Chapter 32 Desmond
Abullet to the brain was a goddamn mercy.
Carter deserved so much worse, and I would have happily given it to him daily for the rest of his life if that’s what Kat wanted, but I knew it wasn’t.
Even with everything he did to her, she would never ask for that; hell, I’m not sure she would have even agreed with us killing him had he not put Addy in danger.
She’s too soft; she doesn’t see her own worth despite the fact that she means everything to us.
Pulling the trigger had been satisfying in a way I wasn’t looking for, though. I’d wanted to end him from the moment I saw the sadness in her eyes, and now I had.
Never again would anyone hurt her the way he had.
“Go get cleaned up and see that she’s okay,” Alex says as he walks up beside me, nodding toward the door at the back of the room and not the one that Kat just bolted out of. No, Alex is right; I do need a shower before I think of going anywhere near our girl.
I make it quick, but I’m sure to be thorough. I don’t need to go up and have her see me sporting a splatter of blood on my neck or some other silly thing.
In the end, Kat agreed to let us handle him because she felt there wasn’t another choice, not because she actually wanted him dead.
I exit the bathroom, still rubbing my hair with a towel, and find my father and Alex have already disposed of Carter.
Good, one less thing for me to worry about.
“Vince is up with her, but you should make sure she’s okay with you. Trauma is a funny thing sometimes,” Alex tells me as he mops up the blood off the floor with a cigarette hanging from between his lips.
This is one of the few rooms in the house he’s allowed to smoke in, and he sure takes full advantage of it.
Looking at him, it’s easy to forget he’s speaking from experience.
I’ve never heard the whole story, but I know it wasn’t pretty; it’s got something to do with how he got that scar. That’s about the only thing I’m certain of.
“I’ll check in on her and let you know how she’s doing and if we need anything.”
It’s weird; as I make my way up the stairs to Kat, I feel both excited and nervous.
I’m always happy to see her; she makes everything better, but what if she doesn’t want to see me right now?
Is going up there really a good idea?
Kat’s soft, and I love that about her, how caring and gentle she is, but that might not be a good thing right now.
Not when she just potentially watched me put a bullet between Carter’s eyes.
I’d told her to look away, but I have no way of knowing if she did; she might be soft, but she’s also stubborn. All I can do is hope that Vince had the sense to make her look away. Carter got what he deserved, but the last thing I want to do is cause Kat any more pain.
Hell, I hadn’t even wanted her to go down there, but even more than that, I didn’t want her to face him without me. I know the others were there, but I don’t know how to explain it; something told me to go, and I’m happy I did.
I’d wanted to end Carter since we'd flown out to meet him.
I make it up the stairs and stand staring at her door for what feels like an eternity.
Maybe I should just go. Vince can look after her; I know he’s more than capable, even though I hadn’t wanted to admit it before.
The door swings open, and speak of the devil, Vince stands in the doorway, glaring at me like I’m a child caught doing something I’m not supposed to.
“Get the fuck in here,” he says, moving aside so that I can move past him.
I hesitate still, my feet feeling as though they're stuck to the floor even though I want to go; I want to see her.
But what if she doesn’t want me here?
“Des.” Vince’s sharp, commanding tone pulls me from my thoughts, and when our eyes meet, I see the concern and confusion in his gaze.
Vince was always a hardass when I was growing up, but he cared in his own way; I never questioned that.
None of us did. Addison got to see the closest thing we would dare call soft for him, and while I’d teased him, it’s because he was going soft in his old age.
Now I’m pretty sure it’s just because she’s a girl.
I’d never seen him with a woman to know that he’s just softer with them, or at least the ones he seems to care about.
And I have no doubt that Vince cares about Katherine, even if he didn’t want to. There’s just something about her that’s so fucking captivating that none of us ever stood a chance.
I finally find my feet, moving past him to stand in the room. I hear the door close behind me, but stop short.
“Where is she?”
“Bathroom.”
As if on cue, the sound of throwing up fills the room, and I’m moving without thought.
Kat sits on the floor in front of the toilet, her arm on the seat, her head resting on it. A cup of water sits beside her, and her long red hair is clipped up on the back of her head.
“Hey, Kitten.” I move into the bathroom but stop after just two steps.
I’d never realized Carter’s nickname for her was so close to the one I’ve been using; she never said anything, but would she?
Kat turns to look at me, her face even more pale than usual, but still a smile pulls at the edge of her lips, and fuck, if that’s not all I need.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” I damn near slide across the floor to her as I hit my knees, crowding her, but unable to stop as the urge to be close rides me.
“Is this my fault?” My words are hushed, barely more than mumbled whispers against the skin of her neck as I nuzzle into her, holding her like my life depends on it, and honestly, it just might.
“No, I wasn’t feeling good before all of this. I think seeing him again was just a lot. It’s all been a lot.” I pull back to look in her eyes and find she isn’t lying. Kat’s a terrible liar, yet another thing I love about her, and that list is fucking huge.
”I love you.” The words are out before I can really think about whether now is a good time to say them.
The last thing I want is to spook her, especially not right now, but fuck that felt good.
I’ve been holding onto those three words since she walked back into the dining room that night months ago.
“What?” She looks up at me like a deer caught in headlights, her eyes wide as she searches mine as if she can’t believe I’d say that.
“I. Love. You.” I overemphasize each word, ensuring she can’t possibly miss it, but still she looks at me as if I’m speaking another language.
It’s impossible to miss the doubt in her eyes, but I brush it off. I’ll show her every fucking day.
I pull her into my chest, leaning down to steal a kiss, only to be met with a palm to the face, shoving me away.
“Ew, no. Des, I need to brush my teeth,” she whines as she tries to break free from my hold.
If she thinks that’s going to stop me, she doesn’t know me very well.
I bark a laugh before pushing her hand aside and pressing her back against the side of the cabinets, trapping her.
“As if I care about that.”
“He killed a man for you, Little Beauty. I think he earned a kiss.”
“Yeah, see, even the old man agrees,” I say, wiggling my brows at her as she glares over my shoulder at Vince.
“It’s not about earning a kiss. He can have all the kisses he wants.” I move to take that kiss, only to meet a hand again. “After I brush my teeth.”
I hear the bite of command in her tone, and damn it if that doesn’t make my cock throb to attention.
“Fine, brush,” I say, releasing her with a roll of my eyes.
She watches me for a second, clearly suspicious of how quickly I gave in, before she finally accepts it and pushes to stand.
And that's when I swoop in and steal a kiss.
“Desmond!” she shrieks, swatting at me, but I’m already retreating.
“It was just a little peck. I promise I didn’t even taste any puke,” I tease, making her pull a face before she huffs and turns toward the sink.
I stand near Vince as she grabs her toothbrush, puts toothpaste on it, and pops it in her mouth. Only then does she look up and lock eyes with me, sticking her tongue out.
Fuck, I love this woman.
“I love you,” I say it again because I fucking can, and damn it, I love the way her cheeks flush the most adorable pink before she quickly looks away.
“Stop teasing her.” Vince smacks me upside the head before he heads out into the room with a huff.
“I’m not teasing her. I just like the way she reacts when I say it.”
“That’s teasing.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Boys!”
We both turn to find Kat glaring at us.
“I’m going to have a shower. It’s been a long day,” Vince says, not even acknowledging the fact that she’d just scolded him. “You’ll stay with her?”
As if he needs to ask.
“You can shower here if you want…” Kat offers, and I can’t help but raise a brow at her boldness. Well, bold for her. She can’t even look at him now, though, which is kind of a shame because she’s totally missing the dopey grin on his face as he looks at her.
I know that look all too well.
“Thanks for the offer, beautiful, but I don’t have clothes here.”
“We could all shower, and then clothes aren’t required.” I offer, trying to be helpful, but all I get is a glare from Vince.
“She needs sleep. It was a long day, Des,” he says, but the way he looks at her lets me know he isn’t against the shower idea.
It’s not a no, just a not right now, which, yeah, he’s probably right about that.
“Next time?” Vince asks, and Kat’s head snaps up so fast I swear I heard it crack.
I watch, choking on a laugh, as she sinks her teeth into her plush lower lip and offers him a nod.
With everything handled, Vince heads for the door, and Kat watches him go. I’m not even sure if she realizes the way she looks at him, but watching them together recently has made me realize just how right Father was.
If I had turned him away, it would have devastated both of them.
Vincent might not be a Lawson by blood, but he is in every other way that counts.
I might just owe him an apology.
He makes it all the way to the door, fingers wrapped around the knob, before he stops and looks back over his shoulder, as if he can feel Kat’s gaze. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the old man could do it, given how well-trained he is.
With a huff, that I’m pretty sure is meant for himself, he turns and stalks back toward Kat, his long strides eating up the distance in just a few steps.
“Sweet dreams, Kat,” he whispers before cupping the back of her head and pressing his lips to her forehead in a sweet kiss that is everything Vince swears he isn’t, before he turns and leaves for real this time, not so much as glancing back as the door falls closed behind him.
Damn, that was slick, and if I weren’t almost always hard around Kat, I sure as fuck am now.
They are hot together.
I can’t wait to watch him fuck her…
He will let me watch, right?
“Des,” I shake away the thought, for now, and find Kat watching me, seeming concerned.
“Ready for bed?”
She gives a nod, and I see now how tired she is, how much everything has been weighing on her.
I’d wanted to kill Carter for so many reasons, but if nothing else, I hope it frees her. She deserves so much more than what he did to her, and I can’t wait to help her heal from it all and watch this amazing woman who stole our hearts blossom.
I move across the room and scoop her up into my arms without missing a beat. She gasps, and I know she’s going to protest, but I don’t give her the chance.
“Let me take care of you, my love.” Her cheeks, which had just gone back to their natural color, once again have a hint of pink with the L word.
“You already take care of me, Des. I can walk.”
“I know you can, but I want you close.” I pull her tight against my chest, breathing in her sweet scent before a thought occurs to me. “Unless you need some space from me?” I ask, pulling back to look down into her eyes.
“What? No! Why would you think that?” she says, shaking her head.
“Well, you did just watch me shoot a man, Kitten.” The nickname slips out before I can stop it, but just like before, I don’t see any sign of discomfort from it.
“Well, actually, you told me to look away, so I did. I hid in Vince’s chest. All I heard was the bang.” She seems almost hesitant to admit it, as if that makes her less than, but honestly, I’m so relieved.
I pause at the side of the bed and pepper kisses all over the side of her face until she’s pushing me away, begging me to stop.
She manages to break free, falling back onto the bed, desperately attempting to scramble away, but I’m faster.
I reach out and snag her ankle, yanking her back toward me as she lets out the most adorable and sexy giggle.
I swear everything about her was made for me, my own personal drug.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I ask as I cage her in, one arm on either side of her head, our chests pressed together, and I know there’s no way she misses how fucking hard she makes me.
I look down at her, waiting for an answer, but I don’t get one. Instead, I get to watch her pupils expand and feel her squirm against me.
Damn it, sleep! She needs sleep.
With all the willpower I have, I pull back enough that we’re no longer pressed together before I press a kiss to her cheek.
“Get in the bed like a good girl,” I whisper in her ear and watch her shiver, though I’m unsure if it’s from my words or the feel of my breath against her ear.
I watch, waiting to see what she decides.
If she’s tired, we go to bed, but if she really wants to play, I’ll never say no.
It takes her a minute before she finally decides to behave, rolling over and crawling up the bed. I reach out and pull the covers down for her before reaching back to yank my shirt over my head, letting it fall to the ground at my feet.
“Well, that’s not fair. Now I’m regretting my choice.” She’s already tucked under the covers looking adorable, and I swear I’d give her anything she asked for, but there’s always later.
Right now, I can see how tired she is, even if she might be horny too. Nothing wrong with both, but I want more than just to fuck Kat.
I want to take care of her in every way, from putting a bullet in the head of anyone who dares put her in danger to telling my dick to get lost so that we can cuddle up and get her some much-needed sleep.
Whatever she needs.