I see shock register in his eyes, but it’s quickly replaced by anger.
“Bitch.” He backhands me hard, and I taste blood on my lip as I crumple to the ground.
“Hey, asshole.” A woman’s voice makes us both jerk our attention to the door.
Kiley stands there, and it takes me a moment to register what she has pointed at him.
A gun.
Shit.
“Jesus,” Felix breathes out, placing his hands up in the air, and taking a step backwards, putting a foot through one of my paintings. “What the hell?”
“What do you want me to do with him?” Kiley asks, her blue eyes cold and trained on Felix.
Felix looks at me, and the expression of terror on his face would almost be comical if I wasn’t worried that Kiley might actually put a bullet in his chest.
“Get out of here,” I say to him, using the wall to help me stand.
He takes a step towards me. “Brynne, I didn’t mean-”
The click of the hammer being pulled back has us both twisting our heads towards Kiley, and my mouth drops open in shock.
“Just go. Before this gets worse,” I say, flinching when he takes a step towards me.
“You want me to call the cops?” Kiley asks, but I can hear the hesitation in her voice, and I doubt she has the proper papers to be using the weapon in her hands.
“No.” I stare at Felix. “He’ll leave. And he’ll never come back. Right?”
“Yeah. I’ll go,” he grits out. “But good luck ever finding anywhere to show this shit you call art. You’re nothing without me. You’ll always be nothing. Just a spoiled little rich girl living off other people’s money.”
I shrug, trying to hide the way my fingers tremble. “Maybe. But if you’re not out of here in thirty seconds, you’ll be nothing, too. Just an obituary in the back of the newspaper.”
It’s an empty threat. But he doesn’t need to know it.
His nostrils flare and his lips twist in a scowl before he storms out of the room. Kiley follows him, and I sink to the floor, my legs giving out on me, and let the tears I’d been holding back stream down my cheeks.
A few seconds later, Kiley is beside me, the gun gone. A look of protectiveness straining her pretty features. A look that reminds me of Kane.
“You okay?”
“Where’s Noah?”
“Asleep in his stroller. He’s fine. I just came back to get another bottle.” She winces, and looks down sheepishly. “I had a little accident with the first one.”
I huff out an unsteady breath. “Lucky for me.”
I don’t know what Felix would have done if she hadn’t stopped him. I shiver, not wanting to think about what could have happened.
She chews on her bottom lip. “You won’t tell Kane about the gun, will you? It’s not loaded, I swear.”
“It wasn’t loaded?” I stare at her in bewilderment. It takes some kind of balls to point an unloaded weapon at someone.
She shakes her head and I start to laugh. I don’t even know why, but I can’t stop.
“My God. You’re…”
“Crazy? Yeah, I know.” She laughs with me.
“I was going to say fearless.”
Her expression sobers. “Fear is why I have the gun.”
I squeeze her hand. “You don’t have anything to worry about anymore.”
“Just protecting you from stalkers.” She raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah.” I touch my lip. It’s starting to throb, and when I pull my fingers away, there’s blood on them.
“Kane is going to freak when he sees that.” She stands, then holds out her hand to help me up.
I wince, thinking about Kane’s reaction when I tell him.
He’d warned me about Felix, but I hadn’t really seen how strong his obsession was. Kane will want to know what happened, and as much as I want to protect Kiley, I have to tell him about the gun.
“I can’t keep this a secret from him. You know that?”
She swallows hard. “I know.”
“I doubt he’ll condone you carrying a gun. Even an unloaded one. You protected me.”
Her expression is still clouded over with apprehension.
I pull her into my arms and hug her hard. She resists it at first, but eventually her body relaxes and she hugs me back.
I’m still shaking, and I double and triple-check that the apartment door is locked before calling down to the front desk to let them know not to allow Felix into the building again.
I want to ask Kiley about the gun. There’s so much about the girl that I don’t know. But one thing I do know is she’s a lot more like Kane than he thinks.
Chapter 32
Kane
Despite getting the win, the tension between the team is still tangible. I’ve never heard more muttering from the men since we lost in the semifinals two years ago.
Blake has done his best to avoid me. And Sebastian is still acting like I killed his fucking puppy.
After our flight takes off, I move to the empty seat beside Sebastian. “You not talking to me now?”
He gives me a sideways glance. “You still keeping shit from me?”
“You know everything.”
He grunts. “I can’t believe you have a kid and didn’t tell me about it.”
“Things were messy. I was doing my best just to keep my head above water.”
“Could’ve helped you.”
“Yeah.” I admit. He’s right. “Forgive me?”
He grunts. “You owe me.”
“Fine.” I smile. “You can have that bottle of Dalmore you’ve been begging me for.”
“I’ll take it. But I’m talking big-time owe me.” He’s smirking now. “Like best man at your wedding owe me.”
Exhaling, I rub my palms on my jeans and grimace. “Wish I could promise you that.”
“You better not tell me you’re letting Starowics take my spot.”
“No. It’s not that.”
“You are going to marry her? Christ, you’ve been half in love with her-” He stops and winces. “Shit. You asked her?”
“Yeah.”
He gives me a look of pity. “Take it she said no.”
“Smart guy.” I let the sarcasm drip from my words.
“So, what? You just going to keep playing house?”
“For now.”
Silence stretches between us.
“Well, then I expect to at least be the kid’s godfather.”
I chuckle. “Deal.”
“I get the kid and Blake gets your sister. Sounds fair.” He smirks at me.
“Fuck off.”
“You should talk to him. He’s always been a moody bastard. But I’ve never seen him like this.”
“I know.” I’ve been worried about him, too. But if what Tyler said is true, then I have a whole other reason to be concerned.
I get up and move down the aisle, giving Matt, who’s sitting beside Blake, a look that makes him move.
“About time you two kiss and make up,” Matt says with a smirk, before moving down the aisle.
Blake glances over at me when I sit down beside him, then looks back out the window.
“Well?” I ask, watching him.
“Well, what?” His voice is clipped with irritation.
“You know what.”
“I didn’t kiss her, if that’s what you’re asking. The little prick thought he saw something. But I haven’t touched her. Wouldn’t. She’s a fucking kid. And she’s your sister.”
I believe him. But there’s more that he’s not telling me.
“You care about her.”
He exhales heavily and closes his eyes. “I’m doing her, and you, a favor. Don’t make it anything more than it is.”
“So, your pissy mood has nothing to do with her?”
He glares at me.
“Good. Then you’ll be happy to know that an apartment opened up in the building. I’ll move her into it next week.”
His
brows draw down. “You think she’s okay living on her own?”
“She’s almost twenty years old. She doesn’t need a babysitter.”
He doesn’t look convinced.
“I’ll take care of her.” I rub the back of my neck. “You were right. She’s family. And Brynne seems to really like her.”
“You would, too, if you took the time to talk to her.”
“Maybe. But she’s not your responsibility anymore.”
He grunts and looks back out the window.
“We good?”
“Yeah,” he mumbles, despite the lack of change in his mood. “We’re good.”
I return to my seat, catching Sebastian’s gaze when I walk back.
He gives me a smirk and says half-joking, “I better be your best man over that moody bastard.”
“If you can convince the woman I’m worth wasting the rest of her life on, then it’s all yours.”
Chapter 33
Brynne
It’s late and I’m in bed reading when I hear the shuffling of feet down the hall. Even though I know it’s Kane, I can’t help the small shiver of anxiety that races through me. Every creak and rattle has made me jump after what happened with Felix. Tonight’s been the worst since I sent Kiley back to Blake’s apartment, so I could be alone with Kane when he got home.
The bedroom door opens, and I let out a small relieved breath when I see him.
“You better not be wearing anything under that t-shirt.” He chuckles, pulling off his shirt as he makes his way to the bed.
I laugh and place my book on the nightstand.
“You have no idea how much I missed you.” He crawls across the bed, dimples shadowing his cheeks, blue eyes flashing in the dim light.
God, he’s sexy.
He kisses me, and I do my best not to wince, but he must feel it, because he pulls back, his gaze questioning.
There’s a small scab on my lip from where Felix hit me. I was able to cover the bruise with make-up, but I know the second he sees it.
He sits up, pulling me with him, his fingers roaming over my face. “What the hell happened?”
I sigh, placing my palms on his chest. “You promise not to get upset?”
“I’m already upset.” I can see the fire in his eyes.
I tell him what happened. Every detail. Not wanting to keep anything from him anymore.
“He hit you?” Kane starts to get out of bed, but I grab his hand.
“I hit him first if that makes you feel any better,” I say lightly, but he doesn’t smile.
“And why the hell does Kiley have a gun?”
“It wasn’t loaded.”
He drags his fingers through his hair, making it stand on end. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you. Not with her.”
“This wasn’t Kiley’s fault. I don’t know what would have happened if she hadn’t been here.”
His jaw muscle pulses rapidly. “You should have called the police.”
“He won’t be back.” I don’t tell him that I was worried about Kiley getting in trouble.
“You don’t know that. We should at least put a restraining order on him.”
“If he tries contacting me again, I’ll think about it. But I really think Kiley scared him.”
Kane sighs, then leans back against the headboard and closes his eyes. “God, I hate leaving you.”
“And I hate you leaving.” I move, slinking across his body so that I’m straddling him, and running my fingers down his chest.
“You missed me?” He lifts a brow.
“Maybe a little.” A smile tugs at my lips as I lean over and kiss his chest, dipping my fingers into the waist of his pants, hoping to divert his attention. He lifts his hips as I shift his pants down, allowing his already hard cock to spring free.
“I think you missed me more than a little.” His hands slink under the oversized t-shirt I’m wearing. His palms run over my thighs, then grip my hips.
I shrug, like his touch doesn’t send a thousand little sparks of ecstasy shooting through my body. But when his hand moves further up, cupping my breasts, his thumbs flicking my already hard nipples, I can’t help the small cry that escapes my lips.
“Admit that you missed me.” His hot mouth takes my nipple and I whimper. He gives a small, almost painful suck, then says, “Admit it, or I’m going to have to remind you how much you really missed me.”
“Maybe I need to remind you.” I wrap my arms around his neck, lifting up and positioning his cock at my entrance.
“Jesus, Brynne.”
I slide down on his rock-hard warmth, groaning as I take every delectable inch of him. His fingers grip my hips and he lets out a moan of his own.
“My God. What you do to me.”
I raise my arms when he pulls my t-shirt up and over my head, then tosses it across the room.
“Too much clothing,” he murmurs, his mouth finding my nipple again, his large arms wrapping around my back, one hand gripping my ass as I start to move on top of him.
We start slow, but the days apart have felt like torture, and my own desperate need for him escalates, returned by his own demanding rhythm. His hands and mouth are everywhere. Touching. Licking. Kissing.
Heart.
Mind.
Soul.
And I realize that this is what it means to belong to someone. To be fully enraptured.
“Mine,” he growls against my neck as he flips me over on my back, only unlocking our bodies for a brief second before he fills me again, deeper than before.
I whimper against his kiss as our bodies move in perfect harmony. His mouth devours mine, his tongue sweeping past my lips, while his fingers palm my breast, squeezing my nipple, and causing a bolt of ecstasy to go straight to my clit.
“Kane,” I whimper, the pleasure coursing through me almost too much to bear.
His thrusts become harder, more desperate, and I know he’s close. “Come with me, sweetheart.”
I do.
Waves of pleasure rip through me until my entire body is weak and shaking, my legs boneless.
Kane lets out a groan, plunging into me one last time before his body jerks and he comes in hot, hard spurts inside of me.
I whimper as I come again from the pulsing heat.
His forehead drops to mine, and he breathes out roughly. “God, I love you.”
I cup his precious face in my hands and hold his gaze, his cock still buried inside of me, and whisper the words I’d been too afraid to say until now. “I love you, too.”
Chapter 34
Three Months Later
Brynne
A shiver of excitement races down my spine as I walk into the large room where my paintings hang on display.
It’s my first exhibit, and I’m nervous. Not just for the night, but what I have planned after.
I catch a glimpse of Kane standing in the far corner holding Noah. They’re dressed in matching tuxedos. My heart races a little more, hoping he doesn’t freak out when I display my final piece.
“You look beautiful,” Kiley says nervously when she approaches, fidgeting in the elegant black gown I bought her.
“So do you.” She’s still so thin, but there’s color to her cheeks now, and life in her eyes.
Kane set her up in her own apartment in the same building we live in. Far enough away that we still have our space, but close enough that he can keep an eye on her. But it’s Blake who watches her now.
Dressed in a gray pinstriped suit, he approaches, looking as temperamental and brooding as usual. There’s something possessive in his eyes as they narrow in on Kiley.
“Hi,” he says, his voice gruff, looking like he’s ready to devour her.
I haven’t mentioned it to Kane, because I know he’d do one of two things—deny it, or beat Blake’s head in—but the attraction is there, and from the way her gaze drops to the floor and her cheeks turn a shade of scarlet, I’m pretty sure it’s mutual.
“Hi,” she says in return, sti
ll not meeting his gaze.
I sigh past the awkwardness between them. “Thanks for everything you did to help tonight.”
Blake gives a forced smile, adjusting his tie like it’s strangling him, then nods in the direction of Kane, who’s now talking to my father. “He know anything?”
“I don’t think so. If he does, he hasn’t hinted at it.”
“I think it’s romantic,” Kiley says, giving me one of her rare smiles.
I hope Kane thinks the same.
A server approaches, carrying a tray of champagne flutes. I take one, but when the server turns to Kiley, and asks “Champagne?” Kane nearly bites the man’s head off, grabbing the glass from Kiley’s hand.
“She’s too young to drink,” he growls, sending the man scurrying off towards the next circle of people.
Both Kiley and I stare at him in stunned silence for a brief moment, before she mutters something and hurries away, disappearing into the crowd.
“That was a little harsh.” I raise my eyebrows at him.
He glares at me, but I see all I need to in that one look. His nostrils flare and he’s about to say something when Austin Branson approaches, blonde hair slicked back, cocky grin on his face. “Nice party.”
“It’s not a party, asshole,” Blake says.
“Well, it will be, won’t it?” He looks slightly disappointed. “You said-”
“It will be,” I say, glancing up at the giant of a man. He makes Kane look small, but he’s still lanky and boyish. Two things Kane has never been. Not since I’ve known him.
“Will be what?” Kane comes up behind me and kisses me on the cheek, making Noah clap his hands and laugh. For some reason, he thinks it’s the funniest thing in the world whenever we kiss. “And what the hell are you doing here, Branson?”
Branson smirks, and gives the lie I told him and the rest of the Annihilators to tell if Kane asked them why they came to my exhibit. “Coach invited me. And I never turn down free food and alcohol.”
Austin plucks an hors d’oeuvre off a tray when a server walks by, then pops it into his mouth with a cocky smile, causing Blake to glare at him.
Second Shot: A Men With Wood Novel Page 17