I shrugged but nodded, “Touché.”
Chapter Six
Grace
JESUS CHRIST. THE miserable bastard beside me was driving me nuts. Moan, moan, bloody moan. That’s all he had done the entire six hours drive up the motorway and my brain was starting to knock against my skull in both warning and bleakness.
“How much longer, I have cramp!”
I rolled my tongue over my teeth and gripped the steering wheel tighter. It was either that or his neck. “Around thirty minutes. Then we can get you bathed and in bed with a lovely hot chocolate and a book.”
He glanced at me as a low growl quivered the already tense air but I refused to return his look. “Are you always this hostile?”
His question made a burst of laughter climb up my throat and break free loudly. He blinked across the car at me with bewilderment but I refused to pacify him with an answer.
He sat up straighter and peered into the darkness as I indicated and pulled off the motorway onto a slip road, “Tell me again, where are we going?”
“Just . . . a place.”
I could feel the hairs on the nape of my neck prickle as my gut fired with both nostalgia and nerves. Why the hell Liam had made me bring Kade here was beyond me, even though I could see his reasoning with the security and isolation advantage. It just . . .
I blinked and shifted my thoughts as I indicated again and slipped onto a dirt road. “Obviously somewhere personal” he mumbled intuitively.
I turned and even shocked myself when I growled at the smart prick. His eyes widened but then something covered his face and he looked back through the window. “So, tell me Grace Beaumont, what made you join the bureau?”
He was really beginning to annoy me but something in his tone made me feel . . . comfortable. Hell, that would have to be addressed.
“My parents were murdered, and the only revenge for that is to repay the favour.” I told him openly and bluntly.
He nodded, his gaze still fixed on the outside world. “I get that.”
“I’m so pleased.”
He shot me an exasperated look but the darkness covered it and I smirked to myself. I didn’t think a female had ever actually looked past his looks and given him the cold shoulder, he was used to women falling at his feet. Well, he’d have a shock if he expected that from me.
“So tell me, Kade Hamilton, what made you fuck your brother-in-law’s girl?”
I shivered as the temperature suddenly dropped to match the outside frostiness and a furious iciness infused the interior of the car. Goose bumps exploded over every inch of my clammy skin and my bones vibrated with the intensity of his rage and antipathy.
“Why don’t you shut the fuck up, you stuck up bitch and direct your daddy issues at those who cower to it.”
Okay.
I slammed on the brakes and before he could turn to look at me I had my hand around his throat and the back of his head squashed into the headrest as my knee dug painfully into his already tender ribs. “Let’s get one thing straight Mr Hamilton, I’m here to protect you! Fuck me off any more and I’ll hang a steak around your neck and drop you in the ocean myself. You understand me? Well, to be honest I don’t care if you don’t. You stick to your side and I’ll stick to mine, don’t give me another reason to step over that boundary because believe me, you will fucking regret it.”
He stared at me, his eyes narrow but full of ire before he pursed his lips and forced himself to nod in acceptance.
I nodded in return frantically trying to take the control of my breathing back, “Good.” I slid back over and sniffed back my antagonism, “Maybe we could start again?”
He stared at me like I was crazy but I shrugged and left him to it. He’d learn.
* * *
My lungs tightened as I punched in the gate code and slid the car through when they opened. I could feel Kade’s eyes on me, his uncanny perception reading me easily but I pulled back my shoulders and drove the length of the two mile long driveway.
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed when the floodlit house came into view. I had forewarned Mona that I would be coming and god bless her, she had prepared for me.
“So this where you grew up, Beaumont?”
God damn this fucking man!
I didn’t respond and I’m not even sure he was expecting me to but as soon as the flutters began I pulled the car to a halt, opened my door and threw the pasty I’d had at the motorway services spectacularly over the gravel driveway.
Fuck!
Nice Grace, very stylish.
I blew out a slow breath, dragged in some fresh air and pulled myself back into the car. Kade didn’t speak and I actually found myself endearing towards him for the first time in the last eight hours.
Get the fuck on with it Grace.
“Come on Beaumont, I’m ready for that hot chocolate and story.”
I turned and stared at him but his lips twitched and I couldn’t hold back my own smile. His face softened but I brushed away the concern that was held in his eyes and put the car into gear and made myself once more, for the first time in seventeen years, go home.
Kade whistled through his teeth when he climbed from the car and took in the multi-million pound house. It was just a house.
Right?
Right!
His face was laughable really as his eyes scanned over the part of the house he could actually see but for some reason, humour wasn’t high up on my emotions at the moment.
I dragged my feet to the rear of the car and pulled our bags out, anything to delay going inside. “Go on in, I’ll follow in a minute” I told him as I settled the luggage slowly on the ground beside the car. He turned and aimed his scrutiny on me; his piercing blue eyes held mine and the knowing sad half smile he gave me made my blood boil. “I don’t need your fucking pity, Mr Hamilton. Just go in.”
He stood still and silent, his gaze still secured on mine. “Please,” I added through clenched teeth and damned myself for the plea that my voice quivered with.
He blinked and frowned faintly but then smiled and pulled in a breath before he did as I asked and ran up the steps, disappearing through the double doors and into the house.
My hand shot out and grabbed at the car for support as my whole body started juddering. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
I was starting to hyperventilate, my teeth were chattering wildly as my heart pounded behind my ribcage at an astonishing pace. I plonked my arse on the stony drive and drew my knees up, fixing my head securely between them as I forced air through my constricted airway.
“It’s just a house god damn it!”
I could feel the weight of my tears in my ducts but they wouldn’t come, they never came because I never let them, yet just this once I considered whether to set them free but I was so scared that once the torrent started, it would never cease and would drown me with its fury.
“Beaumont!”
Jesus Christ, not now!
“Beaumont, get in here. I need to take a piss and I don’t know where I’m going. It’s like the London underground in here!”
“Bloody hell! Hang on.”
I pulled myself up and glared at him as he stood peering at me in the doorway, his hand on his crotch as he tried to hold his bloody urine like a five year old.
“Are you always this annoying?” I asked as I pushed past him and forced my legs to carry me across the entrance hall towards the bathroom at the back, the heels of my boots echoing loudly in the open space.
“Oh don’t get moody; I just need to pee for god’s sake.”
I rolled my eyes but ignored him as I flung open the door and swept my arm, gesturing for him to enter.
He grinned widely and winked at me before he slid past me and took hold of the door. “Welcome home, Beaumont” he said softly before he pulled it closed and flicked the lock.
I sighed and closed my eyes. He had done it on purpose just to get me in there and I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Had he done it to be supportive
or to get me back for earlier? Whichever, it had worked and I opened my eyes slowly as I took in the sight of my childhood home after so long.
I swallowed the bile as the images assaulted me like a bucket of ice water in the face; the masses of blood, their mangled bodies; their wide dead eyes and I grabbed hold of the door, clawing with my hands to feel something under them to ground myself as I fought to keep my knees locked and sturdy.
* * *
I hadn’t realised I had passed out until I opened my eyes and Kade was smiling softly down at me.
“Hey, there.”
My breathing accelerated as I scrambled backwards. The headboard softened the blow to the back of my head when I jammed my body back forcefully, “Shit!”
“Hey, calm down. It’s okay.”
I shook my head and cursed. “No, I need to . . .”
He grabbed the tops of my arms and I jolted him off me, “Don’t touch me.”
His eyes narrowed but he held his hands out as if to placate me, “I’m not going to hurt you, Beaumont.”
“My name is Grace, god damn it!”
He stood and took a step backward but kept his eyes fixed on mine. “Grace, listen to me. You just took a fall, that’s all and I just thought you would be comfier in here in case you’d hurt your back. It’s no big deal.” He shrugged and turned to leave but something yanked inside me at the anguish in his expression. He was trying to make this easier for me, making out it had been no big deal and I was being a total troll to him.
“Mr Hamilton . . .”
He turned back round and I caught his adam’s apple bob as he flicked his eyes over me. “Just . . . thanks.”
He pursed his lips and nodded humbly as his eyes twinkled mischievously, “Now see, that word coming from your aggressive mouth doesn’t really . . . work, don’t say it again.”
I stared at him and snorted with a slight shake of my head, “Your wish is my command, sir.”
The twinkle in his eyes disappeared swiftly and something darker and extremely debauched took over causing a dull throb to drag at my lower belly, moistening my pussy along with it.
Fuck!
He tipped his head as one side of his lips twisted wickedly and his voice became low and heavy, “Don’t tempt me, sweetheart. I command mercilessly.”
I swallowed at the same time as a huff of air blew past my lips forcefully. My breathing accelerated and my nipples hardened, making the lace of my bra suddenly feel hard and coarse as I fought with the need to rip it off and stop the restrictive pressure.
He said nothing more before he finally dropped my gaze and turned back to the door. He paused as if he wanted to say something else and I didn’t acknowledge how my eyes dropped to the fill of his jeans, his firm round arse demanding that I sneak a look and appreciate how good it looked.
I lifted my eyes back up and blinked when I met his dirty expression. He had totally caught me perving on him and I growled at myself as I held his gaze with a glare but he seemed to shake it off and a genuine smile shifted his deep expression. “Take your time, Beaumont. I’m sure I can find the kitchen by myself.”
He did leave then, pulling the door shut quietly behind him as I dropped my head back on the headboard and tried to identify my reactions.
Why the hell had I perved on him? I hated him, literally, for what he had done to Ava and Mason. And why the hell had his words made me hotter than a whore in a whorehouse?
I was just horny, that was it. It wasn’t anything to worry about. Everybody got horny, and when you’re horny, any man looks fuckable.
Yeah, that was it and I swung my legs over the bed as I sighed in relief.
Whatever had just happened wouldn’t happen again.
That I could promise.
Chapter Seven
Kade
HOLY FUCKING SHIT. I was harder than my mother’s nut roast, requiring me to adjust myself after I had pulled the door closed just to appease the strain and provide a little comfort. What was it with this damn woman? She was pure rabid Rottweiler, but there was something, just something . . . in her that I wanted. No, my body felt like it needed. She was like the sun my skin craved in the winter, the coolness my body hungered for in the summer or the beat a tune needed to make it rock. She just made me crave her.
Damn! I didn’t need this now. It was just because I was missing my usual hook ups.
Shit! The thought of being holed up here for weeks without sex, never mind months was sobering and I grit my teeth, pictured my granny and went in search of coffee.
The kitchen was cold, clinical and barely lived in but absolutely huge. The whole place looked like it had been recently modernised and never used. It even smelled up-to-the-minute and fresh; the units, the small rustic table dominating the left hand wall and even the floral padded window seat were all pristine and untarnished. It reminded me of a brand new doll’s house, everything perfect and set in place ready to play with.
It was a strange kind of set-up and if I hazarded a guess, I would say nobody actually lived here, and they hadn’t in a long time. But then again, the fridge and cupboards were well stocked. The heating was fired up and warming the house nicely. There was also what looked like a casserole in the oven, simmering away gently and smelling phenomenal as I bent and peeked through the clear glass window.
“It should be ready sir, if you’re hungry now.”
I shot a mile in the air, dropping the mug I had just been spooning coffee granules into and spun around to the sound of an old, leathery voice.
A woman of around sixty smiled warmly and nodded her head slightly, her three chins wobbling frantically whilst her large round belly jiggled as she tried to sustain her laughter. She bent to retrieve my cup from the floor, her soft face still smiling when she stood and placed my cup on the table, “I am so sorry; I seem to have surprised you there. Did Grace not tell you I would be here?”
I shook my head and stared at her. She still continued to smile and I wondered if she ever wore anything other than a grin but the warmth behind her eyes settled my nerves slightly. She approached and held her hand out, “Mona Hardy. You must be Mr Hamilton; Grace informed me that you would be accompanying her.”
I took her hand and the heat she generated stunned me slightly. “Can I serve you some dinner, sir?”
“Kade, please” I corrected her.
She smiled—again, and ushered me into a seat at the table before she proceeded to place cutlery, napkins and what looked like fresh homemade bread before me. “Do you live here with Beaumont . . . sorry, Grace?”
She blinked and a faint crease showed her confusion, “Grace doesn’t live here, Mr Hamilton. She hasn’t for over seventeen . . .”
“Mona . . .” Grace cautioned from behind me. Mona lifted her eyes and the elation that she displayed was incredible to witness. Her whole face brightened as a huge toothy grin broke from the normal smile and she open her arms, remaining motionless by the worktop.
Grace walked straight into her and sank into the old woman’s embrace. I smiled, anybody would have, at the love these two obviously had for each other.
Mona pulled back and held Grace at arm’s length as she flicked her eyes over every inch of her tall frame. “You’ve got thinner, pet” she grumbled with a stern expression.
“Oh, Mona, you say that every time and every time I am the exact same as I was the previous time you expressed your displeasure.” Grace laughed and pulled the old woman into another hug. “I missed you” she whispered but I caught the slight tremor in her voice.
“Oh, goodness and you too, my darling. So much.”
They embraced for a moment until Grace seemed to remember I was there and pulled away, her eyes flicking to mine before she walked to the oven, peered in, smiled and then disappeared through a door at the back of the kitchen.
“Are you ready to eat, sir?” Mona queried and I nodded as I frowned at the door Grace has gone through.
My stomach rumbled extremely loudly when the casserol
e was placed in the centre of the table, the vast amounts of steam swirling from it matching the immense hunger now coursing through me as Mona scooped a huge amount onto a warm plate. “So, Mr Hamilton, have you know Grace for long? She said you were just friends.”
I didn’t miss the probing scrutiny she slipped over me with narrow eyes, as though debating whether I was worthy of being a friend to Grace.
“Um, not really.”
I wasn’t sure how much this woman knew of what Grace did. The bureau was extremely secretive, I knew that and I didn’t want to accidently give out any information that wasn’t privy to everyone.
She glanced at me as confusion settled over her pale face, obviously wondering why Grace would bring a friend home that she hadn’t known for long, “More acquaintances.”
She seemed appeased with that and I scanned the door again. Where the hell had Grace gone?
“So Mona, I take it you have known Grace a while.”
She smiled widely and nodded as she placed a glass of water in front of me and one in the place opposite for Grace. “I was Grace’s nanny and the family’s housemaid.”
“Ahh,” I mumbled around the rich, tender beef that my taste buds were screaming in ecstasy with. “So you live here and take care of the property?”
“Well, I don’t actually live in the house. I have a small cottage over behind the old stables. I just care for the old girl now.” She seemed sad and a small sigh accompanied her words before she shook her head glumly and removed her apron, prior to pulling on a coat that was hung on a hook. “Well, I’ll see you in the morning Mr Hamilton. I’m hoping Grace will relent and go hunt for a tree.” She giggled and I smiled widely at the happy infectious sound.
“A tree?”
She gave me a stern bewildered look but the twinkle in her bright green eyes gave away her giddiness, “Yes, a Christmas tree Mr Hamilton. I can’t actually remember the last time the old girl was spruced up and decorated for the season.”
I nodded, “Well Mona, I’ll make it my mission tonight to persuade her.” I gave her a wink and she physically shook with delight before she bent close and planted a gentle kiss on my cheek, the scent of honeysuckle and vanilla supplementing the sweet peck.
The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone Page 185