Out of Turn (12 page)

He leaned forward, one hand brushing my hair back as his mouth settled near my ear. My breath caught somewhere in my throat as his lips grazed my skin.

“In a moment, I want you to look over my left shoulder to two o’clock.”

His whisper made my eyes jerk open and I would have pulled away, but his grip tightened on my neck, stopping me.

“What are you talking about?” I hissed.

“My target,” Kade said. “Do you see him?”

I glanced over where he’d said and sure enough, there was a man inside an open cabana, talking on his cell. He wore drawstring linen pants and a matching button-down shirt, left open at the neck. Two other men were in there with him. As I watched, he lifted his head and looked at me. I closed my eyes and leaned against Kade, running my fingers through his hair.

“I see him,” I breathed in Kade’s ear. My heart was still pounding, but now for another reason. “Are you going to
kill him?” I had to force the words out. Yes, I’d always known what Kade did for a living, it had just never been as real to me as it seemed right now.

Kade pulled back until we were practically nose to nose. “What would you say if I said yes?”

I swallowed. “I’d ask you not to.”

“And you think just because it’s you who asks me that I’ll do it?”

“Why would I have any influence over what you do?” It was a valid question. Trying to persuade Kade upon a course of action was like trying to coax a tiger into obedience. He had a mind of his own.

Kade didn’t answer, and after a moment he cocked a half smile.

“He’s paying me to hack him, not kill him.”

“What do you mean?”

Kade’s shoulders lifted in a shrug underneath my hands. “A new business venture I started,” he said. “High-level security penetration testing. They hire me to make sure their business is really secure.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Well if he hired you, isn’t he going to know what you’re here to do?”

“Nope.” Kade’s smirk reminded me of a smug teenage boy who’d managed to steal a girl’s virginity before delivering her back home to her overprotective father. “They don’t know who I am or what I look like. They hire me through a representative, then get notified of the test results.”

“How?”

“If I make it in, I take double my fee.”

“Which is?” Tacky to ask, I know, but I couldn’t help it. Curiosity got the better of my manners.

Kade leaned forward and whispered in my ear a number that made my jaw go slack.

“You like me a little more now, princess?” he said.

I drew back sharply. “It’s been a while since you implied I was a gold digger,” I snapped, hurt.

“What else do I have to offer?”

Kade’s bitter reply made me frown and I wished I could see his eyes behind the dark glasses. His hands seemed to be touching me almost without conscious thought, one grasping the back of my neck while the other settled just above the top of my bikini bottom, his thumb brushing my lower back.

“Why would you say something like that?” I asked. “You’re a good man, Kade.”

“You make me wish that were true.”

I opened my mouth to reply, but Kade had discarded his sunglasses and now his mouth was sucking lightly on my neck. My nails dug into his shoulders, his chest brushing against mine and making the blood heat in my veins. My eyes drifted closed at the soft touch of his tongue against my skin.

“Hit me.”

My eyes fluttered open again. “What?” Surely I’d misheard him.

“My target. He’s been keeping an eye on you. The bruises gave me an idea. So in a moment, slap me as hard as you can.” Kade’s words spoken in my ear made me swallow hard.

“I don’t want to hit you,” I said. “I… can’t.”

“You’ve done it before.”

The reminder made me wince.

“Not a whole lotta time, princess,” Kade said. “Let’s fight. Make it look good. I’ll drag you out of here and we’ll make a nice big scene.”

“I’m not hitting you,” I repeated more firmly. I didn’t care if it was playacting. I regretted the times I’d struck Kade and wasn’t about to do it again.

Kade heaved a long-suffering sigh, his breath warm as it fluttered against me.

“Fine,” he said. “Then I promise I’ll pay you well if you make this look good and forgive me later.”

“What—” The word was cut off on a gasp as Kade’s hand fisted in my hair, tugging my head back sharply. It hurt. Not terribly, but it surprised me.

“Now flinch like I’m going to hit you,” Kade hissed.

I did what he said, cringing away from him. He pulled again on my hair and I made a noise this time, a little cry of pain. A quick glance over and I saw Kade’s target was no longer on his phone and was watching us.

Kade jerked me closer and I whimpered. His lips were at my ear. “Nice job. Is he watching?”

“Yes.”

Then Kade was up out of the water and hauling me none too gently to my feet. He’d grabbed his sunglasses and put them back on, and the look of cold fury on his face would have terrified me if I hadn’t known this was a setup. As it was, my hands still shook as he dragged me to the daybed to get my things.

“Put some clothes on, unless you want everyone to see you for the fucking whore you are.”

Kade’s scathing insult was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, including the man in the cabana.

I dug my cover-up from my bag and jerked it on over my head, pretending I was hurriedly obeying out of fear.

“What the fuck is that? I hate it, and it probably cost me way more money than you’re worth.”

Kade reached out, grabbing a fistful of the fragile lace and gave a sharp tug. It ripped easily, parting down my front until it hung limply from my shoulders.

I stood in shock. That had cost a lot of money and Kade had just destroyed it. Granted, it wasn’t my money, but still.

“I can’t believe you just did that!” I exclaimed, anger making my voice shrill.

In a flash, Kade had me by the back of my neck and was in my face.

“Don’t think for a second you can talk to me like that and get away with it,” he threatened. His hold on me was firm and didn’t hurt, but I made noises like it did.

“Everything all right here?”

The voice came from behind and Kade abruptly released me. I turned to see the target had come up to us. No wonder Kade had been laying it on thick.

The man looked me over carefully, his gaze pausing on the bruises decorating my torso, before glancing at Kade.

“Everything’s fine,” Kade said, his voice smooth and cold.

“I wasn’t asking you,” he said, turning back to me. “Miss? You all right?”

“She’s fine, too,” Kade said, and now I could hear danger in his tone. “So fuck off, friend.”

Kade took my elbow and steered me back to the hotel. I glanced back once and saw the man staring after us, a frown on his face.

Once we were walking down the hall to our room, I chanced a question.

“How’d you know you’d get his attention that way?” Not every man cared when a woman was being pushed around.

“He has a daughter about your age,” Kade replied. “It was a hunch.” He unlocked the room and held the door open for me as I passed by him.

“Are you all right?” he asked as the door swung closed.

“Well, you ruined my shoes and my cover-up,” I said with a sigh. “If I’d known you were going to do that, I’d have gone to Walmart for them.” I could’ve bought groceries for months on what those things had cost.

Kade tossed his sunglasses on a table and stepped in front of me. “I don’t give a shit about the clothes,” he said. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

My stomach twisted at the look of concern on his face and I couldn’t answer right away, not that it seemed to matter. He was busy inspecting me himself, circling behind me to lift my hair. I guessed he was checking for marks. His hand brushed the back of my neck and shoulder.

“I wish you wouldn’t be so cavalier with the stuff I bought,” I said, trying not to think about his hands on me.

“I’ll buy you new ones.”

“It’s not that,” I said, turning to face him and forcing him to drop my hair. “It’s a waste of money. Your money. And it bothers me.”

He frowned. “Why are you so hung up on this?”

“I’m not,” I protested, trying to figure out how to put into words the gnawing worry that I felt. “I just know how hard money is to come by and I don’t like seeing you waste what you have.”

Kade’s blue-eyed gaze searched mine. “Until Blane came for me,” he finally said, “I was dirt poor. Food was a luxury I never had enough of. Clothes and shoes that actually fit even more so. I get it, okay? I’ll take care of it. Trust me.”

I gave him a somewhat skeptical look, but the little knot of anxiety in my stomach eased.

“If you’re this consumed with money, I’m guessing you’ve been living pretty close to the bone lately,” he observed.

My face grew hot, my embarrassment acute at his perceptiveness. I shrugged and turned away so I wouldn’t have to look at him. “It is what it is. It wasn’t like I was going to beg Blane for my job back.”

“You shouldn’t have to beg Blane for anything.”

The fierceness of his reply surprised me and I glanced at him.

“I meant what I said at the pool,” he continued more calmly. “I’ll pay you to work this job with me. You did good out there. We’ve gotten his interest and you have his sympathy. We’ll play up the damsel in distress thing, let you distract him while I break into his room.”

“How do we do that?” I asked, somewhat alarmed. Breaking into his room sounded dangerous.

“Let me figure that out,” he said. “In the meantime, go shower and get dressed.” His mouth lifted in a half smile and he waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “It’s time to party, Vegas style.”

C
HAPTER
F
IVE

I
stared at my reflection, suddenly consumed by second thoughts about the one clubbing outfit I’d purchased. The cost of clothes and shoes had been outlandish, so I’d limited my picks to one clubbing getup, a dress, a couple pairs of shorts, and the bikini.

The jeans I wore were practically painted on, they were so tight, and rested low on my hips. The top I’d bought was a champagne color that sparkled when I moved. It had spaghetti straps with a deep V of folded fabric between my breasts. It was nearly backless, the fabric draping down to my waist, exposing a lot of skin and a lot of cleavage. With my tan, it looked great. Not something I’d wear back home, but perfect for Vegas. I hoped.

I’d blown my hair dry and it lay in waves down my back, my makeup applied with a heavier and more dramatic hand than usual. I’d lightly brushed my skin with a glittery powder so I sparkled a bit, too.

The peep-toe four-inch sling-back heels that matched my top were the final touch.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” I muttered to myself, suddenly inexplicably nervous, which was silly. It was a job with Kade, that’s all, no matter how much it felt like… a date.

I took a deep breath and emerged from my bedroom, and was immediately captivated by the view outside. I drifted to the windows to see more. The sight was amazing, with lights illuminating everything up and down the Strip.

“Beautiful.”

I turned around, realizing Kade stood behind me. I hadn’t even heard him approach. “I know, isn’t it?” I enthused. He just smiled.

“Want a drink?” he asked, walking to the bar and grabbing two glasses.

“Sure.” It was nice to have a drink as part of an evening out, rather than as an attempt to help me sleep, to forget, or both.

A moment later, Kade handed me a vodka tonic. I took a drink, covertly eyeing him. He looked…
mouthwatering
was the word that immediately came to mind. Expensive black slacks were paired with a black silk shirt that had one more button undone than what most men would have attempted—but most men weren’t Kade Dennon. A look that would seem silly on another man looked sexy as sin on Kade.

The skin of his neck and part of his chest was bared by the open V of the shirt and begged to be touched. His square jaw was smooth and freshly shaven. His black hair curled slightly over his collar, a thick lock falling over his forehead. Just looking at him made the breath catch in my chest.

“I picked this up for you,” Kade said, handing me a rectangular jewelry box.

My eyes widened at the Tiffany blue. I’d never in my life gotten something from Tiffany’s. I glanced up at Kade and
our eyes met. I thought I glimpsed just a shade of uncertainty in his gaze.

“Open it,” he said, taking another drink.

I slowly pulled on the elaborate white bow tied around the box, trying to prolong the moment. I didn’t get gifts very often, and certainly not ones like this.

I gasped when I lifted the lid. A sparkling diamond bracelet lay inside, the diamonds fashioned into four-petal flowers. The bracelet was a silver metal that I fervently hoped was white gold but suspected was platinum.

“Kade, I don’t know what to say—” Why would he give me this? The bracelet was obviously very expensive. My chest tightened. Maybe I’d been wrong about the distance he was keeping between us. Maybe he still felt the way he had three months ago.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Kade replied, taking the bracelet from the box and fastening it on my wrist. “If you’re not wearing something outrageously expensive, it’ll look suspicious.”

I couldn’t breathe for a moment, the sharp disappointment I felt robbing me of breath. Then I immediately chastised myself. I’d been engaged to marry Kade’s brother mere months ago, had dismissed the feelings Kade had confessed to me, and been angry with him for even feeling that way. Why wouldn’t he have moved on? Why was I disappointed that he had?

“You’re not going to sell it later, are you?” he asked, and I winced at his tone.

I shook my head. “No.” I’d starve first before I sold anything else Kade gave me.

He finished fastening the bracelet and our eyes met. He was standing close enough for the scent of his cologne to tease my senses. His fingers lightly brushed my arm as our gazes locked.

“You ready?” he asked, breaking the spell.

I nodded. I needed to stop thinking about what might have been and just enjoy being here with my friend, someone who understood me more than I would have guessed—and who was giving me a really, really nice working vacation.