Chapter 33
Kane
Her answer is to guide my hand between her thighs, where she’s still slick from our first encounter. I groan at the sensation, feeling myself harden again almost instantly.
“Already?” she teases, her fingers wrapping around my length.
“What can I say? You have that effect on me.” I capture her mouth in another kiss, rolling her beneath me. This time, I want to take my time, to learn every inch of her body, to discover what makes her gasp and moan.
I trail kisses down her neck, across her collarbone, between her breasts. She arches into my touch, her hands in my hair, guiding me where she wants me. I take my time, savoring the salt of her skin, the softness of her curves, the way she trembles when I find a particularly sensitive spot.
“Kane,” she whispers, her voice ragged as I move lower, kissing my way down her stomach. “What are you—oh!”
Her question dissolves into a moan as I settle between her thighs, my mouth finding her center. She tastes like us, like sex and desire, and I groan against her, the vibration making her hips buck.
I take my time, using my tongue to explore her folds, to circle her clit, to dip inside her. Her thighs tighten around my head, her hands fisting in my hair as I bring her closer and closer to the edge.
“Please,” she gasps, her body taut as a bowstring. “I need you inside me when I come.”
I’ve never been one to deny a beautiful woman what she wants, especially not this woman who’s somehow become essential to me in just two weeks. I move up her body, positioning myself at her entrance, then pause to look into her eyes.
“What?” she asks, her cheeks flushed, pupils dilated with desire.
“Just... taking it in,” I admit. “How fucking gorgeous you are like this.”
She smiles, a slow, sensual curve of her lips that makes my heart stutter. “Less looking, more action, MacGallan.”
I laugh, then groan as she reaches between us to guide me inside her. The sensation of her heat enveloping me is overwhelming, better even than the first time, now that I know what to expect.
I start to move, setting a rhythm that has her moaning with each thrust. Her legs wrap around my waist, pulling me deeper, her nails digging into my shoulders in a way that walks the perfect line between pleasure and pain.
“Just like that,” she urges, her voice breathy. “Don’t stop.”
As if I could. I’m lost in her—in the scent of her skin, the taste of her mouth, the feel of her body moving with mine. Everything else falls away—my father’s deception, my nonexistent sister, the uncertain future. There’s only this moment, only Kori.
I feel her tightening around me, her breath coming in short gasps that tell me she’s close. I shift slightly, changing the angle to hit that spot that made her cry out earlier. Her eyes fly open, locking with mine as she starts to come apart.
“Kane!” she cries, her inner muscles clenching around me in waves that trigger my own release. I bury my face in her neck, muffling my groans against her skin as pleasure overwhelms me.
Afterward, we lie tangled together, sweat cooling on our skin, neither of us willing to break the spell by speaking. Her fingers trace the lines of my tattoos, following the Celtic knots down my arm to where they disappear beneath the sheet now haphazardly covering our lower halves.
“These are beautiful,” she murmurs, her touch raising goosebumps on my skin. “Do they mean anything?”
I look down at the intricate patterns, considering her question. “Protection, mostly. Each knot represents something different—strength, courage, family.”
“And the dragon?” she asks, her hand moving to the stylized creature that curls across my chest.
“Got that after I left home the first time,” I tell her, watching her face as she traces the design. “Dragons guard treasure, but they’re also symbols of transformation. I liked the idea that I could change, become something different than what everyone expected.”
Her eyes meet mine, understanding in their depths. “And did you? Change, I mean?”
“I tried,” I admit. “Left Toronto, traveled, did some soul-searching.” I sigh, old regrets surfacing. “Fell back into old patterns pretty quickly after that.”
“And now?” she asks softly. “With everything that’s happened?”
I consider this, my hand absently stroking her back. “Now I have no choice but to change. To figure out who Kane MacGallan is, since Kane Murphy was apparently never real to begin with.”
She props herself up on one elbow, looking down at me with an intensity that makes my breath catch. “Kane Murphy was real,” she says firmly. “The name might have been based on a lie, but the person—the man I’ve gotten to know these past two weeks—he’s real.”
Something in my chest loosens at her words, a tension I didn’t even realize I was carrying. I pull her down for a kiss, trying to pour into it everything I can’t yet say—my gratitude, my amazement at finding her, my growing feelings that I’m not ready to name.
When we separate, she’s smiling that soft smile that makes my heart do uncomfortable things. “What was that for?”
“For seeing me,” I say simply. “The real me, underneath all the bullshit.”
She laughs, the sound light and carefree in a way I haven’t heard from her before. “Well, it helps that you’re currently naked and thoroughly debauched. Hard to maintain pretenses in this state.”
I join her laughter, flipping us suddenly so she’s pinned beneath me again. “Thoroughly debauched, huh? I think I can do better than that.”
Her eyes darken with renewed desire, but before she can respond, a sharp knock at the door makes us both freeze.
“Kori?” Declan’s voice calls through the wood. “Have you seen Kane? We need him for the conference call with the lawyers in twenty minutes.”
I press my finger to my lips, signaling Kori to stay quiet, but she gets a mischievous look in her eyes that spells trouble.
“Haven’t seen him since breakfast,” she calls back, her voice impressively steady considering my hand is now between her thighs, teasing her. “Maybe check the stables? He mentioned wanting to see the horses.”
I pinch her side in retaliation, making her squirm beneath me. She retaliates by wrapping her hand around me, stroking slowly in a way that threatens my sanity.
“Thanks,” Declan says, and I hear his footsteps retreating down the hallway.
“You’re evil,” I whisper, nipping at her earlobe. “He’s going to know exactly what we’ve been doing.”
“Mmm, probably,” she agrees, not sounding particularly concerned as she continues her maddening strokes. “But that gives us at least fifteen minutes before he finds you.”
“Fifteen minutes, huh?” I murmur, sliding down her body. “Let me show you what I can do in fifteen minutes.”
Her laughter turns to gasps as I put my mouth to better use, determined to make every second count.
Later—much later than fifteen minutes, after we’ve finally managed to drag ourselves out of bed and into the shower (where we get distracted all over again)—we make our way downstairs. I’m braced for knowing looks, for Declan’s disapproval or Kat’s teasing, but what we find instead is chaos.
The main hall is filled with people I don’t recognize—men and women in business attire, carrying folders and laptops, speaking in urgent tones. Connor stands in the center of it all, looking overwhelmed but determined.
“What the hell is going on?” I ask as we approach.
Connor looks up, relief crossing his face when he sees me. “Kane, finally! Where have you been?”
“Around,” I say vaguely, feeling Kori shift beside me. “What’s all this?”
“Estate matters,” he explains, lowering his voice. “With Tomas confirmed dead, there’s a lot to sort out. The lawyers want all of us to sign some documents before we leave for Alberta.”
“All of us?” I repeat, something uneasy is stirring in my gut. “Why would they need my signature? I’m not—”
“You’re a MacGallan,” Connor cuts me off. “One of Tomas’s heirs. Of course, they need you.”
The word “heir” hits me like a punch to the stomach. In all the drama of discovering my true parentage, I never considered the practical implications—that I might have a claim to the MacGallan fortune, the business empire, all of it.
“I don’t want any of it,” I say immediately, the words tumbling out before I can consider them. “I didn’t know the man. I have no right to his money.”
Connor’s expression softens slightly. “It’s not that simple, Kane. And it’s not just about money. There are properties, businesses, and responsibilities. Tomas was very clear about how he wanted things divided.”
Before I can argue further, Declan appears, his expression thunderous. “There you are,” he says, glaring at me. “I’ve been looking everywhere.”
“Sorry,” I mutter, not sounding particularly apologetic. “Lost track of time.”
His eyes flick to Kori, then back to me, his meaning clear: he knows exactly what we’ve been doing. “The lawyers are waiting in the study. We need to get this sorted before we leave for Alberta.”
I sigh, resignation settling over me. “Fine. Let’s get it over with.”
Declan nods, then turns to Kori. “This might take a while. Wren’s in the kitchen if you want some company.”
It’s a dismissal, and we all know it. Kori stiffens beside me, and I feel a surge of protectiveness. “Of course,” she murmurs.
“She stays with me,” I say firmly. “Whatever this is about, she can hear it.”
“No, I can’t, Kane. I’ll be in the kitchen with Wren,” she says, and walks away.