20. Lacey/Tory
CHAPTER 20
Lacey/ Tory
B lood pounded in my ears as Kane and I strolled hand-in-hand up the front steps of our luxury hotel, acting like everything was normal.
Normal. I didn’t even know what normal was anymore. I didn’t even know who I was. I expected to have handcuffs slapped onto my wrists at any second and swallowing hard, I fought the urge to glance over my shoulder.
“Mr. and Mrs. Devlin!” A pair of hotel staff wearing crisp uniforms hurried toward us with concern drilled onto their faces. “We heard about the incident at the ball. Are you okay?”
News traveled fast.
“Yes, thank you. We managed to get away before things got too out of hand.” Kane gave me a reassuring smile and stroked my hand wedged in the crook of his elbow like he was patting a kitten.
I forced a smile, trying to project an air of calm I didn’t feel. “It was just a shock, that’s all.”
“We are so relieved to have you back safely,” the bellhop said with a smile that I was sure elicited many decent tips.
A young staff member with short-cropped hair and black pearls for earrings fell into step beside me. “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. My name is Maria, and I’m on reception all night.”
“Thank you,” Kane said. “We just need some rest and quiet now. ”
“Yes, sir. Of course.”
They both backed away, and Kane led me to the elevator.
When the doors shut, I scowled at my appearance in the mirror behind the door. My hair looked like I’d been attacked by an eagle, and the adrenaline rush made my neck and cheeks flushed and blotchy. Kane, however, looked like he had before the ball, although somehow sexier.
On the third floor, the doors opened, and he placed his hand on my lower back, guiding me forward. The warmth of his touch sent a jolt straight to my heart.
He ushered me into our room and locked the door behind us. “Home sweet home.”
I sat on the massive bed to take off my necklace and the soft bedding seemed to mock the hard truth festering in my mind. As I fiddled with the annoying clasp at the back of my neck, my mind kept skidding to the fear in Gunter’s eyes. He was terrified.
I wished I had my phone. I needed to contact Aria.
“Are you okay?” Kane removed the yellow envelope from inside his tuxedo, draped his jacket over the back of the chair in front of the mirrored dresser, and pulled his wallet from his pants pocket.
“Yeah, I guess,” I lied, forcing a smile onto my lips as I put the necklace on the side table.
“Look, Tory, what happened with Gunter got a little crazy, I admit. But we didn’t hurt him.” He tugged the silk bow tie from around his neck and tossed it onto the dresser.
“He may not be physically hurt, but emotionally . . .”
“He started it.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s no excuse for what we did.”
“But it was worth it, now that we have another clue.” He waved the yellow envelope.
As I removed my dangly earrings, my mind raced with conflicting emotions.
“Was it worth it?” I whispered, more to myself than to him. “We crossed the line back there.”
I had arrested people for doing less than what I did to Gunter.
Kane strolled to me and rested his warm hand on my bare shoulder. “Hey, I agree, things didn’t go down how I anticipated. But we rolled with it, and it’s done now. Remember, Gunter’s actions triggered that attack on us.”
He locked his eyes on mine, surprising me with his calmness. His demeanor was vastly different from his performance in front of Gunter.
“Were you really an interrogator in the military?” I asked.
A massive grin swept across his face. “Nope, but I can pretend just as well as you can.”
I just about drowned in a whirlpool of guilt and regret.
“Come on.” Kane strode to the table, and as he spread the maps across the polished timber top, excitement danced in his eyes like wildfire. “Let’s see if we can find these teeth Gunter talked about.”
The taste of danger still lingered on my tongue as I crossed the plush carpet to his side.
Kane ran his hand over his pops’ map, ironing out the creases. I did the same with the map we’d bought from Gunter.
The table was large enough that he could spread the maps out side by side and both of us leaned over each map, searching for a set of teeth.
I inhaled the scent of Kane’s intoxicating cologne, and the woody-citrusy scent swirled around my brain.
How can he still smell so damn good?
His scent was going to be the death of me.
“Where are these teeth?”
His words jolted me out of my lustful haze. But as he traced his finger over the intricate lines on his pops’ map, all I could imagine was his amazing hands cruising up my naked body. Smacking that scenario from my horny mind, I cleared my throat. “Gunter said teeth, right? So more than one?”
“Yeah.” Kane shifted closer to me, studying the edge of his map.
“What about those weird triangle things?” I pointed to his pops’ map.
Kane shifted over and pointed to them. “What about them?”
“Could they be teeth?”
“You could be right.” He swept his pops’ map toward me. “Hold this.”
I carefully draped the map aside, wondering what he was doing.
“I have an idea.” He set his phone on the table with the light on, facing upwards, then positioned the map over the light so the triangles were the focal point. He grabbed the second map and layered it over the first.
“What if,” he whispered like he was in a trance, “it wasn’t teeth that Gunter saw.”
As he fiddled with the top map, he pressed his lips together like he was holding back a big reveal. Adjusting its position to align the triangles near each other, he let out a breath, and the atmosphere in the room seemed to sparkle. “That’s it!”
“What?” I nudged into his side, trying to see what he had discovered.
He curled his arm over my shoulder. “You see it?”
I leaned over the maps.
“See anything?” he asked, clearly trying to contain his excitement.
I tilted my head, squinted at the page, and adjusted my focal point. Like some kind of magic trick, the overlapping triangles on both maps formed into the side-on view of a roaring lion with a big mane.
“Oh my god, they’re fangs.”
“Yes!” Kane’s grin was infectious. “The fangs match up perfectly.”
I gasped. “It’s the same drawing of the lion that’s embossed into the gold bars.”
I raced to my suitcase, unzipped the pocket inside the case, and pulled out a couple of pages of notes Aria had allowed me to bring with me. Shuffling through the notes, I found the page with a photo of one of the gold bars. “See.” I placed the photo next to the combined drawing of the lion.
Kane leaned into my side, and my skin sizzled, welcoming him closer. Forcing my mind away from his incredible aura, I studied the outline of the mouth of the lion, which was wide open as if the beast was releasing a fierce roar. The fangs were exact, two on the top and two on the bottom that were slightly larger. The side view displayed one eye and one ear.
“This is the same,” Kane said, gliding his finger over the line drawing of the lion’s mane.
“Did you know this drawing was made by Hitler?” I said, shifting my attention to the lion’s eye.
Kane blinked at me. “Really?”
“It’s true. Hitler wanted to be an artist.”
“I knew that about him.” He huffed. “If only he’d followed that path.”
“Right? Keep looking.” I leaned back over the maps but felt the heat of Kane’s gaze on me. I cleared my throat. “Did you know Hermann Goering had lions for pets during the war?”
“What?” Kane scoffed. “Now you’re making things up.”
“It’s true. He used his position with the Nazis to get pet lions. He borrowed them from the Berlin Zoo and kept them at Carinhall or in his house at Obersalzberg in Bavaria. He received small lion cubs and raised them until they were too big to handle, then he’d return them to the zoo.” I leaned further over the maps, studying the lion’s face. “He had several lions during the early 1930s.”
Kane remained silent but I could feel him watching me.
“You’re staring,” I muttered, examining each line of the lion’s ear.
“It’s just . . . I’m sorry I doubted you.”
I cocked my head at him. “What?”
“When I was told you had knowledge of this gold, I doubted you could know more than me. I’m sorry for misjudging you.”
My chest nearly caved.
“I’m really impressed,” he said.
I wanted to correct him and tell him that my knowledge came from four days of intense studying of Yasmin’s father’s journals. My information was real, but none of it was mine.
Can my guilt get any heavier?
Kane released a tiny noise that dragged me from my mental cesspit. He pointed at the map. “Do you see this?”
I leaned with him, peering at the map. Inside the lion’s eye was an X.
“That’s not on the embossing on the gold bar.” I pointed at the page with the photo. Each of the two maps only had one stroke of the X. Without the two maps overlapping, the symbol was invisible.
“X marks the spot,” Kane said. “Where is that?” He used his phone to search Google Maps. “Looks like Cuxhaven. You heard of it?”
“No. Where is it?”
“It’s situated at the mouth of the Elbe River where it flows into the North Sea.”
“Oh my god.” My heart thundered as a piece of our puzzle slotted into place. “Three hundred of these gold bars were put onto a submarine called the Kashalet which was reported to have sunk in Leningrad, January 1945. But the Kashalet briefly resurfaced in the Elbe River near Hamburg in March 1945.”
“The Elbe River,” he repeated. “Holy shit, Tory. That can’t be a coincidence. This has to be the clue.”
I tugged my lips into my mouth, trying to hold back my excitement. My heart raced as I faced him. “This is amazing. ”
His gaze locked on mine, and the desire in his eyes made my heart soar. “You’re amazing.”
“Kane . . .”
We stared at each other for one heartbeat too long.
He pulled me toward him, his hands firm on my waist.
“What are you doing?” I whispered though I didn’t want him to stop.
His lips captured mine in a fiery kiss, and I clung to him, digging my fingers into his shoulders, desperate for more of his touch.
Passion consumed me like wildfire, erasing every thought. His hands cruised around my back, pressing my body to his, and the bulge in his groin fueled my desire.
His tongue glided against mine, hot and wet, and I melted into him . . . feeling him, wanting him so badly I thought I’d burst.
I rubbed my hand over his groin, and he pulled back, breaking our kiss.
Our breaths mingled with the charged air between us. His eyes bore into mine, undressing me, devouring me. A breath escaped my throat, and Kane pulled me to him again, crushing his mouth to mine. Our kiss was heated, wild.
Amazing.
I pulled his shirt from his pants, and my fingers trembled as I frantically undid his buttons.
He found the side zipper on my dress, and with one swift movement, it was loosened. The garment pooled at my feet, leaving me naked from the waist up.
My nipples hardened as I peeled his shirt off his shoulders, desperate to caress his flesh.
He cupped my breasts, and as our kiss deepened, I roamed my hands over his chest, tracing the lines of his toned body. He pulled me closer, running his warm hands up and down my spine, and he squeezed my ass, igniting a fire inside me that demanded to be stoked.
I fumbled with the button on his trousers, begging to see the bulge in his pants that needed releasing. He eased back and as his lust-fueled gaze traveled from my mouth to my breasts, he shed his trousers, tossing them aside with his socks.
His stunning body was a work of art. Perfect muscular chest. Flawless olive skin. And the line of hair that ran from his sexy navel and disappeared into the elastic of his jockey shorts turned me on like nothing I’d experienced before.
But it was the bulge in his jocks that made my insides pound to an exotic beat.
I stepped forward, and our mouths met in a feverish quest to taste each other. The friction between our bare chests stoked the fire inside me, and I slid my hand into his jocks and wrapped my hand around his cock.
His expert fingers teased my nipples, and I arched my back, begging for more. As his silky flesh glided beneath my fingers, a storm of emotions brewed inside me. I would implode if I didn’t get him deep inside me right now.
He trailed his lips down my neck, planting kisses, and I gasped when his tongue flicked over my skin. His touch was exquisite torture, and as if he read my craving for more, he slid off my panties.
As I kicked them away, our mouths met in a kiss that stole every thought from my mind. Skin met skin in a fevered exploration as he guided me back to the bed.
Before we lay down, he eased away and his eyes roamed over me, taking in every curve, every tremble of my body. He traced my collarbone with his finger, then dipped into my cleavage, sending shivers down my spine. His tongue swept over his incredible lips and the anticipation was almost more than I could bear.
“Kane.” His name whispered off my tongue.
His gaze returned to mine, and the rapture in his irises stole my breath away.
His muscles flexed as he gripped my waist, guiding me onto the soft covers.
He sucked my nipple into his mouth, and a moan tumbled from my throat as I clawed my fingers through his thick hair. His hand glided between my thighs, and I parted my legs, giving him permission to explore my throbbing core. He glided his finger up my hot folds and gasping, I arched my back and dug my nails into his shoulders. My insides curled and inflamed, and my mind screamed at him to touch me again, claim me . . . make me his .
His mouth captured mine and as our tongues dueled for attention, I clawed my fingers over his scalp, silently begging his roaming hand to enter me.
Finally, he plunged his finger inside me and as I gasped against his mouth, he moaned. His finger ground over my clit, drawing out sensations that blew my mind. Tingles raced to every nerve and the orgasm building inside me demanded to be released.
He explored my body like a magician. His mouth captured my moans as he thrust his finger harder, driving into me with wild intensity.
“Oh yes.” I planted my feet on the bed and raised my ass, opening my legs, begging him to take me over the edge.
His fingers delved deeper into me as his mouth devoured mine. My mind raced, and my heart pounded in my chest. The teasing inside me grew stronger and as he pushed two fingers inside me, his thumb teased my clit.
“Yes!” I cried out. My insides clenched around him, and my body shuddered into a thousand quivering pieces.
Kane continued to drive his fingers inside me until I melted onto the covers, gasping for breath.
“Wow,” he whispered.
I nodded. “Wow.”
Grinning, he rolled his finger around my nipple, and his teasing seemed to reach every inch of my flesh.
I curled my hand around his neck and pulled his lips to mine. As he captured me with a kiss of all kisses, he positioned himself above me. He broke our kiss, and with a lust-fueled glint in his eyes, he guided his cock inside me.
The sensation was overwhelming yet so damn good.
He sucked air through his teeth as if every nerve in his body came alive at once.
Sinking deeper into me, he held my gaze, and his eyes gleamed with fierce possession. He began to move, thrusting slowly at first, then picking up the pace, his hips driving into me with a powerful rhythm.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him tighter against me, our bodies now one in a perfect rhythm. His throbbing cock stretched me, filling me up in a way I’d never felt before. The pleasure was intense, and raw and wild.
I arched my back, meeting him thrust for thrust, and the pleasure built inside me like a tidal wave.
Every sensation was enhanced. The sounds of our ragged breaths. The feel our skin gliding together. The exquisite pain of his cock, joining our bodies as one.
He lifted my knee and surged forward, driving himself into me with a force that made me gasp.
I wanted more. Needed him deeper.
I matched his rhythm, urging him on, digging my fingers into his back.
His jaw clenched and his eyes flew open, but he wasn’t seeing; he was lost to a lustful world. He’d reached the point of no return.
I clenched my insides around his cock.
With another thrust, he released a primal cry and as my orgasm shuddered through me, his cock pounded into me with a ferocity that threatened to split me in two.
He collapsed onto my chest and as we both gasped for breath, I trailed my hands across the muscles in his back. As we lay in each other’s arms, and my body pulsed with glorious sensations, I knew that something had changed in me.
Kane Devlin had claimed a piece of my heart, and I would never be the same.
He deserved the truth. I couldn’t deceive him a moment more.
Kane rolled onto his side, and he cruised his hand up my torso and then cupped my breast and kissed my cheek. “You know what we need?”
I blinked at him. There were so many things we needed.
“Champagne,” he said before I answered.
“Kane,” I murmured, trying to work out how to tell him I’d been lying to him since the moment we met.
He kissed my nipple. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back.” He rolled off the bed and as I watched his incredible butt cheeks flex as he walked toward the bar, my heart wept.
“Kane, I need to talk to you.” I slipped my feet off the bed.
“Oh damn, there’s no ice.” He strode across the room. “Hold that thought.”
He tugged on his sweatpants.
“Kane . . .”
“I’ll be right back.” He marched out the door.
A tear spilled down my cheek and I could hardly breathe.
“I’m not Tory,” I muttered. “I’m Lacey Brooks. Police detective. Liar. Worst person in the world. ”
I was about to ruin the best thing to ever happen to me.