She could never forget that.
“Why do you have his picture in there?” she asked and watched him blink. A single tear ran down his cheek. He dropped his head in his hands, scrubbed at his face, and then ran his hands through his hair to the back of his neck.
“It was the case, at work,” he answered softly. “The shit that was happening at work, the case I was being kept in the dark about.” His voice rose with each sentence. “It was that piece of shit mother fucker,” he barked loudly, and then slammed his fist into the floor. “He was right there! I had him in the back seat of the fuckin’ car!” he snarled and Krista realized he was no longer talking to her, but to himself. His eyes had gone completely out of focus as though he was somewhere else entirely. “I should have fuckin’ killed him,” he snapped as he slammed his fist into the floor again, and then again and again, repeating the same thing over and over. “Should’ve fuckin’ killed him. Should’ve fuckin’ killed him.” And every time he repeated the phrase, he would slam his fist into the floor.
“Stop,” she whispered hoarsely, and then she cleared her throat and repeated. “Stop.” This time a little louder, but Kade just sat there slamming his fist into the floor, muttering those same words over and over, like she hadn’t spoken. “Stop!” She managed to yell. “Irish, please stop,” she cried out as she watched his hand become covered in blood. He finally heard her because he jerked his head up.
“Krista?” he said her name as if coming out of a dark dream.
“Irish, please stop. You’re hurting yourself,” she begged. Then she watched him look down at his hand, like he’d never seen it before. It was now completely covered in blood. Then he looked back up at her, seeming confused.
“You called me Irish?” he said, but again it sounded more like a question.
“Yes, I always call you Irish,” she answered him, slightly confused herself, because she did, didn’t she? She didn’t remember calling him anything else.
“No, baby, not always. Twice now, when I’ve lost my Krista, you just called me Kade.” He reached his hand out to her, but stopped and dropped it, then reached out for her with his other hand, the one not covered in blood. He brushed her cheek. “My beautiful Krista,” he murmured to her, his eyes sweeping across her face. “You’re safe. I’ll always keep you safe,” he said tenderly. She looked into his eyes and she knew, at that moment without a doubt, she knew. She didn’t know when it happened, probably the moment she looked into those beautiful green eyes of his for the first time, and now it didn’t really matter. She knew somewhere along the way, she’d fallen in love with Lieutenant Lawson McKaden, her ‘Irish.’ She fell into him, wrapped her arms around him as far as she could reach, and felt him return her embrace. And, she felt safe.
“I know,” she whispered to him as she held him a little tighter, burying her face into his neck. She wasn’t sure if it was the cop in him, his feelings for her, or just the man he was, or maybe a little bit of all, but she did know she was safe with him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“I was his first,” Krista whispered as she read down the list of Damon Price’s victims again. They were standing in Kade’s office. He had taken down the picture of Price, but left everything else up. She’d helped him clean and bandage his hand. It wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked. He had only managed to bust open the skin on his knuckles. Then she changed her clothes as some of his blood had gotten on her. She was in a hurry because she wanted to find out what was going on and why Kade had that picture together with all the other stuff in his office. He told her Price was the one he transported the day they met, and the ‘shit’ he was being kept in the dark about was his escape from prison. He even told her about Velgada making a copy of the file and giving it to him. He held nothing back. Now, she was reading the list of all the names of women Price had hurt. Her name wasn’t on that list, but she knew she was his first.
“What did you say?” She heard Kade ask and raised her head to look at him as she handed him back the list of names.
“I’m not on that list, but I should be at the top. I was his first.”
“How the fuck do you know that? We don’t even know if there are more women and girls out there who just never reported it, or were never found,” Kade stated.
“I know, because he told me,” she whispered and then turned away from him and stared at the board.
“What? Krista, look at me,” he snapped. She looked back to the face of a very pissed off Kade. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“I said I know, because he told me.” She took a breath, and blew it out slowly, then spoke loud enough she knew Kade would hear every word. “When he pushed me to the floor, he told me it was a first for him, and asked me if it was a first for me. After, he said he would always remember me. Remember his first.” She turned back to Kade and screamed in his face. “That’s how I fuckin’ know! He raped me on the floor in the kitchen, right beside my dead mother!” Her eyes went to the list still in Kade’s hand. “I started that list and I could’ve stopped it. I could have saved all those people, but I didn’t. I didn’t do a damn thing to save any of them.” As the adrenaline was fading away, she felt her body go weak, but before she could hit the floor, she was wrapped in Kade’s arms and he picked her up and walked out of the room with her pressed closely to his chest.
Kade walked into the bedroom, crossed the room to the bed, and sat with his back to the headboard. He just held Krista until he felt her body completely relax and her breathing even out and he knew she was asleep f
rom pure emotional exhaustion. He cradled her a little while longer, then kissed the top of her head before he laid her down in bed and pulled the covers over her. He then went back to his office and as quickly as he could, he put everything on Price back in the file and locked the file in his bottom drawer. He grabbed his phone, and went back to Krista. Settling next to her, he moved the covers down and rubbed her back, then passed his hand over her hair, and kissed her forehead. “I’m goin’ ta fix this for you,” he whispered into her hair before he kissed her temple one last time. He covered her back, then left the room as he was pressing buttons on his phone.
The first call was to Dr. Davison, giving her an update on what had happened and finding out if she could move Krista’s appointment up from Tuesday to a time sooner. His second call was to Velgada and that one was harder. He had to pause three different times because his emotions became too overwhelming as he kept seeing Krista fall apart right in front of him and not being able to do a damn thing to stop it. When he was finally done, he’d told Velgada everything from listening to Price spew his shit all the way to the prison, to Krista blaming herself for all the women he’d attacked after he finished with her. Velgada listened to every word and then finally spoke. “We’re going to find him and I will kill him,” Lee stated firmly.
“Fuck,” Kade snarled.
“Yeah,” Velgada agreed and then added to that. “You love her.” It wasn’t a question.
“More than fuckin’ life itself.” Kade confirmed what Velgada said.
“Heard she drove your truck…through the fuckin’ mud…twice,” Velgada told him, with a hint of laughter in his voice. Kade smiled at the memory of Krista sitting in his truck right before she drove into the mud. She had paused and looked at him, then given him one of her beautiful smiles. He loved to make her smile, make her laugh. He just fuckin’ loved her.