“I found him in an alley, behind the club he’s been staying at. I’m sorry, Kaine. If I’d found him a day sooner…”
“Tell me.”
“He’s still alive, Kaine. But he’s been beaten, almost beyond recognition.”
“Whoever did this left him for dead.”
24
Grace
I watched as Kaine’s face turned pale and the phone slid down from his ear. A minute later, he was on his feet, pulling me up beside him.
“We’re getting the fuck out of here, now.”
“What is it, Kaine? What’s happened?” I’d never seen him look this way, and his voice had an edge that made me afraid. “Something’s wrong…”
“Nothing I shouldn’t have seen coming, Grace. We’re getting you the hell out of this place right now.”
Less than five minutes later, we were in Kaine’s sleek, black sports car and we were headed out of the city. We’d gone down the back stairs, where I’d confronted Cole. This time, the stairs had been empty and we had left La Laisse behind us. Only Mrs. S knew we were gone, and she’d assured me she would tell no one we were leaving together. After all, she wasn’t exactly in business as a matchmaker…
“You’ll be safe with him, Grace,” she’d said in my ear before she kissed me goodbye. “I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.”
For some reason, her kind words bristled. I knew he’d had other girls there. And the closer I felt to him, the more the idea bothered me. Maybe he was willing to help me, maybe he even felt more for me than he had for any of the others, but I was still just a purchase he’d made. Not like a real girlfriend. Not like a real relationship at all.
He drove fast, intimately familiar with the car and his surroundings. An hour and a half later, we were far into the country, away from the lights and glamour of the city. The houses here were enormous, from what little I could see. They were far off the road and surrounded by gently rolling hills and tall trees. I’d only seen houses like these in magazines with thick, glossy pages. And he was driving up a long, winding drive that took my breath.
“This is home?” I asked, taking in the perfectly groomed lawns and the long, elegant reflecting pool that filled the center of the drive. He parked, and pulled our bags from the trunk. I followed him inside, holding my breath, trying to take it all in. I’d known he had to be rich, to pay what he’d paid for me… But this wasn’t rich. This was another world.
He tossed the bags carelessly on the marble floor of the foyer and took my hand. “Becca will fix us something in the kitchen,” he said. Her name rolled off his lips easily and I had a sudden and uncomfortable image of a tall, elegant brunette in heels and a pink frilly apron. “Bec,” he called down the hall. “I’m home, and we’re starving.”
“Well, sit yourselves down and take a load off.” I heard her before I saw her and the picture in my head fell apart. She came around the corner in a flurry with two bottles of mineral water in her hands. The apron was pink. The shoes were orthopedic.
“Imagine our Mr. Kaine bringing a guest,” she wheezed. Becca was short, and as wide as she was tall. Her cheeks were red and her eyes bright as buttons. Her chins wagged slightly as she spoke with obvious affection.
“I didn’t expect you back for a couple more days.” She put a bottle in Kaine’s open hand and offered one to me. I took it and smiled, warmed by her comfortable presence. “Did the meeting end early?”
Kaine’s eyes slid sideways toward me and I caught his glance. He smiled, and in spite of everything, I had to smile back. “It ran a little short, Bec,” he said, taking a swallow of water. “Can you put something together for us? I have some calls to make in the library.”
“As if I could refuse you anything,” Bec said cheekily, as she turned back and headed toward what must have been the kitchen. “Give me twenty minutes,” she called back over her shoulder.
I turned as Kaine took my hand in his huge, warm one. “Come on,” he said. “This way.”
The house was warm and beautiful. Rich wood lined the walls and the furniture was elaborately carved. Dark and heavy with an old world feeling. It would have been gloomy except for the brilliance of the light. There were windows everywhere, even lining the high ceilings. It seemed to bring the outside in with us. I felt safe, but not contained.
“It’s extraordinary,” I said, mostly to myself. I was looking everywhere at once, my head on a swivel. Kaine had my hand tightly and was intent only on our destination. The huge library doors closed behind us and I watched him take a seat behind the enormous desk.
“Safe… soon to be fed properly,” he said, his brow furrowed in thought. I sat down in a leather armchair and felt myself sink into it. “Now it’s time for Plan B.”
25
Kaine
Bec came in with a tray and a warm smile. She put the tray down on the low coffee table and wiped her hands on her apron. The woman loved to feed people and was a marvel as a housekeeper. She’d lived on Rance Street too, years back. When her husband died ten years ago, she came to work for me. I’d insisted on it.
“Now you be sure he eats, young lady,” she said to Grace. “I don’t know how this boy keeps body and soul together.” She clucked her tongue and I saw Grace smile. “He doesn’t eat enough, and he sleeps even less.” She lifted the silver cover off the tray and the mouthwatering smell of shepard’s pie filled the room. “Call if you need anything else.”
She bustled out of the library, closing the door behind her. I pulled a chair close to Grace and sat down, dishing out the beef and vegetables and handing a plate to her.
“It’s not fancy, but there’s nothing like it.” I watched with satisfaction as Grace lifted a forkful to her mouth and her eyes rolled with pleasure.
“I’ve never… oh my god, this is amazing…”
We settled into comfortable silence, pausing in our meal only when there was nothing left. I held back a chuckle when she licked the back of her fork and leaned back in her chair. I poured the coffee and handed her a steaming mug.
“You live like this?” she asked, taking a sip and looking around the room with wide eyes. “Every day… this is your real life?”
“It’s a part of it, Grace. But I’m not here all that much.” I swallowed my coffee. “I work. That’s who I am.”
“Work is never who someone is, Kaine. It’s just what we do.”
I shifted and stood, moving back around the desk to sit down again. “Well, there’s business that needs attention right now,” I said, picking up the phone. “Mrs. Sparr, please.” A moment later she answered.
“Rose, it’s Kaine. Yes… I’m afraid so. I’m going to need you both here at the house, as soon as possible.” I looked at Grace. Her eyes were steady, watching me. “Yes… and thank you. Tell Dalia I’ll make it very worth her while.”
I could see the questions in her face. I came around to sit on the sofa and held out a hand for her to join me.
“What’s happening, Kaine? Ever since you talked to Brian… and we left La Laisse so suddenly. Plan B? And now Dalia?” Grace stayed in her chair and I dropped my hand to my lap. “I have a right to know. This is my mother’s life. And mine, too.”
I nodded, contemplating where to start. She was right. She did need to know.
“Marks was beaten in an alley. Badly enough to know it wasn’t an accident or a robbery. It was a warning, and it was personal.” Her eyes widened and I went on.
“I’ve asked Rose… Mrs. Sparr, that is, to bring Dalia and come to the house. They’ll be here tomorrow. I had a feeling it might come to this, and I’d spoken to her before I knew about Marks. But there are still a lot of details to work out, and it’s best we take care of that in person. I didn’t want it to come to this… it may not even work. And it’s not without its own risks…”
“If Marks dies… then there’s no chance anymore. If you were right about him setting up Evelyn… There would no one left who could tell the truth about what
really happened that night. Christ, Kaine. We don’t even know for sure that he did set her up.”
I stood up and took Grace’s hand, leading her back to the sofa beside me. I brushed the silk of her hair back over her shoulders and took both her hands in mine. They felt cool, damp.
“Everything in me tells me he did, Grace. And that Cole was the man behind it all.” I chafed her hands in mine to warm them. “I’m right about him. All we need is the proof.”
“But how can Mrs. Sparr help with that? Or Dalia, for that matter?” Grace pulled her hands from mine. “What, exactly, are you going to make worth her while…?”
“What... exactly… are you asking me, Grace?”
She stood up and walked across the room, keeping her back to me. I saw her shoulders lift and fall. “This is about my mother, Kaine. What can Dalia do… that I can’t?” She turned to face me and I saw fear in her eyes. “Why do you want her here, Kaine?” She dropped her eyes to the floor. “And why do you not want me?”
I had her wrapped in my arms before she got out the last word. In the short second it took to reach her, I understood. It always came down to this. Even when I tried like fuck to keep it all business. I held her against my chest, feeling the rise and fall of hers. I’d failed her, by allowing her to cross the line… to disobey the rules that were there to protect us both. But I’d crossed the line too. And was about to cross it again…
“Grace,” I moaned, lifting her ass with my hands and pulling her hips into mine. “You’ve been all the fuck I’ve wanted since I saw you on that stage. Since I looked into your eyes, felt your skin under my hands…”
I caught her face in my hands and forced her to look at me. “I’ve never wanted anything… anyone… the way I want you…” I crushed her mouth with mine, filling her with my breath, my tongue… my words. Her hands tangled in my hair, pulling me in.
“I promised you’d suffer, Grace. But no more than I am now.” Her tongue met mine and my cock raged, caught between our hot, desperate bodies. “I want to fill you. Every inch of your body.” My voice was harsh with desire.
“I want to bury myself… lose myself in your sweet, velvet wetness. I want your body, your mind, your feelings… I want your heart, sweetheart. So fucking help me…”
And it was then I lost control.
I crushed her to me, devouring her with my hands and my mouth. Her body molded itself to mine, both of us straining… each of us desperate for more. She found the buttons of my shirt, fumbling, tearing at them. “I want this, Kaine…,” she said, breathlessly. “I need this. And I need you. It’s okay, Kaine… I trust you…”
I gripped her hands in mine, too hard. Way too hard. I pulled back, looking down into her beautiful face. Those beautiful green eyes… She did trust me. She was trusting me with everything inside her. Everything I wanted so badly.
“No, Grace.”
My heart was racing, my body screaming with desire for her. I pushed her from me and stepped back, running my hands savagely through my hair, trying to control my breathing and the storm raging inside me.
“It can’t happen, Grace. Not the way that you want.” I sat down behind the big, solid desk, buttoning my shirt again. She looked so small across the room. “Not even the way I want, sweetheart.”
“Kaine…”
“No… I wish that I could make you understand, Grace. I’m not even sure I do myself. But it can’t be like that between us. Not between me and any woman. I don’t know how to love you. Or anyone. And I won’t hurt you by taking something from you that I can’t give back.”
The door opened and Bec came in, towel in hand. She headed for the tray on the table, but stopped, looking from my face to Grace’s. “I… I hope I haven’t… interrupted…” She pursed her lips and I saw a frown start to form.
“Of course not.”
I stood. “We were only discussing tomorrow’s plans. We’ll have guests arriving in the afternoon. Some light refreshments should do, Bec. Now, if you’ll both excuse me.” I headed for the door, unable to look back, feeling the eyes of both women on my back.
“Please make Grace comfortable in the east suite, Bec. I’ll see you both in the morning.”
26
Grace
He disappeared through the French doors, closing them behind him. I still stood where he’d left me.
“Oh, don’t let him and his ways upset you any,” Becca said briskly, sweeping crumbs from the coffee table. “He has his big, stern look about him, but don’t you let that fool you.” She straightened and brushed the greying hair out of her eyes with the back of her hand. “He’s strong and rich and powerful, sure. He has everything he thinks he needs. But I’ll tell you this, Grace.” She took my hand and led me to the sofa, sitting down beside me with a wink. “That boy has no idea what’s good for him, and that’s the truth.” She patted my hand. “I thought I’d never see him bring a nice young lady home. Just work, work, work for that one. Well, just goes to prove… there’s always hope. Even for a man as lonely as him.”
She stood up, picking up the tray and cocking her head at me. “Come on. I’ll get you all nice and snug in the west suite.”
“But Kaine said the east one…”
Becca smiled coyly as she led the way. “Did he? I’m just sure he meant the west one. It has the loveliest view in the evening. And it’s right next to Mr. Kaine’s…”
The light was starting to fade when Becca left me. The sky was turning pink and the huge windows guided the colors inside. My room was huge, the ceilings high. The bed was enormous, the only dark wood in the room. All the rest was pale, the color of cream. I’d bathed in the claw foot tub in the adjoining bathroom, and was wrapped in one of the thick towels Becca had provided. “Don’t you worry,” she’d said before she left me alone. “I saw how he looked at you, and there’s nothing to worry about. I know that boy better than he does. And a lady as old as I am doesn’t miss much.” She’d kissed my cheek and left me with a warm smile. I wanted to ask her so many things.
I brushed my hair, soothed by the familiar motion, and watched as the treetops moved in the distance. It was easy and gentle. Almost hypnotic. I realized how tired I was. And just how much had happened in such a short time. I sat still, staring out the window until the sun disappeared below the horizon. The room seemed different somehow. That’s when I heard the knock.
“Grace? Are you awake?”
His voice sounded strained from the other side of the door. “I need to speak to you, Grace. Please.”
I opened the door to him. He was in a robe, his hair damp and unruly. I’d never seen him looking so… normal. So real. I reached up to push the hair out of his eyes. They were warm. Warm grey. I felt a tingle run through me.
“I’m sorry, Grace. About losing control. About… well. I feel like I owe you more of an explanation than I was ready to give…”
“You don’t owe me anything, Kaine,” I answered softly. “You’ve given me so much. You’ve kept me safe, bringing me here, wanting to help. If anything, I’m the one who owes you.”
He shook his head gently and led me to the edge of the bed. He sat, pulling me down on his lap and wrapping his arms around my waist. I could feel his arousal through his robe and my towel. A hot, liquid warmth flooded through my core. I wanted him so badly, yet more than that, I wanted to hear what he had to tell me.
“You’ve asked me a lot of questions… ones I haven’t answered,” he began. It was almost completely dark. I watched the outline of his lips as he spoke. “I can’t give you everything you need, Grace. And I’ve never told anyone…” He looked out the window into the darkness. “I want to tell you. If I can make you understand… I want to tell you.”
I kissed him, softly, quickly. Not out of need or desire. But for encouragement. Then I was still, silent. Willing to wait as long as he needed me to.
“I asked Rose here tomorrow, along with Dalia, because they may be our last chance. To get the information we need to prove your moth
er wasn’t responsible for Claire’s death. Cole hasn’t made any friends at La Laisse, and when Rose heard what he did to you…” I heard the strain and anger in his voice. “She’ll do anything I ask, to help us. And so will Dalia.”
I shifted, uncomfortable.
“No, sweetheart. Not because of anything personal between us. But because Dalia likes to dominate her partners.” I saw his outline change. He was smiling. “She may already know something that could help us. And if she doesn’t, I’m sure she could find out.”
“You mean, use her? To set Cole up somehow. To get him to admit something…?”
“It’s all part of the games she likes to play. And if we send her back to Cole, knowing the kind of information we need…”
“She’ll seduce it out of him…?”
“One way or another, I expect. She’s good with a whip.”
I sat quietly, not sure I wanted to hear any more. Kaine gathered my hair in one hand and twisted it, turning my face to his. I couldn’t see his features anymore. The light was gone and there was no moon.
“I’ve been to La Laisse a half dozen times, Grace. I’ve paid for almost every woman there, at one time or another.” I could feel his breath, warm and close. “I haven’t fucked one of them. Not at La Laisse. Not anywhere else.” He kissed me, his lips warm and gentle on mine. “I watched them. I encouraged them, just as I did with you. But I didn’t touch them. And I never let them touch me.”
“I remember,” I said. “The rules.”
“Yes, the rules.” He bit my lower lip softly. His teeth were sharp. “Rules I broke only with you. Rules I’m breaking right now.” His tongue slipped against mine and a powerful shudder ran through me. My pussy was clenching with a rhythm of its own. I could feel his rock-hard cock, so close. So fucking close…
“I was wild in my teens,” he said. “I thought sex could make everything better. And for a little while it seemed to.” He spoke into the curve of my neck. My nipples tightened.
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