Turn To Me (21 page)

“What!” I exclaimed.  “Dammit!  I had plans!”  Friday was Kandi’s Christmas party.

Tish shrugged.  “I know, me too.  He said there’s supposed to be some big storm Saturday so he thought Friday would be busy.”

Crap.  I wondered if that meant Blane would skip the party or go alone, and decided I probably didn’t want to know the answer to that question.

I headed back to the storeroom to get a few bottles to replenish the bar stock.  It was quiet back here as I searched the shelves for what I needed.

“Kat.”

I spun around, my heart in my throat at hearing a voice in the dark.  I watched as Blane stepped out of the shadows and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Blane,” I said, my heart still pounding, “you scared me to death.”

“Sorry about that,” he said, moving closer.  The light was behind him so I couldn’t make him out clearly.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, confused.

“I just wanted to make sure you knew tonight wasn’t real, that it was a setup,” he replied, stepping into my personal space.

“Kade told me,” I said evenly.  In the back of my mind, I wondered if Blane had kissed Apryl good night, but there was no way I was going to ask.  “She was very pretty.”

“Not as pretty as you,” he said quietly.  His hand reached out, the backs of his knuckles trailing a gentle path down my cheek.

I had to hand it to him, he could sure deliver a line.  “What a smooth operator you are,” I said, only half in jest.

“Is that what you think I am?” he asked seriously.

“Aren’t you?”

He didn’t answer, lowering his head to kiss me.  At the last second, an image of Apryl and Blane kissing flashed through my mind and I turned my head slightly.  Blane’s lips grazed my cheek.

As if he could read my mind, Blane whispered, “I didn’t kiss her.”  His mouth moved to cover mine and this time I didn’t turn away.

It was several minutes before we came up for air and when we did, I was tingling from my head to my toes.  From the speed of Blane’s heartbeat underneath my fingers, he felt the same.

“I’d better go,” Blane whispered against my skin, his mouth marking a trail down the side of my neck.

“I see the cold water didn’t do any lasting damage,” I teased him, the hard length of him pressing against me.

“Remind me not to piss you off,” he said softly into my ear.  His warm breath on my skin gave me goosebumps.

Blane tightened his arms around me, pulling me up to my toes as he pressed one more hard kiss to my lips.

“Stay safe,” he whispered, then he was gone.

It took several minutes and even more deep breaths before I felt normal enough to return to the bar.  Halfway there, I realized I’d forgotten the bottles I’d originally gone into the storeroom for and had to go back.  When I returned and started stocking the shelves, Kade took a long look at me.

“Christ,” he huffed in exasperation, rolling his eyes.  “Blane couldn’t stay away, could he.”  It wasn’t a question.

I looked away, embarrassed that he could read the signs so easily on me.

“Blane doesn’t usually do something so stupid,” Kade snorted derisively. 

My anger flared and I sprang to Blane’s defense.  “He made sure he wasn’t seen,” I protested.

“You don’t know that,” Kade said evenly.  “And neither does he.  It was a dumb move.”

I looked away, grabbing a cloth to wipe down the bar.

“We’re going to have to fix it,” Kade said.

“How?”

Kade smirked, which made my insides twist uncomfortably.  Somehow I knew I wasn’t going to like his method of “fixing” it.

“Ever pick up a customer, princess?”

I spun away, hoping he was joking though the knot in my stomach said he wasn’t.  Sure enough, when it came time to close he held my coat for me, his eyebrow twitching upward and daring me to protest.  I pressed my lips together and pushed my arms into the sleeves.  Leaving him where he stood, I went to grab my purse from under the bar.

“Hey girl,” Tish said, sidling up to me and eyeing Kade as she shrugged on her own coat.  “You, uh, taking a friend home tonight?”

“Um, yeah, I guess so,” I said uneasily, then tried to cover it up with a fake smile. 

“He’s hot,” she said appreciatively, looking at Kade standing some distance away, waiting for me.  “I saw him staring at you the whole night.  Not really your type, though.”  Tish knew I never picked up guys at the bar.

“Well, my type went home with another woman tonight,” I said evenly.

“Can’t argue with that,” she said, then grinned.  “Well, have fun.  Be safe.  And I want to hear all about it tomorrow night.”  She winked and left, the front door swinging shut behind her.  I locked it and headed to the back, Kade at my heels.  Before I could open the door, Kade stopped me with a hand on my arm.

“Try to make it look good,” he said, “or at least, believable.”

I didn’t really know what he was talking about, so I just nodded and followed him out the open door.  I locked it, then was utterly taken aback when Kade spun me around and pressed me against the wall, his arms on either side of my head caging me.

“What are you doing?” I squeaked, alarmed.  He was so near, I could smell the sweet leather of his jacket.

“Making it look good,” he said evenly.  “Pretend you like me and I’ll do the same.”

He bent down, nuzzling the side of my neck.  The stubble on his jaw scraped my skin and I shivered.  This was so not a good idea.

“Put your arms around my neck,” he ordered softly. 

Hesitantly, I obeyed, my hands clutching the supple leather covering his shoulders.

“Blane’s not going to like you doing this,” I hissed in his ear.

“Blane told me to keep you alive,” he replied curtly, even as his hands dropped to slip inside my coat.  I stiffened when they closed around my waist.  “This nutjob needs to think you and Blane are through, that you have no influence over him.  So I’ll do what I have to do.”

I jumped when I felt him press open-mouthed kisses to the skin of my neck.

“Close your eyes,” he whispered, his breath warm against my ear. 

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, praying this would be over soon.  I couldn’t say I appreciated Kade’s attitude, doing “what he had to do.”  My feminine pride stung.  Was it that much of a chore to pretend to like me, I wondered grudgingly, then I wanted to kick myself for the ludicrous thought.

Kade’s arms slid around my back and he pressed closer, insinuating a leg between mine.  My pulse skittered at the warmth of his body, lean and hard and wrapped around me.  His tongue touched the bare skin of my collar bone and I sucked in my breath. 

Warm wetness marked my skin as his lips and tongue traced the edge of my shirt over the curve of my breasts.  My heart hammered in my chest and I struggled to remember this was just an act, this was Blane’s brother trying to keep me alive.

My fingers had a mind of their own, threading through his hair as his head bent over my breasts.  The locks were as long and silky as I remembered them being.  Kade’s leg pressed against a very sensitive area between my thighs and I gasped.  His hands moved to cup my ass and hold me against him and I was stunned to feel his erection pressing against my hip. 

“You taste like cotton candy and smell like spring after a storm,” Kade said so softly, his lips against my skin, that I nearly didn’t hear him.  Something inside of me, something that I’d denied existed after his cruel words to me last night, soaked up his words like a parched desert.  An agonizing ache bloomed in my chest and I wanted to cry with relief to see just a small part of that Kade from Chicago, the one who had lain exhausted with his head on my lap.  The one who had trusted me.

“Do you always melt for a man who'll fuck you up against a wall?” Kade whispered in my ear. 

My eyes flew open.  His words were a cold bucket of ice water that sent a stab of pain inside me.  What a fool I was. 

My fingers were still in his hair and I angrily fisted a hunk of it, tugging until he lifted his head and looked at me.  His eyes burned into mine.

“I just closed my eyes and pretended you were Blane,” I said, my voice like sugar-coated ice.  I didn’t examine why I wanted to hurt him back, I just knew I did.

Kade’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing in anger.  Inside, I quaked, feeling much too vulnerable pressed this close to him, his hands still on me, the echo of what he’d told me still whispering through my head.

“And who do you pretend it is when it's Blane?” he sneered.  My face drained of color as I stood there, unable to reply to his insult.

Kade’s eyes bored into mine until I heard him curse under his breath, then say curtly, “Let’s go.”  He abruptly stepped back and grabbed my hand, tugging me to his car.  In moments, we were speeding down the road back to my apartment.

The silence in the car was stifling and I regretted immensely not talking to Blane about Kade while I’d had the chance.  I could still feel the imprint of his lips on my skin, their ghostly afterimage mocking me.

“Where were you really today?”  Kade broke the silence.

“What are you talking about?”  I asked stiffly, playing dumb.

“Don’t give me that crap about errands again,” Kade said with derision.  “I’m not an idiot, princess, and I want to know where you were.”

I pressed my lips tightly together and turned to look out the window, refusing to answer.  My eyes stung, and to my shock, I realized I was close to tears.  I couldn’t keep it up, this adversarial game with Kade, not when one minute his hands and mouth were on me and the next he was making me feel like a scheming idiot.

It wasn’t until we had pulled into my apartment’s lot and Kade was parking the car that I found the courage to say the words hammering inside my head.

“You can’t stay,” I blurted, still staring out the window.  “Not with me.”

“You don't get a say in this, princess,” Kade dismissed dryly.

He got out of the car, slamming the door behind him. 

That set me off.  I jumped out of the car, rounding it quickly to confront him. 

“I absolutely have a say,” I spat furiously, poking my finger in his chest for emphasis.  “And I don’t want you here.  Tell Blane whatever you have to, I don’t care, but you have to leave.  I know that you couldn't give a shit what happens to me, and I know you don’t want to be here.  So just go already!”

His brow furrowed and his lips pressed together in a grim line, his eyes searching mine.

I turned and stalked to my apartment, looking back only once to see Kade staring after me.  My apartment was a welcome respite and I closed and locked the door before sinking onto the couch.

I knew I had to call Blane, tell him that I’d thrown Kade out, and I wasn’t looking forward to it.  Instead, I took a shower.   

The water masked my tears as I had a good cry.  I felt I deserved it.  I’d done the stiff upper lip thing for a few days now, had even resisted the temptation to drown my sorrows in booze tonight.  The fact that I’d been in Blane’s arms and then Kade’s in the same night had nothing to do with my dejection, or at least that’s what I kept telling myself.  Even if it had been a ploy with Kade, I still felt guilty.

Throwing on coat and boots over my pajamas, I took Bits outside.  Thankfully, he was quick this time and we were back in my apartment without incident.  I had noticed Kade’s car was no longer in the parking lot.  I wondered where he had gone, if he’d gone to Blane’s.

I took a deep breath and picked up the phone, dialing Blane’s cell.  It rang four times, then went to voice mail.  That was a little strange.  He usually kept his cell by his bed in case he got calls in the middle of the night.  Being a lawyer, that sometimes happened.  Brushing it aside, I took a deep breath and waited for the beep.

“Hey, it’s me,” I said with forced cheer.  “Listen, I know you wanted Kade to stick around, but that’s just not going to work out, okay?  Don’t worry though, I’m fine.  I’m sure our little scene tonight threw off track whoever’s watching.  Hope you’re okay.  I’m going to bed.  See you at the firm tomorrow.”  I hung up.  I’d spoken too fast, betraying my nervousness, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it now.

I fell into bed, tossing and turning before finally getting to sleep in the wee hours of the morning.  I must have been tired, because I slept like the dead.  When I woke up, I stretched and turned over.  Blearily, I opened my eyes and looked at the clock.

“Holy crap!”

I sat straight up in bed and threw off the covers.  I was already a half hour late for work.  Diane was so going to kill me.

Jumping out of bed, I hightailed it into the bathroom and took a three-minute shower.  Wrapping a towel around me, I hurried to the kitchen.  Maybe if I started the coffee pot now, by the time I got dressed, it would be done brewing.  I had to have my coffee.

I stopped short at the sight of Kade sitting at my kitchen table, sipping from a coffee mug and reading the paper.

He glanced up at me, his eyes taking a slow journey downward and back up, and I wished I wasn’t standing there dripping wet with only a towel wrapped around me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked through gritted teeth, gripping my towel to my chest like it was a lifeline.  I was quite sure I’d thrown Kade out last night and locked my door very securely.  I had hoped he'd be two states away by now, or at the very least across town.

A small smirk lifted the corner of his mouth.

“You didn’t think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?”

Chapter Eight

“Actually, I thought I had,” I retorted, ignoring my own self-consciousness at my lack of appropriate armor in front of Kade.

“Doesn’t work that way, princess,” Kade said, taking another sip of his coffee, “especially since you have my clothes.”  He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, then tipped his head to acknowledge the suitcase still sitting by my couch.  I noticed he’d changed into a dark gray pullover that looked warm.  His hair was also slightly damp and he’d shaved.  I wondered if he’d made himself at home in my shower while I was sleeping.

“I’m late for work,” I said stiffly, not moving from where I stood.