I bit my lip at the sensation, my eyes sliding shut. His hands settled on my hips and instinct took over as well as a little madness. We both could’ve been killed tonight, and somehow that fact made it more urgent, more desperate.
I couldn’t live without him.
Kade’s hips rose in counterpoint to mine, our bodies slamming together, making my breasts bounce, not that I cared. If the things Kade was saying were any indication, he seemed to enjoy the view, and as some of his words penetrated the haze engulfing my mind, my cheeks flamed. Yet I grew even wetter until, if I’d been in my right mind, I would have been embarrassed at the wet noises his cock made sliding in and out of me.
Pressing his hands on my back, Kade forced me down, his palm cradling my head again as we kissed, our tongues and teeth clashing with little finesse. His other arm curved over my lower back, stilling my movements as he jackknifed hard into me. He held me immobile, his tongue and cock fucking me, and I whimpered, allowing him to claim me even as it seemed I was in the dominant position. Heat exploded between my legs as I came, Kade swallowing my cries. Then he was pulsing inside me, holding me so tightly to him that the jerking of his cock made another orgasm crash over me.
I collapsed against his chest, the pounding of Kade’s heart loud in my ear. I knew I’d never tire of hearing that sound, not after the many times he could’ve been taken from me.
I was exhausted and could have just rolled over and slept, but Kade ran a bath and soon had both of us in the steaming water, my back to his front as I sat between his spread legs. It was a really nice hotel, with the kind of bathtub I’d never even realized they put in hotels.
He had one of those big natural sponges, squeezing warm water over my shoulders and chest as we relaxed.
“Your eyes look better,” he said.
“Yeah, they feel better. Not an experience I’d like to repeat, though.” That tear gas had hurt. “Was Branna okay?” I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Had she gotten beat up, too? I knew she could fight, but she was so little . . .
“Yeah,” Kade replied. “She’s fast. It’s hard to lay a hand on her.”
I debated saying something more, took a breath and then let it out.
Kade stilled. “What?” he asked.
I shook my head. “It’s nothing. None of my business.”
“Tell me,” Kade said in my ear, “or I’ll be forced to use dire measures.” His fingers trailed a path down my side and I giggled, arching away.
“It’s nothing, really, I guess . . .” I decided to just say it. “Branna and Blane had sex.”
Kade said nothing for a moment, then resumed trickling water on me. “How do you know?”
“Branna told me.”
He sighed. “So how do you feel about this unexpected development, Kathleen?” His voice held a trace of mockery. I turned to look up at him and he shrugged, raising an eyebrow. “I can’t pretend I’m glad that you’re concerned about who Blane sleeps with.”
I frowned. “It has nothing to do with you,” I said. “It’s just . . . he barely knows her. What he does know of her is that she hates me.”
“There’s more to Branna than her hating you,” Kade said. “Do you think I’d have stuck with her if she wasn’t someone worth caring about?”
Now I felt guilty and embarrassed. I didn’t answer.
“Hey,” Kade said, lightly grasping my chin and making me turn to face him, “I understand. I do. But you’ve got to let it go.” He paused. “Unless you’re regretting the choice you made?”
“No,” I said immediately. “I love you. It’s just harder than I thought . . . letting go.”
Kade’s brows were drawn together as he studied me, and he gave a short nod. “Time. Space. That’s what we need,” he said.
I agreed. I lay against his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist. He trickled water on my back and we sat in silence for a while as the water cooled. Finally, I said, “Is it weird?”
“Is what weird?” Kade asked. He’d stopped trickling water and now his fingers drew wet patterns on my back.
“You and Blane. Me and Branna. Both of you have slept with the same two women. Isn’t that . . . weird?” I said “weird,” though other adjectives came to mind.
Kade laughed, taking me by surprise. I sat back, looking up at him in confusion. I certainly hadn’t been thinking “funny.”
“Princess, look at me,” Kade said, his lips twisting in a half smile. “I’ve got gunshot scars, knife scars, and scars I don’t even want to remember how I got from a life I didn’t give a shit about living until I met you. The last thing I’m going to worry about or dwell on is your past lovers, even if I share a bloodline with one of them.”
What could I possibly say to that? He loved me, didn’t care about my past, and wanted to be with me. He was right. I needed to let it go. Blane and Branna didn’t concern me anymore. Kade and our unborn child were my world now.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him the best I knew how. He held me close and it seemed the past finally slid off my shoulders.
I eyed my reflection, nerves making me bit my lip. I was dressed in a somber black-and-white dress that hit just below the knees. A thin belt circled my waist and I wore sensible black heels.
“I feel like we’re going to a funeral,” I said to Kade, glancing over my shoulder to see he was tying his tie. He was also dressed formally, in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie. I moved in front of him and brushed his hands aside as they fiddled with the tie.
“Now I know why you never wear a tie,” I teased, undoing the uneven knot and starting over.
“We are going to a funeral,” Kade replied, allowing me to fix the silk. “Figuratively, anyway. Time to put a nail in the coffin of Uncle Robert.”
“Is Blane going to be able to do that?” I asked. I knew how much Robert meant to Blane, and I’d yet to ask him how he really felt since he’d realized all his great-uncle had done to control him—to the point of putting Kade and me in mortal danger.
“He has to,” Kade said grimly. “If he doesn’t, I will—only my solution will be much more permanent.” His smile was thin and cold.
“I thought we couldn’t just kill him,” I said.
“Blane can’t,” Kade replied. “But I can.”
I grabbed his arm. “No, you can’t,” I said. “I need you. The baby needs you. You can’t throw yourself in harm’s way anymore. Not even for Blane.”
Kade’s eyes narrowed.
“Promise me,” I said, taking his face in my palms. “Don’t do something that could leave me to raise this baby alone.”
His piercing blue eyes searched mine. “I promise,” he said finally.
We met Blane and Branna in the lobby, where Blane was checking all of us out of the hotel. Branna was the only one not dressed up, instead wearing jeans and a shirt. She gave us a nod as we approached her, taking a sip of coffee from the paper cup she held.
I sucked in a breath when Blane joined us, the marks on his face mirroring Kade’s. He glanced at me, then slid his sunglasses on.
“Your eyes look better,” he remarked. “No other ill effects from the tear gas, I hope?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine.”
We headed outside and that’s when I realized we were within walking distance of the Capitol building, which is precisely where we headed. Except for Branna. She branched off toward where we’d parked last night.
“Isn’t she coming with us?” I asked.
“Thought we might need a quick exit,” Blane explained, “so she’s going to be nearby with the car.”
“So why am I coming along? I’m not exactly family.” And it wasn’t like I trusted myself to be in the same room with Senator Keaston without trying to hurt him.