The Broken Road (The Broken Series) (32 page)

“I’ll
show you tempting…” He tucked me under his body as he rolled on top of me. The
contrast between Kadyn’s warm body and the freezing cold ground sent goose bumps
rocketing down my spine.

Kadyn’s
playful expression turned serious as he lowered his lips to mine. His tongue
danced teasingly along my mouth, then swept inside in slow, seductive strokes.
I ran my hands across the dips and crevices that formed his broad shoulders
until I reached the nape of his neck. I pulled him toward me as he deepened the
kiss.

Kadyn’s
eyes sought mine as soon as he broke the kiss. “I need you, Kri… as much as the
air I breathe. You have to come back to Virginia.”

My
pulse was racing. “I need you too,” I confessed as I struggled against an enticing
concoction of desire and fear.

Kadyn’s
lips met mine in an intoxicating kiss. The tension that had been building
between us all morning flared as his hips settled against mine. He slowly
unzipped my jacket as he trailed warm, wet kisses down my neck. His warm hands
slid up my shirt until his thumbs dipped underneath my bra. My breath caught as
his thumbs danced along my breasts.

Kadyn
rose to his knees. He pushed my shirt up as he trailed kisses across my bare stomach.
My abs flinched as his tongue dipped inside my bellybutton. He gently nipped
and kissed his way up to my breasts.

“Kadyn,”
I gasped, “someone might see us.”

He
unhooked the front clasp on my bra. He stared at me as he caressed my breasts.
“It’s November, and it’s the middle of a work day. We didn’t pass a single soul
on the trail, Kri. We’re the only ones here.”

I
moaned softly as I felt Kadyn’s warm tongue circling my freezing cold breast.
“Please, Kadyn.”

He
paused. “Please, what?”

I
couldn’t speak. I wanted to tell him to stop, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want him
to stop.

I
whimpered as Kadyn’s mouth completely consumed my breast. My body arched on its
own accord. I was mindless by the time he latched onto the other breast.
“Kadyn,” I groaned. “God, Kadyn, you have to stop.”

Kadyn
refastened my bra. He gently tugged my shirt back into place. Then he hovered
over me with a concerned look on his face.

I
tried to reassure him of my feelings. “I want you, Kadyn. I want you so much it
hurts. But not like this… not here… not outside.”

Kadyn
smiled. Then he gently kissed me on the lips. “Do you have any idea how
beautiful you look right now?”

I
laughed as Kadyn pulled me to my feet. “I probably have dirt and pine needles
in my hair.”

He
laughed as he dug a twig out of my hair. “Still beautiful,” he said. He linked
his hand with mine and led me back down the mountain. It was nearly dark by the
time we arrived back at the car.

We
joined Siobhan and her family for an early dinner at the Suds Hut, where I
introduced Kadyn to the best fried chicken and steak fries in the Pacific
Northwest. By the time we left the pub, Kadyn was not only sold on the chicken,
but he was as tightly wound around Siobhan’s little finger as I was. Although I
struggled to fight back my own tears, I was incredibly thankful that Siobhan
didn’t cry when we had to part ways. She seemed reassured by the visit, more
confident that we’d see each other again.

We
arrived at Kimme and Dan’s house shortly after seven o’clock. Dan immediately dragged
Kadyn into the bat cave. Kimme and I wrapped ourselves in beautifully crocheted
blankets and settled onto her couch with a bottle of red wine. We were flanked
on either side by her two golden retrievers, Bella and Beau.

Kimme
and I sipped on a smooth plum flavored Merlot and talked long into the night.
She caught me up on office gossip, state politics, and Charlie’s ongoing budget
disputes with the state legislature. I’m not sure when I fell asleep, but I woke
in the early morning hours, wrapped in blankets on the couch. As I drifted back
to sleep, I wondered whether Kadyn had made it to bed or if he was still holed
up with Dan in the bat cave.

* *
* * *

When
we woke up the next morning, Dan announced that he had something special planned
for Kadyn. He was evasive about his plans and refused to divulge any details,
but he made it clear that Kimme and I were not included. I worried about how
comfortable Kadyn would be taking off to parts unknown with Dan, since he
barely knew the guy, but Kadyn just shrugged his shoulders and gave me a quick
kiss as they ambled out the door.

I
glanced nervously at Kimme.

She
patted my arm reassuringly. “I don’t have any idea what he’s up to, but odds
are high that he’ll bring Kadyn back alive.”

I
wasn’t so sure.

Kimme
drove me into the office so I could see Charlie and all of my other friends from
work. They surprised me with a potluck breakfast. Charlie was flipping pancakes
at one of the side tables in the conference room when we arrived. As was
customary for our morning potlucks, he had brought his griddle from home. I burst
into tears when I saw him.

Doug
took over the griddle so Charlie could give me a hug.

I
was still brushing away tears when Jerry, Ann, and the rest of my coworkers greeted
me with hugs. Thankfully, Justin didn’t bother making an appearance. I wondered
whether he was purposely avoiding me, since my refusal to accept his plane
ticket had likely set him back a few thousand dollars.

We
loaded our plates with pancakes, fruit, and Jerry’s famous Colorado Quiche before
settling in at the conference room table. The phones were left to roll over to
voice mail for hours as I shared stories about DC.

“What’s
Rockefeller like?” Doug asked as he refilled my coffee.

I
thought about how best to describe the senator, then smiled. “A gentle giant,
completely unpretentious, and extremely devoted to helping others.”

“Do
you still hang out with that cab driver, Habib… the one who called to check on
you during the forest fires?” Ann asked. She was sitting in the chair next to
me.

I
chuckled, remembering how badly I had botched up my lunch date with Habib. “I
see him hanging around Union Station every once in a while. He hasn’t invited
me back out to lunch, but I still call him whenever I have a meeting to attend
off the Hill, which is about once a week.”

“I
ran across his business card in your rolodex the other day. We're trying to
keep your office exactly as you left it, just in case you come back,” Ann
responded with teary eyes.

I
leaned over to give her another hug. “I still want to come back.” I silently studied
my friend. Ann seemed nervous, which was unusual for her. She was normally very
self-assured. I wondered whether Justin had been hard on her when I refused his
plane ticket.

“What
about Kadyn?” Kimme asked. She seemed surprised by my response.

“I
don’t know,” I admitted honestly. “I suppose he could tempt me to stay.”

Charlie
smiled knowingly. “When do I get to meet him?”

“Dan’s
bringing him by around one o’clock,” Kimme announced, much to my surprise. I
hadn’t realized that was the plan.

Eventually,
everyone drifted back to their desks. I wandered up to the front of the office
so I could talk to Ann. She was sifting through the mail. I touched her
shoulder gently, since she hadn’t seen me enter the room. “Can we talk?”

She
glanced around nervously. “Sure.”

I
lowered my voice so Justin wouldn’t overhear us. I hadn’t seen him in the
office, but I didn’t want him overhearing us if he was around. “Ann, I want you
to know I’m not mad at you. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t know about
Justin. You were just trying to help me get home. Please, don’t feel bad about
what happened. I still consider you one of my dearest friends.”

Tears
spilled down her cheeks. “I was afraid I’d compromised our friendship. I didn’t
know you and Justin had a falling out… that you had told him you didn’t want to
see him. I thought you two were still friends.”

I
sighed heavily. “I know. I should have told you what was going on. This isn’t a
good place to talk about what happened, but please stay away from Justin. He’s
not what he seems.”

She
nodded as she swiped at her cheeks.

My
eyes softened. “How’s Mac feeling? Is he still sick?”

Ann
reached for some tissue. “The cancer treatments have taken a lot out of him,
but he’s doing better. He asks about you all the time.”

I
nodded. Mac often joined us for happy hour after work. We had celebrated his
birthday shortly before I moved to DC. He was an amazing man, a WWII veteran
who had earned the Purple Heart. He was considerably older than Ann, but she
was crazy in love with him, and Mac felt the same exact way about her. I smiled
at Ann. “Why don’t you give him a call to see if he’s up for company? I’d really
like Kadyn to meet him. Maybe we can swing by before we leave for Spokane.”

Ann
reached for my hand. “Mac would love that.”

I
squeezed her hand. “Good. Then consider it done.” I walked back to Kimme’s
office to see how Kadyn and Dan were coming along.

They
showed up a few minutes later. “I’ve decided you can keep him,” Dan announced
as they strode into Kimme’s office.

I
rolled my eyes, then rose from my chair. “Gee, thanks, Dan.”

Kadyn
pulled me in for a kiss.

My
eyes trailed over his body. “You’re unharmed?”

He
smiled. “Yes.”

“What
did you guys do?” I couldn’t resist asking given Dan’s mysterious behavior.

Dan
folded his arms across his chest. “That stays between Kadyn and me.”

Kadyn
shrugged as he followed Dan’s lead.

My
eyes flitted between Kadyn and Dan. “Okay, be that way.” I linked my arm with
Kadyn’s. “I’m afraid my friends would never forgive me if I didn’t drag you
around the office and introduce you to everyone. They’ve listened to me talk
about you all morning long, so it’s only fair I give them a face to link to all
those stories.”

Kimme
laughed at the tortured look on Kadyn’s face. “You only have twenty-two people
to get through…”

Dan
settled into my chair. “Your escort is on standby, so let me know when you’re
ready to leave town.”

I
laughed. “We have one more stop to make after this. I think it’ll be another
hour or so before we’re ready to leave town.”

Dan
nodded. “That’s fine. Take your time.”

I
took Kadyn up to the front office so I could introduce him to Ann. Then we
worked our way back down the hall. When I popped my head into Charlie’s office,
he invited us to sit and talk for a while.

Charlie
asked many of the same questions my father had asked of Kadyn, but Kadyn took
it all in stride. After thirty minutes or so, Charlie stood and shook Kadyn’s
hand. Then he walked around the desk and gave me one last hug. “I approve,” he
whispered into my ear.

As
Kadyn and I walked out of Charlie’s office, Justin passed by us in the hall.
His dark brooding eyes locked on mine, but he didn’t say a word.

*
* * * * *

Our
drive back to Spokane was uneventful. I was thrilled Kadyn had met my family
and friends, and I was relieved my cousin was doing so well. I was thankful
Justin hadn’t confronted me and that we hadn’t run into Michael or Tom while we
were in Helena. Despite the fears and concerns that had led me back to Montana,
a lot of good had come from this trip.

We
were on the return flight to Baltimore when Kadyn revealed what he and Dan had
been up to. He seemed thoroughly amused when he described the events. “Dan took
me out to the mountains to some biker bar in York. I’ll admit I was a little
nervous about his intentions at first. It struck me that he could kick me out
of his truck at any point, and I would be lost for days.”

I
groaned. “I’m sorry. I know Dan can be a bit unpredictable at times.”

“Don’t
be. I had a really good time. It was a little early for lunch, but Dan insisted
we order burgers. He claimed they had the best burgers around, and they really were
quite impressive. When we finished eating, Dan drove into a remote area of the
mountains and revealed an impressive stash of guns that had been covered up in
the back of his truck. We set up targets and shot them up until we ran out of
bullets.”

Dan’s
methods for delivering messages could be a bit frightening at times, but deep
down inside I knew he was an honorable guy. Still, my mind pinged with all the
things that could have gone wrong with that scenario. “Well, I’m thankful he
didn’t water board you in some misguided attempt to reveal your true intentions
toward me.”

Kadyn
burst out laughing. “Oh, he’s fully aware of my intentions. Dan is quite
skilled at getting information out of people.”

I
smiled as I turned to look out the darkened window. I was curious about Kadyn’s
intentions, but I wasn’t about to ask the question when I knew I wasn’t ready
for his answer. Eventually, the hum of the airplane’s engines lulled us both to
sleep. We woke just as the plane touched down in Baltimore.