“I would think being attacked and having to bury a body might make you see sense,” Kade retorted. “The sooner you hightail it back to Blane’s the safer you’ll be.”
“The only place I’m going is into work,” I shot back. It stung every time he brought up the idea of me going to Blane, as if I were a burden to be shoved off onto somebody else.
Turning away, I headed upstairs, leaving him to fend for himself.
Going to my bedside table, I retrieved my gun from the top drawer. I checked to make sure it was loaded, then set it by the door so I wouldn’t forget to put it in my purse.
The uniforms at O’Sullivan’s were a lot less revealing than the ones at The Drop, just jeans and a T-shirt with the pub’s logo printed across the chest. The shirts came in black, white, and green, and tonight I put on a green one before doing my makeup. At least my jeans still fit, though they were more snug than I was used to. I heard the shower start in the bathroom across the hall.
I sat on my bed, thinking. I wanted two things—for me and my baby to be safe, and I wanted Kade. Now I just had to figure out the best way to go about getting them.
After a few minutes, I grabbed the gun and opened my bedroom door just as Kade came out of the bathroom.
I froze. Kade was naked save for a white towel wrapped low around his hips. He had another towel he was using to dry his hair, so he hadn’t seen me yet. My gaze drank in his damp chest, following the thin line of hair that started below his navel and disappeared beneath the towel. My hands itched to reach forward. It would just take a little tug to pull the towel loose. It would drop to the floor and I would drop to my knees—
I think I made a little sound, kind of like a whimper, because Kade suddenly stopped drying his hair. He may have looked at me—I didn’t know. I was still eyeing the towel and trying to figure out if I could grab it faster than he could stop me.
“Kathleen?”
“Mmm?” Maybe if I took off my shirt, distracted him—
“Everything all right? You okay?”
I sighed a little, making my eyes lift to his. “Fine. It’s just that being pregnant . . . Well, let’s just say I haven’t been this horny since . . .” I thought about it. “Ever.” Huh.
Kade’s face looked pained. “I don’t think sleeping together would be a good idea.”
“Really?” I asked. It sounded pretty damn good to me. “I didn’t realize you’d taken up chastity.” I sidled a little closer. Men were all the same. I could probably change his mind if I could get my hands on his—
But Kade caught my wrist just as I reached out to snag the towel. He yanked me forward and my breasts brushed his chest. I bit back a moan at the contact.
He was so close, his mouth inches away.
“I just killed a man,” Kade said in disbelief. “In your living room. And you want to have sex with me?”
Well, when he put it like that . . . Nope, still didn’t kill my mood.
A droplet of water trailed from the ends of his hair down his neck and over his collarbone, then started a slow path down his chest. It tantalized me, practically screaming “Lick me! Lick me!” so I obligingly leaned forward . . . only to have Kade jerk back, out of my reach.
I frowned at him. This was getting irritating. “You’re playing awfully hard to get,” I complained.
“It’s for your own good.”
Now that killed my mood. I stepped closer, getting in his face.
“You’re starting to sound a lot like Blane,” I hissed. I jerked my wrist out of his grip, turned around, and flounced downstairs. I knew I was in a snit, but I just didn’t care.
There was a knock on the front door and I froze. Carefully, I checked my gun to make sure the safety was off before I went to the door. I peeked out the side window . . . and my jaw gaped.
Pulling open the door, I said, “What in the world are you doing here?”
Blane reached up and took off his sunglasses, eyeing me. “Hello to you, too,” he said wryly.
“I’m sorry,” I said, “I’m just . . . surprised. Come in.” I stepped aside so Blane could enter. He was dressed casually in jeans and a white button-down shirt he wore untucked, the cuffs turned back several times.
Blane glanced around the house with interest, taking in the bedding on the couch where Kade had slept before his gaze landed on me again.
“I’m glad to see you’re all right,” he said roughly, hooking his sunglasses on his shirt. “A phone call would’ve been nice.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized again. “I just thought . . . you and me . . . we needed some time.”
“How’re you feeling?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Okay.” It was super awkward to talk about being pregnant with Blane, so I moved on pretty quick. “How about you?”
His lips twitched. “I’m fine, but I’m not the one who’s having a baby.”
So much for not talking about it. “So, uh, how’d you find me?”
“I called him,” Kade said.
He had come downstairs, again without making a sound. I was really going to have to make him show me how he did that. Then I processed what he’d said.
“You called him?” I asked, facing off with Kade. I could feel my temper flaring.
“Don’t get upset,” he warned.
“Then don’t do things that make me upset,” I ground out.
“Thought you might want to know how Lewis was doing,” Blane interrupted.
I glanced around to him, confused. “Lewis? Alisha’s Lewis?” At his nod, I asked, “What’s wrong with him?”
“Kade shot him.”
I whipped my head back toward Kade, who was glaring at Blane. “What?” I screeched. “You shot him? What the hell for?”
“Really?” Kade said to Blane. “I tell you where she is and that’s the bomb you wanna drop? Asshole.”
“I’m not the asshole in this situation, and Lewis is fine, thanks for asking,” Blane said.
“I already knew he was fine,” Kade retorted in disgust. “I know where I shot him.”
“So you did shoot him?” I asked, interrupting their argument.
Kade’s gaze swiveled to mine. “Alisha wouldn’t tell me where you’d gone,” he said simply, as though that was justification enough for shooting Lewis.
“Oh my God,” I moaned, grasping the sides of my head. “Alisha’s going to hate me! And poor Lewis!” It’s not like being shot was any fun. Even if he was going to be all right, it wasn’t okay that Kade had done that.
“Alisha’s not going to hate you,” Kade said.
I jerked my head up and got in Kade’s space. “You’re right,” I said. “She’ll hate you!” I poked his chest hard to emphasize my point.
Kade’s eyes narrowed. “May I remind you of what would’ve happened this morning if I hadn’t been here?”
I swallowed, some of my anger leaching away.
“What happened this morning?” Blane broke in.
“Do you want to tell him about the body now buried in your backyard or shall I?” Kade asked.
“A body?”
I ignored Blane. “You didn’t have to threaten Alisha,” I argued. “I’m sure she would have said where I was if she knew I was in danger. You could’ve just told her that. You certainly didn’t have to shoot Lewis!”
“I’ll keep that in mind for the next time you disappear and someone has a contract out to kill you,” Kade sneered, not at all apologetic.
“Let’s talk about that,” Blane interrupted again. “Kade, what’s going on? Who’s after Kathleen? And what body’s in the backyard? And last but not least”—he held his arms out, palms up—“why am I here?”
“Yeah, I’ll let you two figure it out,” I groused. “I’ve got to get to work.”