Chapter 17 Kade
KADE
Lainey felt so incredible I didn't want to stop; I couldn't. Each deep punishing thrust made the pressure build and my balls draw up.
Her core pulsed and twitched around me, but I backed off, letting her push into me so her upper body wasn't dangling over that railing anymore.
And when she did, it seated her so deep I rammed into her back wall.
"That's it, girl. Back into it. Take me deep." I let go of her hair, and grabbed both hips, pushing in as deep as I could go.
Her warmth enveloped me completely, every inch of her gripping my length like she never wanted to let go.
I held still for a second, buried to the hilt, savoring the way her walls fluttered.
Then I started moving again, pulling out until only the head remained inside before sliding back in with long, firm strokes.
The angle let me feel every ridge and ripple inside her, and the sounds she made carried over the low roar of the water below.
"You feel perfect wrapped around me," I told her. “God, I never want to stop."
She moaned, pushing back to meet each thrust, her hands braced on the railing.
I kept one arm around her waist to hold her steady, the other sliding up to cup her breast again.
Her body responded instantly, inner muscles clenching tighter around me.
It was like she knew just what to do to make me have to grit my teeth just to not explode.
"Look how you squeeze me," I murmured. "Every time I pinch your nipple, you get tighter. You love when I play with these pretty tits while I fill you up."
I increased the pace, and each thrust drove deeper, the head of my cock pressing against that spot that made her gasp. Her wetness coated us both, easing the glide while she rocked her hips and touched herself.
"I could stay buried in you all night..."
"Kade," she whimpered. When I pushed in all the way I felt her fingertips brush my balls while she rubbed herself frantically. Two already and she still hadn't had enough. It made something in me need to give it to her, but I was dangerously close to losing control.
"Come on, give me another one," I urged. "I want to feel you come around me. Let me feel those pulses milk me. You're so close—I can tell by the way you tremble."
She whimpered, hips rocking back harder.
I kept the pressure on her clit steady, fingers moving in tight patterns while I drove into her.
Her walls started fluttering again, gripping me in rhythmic waves.
The sight of her like this—bent over the railing with her ass in the air—sent heat coiling tighter in my gut.
"That's my girl," I praised. "Push back harder. Let me feel how much you want this."
She obeyed, grinding against me, and the friction pushed me closer to the edge. Her body tensed, inner muscles clamping down hard as her third climax hit. She grunted and bucked as gurgling sounds erupted from her throat. Her knees went weak and I held her up while her body jolted and convulsed.
I thrust through it, prolonging her pleasure, but my own release was building fast. "God, yes. Squeeze me just like that. You're perfect."
The pressure became unbearable. I buried myself deep one last time, hips flush against her ass as heat surged through me.
I came with a groan, spilling inside her in thick, hot pulses.
Each throb sent another jet filling her, my cock twitching as I emptied everything I had.
Her walls kept fluttering, drawing out every drop while I held her tight against me until I was empty.
I stayed seated inside her, breathing hard against her neck, arms wrapped around her waist. The aftershocks rippled through both of us as the wind picked up a chill.
I helped her stand and kissed her again, but she whimpered and backed away as her lips curled into a smile I could barely see in the dark.
I pulled up my pants and zipped them, and she tugged her bottoms back into place before buttoning her blouse. I imagined her cheeks flushed and her eyes dark with relaxation and felt a bit jilted that I didn't get to enjoy seeing her flustered after that moment.
"God that was—"
"Yes it was," I told her, finding her hand to pull it to my lips and kiss it. I felt the way her fingers rode over my knuckles and then stopped as they brushed the ring finger on my left hand.
"You're still wearing the ring?" she asked softly. I detected a hint of confusion in her tone. I didn't mean to jerk back like she'd bitten me, but I did.
"Uh, yeah, I must've forgotten to take it off..."
Lainey was quiet as she bent to pick up her purse and sling it over her shoulder.
"We should probably go," she said, turning away from me. "Before security comes back."
My shoulders tensed. We'd just shared a perfect moment, though I knew sex wasn't half of what a real relationship was. Lainey deserved so much more than the shallow emotional depth I was giving her.
"Yeah, sure." My hand rode the small of her back as I started to lead her back toward the parking area.
God, she made me feel incredible, but I wasn't stupid.
She needed a man who would commit to her in every way, not just for sex.
Besides I didn't know what I was to her.
It wasn't like we were taking time to actively get to know one another. Every time we got together we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.
That was a good start, but not enough. I tried tonight to tell her I wanted her, but maybe those words didn't hit their target.
"Are you planning to do the annulment soon?" she asked, and since I couldn't see her face I had nothing to go on but the sliver of sadness in her tone.
"Uh, yeah... but you have the paperwork in your purse, remember? Can't do anything until I have that filled out." My heart sank. I couldn’t help it.
I didn't know why, but the idea of putting that annulment paperwork through felt wrong.
Lainey was fast becoming the best part of every day of my life, even the days we weren't together.
The thought of ending that seemed wrong.
She made me want to be a better person and grow up, which was a huge shift from my normal life.
When we reached my car, I pulled her close and kissed her before she could climb in. It was softer than our earlier kisses, less urgent, and when I pulled back, she was smiling.
"What was that for?" she asked.
"Just wanted to." I opened the passenger door for her. "Come on, let me take you home."
The drive back to her parents' house where she’d left her car was quiet. She rested her eyes and I kept one hand on the wheel while the other found hers across the center console. When we pulled up in front, I didn't want to let her go.
"I'll call you tomorrow," I said.
Lainey hesitated, but in the better lighting I noticed her bite her lower lip. "Okay," she said quietly, then leaned over and kissed my cheek before she climbed out of the car. I watched her walk to her car and get inside before I finally pulled away.
The drive back to Las Vegas felt longer than it should have.
Every second I got farther away from Lainey was a second too long.
My father had called three times while I was with Lainey, but I had left my phone in the car.
Still I knew I couldn't put him off forever, which was why I was heading back to the city instead of staying in Boulder City for the night.
When I finally pulled into the parking garage at the Atlas, it was almost midnight. I took the elevator up to my father's office and found him waiting for me with a glass of scotch in his hand and a scowl on his face.
"You're late," he said without looking up from the papers on his desk.
"You didn't give me a specific time." I dropped into the chair across from him and stretched out my legs. "What's so urgent that it couldn't wait until morning?"
He finally looked at me and I could see the frustration in his eyes. After weeks of pressuring me to ditch Lainey, he'd gone to drastic lengths to force me to do just that. He could probably tell by my lack of interaction with him that I wasn't on board with how he wanted to do things.
"The Kingston name is being tarnished by rumors that you were seen taking a drunk woman into a hotel room. The tabloids don't have good images, but they're running with the story anyway. We're facing potential public outrage that could hurt our reputation."
I sat up straighter. "What are you talking about?"
He pushed a tablet across the desk toward me. "Someone leaked the security footage, Kade. You really want this to come down to you looking like a predator?"
I looked down at the screen and saw exactly what he was talking about. Someone had stolen still photographs from the video Mark had shown me, which meant someone inside the Atlas security office had sold them for profit. The losers. The headlines were worse than the images.
"I don’t understand. That was weeks ago," I said, shoving the tablet back. "Why is this coming up now?"
"Does it matter?" He took a long drink from his glass. "We need to get ahead of this before it becomes a bigger problem."
"How do you suggest we do that?" I rolled my eyes before scrubbing both hands over my face.
"Go public with the marriage." He said it so casually, as if it was the most obvious solution in the world. "Make it seem less like you were trying to sexually abuse a woman and more like you were caught up in a whirlwind romance. The public eats that up."
I didn't even have to think about how to respond to that. I'd given Lainey my word. "Absolutely not."
"Excuse me?"
"I said no." I stood up and crossed my arms. "I'm not going to destroy her life because you're worried about the family reputation." Hurting Lainey so publicly seemed like an absolutely jerk move. I wouldn't do it. I had already spouted off to her ex; I wouldn't add insult to injury.
My father set down his glass and glared up at me with narrowed eyes. "Then you're more foolish than I thought. Didn't Daniel tell you what I have planned? You really think you'll inherit my empire if you trash your own name? This is the best way to protect your reputation."
"Then find another way to protect it." I stomped toward the door. "I'm not doing this." I couldn't believe what he was saying. I understood how the press worked and I could see how they'd spin that story, but I'd just sue them for libel and slander.
"Are you really going to let this gold digger ruin everything?" Dad's voice was hard as diamonds. "She's got you so duped you can't even see what she's doing."
I spun around and felt rage surge through me. "Don't call her that."
"Why not? That's what she is." He stood up and faced me across the desk. "She probably planned the whole thing, and now she's got you wrapped around her finger. Wake up, Kade."
"You don't know anything about her." My hands clenched into fists at my sides. "I'm working on the annulment that she's agreed to without the harsh media tactics you're suggesting."
"Then why are you still wearing the ring?" He pointed at my hand and I looked down at the band I'd forgotten about again. "Why haven't you filed the papers yet? Why are you protecting her?"
His voice followed me out the door as he continued shouting, but I ignored him.
Heat burned in my cheeks. I hadn't taken that ring off because I didn't want to take the ring off.
I wanted it on my finger, and I wanted her on my arm, and nothing was going the way I wanted.
Mostly because I kept placating her, giving her what she wanted, which seemed to be the annulment and distance from me.
That's what her words said anyway, but her actions confused me, because she pulled me in as much as she said she was pushing me away.
Angry and confused, I took the elevator down to the casino level and headed straight for the bar. The noise and lights were overwhelming, but I needed a drink and to be somewhere far away from my father.
Jimmy saw me coming and had my usual waiting before I even sat down. I downed half of it in one gulp and signaled for another. Anything to drown the wrestling thoughts in my head.
"Rough night?"
I looked up and saw Gavin sliding onto the stool next to me. He was dressed in an expensive suit and had an easy smile, like he was looking for trouble.
"You have no idea," I muttered.
"Your dad?" He ordered his own drink and settled in. "I saw you heading up to his office earlier."
"Yeah, this whole thing with the woman from last month." I finished my first drink and reached for the second as I thought about that night, now almost seven weeks ago. "He wants to throw her to the wolves."
Gavin raised his eyebrows. "And you said no?"
"Of course I said no." I turned to face him. "I'm not gonna destroy her life just to save face with the media."
Gavin narrowed his eyes on me and then his lips turned into a stupid grin, followed by a rumbling chuckle. "You really care about this girl."
"Shut up," I grumbled, and took another drink. "She's not a gold digger and she's not trying to trap me."
"Woah, geez. I believe you." Gavin glanced around the bar and then gestured to someone across the room. "But you look tense. Let me help with that."
Within seconds there were women surrounding us—tall ones, short ones, dark-haired and blonde. Two months ago, I might have taken one to my room to blow off steam, but tonight the idea repulsed me. The thought of Lainey finding out and being hurt by it crushed any thought of another woman.
"Thanks, but no thanks," I said, waving them off, which drew a round of disappointed whines.
They looked confused but left without argument, and Gavin stared at me as if I'd grown a second head. "Did you just turn down a gaggle of sexy women?" he asked.
"I'm not in the mood, Gavin." Jimmy poured me another drink and his eyes flicked between the two of us, but I scowled at him. He got the point and walked off.
"You're always in the mood, man." Gavin leaned closer and lowered his voice. "What's going on with you?"
My friends didn't recognize me. My parents were angry with me. My assets had been almost entirely frozen, and all I could think about was calling Lainey to make sure she'd gotten home safe.
What was wrong with me?
"I'm out," I grunted as I stood up and downed my third drink. "Just keep it to yourself, Gavin." My stern glare as I dropped a twenty on the bar for Jimmy made Gavin recoil, but he said nothing as I walked away.
Lainey wasn't an addiction. She was worse. She was in my nervous system now, inside my body in a way that made it impossible to think straight.
I was falling in love with her hard. God help me, I couldn't see a way out of this now.