Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Kane
“P ut your hands over your head and arch your back. Spread those legs for me.”
I licked my lips as I bent between Phoebe’s open thighs, spreading her delicate folds. She was all warm and wet and mine. I didn’t have much time, I had to be quick, but I needed to savor her.
I loved eating a woman out. Scratch that, I loved eating Phoebe out. She was a feast, a glorious indulgence of sweetness and tartness blended on my tongue.
“Kane.” Her breaths were a moan, her body soft and pliant beneath me.
“I’ve got you. Just let go.”
I spread her folds, looking down at her pussy. She was so pink, flushed, and I knew with just a lick and a slight touch I could send her over the edge. I loved watching Phoebe come. It made me groan, it made me want more. But it was all I could do not to just go too fast like we always did. I needed this moment to last, even though we didn’t have that kind of time.
I gently slid my thumb over her folds, spreading her before going back to her clit, and she shuddered in my hold. I continued to tease her, slowly using my forefinger to slide inside her wet cunt. She was hot, tight, and when she clamped down around me, I used her wetness to roll my thumb over her clit again.
She arched against me as I knelt on the floor at the edge of the bed between her spread thighs.
She was a beautiful sight that morning, something I would remember to the end of my days.
This was how I wanted to wake up. With Phoebe on my mouth, ready to come, and ready to start our day.
“I’m famished. This is the best fucking breakfast.”
She giggled softly, and then there were no more words. My mouth was on her and we were both groaning. She licked her lips as she leaned up to watch what I was doing, but I pressed her back down on the bed, my hand on her breast, the other teasing her with my fingers. I had my mouth on her, and then she was coming, her cunt clamping around my fingers.
She whispered my name, the sensation nearly too much.
I pulled out of her, slid my hands over her thighs, and flipped her on her stomach.
“Kane!” she gasped and I grinned. She looked over her shoulders, flipping her hair, and I did the only thing I could do.
I slammed into her from behind.
Her eyes widened, her mouth parting into a little O, and I stood there, balls deep in my woman, and groaned out a breath.
“So fucking amazing,” I gritted out before I pulled out of her, her wetness coating my dick, before slamming back into her again. She threw her head back, meeting me thrust for thrust.
That morning I couldn’t feel the ache in my shoulder, couldn’t remember my own fucking name except for when she called it out. All that mattered was that my woman was surrounding my cock and I was pounding into her.
I was claiming her in the best ways possible.
And when my thumb slid across her ass, over that little puckered hole, she shivered in my hold.
“Next time,” I grumbled, and she looked over her shoulder again, sweat sliding down her back.
“Only if I can do that to you,” she teased.
I groaned. “Let’s talk about that later,” I hedged, but she just laughed.
The fact that we could laugh while doing this, that had to mean something.
Or I was losing my damn mind.
It didn’t matter, all that did was her. With one hand playing with her breasts, her nipples hard points against my palm, I slid my other hand around to play with her clit. She arched up, and I pulled her back to my front, so she was on her knees at the edge of the bed, and I was sliding in and out of her as I stood behind her.
“Come for me. Come on my cock.” Her skin heated beneath my hands and my back tingled, my balls tightening at the edge of bliss, needing to come with her.
“Kane.” She turned her head so we were kissing, my hands sliding over her, her hands reached over her shoulder to run her fingers through my hair.
“I’ve got you,” I whispered, and then she was coming, squeezing my cock, and I followed her, filling her, the motion tightening my balls, that sensation at the base of my spine meaning that I was done, spent, all hers.
We collapsed in a tangle of limbs. My dick still deep in her, as she caught her breath.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, though I didn’t know what it would be, when my alarm went off.
We both froze, before I chuckled roughly, her shoulders shaking.
“Well, it’s not like we really needed to sleep.”
I kissed her shoulder, sliding my hands down her side.
“Sleep is overrated.”
In the weeks since the flowers had arrived at her house, nothing else had happened.
Nothing but us falling into a routine where it felt like we were making this work, or at least trying.
There had been no more calls, no more notes, no more flowers.
There was nothing except the dread of wondering what would happen next, and when.
We wanted to believe that the guy had given up because we had increased security so much, but life wasn’t always like that.
The fact that we were still hunting for Tim was evidence of that.
There hadn’t been a peep from the man, and perhaps he had left the country. Maybe he realized shooting at us had been one step too far for him, but I didn’t believe that.
Both of these people were waiting, and I didn’t like that.
Especially because I was ninety-nine percent sure that these weren’t even connected.
That meant there were two people out there trying to hurt my family.
And Phoebe was my family.
Even if neither one of us was ready to admit it.
“We should shower.” She paused. “Separately. And then I have work.”
I kissed her shoulder and slid out of her.
“I have a meeting and a security setup.” I paused. “And then dinner tonight still? Unless you have that meeting?” I asked, feeling awkward.
Because in those weeks, the routine we had fallen into had become a full-on relationship. I was trying to be more open, but Phoebe? She had always been open. She always told me what she felt.
I just needed to listen better.
And not be the grumpy asshole that I was really good at being.
Tonight though, tonight was something that we had avoided since entering back into each other’s lives with a literal bang. Because tonight was dinner with my family.
I loved my family. They were amazing, caring, and were some of the best people I knew. They put family first, were brilliant, and were just good people.
And they loved Phoebe.
And though I knew my family loved me, they had always wondered aloud what I had done to screw up the relationship.
The fact that they had been right annoyed me.
“Yes. I miss your parents. And your sister.”
Phoebe slid the sheet above her, covering herself and, while I missed the view, I knew that we needed to get going for the day.
“I just don’t want you to be nervous.”
She bit her lip and shook her head. “No, I’m not. Okay, I am, only because I don’t want them to hate me. I feel like a horrible person.”
I frowned. “Why would you feel like a horrible person? My family loves you.”
“They did. They welcomed me with open arms when we first started dating. I love your parents. Your mom is brilliant, and the best baker that I know.”
My lips twitched. “I did have the best birthday cakes when I was a kid.”
“And your dad? Talk about a hot zaddy.”
I shuddered, as we walked into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
“Please don’t say that when I’m naked. No, let’s change that up. Never say that about my father.”
“I’m just saying, Dimitri Carr is one hot man.”
“I’m going to ask you once again to never say that,” I said deadpan.
“I just feel like I let them down. They welcomed me into their home, and then we broke up. Or I broke up with you.”
I stepped into the shower and frowned, looking over at her.
“We don’t have to keep bringing that up you know,” I said gently. “The who-broke-up-with-who thing. We’re both trying. We’re talking it out. You do not have to feel guilt over that.”
And that was the truth. Because she had been right, I had been holding back. And, honestly, I hadn’t realized I loved her until she was gone. And that was a fucking problem. One that I was working on. Something I should have been doing to begin with. And the fact that I hadn’t meant that the break had been good for us.
Even though it had torn something from me.
“It’s really hard to disagree with you when you’re all wet and naked in there,” she said, and I laughed.
“I’m going to have to do that more often. Seriously though, my parents love you. Allison loves you. And she misses you,” I said, speaking of my younger sister.
“I miss her too. I just, I just don’t want them to hate me.”
I tugged her into the shower with me, towel and all, and kissed her hard on the mouth. Water slipped over both of us and I sighed. “They can’t hate you. I never did.” Though I had told myself I hated her. It had been easier than admitting to myself I loved her.
“I don’t want them to feel bad though. Or feel weird.”
“They’re going to feel weird because they are weird. They’re my parents.” I paused. “And can we please be dressed the next time we talk about them. This is weird.”
“Okay, fine. Now, seriously, you’re all wet and naked and it’s very hard for me to think.”
I looked between us, at my very hard cock, and her very pert nipples, and licked my lips.
“We might have to be late for work.”
“Kane Montgomery Carr!” she called out, and then she wasn’t speaking anymore because I was on my knees, one of her legs over my shoulder and her cunt pressed to my mouth.
I couldn’t help it. I had slipped.
And we were indeed late for work.
* * *
“So, they think he is in Brazil of all places,” Kingston said from where he sat at his desk, across from my desk, in the office. He sipped his coffee while I glared at mine. Everyone else was out of office except for Kate, our admin. She was up front handling the thousand things she did during a day. I wasn’t sure how she did it, but she made sure I didn’t have to do any of it. Because before we had Kate, and after Aria left, it had been up to me and Noah, and that hadn’t always worked out well. Noah was decent but I was only organized when it came to my shit. Not others’ shit.
Right now, though, with Kate working up front and the rest of the team out on assignment, I was alone to glare at my cousin. “Brazil? They think he’s in Brazil?”
“That’s what my contact says. They’re handling it because it’s an FBI issue. Sometimes I really wish we were like fucking 007 or mercenary security dudes who could go into a burning building, knock down the door, and save the day.”
“We aren’t Jason Statham.” I paused. “Wait, which Jason Statham movie would that be if we were mercenaries and knocking down doors?”
We each looked at each other and said, at the same time, “All of them.”
My lips twitched before I sipped my coffee. “I wish we could handle it ourselves. I don’t like that he’s going to get away.”
“He’s out of our hair though. He doesn’t have access to the technology or the guy who knew how to work the technology. Because his cyber guy is behind bars.”
“That’s a small mercy.”
“He’s behind bars, and so are the others. We’re just looking for this last one, and the FBI’s on it.”
“Then why did he come out and shoot me? He could have killed Phoebe.”
“Because he was desperate.”
“I should have gotten him then. I’m trained, I’m faster than that.”
“And you would’ve left Phoebe alone in the parking lot while you were bleeding. I shouldn’t have let you leave alone when we knew he was still out there.”
“I just don’t like any of it, nor do I like the fact that Daisy is working with Phoebe today because Phoebe had a meeting outside of the office.”
Because it had been a few weeks, we had decided, mostly thanks to Phoebe talking me down, that when she was in the office or at home, and as long as her security system was up, she didn’t need one-on-one protection. That was still me being overprotective like she had accused me of, but I couldn’t help it. I loved that woman, and someone was threatening her, even though it didn’t feel like a threat all the time. But because she was part of the family, she got one-on-one protection. She wasn’t happy about it, but it did mean everybody got a rotation where they weren’t doing tons of manual labor or dealing with assholes. In our line of work, we dealt with a lot of assholes.
According to Daisy and Jennifer, working with Phoebe was a breath of fresh air, and I didn’t mind that. I would’ve liked to be working with her today, however, we were each other’s distractions, and I knew that.
“You up for dinner tonight? Or are you hanging out with Phoebe again?” Kingston asked.
I frowned at my cousin. “Why did you say Phoebe’s name like that?”
“No reason.”
The door opened, saving Kingston from my response, and Hugh walked in.
“Hello, both of you, what’s with the tension?” he asked as he set his things on this desk.
“Nothing, no tension here,” Kingston replied, and I raised a brow at him. “You’re just spending a lot of time with her, and I don’t want you to get hurt if it goes south again. Not all relationships work out as perfectly as Hugh’s. Though I will remind you that Hugh is on his second serious relationship.”
I winced as Hugh glared. “I literally just walked in here and I’m getting flybys. Fuck you. And, I’ll have you know that Daisy and I are endgame. Not that it’s any of your fucking business. Though you are family, so I guess it is your business because all you fucking Montgomerys make sure it’s your business.”
“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just making sure that you have your head on straight. You guys broke up for a reason.” Kingston glared. “Not that you told me that reason.”
“We broke up because we weren’t in the right headspace.” I wasn’t about to go into the fact that I was an asshole. They already knew that. “And hell, just be happy for me, okay? You like Phoebe.”
“Of course I like Phoebe. But I like you more. You’re family. You’re my best friend. So fuck you.”
“Fuck you.”
“You guys are the sweetest people I’ve ever met,” Kate said as she fanned her face, fake crying. “Seriously. My heart is just aflutter from the emotions going on between you. So adult.”
“Sorry, Kate,” I said with a wince.
“No. Don’t feel bad. I like Phoebe, and I like that you’re defending her.”
“I’m not attacking Phoebe.” Kingston threw his hands up. “I’m just making sure that you also spend time with me. Because I’m a jealous, jealous cousin. I miss my best friend.” Kingston put his hand on his chest and stuck out his lip.
I tossed a crumpled piece of paper at him and he caught it, laughing. “I’m just making sure you are good. Sorry for being an asshole.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to you being an asshole.”
“Seriously, the best family,” Kate said, and Hugh sighed.
“And yet I’m joining them. They’re very lucky that I love Daisy.”
“You guys are adorable together.” Kate winked at us before going back to work.
I glared at Kingston. Although, I couldn’t be too upset about it. He was looking out for me. And I did need to get my head on straight.
We were taking things slow, slower than we had the first time. But I needed to make sure I was right for Phoebe.
I needed to make sure that she could trust me.
I needed to tell her I loved her.
It wouldn’t be too bad.
Right?
* * *
“He stood on top of the railing on the second floor, naked as a jaybird, holding his little wee-wee, saying that he was a big boy now and he wanted to use the big boy potty himself.”
I scowled at my mother as Phoebe threw her head back and laughed, kicking her feet. Allison, my younger sister, sat next to Phoebe, tears running down her cheeks even though the damn brat already knew this story.
“Luckily, he was holding onto the wall, so he didn’t tumble headfirst off the railing,” my dad added, scowling. “And then he pissed right off the railing onto the stairs. Because of course he couldn’t actually hold it, he just knew he didn’t want to use a diaper anymore.”
“Oh my God. Why didn’t you ever tell me this story?” Phoebe asked as everyone laughed and I just shook my head.
“Why on earth would I have ever told you that story?” I scowled at my so-called loving family. “Why on earth would you ever tell anyone that story? That story was supposed to go to the grave.”
“But you were so cute. You pretty much potty-trained yourself after that, though,” my mother said, beaming at me. “Thankfully. Because this one refused to use the potty.” She pointed at my sister, who looked at our mom with open shock on her face.
“Wait? Why are you telling Phoebe my potty-training stories? I’m not dating her.”
She turned to my girlfriend. “Not that I don’t adore you. But you’re kind of taken.”
We snacked on cheese and drank wine while I watched Phoebe immerse herself in my family, and I just let out a breath. I hadn’t even realized I’d been nervous until this moment. My dad caught my eye and gestured towards the kitchen, and I followed him to help.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“That’s what I was going to ask you.”
My father had met my mother in a parking lot. At least, that was the running joke between them. He had been married before they met, and my mom had actually been friends with her. It hadn’t worked out, though I knew there was a bigger story there. One they told me when I was old enough to understand, though it hadn’t had a happy ending for some. But my parents had ended up stronger because of it.
They sometimes had game nights with my aunts on my mom’s side, as well as with my dad’s siblings. It was one huge Carr and Montgomery fest, and all of my cousins from both sides of the family sometimes joined in. At least the first cousins did. When you added more than that, it got too big for one house to contain.
But through it all, my parents had shown me exactly what being in love meant. And it hadn’t been until Phoebe that I realized that’s what I wanted too.
I needed to make sure I didn’t fuck this up.
Only I had no idea how to do that.
“Your mind is going in a thousand different directions. Do you want to talk about it?”
“I don’t want to screw this second chance up. I didn’t even realize I needed one until it was in my hands and now I can’t let it go.”
“Your mom gave me a second chance once. And it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I not only got you two out of the deal, but I got the woman I loved. I really like Phoebe, Kane. She’s a good woman, and I think she makes you a better man.”
I frowned. “I wasn’t a better man to begin with?” I asked.
“You could be the perfect guy, the greatest guy in the world, but when the person you love elevates you, it’s worth it. I just hope I still do the same for your mother. And you can do that for Phoebe.”
I helped Dad plate up the appetizer dinner we were having in the living room, and repeated, “I can’t screw this up.”
“Then work on it. The best advice I can ever give you is to talk.”
“Phoebe’s already amazing. What do I bring to this?” I asked.
In the next instant my dad’s hands were on my face, making me look at him. “You bring everything. You’re a good man. I raised a good man. Well, your mom did most of the work. but I helped.” My lips twitched. “Phoebe sees the good in you. Believe in that. I like the two of you together. Be who you are. That’s enough, Kane. You’ve always been enough.”
I hugged my dad, knowing that I needed to hear that and hadn’t even realized it.
I loved her. I had always loved her. But I didn’t want to crowd her. I just needed to keep her safe. But in doing so, I would get overbearing, and I had done that before. I wouldn’t do it again. So I had to find balance. I had to open up.
Which I wasn’t good at. But I was getting better. At least, I hoped.