Framed (29 page)

“You.”

“Are we speaking literally or figuratively?” Kade replied as he walked over, placed both hands on the lounger, and pinned me in before he snuck a kiss.

“Both,” I whispered against his lips.

“I’ll kiss your ass daily if you’d like. Bite it, too,” he answered back, flashing me his winning smile.

“You’re on.”

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Kyle mumbled before turning on his heel and leaving.

“Don’t leave, Kyle,” Bette laughed, “I’ll bite your ass if you’re feeling left out,” she shouted to his retreating backside.

“Are you just stopping in or are you home for the night?”

“I came home to change. Chapel wants to meet with me.”

“Do you need me to go?” I asked hopefully.

“Nope,” Kade said as he headed for the house.

“He’s worth being left in the dark, you know,” Bette told me as I watched Kade leave.

“I know. I just hate being left out.”

Bette stood then and looked into the house before grabbing her purse. When she was sure the coast was clear she whispered, “Tomorrow should quench your thirst for adventure then. Don’t forget, text me as soon as he leaves,” then blew me a kiss and sauntered into the house, hips swaying as she went.

***

On the ninth fairway of the Pensacola Country Club, Mayor Harland Green swung his club in preparation for his play. He’d left the office early, unable to concentrate for the past week. His mind was occupied twenty-four seven with the mess he and Williams now found themselves in. At fifty-eight, he’d seen and done more that he was ashamed of than proud. Each one of those decisions had robbed him slowly of his humanity until all that was left was a corrupt man with no conscience. And when he wanted something, he got it. And what he wanted now was for Doug Williams to tie up the loose ends that would lead back to his office. Lead back to the kickbacks he’d taken to ensure Consolidated could expand, and the amount of stock he owned under a dummy corporation. If the press got one whiff of impropriety, he’d be hung and quartered. He wasn’t about to let that happen. Thirty years he’d been building his wealth and power and he wasn’t about to let some Jarhead with a high school education stop him now.

Lining up his club with the ball, he waited for the wind to die down before he raised it and swung. He watched his ball bounce then roll into a sand trap, and he cursed. Turning towards his caddy, he handed his club off and pulled out his phone. He couldn’t concentrate on his game while the wolves were circling, so he decided to put pressure on Williams.

“I want an update,” he barked out when Williams answered.

“With Drum dead, there is no way to trace this back to Consolidated. White is laying low until this blows over and then it will be business as usual.”

“You think Kingston is gonna let it lie?”

“I think he’d give his left nut to find proof, but there isn’t any. Drum was the weak link and he took care of that problem when he died in that car accident.”

“You trust White?”

“I don’t trust you, so, no, I don’t trust him. But men of his qualifications are hard to find and he has enough on me that I don’t have a choice.”

“What about that woman he tried to grab, the dog trainer.”

“We’ll take care of her. They’ve got her under lock and key, but the minute she lets down her guard, we’ll grab her.”

“You’d better. I don’t like loose ends. Too bad that bullet didn’t strike White between the eyes, then we’d be done with both of them.”

“Don’t worry; if he doesn’t handle her soon, I’ll handle it myself.”

Green smiled because he knew all too well that Williams was bluffing. He talked a good talk, but they both knew he didn’t have the stomach for killing or he would have taken care of it already.

“Sand trap’s waiting. Let me know when White’s taken care of the woman,” Green ordered then hung up without waiting for a reply. Unfortunately, the phone call didn’t relieve Green of the nagging suspicion he had that somehow, someway, the clusterfuck that was Kade Kingston was just the tip of the iceberg.

***

“Where’s Harley?” Kade asked his brother when he returned home.

“In the shower, I think.”

Dropping a file on the dining room table, Kade turned to Kyle.

“Have you given any thought about my offer?” Kade asked.

“The offer to buy me out of the beach house? I have.”

“And?”

“I’m fine with it. Once I’ve completed my masters, I plan to apply to several universities in the state. It’s unlikely I’ll be staying in this area, so it makes sense. If you have the house, then it stays in the family.”

“I’m glad to hear it, but I’m not happy you’ll be leaving the area.”

“It’s time. Part of me thinks I stayed this long in case Mom or Dad showed up looking for us.”

Kade nodded. He knew exactly where his brother was coming from, but he was glad to see he’d finally accepted they weren’t coming back.

“Time for a fresh start,” Kade agreed.

“It’s their loss.”

“And our gain. The fact they stayed away is a blessing, Kyle. They’d have dragged us down along with them if they’d stayed in our lives.”

“Probably,” Kyle answered with a sigh.

“No probably about it, little brother. You’re all the family I need.”

“What about Harley?”

Kade grinned slowly. “She isn’t family . . . yet.”

“So you plan on doing something about that?”

“Not yet, but soon. I need to put this shit behind me first and apply to the academy.”

“Good. She’s hot and gives good hugs. If you’re gonna get married someday, at least it will be with someone whose ass is sweet.”

Kade’s grin turned into a frown and his jaw twitched. When Kyle noticed his hand curl into a fist, he chuckled.

“Gotcha. You owe D a punch. He put me up to it.”

“Hilarious, I’ll be sure to let him know what I think,” Kade grinned. “Speaking of sweet asses, I better let Harley know I’m home. You’re off duty if you want to head out.”

Kyle pulled out his keys. “If you want me gone, just say so.”

“I want you gone,” Kade answered with a wicked grin.

“As you wish,” Kyle chuckled, then headed for the door. He paused before he left and turned back to Kade, calling out, “You’re all the family I need, as well. You were always there for me and I’ll never forget it. I’m proud to call you brother. Even when you were in prison, I was still proud and looked up to you.”

The brothers stared at each other for a moment, not saying a word as years of hurt and disappointment for them both melted away. Kade jerked his chin in acknowledgment, unable to speak past the rock lodged in his throat.

“Later,” Kyle finally said, then opened the door and walked out.

Kade let his words wash over him, filling in the cracks of his armor that had yet to heal. It had taken him thirty-two years to be free of self-doubt. He’d traveled a long, broken road, filled with shit that would have beaten most men, and he’d survived. That was no small miracle, and he knew it.

Taking a deep breath to shake off his mood, he turned and headed down the hall to the bedroom he and Harley shared. When he opened the door, his heart paused a beat. Harley was dressed in nothing but a towel, brushing her long wet hair in front of a full-length mirror. He scanned her tanned legs up to her ass, barely covered by the towel. She was in mid-stroke when he entered, and her eyes shot to his in the mirror. Kade approached, stopping directly behind her. Taking the brush from her hand as he kept his eyes trained on hers in the mirror, he began to brush her silky hair.

“Are you home for the night?” Harley asked as her heartbeat picked up.

Kade leaned down, put his mouth to her ear, and whispered, “Don’t talk. Just feel.”

He continued to brush her hair, taking any opportunity he had to run a finger across her spine. Harley’s eyes began to relax until she closed them, her head tilting back as her neck muscles relaxed. When Kade had brushed the last tangle from her hair, he tossed the brush, then placed his hands on her shoulders and began to knead her tense muscles while kissing her neck

“Drop the towel and spread your legs,” Kade whispered. “Show me what belongs to me.”

With shaking hands, Harley didn’t hesitate to drop the towel. “Good girl,” Kade praised as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back against his front. He ran his free hand slowly against the length of her body until he reached her soft thigh. Curling his fingers around the soft skin, he pulled her legs farther apart and ordered, “Watch.”

With whisper-soft touches, he teased the satiny skin of her inner thigh while he kept his eyes trained on hers in the reflection. Her breath came rapidly as he inched his way higher until she was panting with want.

When he slid his finger through her warmth, and found her wet, their moans mixed, vibrating off the walls. Kade plunged his finger in and felt her walls clench around him as her eyes rolled back and her head hit his shoulder.

“Watch,” he ordered again.

When she opened her eyes and focused on what his hand was doing, he ran his finger through her folds again, then raised it to his mouth and sucked it clean. Her breath hitched as she watched, her eyes trained on his lips. When he released his finger, he leaned down and captured her mouth in a hungry kiss that told her exactly what he was going to do to her.

“Can you taste how turned on you are?” he asked, his own deep voice hoarse with want.

She whimpered her reply before coming back for more, tangling her tongue with his. His hand descended her body again until he found the bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs. Ripping his mouth from hers, he kept his free hand around her neck, his mouth at her ear, and ordered once again, “Watch.”

Harley kept her eyes trained as he teased her clit and entered her warm depths with his fingers. Her legs shook as he applied more pressure, his rhythm increasing as her breath hitched. He kept his eyes pinned on her face, watching with a hunger he’d never felt. He clenched his jaw to reign in his control as her mouth opened and closed slowly, her eyes unfocused in a passion he’d never seen. She rode his hand, unintelligible words spilling from her mouth, until she tightened around his fingers and gasped, his name falling from her lips. Before she could collapse, he turned and bent her over an armchair, his hand on her back to keep her still while he released his aching cock.

“Watch me fuck you,” he growled as his eyes stayed on her face in the mirror. When she turned her head and opened her eyes, he pulled up her hips, opened her wide, and then drove home.

“Mine,” he hissed as he pulled out slowly then slammed back in.

“Yours,” she whimpered.

“My pussy,” he grunted louder as he picked up his pace, rolling his hips in an attempt to reach every nerve.

“Yours,” she agreed as he found her clit and rolled it.

Kade could feel his climax building so he closed his eyes to savor her silken walls clamped tightly around his cock.

“Watch,” she also ordered in a breathless tone, and his eyes ripped open, meeting hers in the mirror.

He watched his cock withdraw, glistening with her wetness and then slam back in with a grunt.

Rolling her clit once more, he felt her tighten around him like a vice clamp and on a downward thrust, his head fell back and he groaned low, spilling inside her as she cried out “Mine.”

***

Waves crashed over rocks on the jetty, sending white foam into the air. Kade watched as a small blue sailboat danced back and forth across the water as he sipped a cold beer. Turning his head to the right, he could make out two figures on the beach walking away from him. His brow furrowed because he’d had this dream before and they should be walking towards him, not away. Placing his beer on the sand, he started following.

They were walking at a slow pace as if they didn’t want to leave. The taller figure looked back once to see if he was following, so he picked up his pace. As he drew closer, he knew it was Harley and the same little girl. His daughter.

“Wait,” he called out, but they didn’t stop. “Harley, stop, where are you going?”

His daughter turned her head, looking up at Harley then tugged her hand to stop. Harley leaned down then and whispered in her ear. When she was done, she turned her back on Kade and waited silently, never looking at him. His daughter turned fully to him then, and he put out his arms..

“We can’t stay,” she said, not moving.

“I don’t understand?” Kade replied.

“We want to, but the bad man took us away.”

“I won’t let him,” Kade told her.

“It’s not your decision, Daddy.”

“Whose decision is it?”

“The stars,” she whispered, then the sun disappeared and the night sky filled with twinkling lights.

“I’ll protect you, you have my word,” Kade vowed, trying to take a step towards his daughter, but he couldn’t move.

“You can’t,” she told him as her bottom lip began to tremble. “Only the stars can. Wish upon them, Daddy. Wish really hard,” she cried out, then turned quickly and took Harley’s hand.

“I won’t let you go,” Kade shouted, still frozen in place, unable to follow as Harley and his daughter began walking away. “You’re mine, do you hear me? You’re mine . . .”

Waking with a start, Kade opened his eyes and the first thing he saw were the stars twinkling back at him through the window. Harley was wrapped around him, her head resting on his chest, and he could feel the slow rise and fall of her breath as she slept. Wrapping her tighter in his arms, he kissed her head as he stared out the window.

“Wish upon them, Daddy. Wish really hard.”

Cold fear pumped through his veins, remembering his dream, so he reached down and tilted Harley’s face up to his.

“Harley. Baby, wake up.”

Her eyes slowly opened; the blank look of sleep still held her deep.

“Promise me you won’t leave the house without me with you.”

“What?” she answered groggily.

“Promise me you won’t leave unless I’m with you. Not for anything or anyone.”

Reaching up, Harley ran her hand down his face. Kade grabbed it when she ran her thumb across his mouth and placed a kiss on her wrist, repeating his request, shaking her lightly. “Promise, baby.”