Firming her lips, Carolyn gathered up the robe by the bottom of the bed and slid it on as she took mincing steps toward the attached bath. Her body was getting quite the work out from someone who claimed not to care about her.
She was getting close to him. Felt it in her soul. Today she would shift gears. Something drastic. Otherwise her week would be up and Kale would remove her from his life with a simple snap of his fingers. Her stomach swirled and her chest tightened to the point of panic. Carolyn paused at the en suite bathroom door and gripped the jamb. She couldn’t let that happen.
After her shower and a quick warm up of the breakfast Jadon left in the fridge for her, Carolyn whipped out her laptop. She worked until she hit her preplanned word count then shut everything down and grabbed the spare keys Dale had delivered to her. It was time she took advantage of being Mrs. Kale Serano.
She tapped out the new number she’d saved on her cell and very deliberately locked the house up behind her. “Hi, Dale. It’s Carolyn. Can you meet me at the house please?”
The driver was there in less than ten minutes except instead of the fancy limousine she’d arrived in, he drove an all black large SUV with tinted windows. He was also wearing jeans with a tight tee shirt. The blazer at odds with the already hot day.
“Good Morning, Miss. How may I assist you today?”
“I need a ride.”
He was as straight-laced as the last time they’d met, but his gaze held a curious light Carolyn had no intentions of satisfying until the last minute.
“Of course. I’d be glad to assist.”
He opened the rear door and she slid in, hoping she wasn’t about to make a huge mistake.
Chapter 28
“She did what?” Kale couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Jadon cracked a smile. “According to what she told the store managers, you said whatever is yours is hers.”
“I said no such thing!” Kale gathered his jacket from the back of his chair jerking his arms through the sleeves and glaring at Jadon who seemed to find tremendous humor in the actions of his fake wife. “You’re supposed to be saving me from her lies, remember?”
Jadon lost his smile and shifted his stance. “I know Kale, its just...she seems so sincere. I almost believe you married her.”
Another one. Carolyn had his admin and best friend convinced now. His admin interrupted two meetings to put calls for Carolyn through. Granted she’d needed access to his alarms and requested keys. None of it warranted an interruption and his admin was usually better at protecting his time.
Now, apparently Jadon was falling for her story as well. Four days since she’d moved in and turned his world upside down. Three days to go. Three days then she’d be forced to drop her charade.
Kale rubbed at his chest as it twinged. He wasn’t going to miss her. He wasn’t going to miss the bright smile she greeted him with when he came home every day. But he damn sure was going to miss the explosive passion she brought to the bedroom. Sex with Carolyn was transcendent.
“What else? I know there’s more.” Kale made the demand as he stormed down the hall toward the elevator, Jadon on his heels.
Jadon didn’t even attempt to hide his mirth. “So in addition to the Audi, she stopped at a galleria and bought a shit ton of clothes, purses and shoes. All together it came close to matching the cost of the car.”
Kale didn’t doubt it. Carolyn was doing this on purpose. To get back at him. “How did she pay for everything?”
Jadon slid his hands in his pocket and leaned his back against the elevator wall. His gaze was dead serious, all humor wiped clean. “With your personal credit card.”
Kale froze. It wasn’t because he gave a fuck about the money. He had enough she could spend what she’d spent today for the next few years and he wouldn’t notice. The sudden fear pounding his heart had nothing to do with Carolyn’s sudden shopping spree.
What arrested his attention was the fact he had an enchantment on the card and no one would have been able to use it unless he added them to the spell.
And Jadon knew this as well as Kale.
How the hell had Carolyn slipped beneath his guard to the point he’d given her unhindered access to a portion of his finances?
“What are you going to do?” Jadon asked as the doors opened and they stepped out into his main floor lobby.
“Evidence says there is more to Carolyn’s story, as we both know.”
A grain of truth in her belief she was more to Kale than a casual fuck. He paused and just stood there as people moved past and around him. Confusion ruled for a brief moment.
He didn’t know what to believe about the missing days in his memories any longer but he damn sure planned to find out. Jadon’s phone rang drawing their attention. Kale inclined his head and Jadon followed as they exited onto the bustling sidewalk outside. The driver was already pulling up in his car.
Jadon.
His friend grinned when Kale shot him a dark glare. He accepted his keys and slid behind the wheel, Jadon joining him in the front passenger seat as he revved the engine.
“Hold on, Kale needs to hear this.”
Jadon sat his phone on the console between them and connected it to the car audio system.
“Mr. Serano,” the investigator Jadon had employed spoke. “My men have come back with video, pictures as well as confirmation from the one who performed a marriage ceremony between you and Ms. Carolyn Sutherland.”
The car jerked, almost stalling as Kale shifted gears. He smoothed out and roared down the street. “What proof?” he barked.
“A marriage certificate signed by you both. He was instructed by you not to file it until he received word from you. He was frightened to even speak with my guys about it.”
Kale’s skin prickled as he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles shown white.
He’d fucking married her. But was he relieved or angry?
***
Kale slammed through the front door like a storm and cornered her. “How did you do it?”
His energy a mass of surliness Carolyn tried to ignore. She spun on the kitchen stool and rose slowly to her bare feet. He closed in on her and her heart skipped a beat.
“Do what?”
He snarled the reply. “Get me to marry you.”
Did that mean he believed her? Or was he trying to get her to slip up? She sighed. “I’ve been going about this all wrong, wanting to appeal to your basic sense of decency.”
“Decency?” His whisper caressed her ear. A low rumble which sent a pulse rocketing through her lower region.
He stepped forward, eliminating the sliver of space between them. “This is not about decency, Carolyn. Is it decent that I want to throw you on the counter behind you and fuck you? What about how I’m thinking of spreading your legs so wide and licking your pussy until you confess?”
Carolyn couldn’t think of what to say. Her inexperience with such a powerful attraction for this man would always hinder her in a confrontation of this sort. Kale’s lips curled up in awareness. He knew exactly what his words did to her.
Chest tight and battling the desire that never quite went away, she eased a step to the left. He was dangerous like this. A snort broke through her nose. Danger was as much a part of Kale as his love of expensive suit wear. She took another step, heart beating a rapid tattoo against her rib cage.
Kale followed the movement with his glittering gold gaze. “Tell. Me. The. Truth.”
Oh, that husky entreaty hit her right in the pit of her stomach. Fear morphed to anger. Carolyn firmed her resolve and stopped her subtle retreat to face him head on. “You have the truth. You just don’t want to accept it. You love me, Kalessando. You married me. You gave me a vow. The real question here is...are you going to use the excuse of your memory loss to break it?”
He jerked back in offense. Thrust a hand through his dark hair. A shaking hand. “A djinn doesn’t break his vows. Its...you want me to believe after five centuries
that I want a human by my side permanently.”
His snarl bit out emphasis on human. Calm descended over Carolyn. Her smile started small and grew. “Yes.”
His gaze slid away. His hand dropped and rubbed at the band on his left wrist. Carolyn knew he was on the verge of—maybe not believing her but accepting there was something. She pushed her advantage. “I know about Isolde and Tobias.”
His expression darkened. Fingers clenched on the taut brown leather.
Carolyn licked her lips. Continued. “There’s a cabin. A private place for you to getaway.”
Kale flinched and color drained from his face.
“No one knows. Not even Jadon.”
His head tipped to the side. “Who are you? Really?”
Shaking, she gave the only answer she had. “Your wife. And I love you so damn much, Kale. This is tearing me apart.”
Some animal sound burst from him. He curled a hand about her neck and dragged her close. Her face planted in his shirt front. On the verge of collapse, Carolyn buried her fingers in his suit jacket. The only thing holding her upright was the steady arm he curled about her waist. His grip on her nape locked.
Did he kiss her head? Carolyn decided to go for broke. Get it all out. Sniffing, she muttered, “You don’t watch tv. You have no need to eat. Except to humor me, I guess. ”
Quiet.
“You ground once a year to renew your connection to Earth.”
He stilled.
“You put a protection spell on me.”
That got a verbal response.
“I noticed. It’s a shitty one at that.”
Unlikely humor bubbled forth. Carolyn leaned back to see his face but Kale’s arm at her waist banded like steel not allowing her to move. The hand at her neck lowered. Fingers spread as he palmed her butt. Carolyn relaxed back into his embrace, caressing every part of his chest she could reach.
“I’m allergic to your direct magic. At least that’s what you said.”
“Hmmm.” He rested his chin on the top of her head. And nuzzled.
The familiar gesture did it. The dam on her heart broke and Carolyn cried. Tears streamed down her face but she muted the accompanying whimpers.
Wasted effort.
Kale pulled back suddenly and cupped her face. He stared at the evidence of her pain. “Sweetling.”
The drawled endearment had her crying harder and she ducked her head. Kale kept her chin up, staring intently. “So, I married you?”
Her answering chuckle broke off in the middle on a sob at the bemused question. “Said you loved me too and everything.”
He threaded his hand through her hair, tangling in the strands. “I think I need to hear it all. From the beginning.”
With a blink of his eyes they were in his bedroom. A wave of his hand left them both nude. Kale picked her up and climbed into the bed. Covers were yanked unceremoniously away. Carolyn snuggled into Kale and placed her head on his chest.
“Tell me all of it once more.”
She started at the beginning. Went over every detail she could remember.
And fell asleep mid-sentence.
***
Kale continued to stroke the slim thigh curved over his legs. Up her hip over her back and down again to repeat the process. Long after Carolyn ceased to speak he stared at the pale blue wall across from his bed. Thoughts tumbled through his head but for once without the throbbing headache.
Too much evidence. Proof at last. Not just the witness and the marriage certificate but the things she’d shared. He drew in a deep breath. This was his wife. He’d married Carolyn Sutherland. An unprecedented action he never would have foreseen. Now he had to question his own feelings. She loved him. Had he loved her in return or had he been playing a game?
If the ache in his heart was to be believed, he also loved her.
And didn’t remember any of it.
Chapter 29
“I did what?”
There was so much disgust in his tone, Carolyn placed a hand over her mouth to muffle the laughter. Kale glared.
“It’s the truth I swear.”
“Rose petals?” he repeated with a sardonic twist of his lips.
She nodded. “It was very romantic.”
His nose curled almost sending her into another fit of laughter.
“Maybe something else will jar your memory.”
“Yes. Something more...believable.”
Jadon snorted behind them. They were in the living room, Jadon in the kitchen preparing lunch. Neither man had gone into the office today. Kale was dressed casually in jeans and a chest hugging tee shirt. His bare feet were propped on the coffee table because Carolyn hoped he’d relax enough to get his memory started. So far nothing was familiar.
She didn’t let that get her down and tried something else. Pulling out her phone she held it up and showed the selfie from Vegas. “Our wedding photo.”
Kale leaned over, his cologne wafting toward her. He stared then met her gaze. “You were content with this?”
She shrugged. Nothing could have ruined that day for her. “I was never one to plan my wedding as a little girl. I mean...I think I assumed I’d get married in front of friends and family. But...honestly this was perfect.”
He smoothed a hand over her shoulder. “Based on what you’ve told me, I would have given you anything. Spared no expense for a wedding.”
“Meh.” Carolyn draped herself along his side and propped her head on his chest. Kale’s arm curved about her shoulder. “Really, I was fine. I never expected to fall in love with someone like you. Money, glamour—none of that mattered.”
“What did matter?”
“You,” she admitted softly looking up to face him. “Only you mattered, Kale.”
She could tell she’d startled him and he didn’t know how to reply. That was okay. She loved him and his openness about everything was enough for now. They’d get there again or start all over. Nothing would come between them this time.
***
Kale was determined they’d make it fucking work. Granted he didn’t have his memories back but what he felt for Carolyn was every bit real to him. The last five months were wonderful. No, more than that. He went to work happier than he could ever remember being.
Like now. Kale couldn’t contain his excitement. Jadon rolled his eyes as Kale disconnected his call.
“I’ll assume you’re done for the day?”
Kale snort laughed. “Hardly. Carolyn’s meeting me for lunch though. She’s already on her way here.”
It wasn’t often Carolyn dropped by to see him at work. His schedule was brutal and thankfully she respected the time he spent away at the office. She was also quite busy hitting back to back book signings for her book tour. Her latest release caused a bit of a sensation and she was making the most of it.
Kale tried to get home most evenings at a reasonable time. If he had to go out of state, he cut the trips short in order to be back in bed beside her by nightfall. There was a benefit to having the ability to port. He could travel to the other side of the country for business and still be back with his wife the same day.
Wife. How odd saying it no longer caused a ripple of terror. Because of Carolyn. She made it easy to be married. His life felt lighter with her in it. She loved him and what he felt for her couldn’t be contained by a simple word.
Today was a perfect example. She’d conspired with his admin to block off an hour of time and instead of meeting with a supplier as he’d thought, he was meeting Carolyn for lunch.
The only small bump in their relationship was his lack of memory. His fingers curled into a fist. A few weeks ago, he’d come home to her staring into the back yard through the French doors. Usually Carolyn was all smiles at his arrival but there was no missing the misery in her downturned lips this time.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
She’d tried to put on a brave smile. “Nothing.”
A tear slipped free and rolled down her cheek. Kale was n
o fool. He’d wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Please don’t cry.”
Her breath hitched. “I’m fine.”
She wasn’t. Not by any stretch. He smoothed his hands up her sides before turning her to face him. “You think I don’t know why you’re crying?”
The answer was obvious to him. He caught the way she stared sometimes during their evenings together. The way he’d say something and she’d freeze. That was how he always knew he’d stumbled on something from their week.
On this particular occasion, he’d leaned forward and kissed her eyelids. “You own my heart, Carolyn. Never doubt that for a minute.”
“I’ll make myself scarce then.”
Jadon’s laughing comment pulled him from the memory. Kale grinned, scanning the view outside his office. Below, pedestrians scurried about. Traffic zoomed up and down the street outside his building. Business as usual. A cab screeched to a halt and the rear door popped open.
He spotted Carolyn instantly. She wore a pair of jeans and a blue top that wrapped about her torso. Her head tipped back as she laughed at something the driver said and shut the door.
Carolyn checked the traffic light, waiting at the corner as the cab pulled off. Suddenly she glanced up. Kale could swear she saw him but knew that was impossible from the angle and glare of the sun. She waved in his direction anyway and Kale bit off a chuckle. Of course she’d assume he’d be watching. She knew him too well.
The light changed and Carolyn moved with the other pedestrians. In less than five minutes she’d be in his arms.
A red SUV jerked to a halt several cars back to avoid a loose dog running across the street. A man on a bicycle swerved. People scattered about. Some tried to catch the stray. A silver four door careened out of control, the driver panicking. His car jumped the curb.
Carolyn turned, fear flashing over her face.
The silver sedan’s projected course put it directly on a path toward Carolyn. It was a nightmare. Only he wasn’t asleep. Kale reached his palm out and slammed it on the glass. Denial lodged in his throat. It was like a chain of horrors.
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