Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
JESSICA
Lily chuckles under her breath and shakes her head as she stabs her pasta with her fork.
Her brother is on the warpath, and it both thrills and terrifies me. Cash, however, doesn’t seem concerned as the sound of Kane’s heavy footsteps grows closer. He hides a smirk in his drink and winks at me.
I can’t for the life of me understand why he’s so calm. His brother is stomping closer to the kitchen as if he intends to drag someone out by the throat.
“You’re in trouble now,” Lily says, and Cash points his fork at her with a playful smile.
He’s about to say something when Kane suddenly appears in the doorway, like a thundercloud.
It’s not the first time I’ve seen him angry, but it’s the first time I’ve seen the rage spill out of him in an instant.
He pulls up short at the sight of his mom, and a flood of emotions flickers across his eyes.
“Sit,” she says with a radiant smile. Kane hesitates as he glances around the table. The second his gaze lands on me, I drop my gaze to the plate. It’s hard not to feel like an intruder, and even harder not to fidget.
“You cooked,” he says to his mom in a choked voice as he steps across the threshold.
“I gave the chef the day off because the weather is beautiful outside, and he deserves to enjoy a sunny afternoon with his family.”
Kane’s eyes find mine again as he moves closer to the table, and I don’t let myself look away. His walls are down, giving me a rare look at the real Kane—a glimpse only his closest family ever sees.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen more and more of him, and I’m still craving more. It’s addictive to watch his sharp edges soften when he’s with me.
His eyes cut away, and he points at his brother. “This isn’t over.”
Cash attempts to speak around a mouthful as he raises his hands in a placating gesture. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Lily smothers a smile and shakes her head. Their mom seems unaware of their banter, and if anything, she looks perfectly content now that everyone is present, everyone except their father.
Kane sits at the head of the table and places his hand on my thigh beneath the table. Heat rushes to my cheeks, but not out of desire. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m an intruder, even as Kane gives my thigh a reassuring squeeze.
I’m overthinking it, I know I am. He could just tell me if he doesn’t want me here and ask me to leave, but he doesn’t. So I smile as he keeps his hand there.
His eyes are the most expressive I’ve ever seen, and I wonder if he’s like that with others or just me.
“Jessica,” Cash says, stealing my attention away from Kane, and I realize I’ve been staring. “Why don’t you tell our mom how you and Kane met?”
Shit.
My fork slips from my fingers and clatters onto the plate. Cash presses his lips together in a firm line to hide his amusement before shifting his gaze to Kane.
The tense air crackles like an exposed wire as Kane stops chewing.
When he finally swallows, I reach for his hand to calm him and turn his palm over. He studies me as I lace our fingers together, and I wonder if he can tell how hard my heart is pounding, if he can pick up on it somehow.
It wouldn’t surprise me.
“We met at Dark Lanes,” I lie, feeling the heat of his hand envelop mine.
It makes me giddy to be this close to him on the other side of his walls. I wonder if any other women have scaled them or if I’m the first. Maybe it’s petty, but I hope no one else has.
“Yeah,” Kane responds, his voice deeper than usual, “the crowd parted, and there she was. I knew right then I didn’t stand a chance.”
After dinner, we help tidy up. Once we finish, Kane’s mom cups my cheek, smiles affectionately, and then quickly leaves the room.
The boys watch her go for only a moment before Kane grabs Cash by his T-shirt and slams him up against the wall.
“I swear, if you put your hands on my girl one more time, I’ll peel your skin off your bones.”
Cash laughs. “You’re so fucking pussy whipped.”
Kane bares his teeth. “What if our father finds out she’s here, huh? What then?”
“Hey, I didn’t bring her here. Our mother found her hovering outside and invited her for dinner.”
Kane considers this before he drops him like a sack of potatoes.
When he turns to face me, I stumble back against the table with a squeak because he looks like he might smack some sense into me or take me here in front of his siblings. It could go either way.
Lily pushes on Cash’s chest to make him move. “Come on, let’s leave the lovebirds alone,” she says as Kane crowds me against the table.
“But it’s finally getting interesting,” Cash whines, stumbling back through the door, and Lily pulls him away.
“What were you thinking?” Kane asks, curling his fingers around my chin to pull my attention back to him.
“I wanted to surprise you,” I admit, and his brows pinch. I wince as his punishing grip tightens, but I secretly love it too. “I missed you.”
“You missed me?” The sensual feel of his fingers sliding from my chin to my cheek sends sparks to my core.
“Yes,” I breathe. He has no idea how much he played on my mind while he was away.
Kane fists a handful of hair and pulls hard to expose my neck. “You risked your own safety.”
“I’ll risk everything to see you.”
The admittance slips out before I can stop it, and he becomes perfectly still… so still that I wonder if he’s stopped breathing.
But then he leans back to look me in the eye, swallowing hard as he brushes his fingers over my cheekbone.
“Little thief?” He traces his thumb across my bottom lip, and my heart pounds.
“Yes,” I answer.
He follows the curve of my chin with his finger. I’m under his spell, trapped in his blue gaze sweeping over my face.
His eyes lift and darken before he says, “I missed you too—”
I silenced him with my lips.
His hands come to my cheeks, and he angles his head for easier access. As my lips part, his tongue sweeps inside to tangle with mine, and we both moan.
I’m painfully aware that we’re in the kitchen and anyone could walk in, but as he reaches down to cup my ass and pulls me against him, I push that thought far down.
I don’t want to stop him.
Kane’s lips find my ear. He sucks on the lobe before nibbling it with his teeth. “I’m going to fuck you now,” he says.
Well, by all means, be my guest.
A delicious shiver runs through me and settles between my thighs. My head falls back as he rakes his teeth along my jaw. The slight scrape against my sensitive skin raises goosebumps on my arms, but it’s still not enough.
I want more.
I reach for his shirt and fumble with the buttons.
But before I can undo more than one, he bends at the waist and hauls me over his shoulder.
A surprised squeal escapes me, and my laughter fills the room. I smack his butt, but even I have to admit he has a fine backside, so I squeeze it as he carries me upstairs to his bedroom.
I should probably act offended, but I’m too busy laughing.
Once the door clicks shut, he throws me onto the bed, and my body bounces as he pulls his shirt over his head.
Then he’s on me, and we tear at each other’s clothes.
His hungry lips never leave mine, except when he has to pull my top over my head. It falls to join the rest of our clothing on the floor, and then he crashes his mouth to mine again.
Kane’s kisses make my lips throb. He’s rewriting every thought in my mind.
But unfortunately the incessant sound of my phone interrupts our bliss.
“Ignore it,” I say as I reach for Kane’s belt. I can’t get him naked fast enough. My body is thrumming with the need to feel him inside me.
The phone stops ringing only to start again, and Kane pulls away from my lips. “What if it’s important?” he asks before pressing his forehead to mine to catch his breath.
I’m breathing just as hard, with my fingers on his fly.
Whoever is calling has perfect timing and I’m about to smother them in their sleep.
“What if it’s the hospice?” he asks almost reluctantly while his dick strains against his pants.
God, he’s so hard and ready and I can feel the thick outline of him.
These thoughts flutter through my head for all of two seconds before his words register.
Fuck.
I push him off and frantically search for my phone, which must have slipped from my pocket earlier. I toss my pants aside and find it beneath Kane’s shirt.
Chris’s face barely flickers across the screen as I answer the call, clutching the quilt to my chest. I’m still in my underwear, but I feel vulnerable, and I turn my back to Kane to hide the sudden tremble in my hands. I tuck my bed-mussed hair behind my ear and wait for my brother to speak.
His heavy, tension-filled breaths set me on edge, and I glance behind me as Kane trails his fingers down my back. He lies there in all his shirtless glory with his belt undone, and I admire the dips and valleys of his stomach, wishing I could trace every inch of him with my tongue.
The moment doesn’t last long, unfortunately, because good things never do.
Chris, smoking a joint as usual, inhales sharply and says, “You just can’t stay away, can you?”
My breath catches. “Excuse me?”
He exhales and I picture him sitting on the rotten porch steps, flicking ash while crickets chirp in the background.
He once said it calmed him to look at the stars late at night, and sometimes we’d sit out there together, but it’s not dark yet and he’s not calling to reminisce.
“Your little rich lover boy,” he continues. “It wouldn’t surprise me if you’re in his bed right now.”
Tears sting the backs of my eyes, and Chris scoffs before taking another drag.
“Am I wrong?”
“Are you tracking me?”
“Come on, you’re smarter than that. I always know where you are.”
“Why? Why do you care?”
Kane sits up behind me, but I keep my back to him.
“Why do you think?” Chris questions. “We’re family, and it’s my job to protect you.”
“That’s not what this is, and you know it.” The first tear falls, and I steady the tremble in my chin. This constant crying is exhausting. I’m sad, but I don’t know how to turn it into anger.
The silence drags on until Chris asks, “Do you wanna know something?”
Please, no.