“Don’t apologize,” he said, his fingers brushing my cheek. “Blane went to get some things for you. Just rest.”
I closed my eyes, his touch comforting me, and soon I was asleep.
When I woke, night had fallen, and I felt a little better, albeit weak and thirsty. I sat up, glancing around.
Kade stood from where he’d been lying on the other bed and sat down next to me.
“Feel any better?” he asked.
I nodded. “What time is it?”
“Elevenish,” he replied. He grabbed a bottled sports drink from the table between the two beds and twisted the cap off. “Here. Can you drink this?”
I nodded, taking it from him. It tasted good and I emptied the bottle in a few big gulps. The gnawing pit in my stomach eased a bit.
“Where are Blane and Branna?” I asked.
“Next door.”
I wondered how that was going.
“I’ve got to get out of these jeans,” I muttered. I lay back on the bed and undid the button and zipper. My stomach immediately felt ten times better. Okay, lesson learned.
I peeled the denim down over my hips and slid the fabric lower, off my legs, then kicked the hated jeans onto the floor.
“Christ, Kathleen!” Kade exclaimed, pushing me onto my back and yanking up my shirt.
I glanced down and winced. Yeah, the jeans had left red marks and indentations. Nice.
“What the fuck did you wear those for if they’re too tight?” Kade asked. “Is that why you’ve been puking all day?”
Face flaming, I pushed his hands away and let my shirt drop, covering my abdomen. “She said I was fat, okay?” I retorted. Yes, I knew I’d been stupid. I didn’t need Kade to point it out. “And she’s right, because my shorts didn’t fit yesterday and I used to be able to zip these jeans, but now I just want my stretchy pants . . .” Suddenly, I was bawling.
Kade looked at me like I was crazy, which didn’t help. I turned away from him, but he reached out and rolled me back.
“You’re insane,” he said, brushing tears from my cheeks, “and if I’d known those ridiculous jeans were doing this to you all day, I’d have taken them off you myself.”
My tears dried up as quickly as they’d come. God, the mood swings were killing me. But we were in a motel, just me and Kade, and maybe I could work this to my advantage.
“I’d love to brush my teeth and have a shower,” I said hopefully.
Kade took the bait immediately. “I can help with that,” he said. He gathered some things from my suitcase and helped me into the bathroom.
I brushed my teeth and hair, stripped, and stepped under the hot spray of water. After washing, I called out for Kade, who was instantly at the door.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I poked my wet head out from behind the limp shower curtain. “I’m feeling really weak,” I said, which wasn’t too far from the truth. “Will you help me? I don’t want to fall.”
Kade’s eyes narrowed, but I just gazed innocently back at him. Finally, he took three steps forward until he was right there in front of me.
Steam from the shower billowed around us. Feeling brave, I pushed the curtain aside. Kade’s gaze immediately dropped, skating down my body.
“You’ll get your clothes wet,” I said, tugging his shirt free of his jeans and pulling it off over his head. My hands settled on his chest, reaching up to curl around his shoulders. To my instant gratification, his palms lifted to cup my breasts, the calloused pads of his thumbs brushing the tips.
“You really think I don’t know what you’re doing?” his voice rasped gently in my ear.
I was working on his belt and since my brain had decided it could really only concentrate on one thing at a time, my “Hmm?” reply was a bit lackluster. His hands felt amazing on me, my breasts hypersensitive to the slightest touch.
Kade’s lips grazed my neck and I gasped, a moan clawing its way up my throat.
“Having sex isn’t going to convince me to stick around, princess,” Kade said against my skin. “I’m like poison to you. A death trap.”
“Not true,” I managed, burying my fingers in his inky-black hair. His mouth closed over a nipple and I promptly lost my train of thought. Kade was my fallen angel, had always been. My protector. My dark knight in black armor. I just had to convince him.
“I need you,” I breathed. “Don’t you see that?”
A loud knock on the motel door startled me. It seemed that answering it was the last thing Kade wanted to do, and whoever it was had to knock hard again before he reluctantly pulled away from me. His hair and chest were damp from my hands and the shower mist, and he didn’t bother putting his shirt back on as he left the bathroom.
I hurriedly turned off the water and grabbed one of the thin towels, wrapping it around me before cracking the bathroom door and peeking through.
Blane and Branna stood in the room. Peachy. All three glanced my way.
“Blane and I need to go check out George’s residence,” Kade said, buttoning a fresh shirt he’d put on. “Branna’s going to stay with you.”
“No way,” I said. “I’m going, too. You are not leaving me here with her like some sort of babysitter.” I didn’t even bother looking Branna’s way.
“Afraid, sweetie?” Branna piped in. The three of us ignored her.
Kade considered me for a moment, then gave a little nod. “Fine. Get dressed.”
All three went out the door and I set a new record for how fast I got dressed. My hair was wet, so I left it loose, hoping it would dry on the way to dead George’s former home. Soon, I was outside, too.
“Let’s go,” Kade said, leading me to his car. He got in the front seat while Blane held the passenger seat forward for Branna to slide into the backseat. Blane looked at me and I took the hint, stepping past him to climb in the back next to Branna, leaving the front passenger seat for Blane. As soon as the door shut, Kade pulled out of the lot.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Well, isn’t this cozy?” Branna said in the silence. No one replied. She turned to me and I stiffened. “So tell me, sweetie, do you plan on playing the damsel in distress indefinitely?”
“Excuse me?” I asked, my eyes narrowing.
“Surely the two of them must tire of it,” she kept going. “It seems Blane already has. Kade surely isn’t far behind. Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?”
“Why? Need some tips?” I asked, white-hot anger singeing my veins, even as I wondered how she’d found out about Blane and me.
Kade interrupted our bitch match. “Ladies, for fuck’s sake. Give it a rest.”
I bit my tongue to keep from saying, “She started it.”
After a few minutes of silence, Branna spoke up again. This time, thankfully, her words weren’t directed at me.
“What’s the plan tonight?” she asked Kade.
“We’re going to check things out,” Kade replied. “Try the nice approach first, see if it works.”
“And if it doesn’t?” I asked.
His eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. “Then tomorrow night we’ll do the not-so-nice approach.”
I looked away as Blane said, “Sarah doesn’t need to be harmed for us to get what we want, Kade.”
“How do you two know each other again?” Branna interrupted. “Kade, how in the hell did you hook up with a slimy politician? Or is it the fabulous vagina sitting next to me that brought you two together?”
“You mean he never told you?” I asked, feigning shock. “Wow. I thought you two were . . . closer than that.” I smiled and shrugged. “Guess not.”
That pushed some buttons.
“What the fuck, Kade—” she spluttered.
“Oh my God, he’s my brother, Branna,” Kade said in exasperation. “I’m about to dump both your asses on the sidewalk and let you fight it out.”