***
Across the conference table of the lavish New York office, Jadon stared. Kale slid his phone into his suit pocket.
“What happened?”
“She sounded...concerned.” Not angry at his departure as he’d expected. Her first thought was to ask if everything was alright. Kale wasn’t sure how to respond to that so he hadn’t.
Jadon noticed his confusion. He closed the distance between them, brows lowered. “Was there anything else?”
In bemusement, Kale gave him the truth. “She implied she wanted to redecorate. Then hung up on me.”
No one before had ever dared. Part of him was livid at the audacity but another part was amused.
Jadon’s lips quirked. “Not what you’d expect. Even I have to admit she’s not your typical thief and liar.”
“No, she’s not.”
There was nothing typical about Carolyn. He shook off the thought. “Let’s get this settled.”
Kale ignored the stares he and Jadon received as he strode down the carpeted hall of the building. A friend and fellow businessman, Drake Winston, had offered Kale the use of his New York based office to meet the Alpha of a wolf pack who wanted to back out of a contract to lease land Kale wanted to use.
Entering the room, he glared at the dark haired man seated at the glass table. Dario Avanti. Alpha to the Avanti pack and worthless. If Kale hadn’t needed the land so bad, he would have cancelled the contract and worked with someone else. Sitting beside the Alpha was Russell Magnus.
Russell had a history of shifting into fur and losing control as he savaged his victims. His days were numbered. Other packs weren’t happy with Dario’s tactics and the consensus to unseat the Alpha was gaining popularity. Pack policed their own.
Kale shifted his stare to the last member in the meeting. Lennox Avanti. Dario’s brother and beta. The wolf leaned against the far wall, mockery in his narrowed gaze as he spotted Jadon behind Kale. At least this one, Kale could handle. Nox had been Kale’s initial point of contact to set up the original deal. He was straight forward and honest. Unlike his brother.
“What game do you seek to play, Dario?”
Dario feigned a smile and raised his arms in innocence. “Mr. Serano, is that any way to greet friends?”
“We aren’t friends.” Kale didn’t bother to sit and neither did Jadon. If Dario wanted a power play, he’d chosen the wrong one to challenge. “I received the message that you’re no longer satisfied with the deal your brother negotiated. That is the only reason I’m here.”
And he’d wanted an excuse to avoid Carolyn.
Dario slammed his forearms down on the table. “Lennox gave in too easy. The land’s worth far more than the price you paid.”
Not really. Kale had gone higher than the value in an effort to prevent such an occurrence like now happening. “I’m not paying more. You signed the contract. The project has been green lighted. Why are you wasting my time?”
And this was clearly a waste of time. Kale could be home with Carolyn. His pulse leaped at the stray thought. He wasn’t supposed to have this gnawing need to be with her.
Dario’s mouth hiked up in the corner and he opened a folder. Color photos spilled out but Kale didn’t look. He locked stares with Dario, body tensed for trickery. “I was hoping you’d be reasonable. Russell here figured you’d be more congenial since you have a new...friend.”
A blunt finger tapped one of the photos. Jadon’s muffled curse was the only reason Kale glanced at the table. Blonde hair. Perky smile. Innocent eyes.
Rage rolled through Kale as he stepped closer. Carolyn in a café. At a clothing store. Getting in a taxi. “What is this?”
Dario shrugged. “Russell was interested in meeting the beautiful lady seen going in and out of your building recently.”
Russell, who sent his lovers to the ER? Russell, who licked his lips as he stared at the photos? Kale reacted without thought. Power flared and the leering wolf flew from his seat next to Dario. His chair clattered to the floor while Russell was suspended mid-air.
“What the fuck!” Dario jumped to his feet.
Nox remained where he stood though he did straighten from his slouch. Jadon released a low growl but Kale waved him off. He flicked his fingers and Russell’s back slammed into the nearest wall. Hard. Sheetrock cracked beneath his weight.
Kale used another pulse of his power and rammed the cocky wolf into the wall again and again. Something broke and this time it wasn’t the wall. Russell roared, face twisted in pain.
Kale faced Dario. The Alpha partially shifted, fangs and claws out. “This is how you behave in a business meeting?”
Kale smirked and allowed Russell to slump to the floor with a groan. “This is how I respond to implied threats.”
He crossed toward Dario. Close enough to touch. He leaned forward and whispered, “If you want to fuck with me, you can. But don’t ever threaten what’s mine.”
Backing away, Kale signaled it was time to leave to Jadon. “The contract stands.”
Dario wasn’t done being stupid. His taunt followed Kale out the door. “One day someone will put you in your place, Serano.”
Kale snorted. It wouldn’t be an Alpha wolf with no sense. Outside the room, he ported with Jadon back to his own office in Maryland.
“Media will soon find out she’s staying with you, if they haven’t already,” Jadon said.
“Inform Dale. They don’t get anywhere near Carolyn.”
Jadon had his phone out. “On it.”
Kale paced and waited until Jadon finished his call. “Going there was pointless. Send a message to Lennox that if his brother pulls another stunt like this, I won’t have mercy.”
True worry for Carolyn plagued his resolve to remain calm. He had to see her. Reassure himself of her safety in his home.
“The car?” Jadon held his phone up.
“No.” He couldn’t wait that long. With a single thought, he and Jadon were at his house.
Chapter 27
Footsteps scuffing the floor woke Carolyn from the light doze on the sofa. The sky outside the window was deep purple with streaks of midnight. She’d slept through the day.
“You’re back,” she murmured, dragging herself up as Kale loosened the tie about his neck.
He looked angry. No, furious was a more apt description. His suit was impeccable as always but lines of strain banded his mouth. Gold eyes glared with hidden fire. She didn’t see Jadon standing behind him which meant he’d probably gone straight to bed already.
Kale reached for the remote and turned the tv off. “There is a hideous statue on the bookshelf in my office.”
She snickered, remembering the genie from Vegas she’d set there. “It’s a timeless piece. Appropriate even.”
His bark of laughter was unexpected. And just like that the anger faded, replaced by a glimmer of humor. “Very amusing, Miss Sutherland.”
“Mrs. Serano,” she correctly pertly.
For the first time he didn’t protest. Something was different about him. “Kale, is anything wrong?”
He reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. Carolyn followed meekly.
“Nothing’s wrong.”
Curiosity stirred when he made no attempt to kiss her as they made their way toward the upper level. Nor did he direct her toward his room to distract her with sex. He drew her to a stop at the top of the landing. Rough knuckles brushed down her cheek. “Goodnight, Carolyn.”
With worry crinkling her brow, she entered her bedroom. Alone. It was the first night he didn’t join her since their bargain.
***
Jacket and shoes off to the side, Kale lay on top of the covers in bed wearing only his shirt and pants. Sleep eluded and his cock throbbed. The trip with Jadon should have quelled this need. It hadn’t. Dario’s remarks caused a rage Kale hadn’t felt in years. Desperation drove him to return to Carolyn quickly. The urge to be by her side couldn’t be defined.
She’d grown on him
. Suspicion wouldn’t allow him to trust though. Their dinner was clear in his mind. The night of the hotel etched permanently on his brain. Nothing else. Nothing to prove her story. He no more had the answer now than he had before.
But living with her was addictive. It wasn’t just the sex despite his words to the contrary. He craved her smile. Her presence.
Hours slipped by but Kale continued to stare at his ceiling. If only he could figure out what part she played in his missing memories. The answers taunted at the peripheral of his mind. Some deeper emotion at play. His gut clenched at the thought of losing her.
Then a piercing scream split the night.
Kale was on his feet, preparing to port to Carolyn’s bedroom when his door flew open. Her body hit his chest on the run. He caught her instinctively, tense and alert for danger.
His gaze honed in on the entryway, searching for the threat. No one followed her. No steps thundered behind. The absence of noise, of her being chased confused Kale all the more. He glanced down at the shivering form nestled against him. “Carolyn?”
Her moan broke the silence. Arms akimbo, Kale had no idea how to proceed. He patted the top of her head. When that didn’t help he wrapped his arms around her. “You’re alright, Carolyn.”
Another jagged sound and he felt ripped in two. She buried her face in the crook of his neck. Tears wet his skin. He controlled his flinch as she nudged closer. Proximity to Carolyn left him weak. The very scent of her enough to drive him to his knees.
“Can you tell me what happened?” Who did he need to kill?
“Nightmare,” she choked.
Amazement held him frozen. Kale couldn’t recall ever having a nightmare. Certainly he didn’t fear anything enough to disturb his sleep. “Do you...want to talk about it?”
He wasn’t sure where the offer came from. Having her in his arms was having the oddest effect on him. An uncomfortable feeling he couldn’t place. In response, she cried harder.
Jadon appeared in the doorway, hair sticking up and basketball shorts inside out. Worry glinted in his gaze as he arched a brow at Carolyn. Kale shook his head and Jadon slipped away on silent feet.
After another minute, Kale tried to separate from Carolyn. “I can walk you back to your room.”
Where she belonged. It was the only way he could remain detached. The other night after she’d proclaimed her love again, he’d felt too exposed. It was why he and Jadon had left earlier today to settle the Dario dispute in person instead of via phone conference.
When she was in his bed, he only wanted to keep her next to him. It was the reason he forced himself to return her to the guest room each night after sex. And why he’d dug a hole in his own chest as he went to bed alone tonight.
Carolyn tightened her hold about him and sobbed louder. If she burrowed any closer she’d be under his shirt. Kale began to half-step them toward the settee against the window.
“Why don’t you have a seat?”
Her head shook in the negative. Clearly she was content in his arms. Having no choice, he picked her up completely and changed direction into his sitting room. There, Kale settled against the sofa arm to support his weight. His groin tightened, the pressure unrelieved beneath his pants.
Deciding to wait her out, Kale held her through the emotional storm. She looped her hands about his neck, cradled on his lap. It took fifteen minutes for the cries to drift to sniffles then silence. He waited one beat. Two. But the silence continued. Kale tipped his head down to see her face.
Eyes closed with lips slightly pursed, Carolyn slept. Tenderness tugged at his chest. How did she do it? With no seeming effort at all, she managed to touch a part of him Kale thought long dead.
Unwilling to disturb her for reasons he couldn’t pinpoint, Kale eased down until he was flat on his back on the sofa. He settled the tv on a random channel with some terrible love story.
She slept for almost an hour before her body stiffened. Kale glanced down as her lids fluttered then opened. Joy reflected back at him. “Kale.”
It was the way she’d said his name when she first saw him in his office that day. No one could fake that. Could they? He knew the moment it came back. Her gaze darkened and she stiffened in his hold. Kale sat up slowly, keeping her close and in his arms. The impulse bordered on ridiculous. It would be better to send her back to her room.
He didn’t.
Carolyn turned slightly to the right, glimpsing the movie on screen. He turned as well. The insipid love story was still on. “I didn’t plan to watch this but you fell asleep.”
Her smile blasted when she faced him once more. “What did you think?”
Not bothering to form a response, Kale leaned forward and kissed her. He hadn’t planned it. Gave no thought to it. The touch of her lips on his made Kale ravenous. He devoured her mouth, stroked her tongue and swallowed her sugary vanilla taste on a groan.
When he eased back, her brown eyes were glazed, lips plump and nicely pinkened.
“Is that good or bad?” she asked huskily.
As if he’d paid the stupid movie any mind. But she seemed to expect him to say something. He glanced at the couple on screen. The man was attempting to convince the woman of something and held a balloon clutched in his fist. “This is pure drivel.”
Excitement gleamed in the brown depths. Her laugh was light and full of relief. So much relief. “You said that last time. This is the movie we watched together.”
It was hard to endure the expectation on her face. A part of him longed to be the man she gifted all that love. But it wasn’t possible and despite all the other things she said, Kale refused to believe he had claimed her as his wife. It didn’t go with what he knew of himself.
He stuck to a specific type. Women who knew the score and wanted nothing deeper from him. Perhaps it started as a protective mechanism after Isolde. Whatever the reason, Kale stayed away from women like Carolyn. She was the complete opposite of the ones he pursued.
Or perhaps the latter was the very answer he sought
“Did you remember?” She asked, shifting on his lap.
Kale moved until her bottom hit the cushions. He stood and paced away. The distance did nothing to dim the thread connecting him to her.
“Kale?”
The fucking lip quiver killed him. Did she realize how vulnerable it made her look? Of course she did. Maybe that’s why she did it. He fisted his hands at his side, fully prepared to send her back to her room now that whatever disturbed her sleep appeared to be over.
“We sat on a couch together when we watched before. Did it trigger...something?”
He would have to be blind not to notice the hope in her gaze. Desperation even. Kale gentled his tone. “Carolyn...” Her brow creased but Kale made himself spit the rest out knowing it would disappoint her. “I still don’t remember you.”
His words did more than disappoint. Carolyn bent over at the middle, arms wrapped tight around her waist. The sharp cry that escaped had him stepping toward her, but she held up a palm stopping him in his tracks.
She drew in deep gulps of air. The sound of her tears tightened his chest. Not because she was crying. Again. He’d been around plenty of crying women. Hell grown men had cried in his presence before.
No—the ache was caused by the sheer despair she no longer attempted to hold back. It was enough to make Kale pause and reassess. Would someone hurt as deep as she appeared to without love being involved?
“It’s okay.” Carolyn straightened when he approached. Eyes red, she muffled another sob then spoke. The smile she gave him was a fraction of the brilliance he remembered. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not sure why I expected anything different.”
Her voice was low, ragged. Kale barely controlled his wince at the pain she didn’t hide. She inhaled deeply and her shoulders eased but she didn’t take her arms from around herself. As if she needed the comfort.
Kale battled the urge driving him to hold her. An apology hovered on his lips except he had no r
eason to apologize. He wanted to take away her pain but to do that he’d have to believe her lies. He cleared his throat. “Are you better now?”
She hummed in agreement. He flinched at the obvious falsehood. Kale could tell her mind was elsewhere though. “I’ll get back to bed now. Sorry for the nightmare.”
He let her reach his bedroom door before calling out. “Carolyn?”
She turned in expectation.
“Perhaps you should stay here.” He shocked himself with the offer.
Changing direction, Carolyn headed for his bed and curled in the middle. Kale joined her. Another question kept him from falling to sleep. “The nightmare...what was it?”
Her lips quirked. “The helicopter crash into the museum. Some nights the memory slips into my dreams and it feels real all over again.”
The incident that caused his own version of a living nightmare. Jadon had made no mention of Carolyn being hurt. His heart pounded in trepidation. Kale slid his arms around her. “Were you injured?”
Her lips curled in a wry grimace. “Only my heart.”
***
Carolyn woke the next morning alone. She shoved at her messy hair and carefully sat up. She shouldn’t be surprised. But she was. After his tender care last night, she’d hoped something had changed.
Her mistake. She glanced around the guest suite. This too was the same.
At the end of the last four evenings except yesterday, Kale came home and went straight upstairs to change from his suit into jeans. She’d eat the meal Jadon prepared while Kale sat across from her in a lazy sprawl, staring the entire time. Any attempt at conversation was met with monosyllables or a taunting lift of his brow. As soon as she finished the last bite, he got up from the table and carried her upstairs where they made feverish love or rather fierce sex, she corrected.
All of this took place in his bed where she usually fell asleep after too many orgasms to count. In the mornings she’d find herself here. In the guest suite.
Last night had felt different. She’d thought for one brief wonderful moment that he’d remembered only to have the euphoria come crashing down when he hadn’t. Then he’d let her stay in his bed doing nothing more than hold her as she drifted off.
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