Love's Hot

by Karen Deen

  “Just good? Are you serious? I was damn impressive, I’d say.” I grab her and start tickling her. I finally feel like my world is back on its axis.

  “Maybe I need reminding of who my big bad wolf is.”

  “Oh, my little Red, I told you once before, I never back down from a challenge and I never lose!”

  “That’s what I’m counting on,” she whispers.

  “Be careful what you wish for, Red. Tonight I fully intend on claiming you as mine all over again. I hope you’re ready.”

  Pulling her to me, my wolf comes out to play, and I start devouring her.

  And I don’t plan to stop anytime soon.

  29

  Lilly

  “KANE, I CAN’T MOVE. You broke me,” I murmur as we both start to wake from our wild night in more ways than one.

  “Let that be put on record, Kane Boston finally broke in the wild filly Lilly Stevenson,” he mumbles with his head buried in my hair. “I am the champion stallion in the stable.”

  “You’re such an ass sometimes, you know.” I start to roll onto my stomach and turn my head towards him, kissing him lightly on his forehead.

  “You’re so right. Now come here and kiss me properly, otherwise I will be smacking your ass. That was no way to kiss me good morning.”

  “Demanding too!” I pretend huffing at him. Like I’m ever going to say no to a kiss filled with passion from my man.

  “Mmm, much better,” he whispers, breaking away the tiniest bit. “Morning, beautiful. Are you okay?” I know he’s asking on a serious level. Yesterday was full-on. It’ll take a while to move past it. I know we will do it together so I can cope with that.

  “Yeah, I am. I’m here with you. Everything else will get easier to cope with.” I kiss his lips softly and then ask him the same thing.

  “What about you? Are you okay? It sounds like you had an intense few weeks.” With his hand on my cheek, I lean into it and feel all the love in his gesture.

  “Baby, I have you in my bed naked. Of course I’m fine.”

  “Kane, trust, remember? Talk to me.” This is where we’re going to need work.

  He takes a little breath. “Sorry, I’m trying. Yeah, baby, I’m okay. This will go on for a few months now, but the worst is over. Plus, I have you to lean on. I just need to remember that. Thank you.”

  “Always here. No matter what. I’ll be reminding you, don’t you worry about that.” I can’t help but start laughing.

  “What’s so funny, missy?” Kane pulls back to prepare for his next move depending on my answer.

  After I pull myself together and stop laughing, I say, “Just thinking about how every time I’ve turned up for you to lean on it’s involved some pretty hot sex. Involving a trench coat, or hand cuffs and chocolate sauce. I’m going to have to start getting creative.”

  “Fuck yeah, I love your creativity. I’m going to need to lean on you a whole lot more from now on, I can tell.” Kane starts wandering with his hands over my body. “Starting right now, I think. What have you got in mind?”

  “Sex maniac!” I smack his hand away from settling on my breast. “I told you I’m broken.”

  “Perhaps we can skip the shower and take a bath together. Will that make you feel better, my beautiful lady?” I love this soft Kane who’s not scared to show me his loving caring side.

  “Sounds heavenly.” I show him how much I love the suggestion with my appreciative kiss.

  ***

  After being bathed by Kane and making sweet passionate love in the bath, we finally emerge to eat breakfast. With only the bare essentials in the fridge from Alesha last night, we venture out to a café for brunch that’s almost lunch. The morning has gone before we realized.

  Kane managed to get my phone and belongings from the club last night before he left, and drove my car back to his place. I had totally forgotten about all of that. We both call Alesha in the car on the way to the café just to put her at ease. I know she must be worried about both of us after everything from last night. Especially because she doesn’t know much, just that it was one crazy time.

  Xavier, of course, is in the background yelling out stupid things about being able to hear the screaming from Kane’s apartment in his bedroom downstairs. If we could keep it down to a dull roar next time. This just starts the boys off in a pissing competition on who’s the better lover and has the biggest dick. No matter what, they will never stop being boys. For that I’m so grateful. You can’t take life too seriously all the time. It’s about living in the moment, laughing and loving. Everything else will fall into place.

  Thinking about my family and telling them about Kane, I wonder what bets my brothers will now be able to think up. Maybe I should beat them to it and have a bet with Alesha on how long before one of them gives him the ‘be good to my sister or we’ll kill you’ talk. Being the youngest, they’ve always been very protective of their baby sister. Alesha and I both had the problems at school of boys being too scared to come near us because of our brothers. Where Alesha just kept to herself, I used it as a challenge to see which boys I could make out with, before my brother found out.

  Lord help me if I have children and get girls. Karma couldn’t be that nasty to have a daughter turn out like me. We’ll butt heads and be constantly exploding like firecrackers. Maybe I should warn Kane now. Actually, I’m pretty sure he already knows.

  Sitting here watching my man, eating and scrolling through Facebook on his phone catching up on his social media, I can’t believe how my life has changed. A few months ago, I wasn’t even thinking one tiny little bit about children, or any permanent relationship for that matter. Now I can’t imagine life without him. I lived it for a few weeks, I felt like it almost killed me and I’m not going back there. I plan on making sure he knows that every single day. He’s stuck with me, no matter what.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Kane picks up his coffee to take a sip, smiling. That smile will get me every time.

  “Just happy. In here.” I pat my heart and a couple of little tears slip down my cheeks.

  “Me too, baby. Happier than I’ve ever been.” Picking up my hand, he kisses the back of it. Then he leans forward to whisper to me. “Don’t get used to this sappy lovey-dovey Kane, your wolf is lurking just below the surface and will raise his head looking for his Red very shortly.”

  “He better. He was part of the overall package that I had on the ‘try before you buy’ deal. I’ll be asking for a refund if I don’t get the full package I signed up for.”

  Kane leans back and roars with laughter, a real deep belly laugh.

  “You’re hilarious sometimes. Does that mean I’ve passed the trial period and now I’m a permanent fixture under the contract you entered into?”

  “Yes, as long as you follow the rules listed in the contract, you’ll be fine.” I lean back in my chair, sipping my coffee and just admiring the view. The arms that are sticking out from under the tight shirt he has on, showing off his chest that’s hard as rock. Hmm, might need a napkin to catch my drool in a minute.

  “They better be the same rules as the trial period. Rule one, fucking is for fun, with the amendment to take out the line of no feelings, no attachment, no awkwardness. They’re no longer applicable. Rule two, however, is non-negotiable, to be honest. I’m in charge in the bedroom, full stop, end of story! Oh, and of course the other rules about not being with anyone else still stands. You’ve seen what happens to anyone who thinks they can touch my girl, so they do so at their own risk. Like you need anyone else when you have me anyway!”

  Very proud of himself, he leans back with his arms behind his head.

  Fuck me, he’s hot.

  I don’t know about his list of rules, but he sure as hell has ticked everything on my future date list. Except the plane, but if he joins me to the mile-high club one day, then I’ll let that one slide.

  “I think I can manage those rules. Number two is still debatable, but we’ll see how we do with th
at.” I count in my head waiting for the reaction. Ten, nine, eight…

  “Start moving, Red, we’re leaving, right now. I’ll show you how debatable rule two is.” And there it is, he didn’t even make it to seven. Standing, he throws money on the table to cover the bill. He’s at my side and assisting me out of my chair as I try so hard not to laugh at him.

  He leans down and whispers in my ear.

  “I hope you know what you’ve started. I’m going to fuck that sassy right out of you, my little Red.”

  Hello my Wolf, welcome home.

  Oh, how I’ve missed you.

  ***

  The rest of Tuesday is spent rewriting the rule book. Can I just say some of the new rules are my new favorites? How my body made it through the day and all the extra negotiating that happened is a miracle. I had plenty of phone calls from my family as they all found out what had happened. Mom demanded to see me so she could confirm for herself that we’re both okay. I managed to push her off until tomorrow.

  Kane was given special leave today, but he’s expected in the station tomorrow to continue all the paperwork that’s now needed, and for further investigations to strengthen the case for court. He’ll be in much better frame of mind now that he's spent a day with me. He has cleared his head and his guilt, used up three weeks’ worth of testosterone, and is all soft and mellow. The police department can thank me later.

  It will also mean back to work for me. My staff will also be thanking Kane wholeheartedly along with my family. The bitchy Lilly has left—well, for now anyway—and Lilly who is on a high has taken her place. We’ve gone to my apartment and collected clothes for a few days for me to stay with Kane. His reason is so I’m not alone if he’s at work, Xavier and Alesha being downstairs. I told him he’s full of shit, he just wants free access to my body. He didn’t deny that either, which has me tingling all over.

  Lying together in bed tonight was different. A calm has come over us both. It’s like we’ve stopped fighting against what we don’t want and wasting all that energy. Instead, we’re finally enjoying everything we so desperately want.

  “Lilly,” Kane whispers from behind me as we’re spooning naked in the moonlight shining in through the open window. We’re both in a totally relaxed satiated state.

  “Mmm,” I murmur in my sleepy voice.

  “Thank you for never giving up on us. No one’s ever fought for me. I will always love you for that.” He kisses my shoulder. My heart is melting. I knew there was more to Kane than he let anyone see. Finally, I know without a doubt I have all of him. Right to the core.

  “I will always fight for us because that’s how much I love you. Besides, no one else knows how to handle me. Only you. Only my wolf.” I have tears bordering on spilling out again. I have never been so emotional in my life as I have since Kane showed up. Maybe that’s the gift he’s giving me. A place to just let everything free. My soft landing.

  “Sleep, beautiful, tomorrow we have to adult.” I hear his breathing slowing and know his eyes are closed.

  “Wish we could stay in our bubble. Adulting is overrated. Night, Wolf.”

  “Night, Red.”

  His arms wind that little bit tighter around me as I push into his body that little bit closer.

  Finally, sleep takes us both under its spell.

  Kane

  “I swear to god your sister is going to have her phone restricted before long, if she doesn’t stop calling and cock blocking me in the morning. I bet it’s fucking Xavier putting her up to it.”

  Lilly rolls over, mumbling something that I can’t make out.

  “Give me the phone and let me answer,” I say to her as she leans down onto the floor to grab her phone that she knocked down there when she tried to pick it up.

  “Not a chance, grumpy.” She glares at me.

  “You’d be grumpy too if you were about to make a home run,” I mumble into her neck as I continue to attack her while she’s trying to talk to her sister. It’s been the same thing every morning this week and I think it’s time to put a stop to this. Snatching the phone from Lilly, I decide Alesha needs to get the message.

  “Hey, Lesh, can you do me a favor? Don’t call in the mornings. You’re interrupting my morning glory. You can tell Xavier that he may think it’s funny, but my cock doesn’t. Lilly will call you later. Love you, but we need to go. Got something important to do.”

  I hang up, looking at Lilly with her mouth wide open. “I was thinking of putting my cock somewhere else but if you keep sitting there with your mouth wide open, I’m more than happy to change that.” I lunge for her as she attempts to jump up and run away from me. I catch her around the waist, crashing back on to the bed. I bring her underneath me and both of us are laughing at what just happened.

  “Now, where was I? That’s right, about to make my girlfriend scream my name.” Sinking into her and watching her face is the best way to start a day.

  ***

  It’s lucky we don’t run out of hot water in this apartment, between the time a joint shower takes us and then adding that to the showers Lilly takes on her own. Standing in the kitchen, I hear the water shut off and I know it’s time to pour the coffee and serve up the breakfast.

  Life has become so much better since sharing it with Lilly. The patter of her bare feet approaching behind me might sound like something little, but it’s the sweetest sound to me. One I will never take for granted. She circles her hands around my waist from behind and kisses my neck, then goes to pull back. Then out of the blue she smacks my shoulder.

  “I still can’t believe you said that to my sister. How am I going to look at her today without thinking about the fact that she knew we were in the middle of having sex this morning?” She sits down on her stool at the counter, the one she’s claimed.

  “Are you serious? Since when have you ever worried about talking sex with your sister? The stories I hear, you’ve always overshared your personal life. By the way, you better be telling them what a stud I am and how amazingly talented I am.” I kiss her on the top of her head as I walk away from serving up her plate and coffee in front of her.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know what I say about you.” Her giggle is a cheeky one as she tries to take her first mouthful.

  “I still have time to put you over my knee and spank you, Red, before I leave for work. Don’t tempt me, cheeky lady.” I tap her on her butt cheek as I sit down, and we both get sucked into eating, knowing we’re running out of time to get to work.

  We walk to the elevator, Lilly’s hand in mine. In such a short time, life has become so simple. It’s like we’ve been together forever. Every day I thank the universe for bringing her to me.

  Descending to Xavier’s floor for Alesha to hop in, I lean down and kiss Lilly like my life depends on it. I feel her sag into my body like her legs are weak. I slowly pull back as the elevator comes to a stop. Lilly looks up at me.

  “What was that for?” Her cheeks are flushed and her lips puffy.

  “Because I can.” I kiss her nose and Alesha joins us for the ride to the parking garage. She chats away to Lilly while I stand next to them feeling so unexpectedly at peace.

  “I’ll pick you up from the office at six to head out for dinner with Jessie and Adam. Have a good day, ladies. Make sure you give those brothers of yours something to complain about.” Taking Lilly in my arms as Alesha walks towards her car, I take one more kiss that makes her weak in the knees.

  “Love you, Lilly.” Leaving a long soft kiss on her forehead, I step away to let her follow her sister. She stops and blows a kiss over her shoulder.

  “Love you too, Wolf,” she mouths and then continues to wiggle that ass just that little bit more for my benefit. She slides into the car with a smirk on her face. She knows she’ll have me adjusting myself before I get into the car to try to find a little comfort. My little vixen. God, I hope she never loses that spark.

  Driving to the station, my mind starts to switch on for work. Today we start collati
ng all the evidence, statements, and bring together everything we have, to start the process of preparing for court. It will be difficult as always when you find out how bad it really was for the victims, see the pictures and listen to interviews. To find out that the dirty cop that was working against us the whole time was found upstairs in the club in the worst rooms, it made me sick to the core. Even worse was the fact I had worked with him on previous cases and never suspected a thing. Surprisingly, although this is all weighing on me, for the first time it isn’t consuming me. I know I have Lilly to go home to and that keeps me heading towards the light through the dark day I’m about to enter.

  Life is finally on the right road, and funnily enough, it’s not a road either of us even had on our maps.

  30

  Lilly

  IT’S BEEN A FEW weeks since the night I saw Jessie and Kane together. We’ve talked a couple of times on the phone when she’s called Kane’s phone about work. It was her idea for dinner tonight so we can all get together and talk out any anxiety or questions we have and then move on and put it behind us all. In theory, I think it’s a great idea but as I fix my make-up in the office bathroom, it is starting to feel like it’s going to be hard to be at the same table as her. I totally trust Kane and believe that nothing happened. Yet I still feel a little off balance.

  Walking into my office, I stop at the door to admire the view. Kane, leaning against the wall at the side of the window, with one leg crossed over the other. Hands in his front pockets of his jeans. His face is so relaxed and a slight smile. It reminds me of the day we were at the farm with the kids out at the horses, where he just let everything go and lived in the moment. I wish I had my phone that’s over on my desk just to capture the moment. Then again, why do we always have to use a camera? This picture will be captured in my mind and that’s just as good.