Chapter 48 Wildest Dream
Wildest Dream
Kane
My fingers curl into the empty space where she should be, and my jaw tightens. I expected to find her tangled in my sheets, hair a mess on my pillow, and her body curled into mine. Hot and wrecked from the way I left her.
My cock is in full fucking denial. Clearly, it didn’t get the memo that it was just a dream and that she’s asleep in her own room. Not here next to me.
A slow breath hisses out as my hand drags down my face, settling at the back of my neck where the muscle knots hard—tight with the need to break something.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
She’s under my skin. Embedded. And I have no clue how to shake her loose.
Her scent has been haunting me since the moment she crashed into my life, challenging me with that sharp tongue and impossible fire in her eyes.
This is getting ridiculous.
It’s still early, and I’m not about to be the asshole who wakes her up. But if I don’t do something about the situation between my legs, I’m going to regret it the second she walks out of her room.
If Cam were here, I’d drag his ass into the ring, and make him give me something else to focus on. But he probably won't be for a few hours, so the gym will have to do.
She’s lit a fire and left me to burn in it.
Two hours later, sweat runs down my skin as I take the stairs two at a time. My body should be wrecked, but it isn't. I still feel strung too tight.
Her door is shut and the kitchen's empty. Which leaves two options—she's still curled up in bed, or she left without a word. I check the cameras anyway, flipping through feeds until I'm sure she's not in any other room.
The thought of her leaving without saying anything irritates me more than it should.
By the time the coffee hits my hand, unease has already set in. The alarms would've gone off if she'd stepped outside. And she wouldn't leave without spitting fire at me first.
Before that thought even has time to take root, I'm already on my feet, heading toward her room. My knuckles hit the door, hard enough to echo down the hall.
“Hey, Princess. Rise and shine.”
No answer.
My jaw tightens and I knock again, a little harder. “Raven?”
Silence.
I reach for the handle, pushing the door open. Her scent is the first thing that hits me and it’s fucking distracting in all the wrong ways.
I grind my teeth as I force the frustration into silence. My eyes land on the nightstand, where her phone sits untouched.
She wouldn’t go far without it, which means she's here.
“Raven, where are you?” My voice is quieter now, scanning the space.
The bathroom door is open, so I glance inside, but it’s also empty.
I take in the room, and it’s a mess. Her bag is tossed onto the floor, her sweater is draped over the chair, and her shoes are in the corner. Where the hell is she?
I check my phone as I head for the back door. One glance at the feed confirms it—the alarms have been disarmed. What the fuck?
That can’t be right.
I know I turned the damn thing on. I don't miss the details like that. No matter how distracted I was by her, there's no version of last night where I wouldn't have.
And yet, here it is. Off.
My fingers flex at my sides as I head outside. I'll check the gardens first this time.
I half-expect to find her curled up on the stone bench, lost in thought, and completely unaware of anything around her. But, she's not there.
If she’s not in the gardens, she might be in the woods.
Movement at the tree line pulls me up short, and I see Cam and Raven coming out of the woods, shoulder to shoulder.
Her laughter drifts through the air like a blade to the ribs and my jaw tightens seeing them together.
Cam spots me first, and the bastard grins, smug as ever. “You really need to keep an eye on your house guests. Found this one wandering barefoot in the trees.”
Of course he did.
A muscle ticks in my jaw, but I don't take my eyes off her. My dick goes hard instantly, but I ignore it. Now clearly isn't the time.
I watch Cam lean in and whisper something to her, and she smacks his arm, and her face looks completely unguarded as her laughter fills the air.
She looks right at me, and there's something on her face—there and gone in a flash. If I weren’t already so attuned to her every move. I would’ve missed it.
She clears her throat, pretending like she didn’t just look at me like that.
“Kane.” She smiles, her teeth catch on her bottom lip, and my thoughts are instantly fucking derailed.
That mouth has been a problem since the first time she opened it. I've thought about it around my cock, dragged open beneath my teeth, and silenced with every filthy thing I want to do to her. But I shove it down. Not here. Not now.
I force my voice to stay even and unaffected. “Hey, Princess. How’d you sleep?”
She swallows, and my eyes follow the movement. The way her pulse jumps too fast tells me she's flustered. Good. Let her feel it—every ounce of what she does to me.
“Good!” She says too quickly. “I just wanted to get some fresh air.”
Something about her looks different, and yet she's exactly the same. Her hair’s a mess, spilling over her shoulders, and her skin is flushed. And that damn dress clings to her in ways that make my hands itch to drag her against me until she forgets her own name.
Fuck.
I should’ve never invited Cam over this early.
Scotland suits her. Too damn well.
“I was just coming to find you.” My voice is neutral, but my thoughts? Not even fucking close. “Breakfast is ready if you want to eat.”
I can see the heat flash in her eyes, as she shifts on her feet. Knowing that I’m getting to her is making it really hard to keep my dick in check.
The second we step into the castle, she stops, looking up. She drags her hair back behind her ear, and I can see the nerves written all over her face. “I’m going to freshen up.”
Her eyes stay on mine a little too long before she smiles—daring me to break first. I don't. I watch her turn, hips swaying like she knows I won't look away.
By the time she disappears around the corner, my blood is boiling, and my body's tense with a need I can’t shake. A chuckle behind me drags my attention around.
“All right there?”
The bastard is grinning.
I turn, pinning him with a sharp look. “Fine, thank you.” He knows better than to push, but here he is, doing it anyway. “Why are you here so damn early?”
“You quite literally asked me to come this morning and personally cock-block you. Said it was to keep your head on straight, remember?”
Motherfucker.
“You’re fucking lucky Raven is here, or I’d beat your ass right now.” The growl rolls out before I can stop it, edged with warning.
Cam, smug as ever, dodges the swing I throw at him. Pity. Landing that would’ve made me feel a hell of a lot better.
“Okay, so those weren’t your exact words, but close enough.” He chuckles.
I shake my head, rubbing the back of my neck as we make our way into my office. He strolls right past me, dropping into the chair across from my desk.
“What the hell happened to you?” I give him a once-over, noticing how he looks like he went ten rounds with a wrecking ball.
He shrugs, brushing it off like it’s nothing. “Just a job that didn’t exactly go as planned. Had to… improvise. You know how it goes.”
His tone is too casual, but something’s off. What the fuck is going on around here?
But before I can push, he changes the subject. “Anyway, how’d it go last night?”
I sink into my chair, explaining the lights, and the way they blew apart. His expression shifts as I open the laptop, and when he leans in behind me, there's a stiffness there. His usual easy front slipping, just for a second.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask, watching him closely.
He doesn’t meet my eyes, which tells me everything I need to know. He’s hiding something. The real question is, will he tell me.
“Yes, Mom, I’m fine. Will you press play already?” His voice is easy, but his body is still tense.
He watches in silence, and I can see his jaw tick like he's thinking too hard. I don’t fucking buy it. Not with the dark circles under his eyes, the tight set of his jaw and the way he won’t meet my eyes. Yeah, something’s definitely up.
I drop it—for now. We've got other shit to deal with, and if he wanted me to know right now, I'd already know. I lean back, fingers tapping the desk before going still. "Did you find anything else?"
“I did, actually.” He stretches his arms behind his head, like this is just another day at the office. Like he’s not lying to my fucking face. “I found a few more rabbit holes, and I’m confident one of them is going to lead us where we need to go.”
“Good.”
He's bent over the screen one second, then straightens the next, sharp and abrupt.
“You got things handled here?”
There it is again. That edge in his tone, thin and distant, like his mind's already somewhere else.
My eyes narrow, but I nod. “Yeah, go. Let me know what you find.”
“Will do.”
He’s already moving, not waiting for my answer. I watch until his footsteps fade down the hall, swallowed by silence. He's hiding something, and I'm going to find out what it is.