Kane (5 page)

He grinned. She wasn’t so bad after all.
“Yes. Please.”

Then she was gone, Calista was glaring, and
Nico was trying to blend into the woodwork. He nodded at the
werepanther, dismissing him.

“Stay close.”

Nico nodded while eyeing Calista, wariness
now conflicting with amusement in his gaze. He opened the front
door.

“Call if you need me,” Nico said, the
implication clear that he thought Kane might need protection from
Calista.

He scowled. Even though he knew Nico was
teasing, he didn’t like the idea someone might think he couldn’t
handle his woman. He jerked his head at the door.

“Go.”

The door shut and he flipped the lock to the
closed position, then turned to Calista. She was angry, but at
least she’d put the pistol away. He was afraid to ask where and he
didn’t dwell on it long.

She was flushed, and her eyes sparked. He
expected her to light in to him any minute. She drew in a deep
breath.

“Kane.”

“Hmm?”

He approached her, as if drawn to a flame,
and he saw an answering heat in her eyes, watched her struggle to
control it. She took another deep breath, and her breasts rose.
Through the tight bodice he could see her nipples harden as he
stared. Talking could wait. He couldn’t.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Later,” he answered, bending and nipping at
the bud that beckoned him.

She backed away and held up a restraining
hand when he tried to follow. He reached for it, pulled one of her
fingers into his mouth and lightly sucked. His reward was
instantaneous. She groaned, and the air thickened with the scent of
arousal.

“Later,” he repeated. “Now find a bed before
I take you here on the floor.”

He pulled his cravat open and reached for the
buttons on his shirt. Her eyes widened in shock. He almost laughed.
Did she think he was kidding? He was beyond caring if anyone saw
them. He reached the bottom buttons and pulled the tails loose from
his pants. The shirt hung open at his sides, and her gaze raked
him, appreciation glittering in her eyes. She didn’t say a word,
but turned and hurried up the stairs. Never a fool, he didn’t
hesitate to follow.

He entered her room and kicked the door shut
behind them. She waited by the bed, and when he approached she gave
him her back. Tiny buttons stretched in a long row down the dress.
He started at the top, but was soon frustrated. It was taking
forever, and his body was screaming
now
. He gripped the
edges of what he had opened, prepared to tear the rest open.

“Don’t you dare,” she ordered.

“I’ll buy you a new one.”

“I can buy my own clothes.” She huffed. “And
this one was expensive. Don’t ruin it.”

He growled and went back to the buttons. She
needed to be out of the damned dress, and arguing about it wasn’t
accomplishing anything. At least he told himself that; refused to
admit to himself it had nothing to do with his desire to please her
in ways other than just physical.

When the dress finally dropped to the floor,
she stood before him wearing only the corset. He groaned at the
sight of all her exposed skin, at her breasts bound tight and
pushed up so high. He might just leave it on. Hooking a finger into
the top of the corset, he pulled her close, his mouth going dry in
appreciation when he looked down at the cleavage it created. And to
think he’d always considered himself more a leg man. He’d have to
reevaluate that belief. She reached down and pulled the ties,
quickly unlacing the tight material and letting it slide to the
floor.

“I was enjoying that view,” he
complained.

She smiled, a slow sultry spread of her lips.
“Well, enjoy this one instead.”

Next, she lifted her hands and pulled the
pins from her hair. It fell free, and she sat on the bed, slipping
off her shoes and scooting back until she lay sprawled across the
mattress. She arched her eyebrows, invitation clear in her eyes, in
her body language. He experienced a moment of fierce satisfaction.
My woman
.

He stripped off his clothes, moving fast and
dropping them to the floor then climbed on the bed with her. He
wanted to plunge into her right away, wanted to assuage the
terrible need he felt, but he reigned in the desire. He was going
to be rough and demanding later, and he needed her to be just as
needy.

Propping himself up on one elbow, he leaned
over to the breasts that had been enticing him for so much of the
night. He circled one rosy areola with a fingertip, replacing it
with his tongue when she gasped. He moved his hand down her belly,
found the folds of her sex and spread them, thrusting one finger
inside. Then his mouth closed over her nipple, sucking greedily.
She moaned, a long, low torment he thought he could drown in. He
wanted more of it and shifted, trailing kisses down her body,
spreading her legs wide and settling between them.

He nipped the inside of her thigh, soothed
the sting with his tongue then repeated it on the other leg. He
smelled the rush of her arousal and knew she liked a little pain
with her pleasure. He’d never really indulged her need because he
was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself and would
inadvertently bond with her before either of them was ready. But
his decision was already made. Tonight all bets were off.

He gripped her thighs and pushed them high,
wide, exposing her cunt to his gaze. He closed his eyes and inhaled
deeply. Her scent drove him wild. Sweet. Hot. Following the
direction of his senses, he leaned in, his tongue making a long
slow swipe from her ass to her clit. And her taste…he could get
lost in it. Spicy. Tangy. The promise of paradise.

She writhed under him, struggled to push her
hips closer, and he tightened his grip on her thighs, growling
softly until she settled down. Returning to his exploration, he
circled her clit with his tongue, drawing a long groan from her. He
smiled and repeated the action, knowing his careful avoidance of
the small nub was making her crazy. That was good. He wanted her
wild with desire, under his control. He wanted her to submit, and
she would.

Calista ached, unfulfilled desire raging
through her. She considered trying to take charge but hesitated.
There was something different about Kane tonight. She got the
impression she was seeing the real him for the first time, and she
didn’t know what to make of it. She’d always known he’d be bossy
given half a chance, but this was different. Like he had a need to
command, a natural inclination to lead. That she found it so
attractive worried her. That she wanted to give into it scared her,
and that she thought it might be inevitable that she would
terrified her.

Before she could form another rational
thought, he thrust his tongue inside her. In and out. Slow, then
fast, mimicking the action she needed from his cock, enough to push
her spiraling into orgasm. She cried out as shudders wracked her
body.

When she started to come down from the high,
he sucked her clit between his teeth and sent her back up. He
pushed her to the edge over and over, shoved her over it so often
she cried for relief. When he finally slid up her body, positioned
himself over her, she saw stark need on his face. He wiped away the
tears on her cheeks and whispered everything was all right. She was
confused; he’d never acted like this before and she’d never
responded like this.

“Why?” she whispered.

“So you’d know,” he answered, thrusting into
her in one smooth move. “So you’d know who you belong to and how
things are going to change.”

She wanted to argue, even as he began moving,
hitting that sweet spot high inside her. What stopped her? The
gleam in his eye that told her that’s what he expected? Or the
small voice in her head screaming agreement, willing to acknowledge
the truth of his words? She didn’t want to belong with anybody,
didn’t want to tie her heart to anyone and open herself up for the
kind of pain she’d experienced when she and her sisters had lost
their parents. She’d never discussed these things with him. They
didn’t have that kind of relationship. And she wasn’t about to
start now. She’d wail and rant about it later when she was
alone.

“Stay with me here, Calista.”

His thrusts had slowed to a gentle glide.
Sweat beaded his brow, and the muscles in his neck corded with
strain. She focused on his face, surprised he realized her thoughts
had been elsewhere. As soon as she did, he alternated his pace,
fast, then slow, then somewhere in between and watched her intently
all the while. She didn’t have a clue what he was looking for and
bit her lip to keep from asking. Pleasure built within her, a tide
rising higher and higher that she knew would leave her shaken and
exhausted.

The quivering started deep inside, the
muscles of her channel clenching around his cock, loath to release
him every time he withdrew. It spread outward as she rode another
crest up, a fine trembling that started in her hands as she gripped
his shoulders. He leaned over, whispering in her ear,
commanding.

“That’s it, darlin’. Come for me. One more
time.”

She shook her head, wanting to deny that
husky voice, wanting to spare her already wrung out body and mind,
but he wouldn’t be denied. He knew just how to push her to orgasm,
just how to force it out of her, and pivoted his hips, rotating so
she felt stroked inside and out. She exploded, screaming his name
into the night, in denial or supplication she couldn’t begin to
guess.

He cried out too, his entire body tensing as
he came with her. She felt the warm jets of his cum shooting inside
her, wondered if this was the night she tempted fate and became
pregnant, waited for the familiar sense of dread to come over her
at the thought. It didn’t, and she refused to speculate why. He
collapsed at her side, breathing hard and pulling her across his
chest.

She fought the urge to roll to her side and
weep. It was an odd desire for her, a weakness she hadn’t indulged
in years. She didn’t even know where the unshed tears came
from.

* * * * *

Calista woke with a jerk, throwing off the
arm Kane had wrapped around her waist as she bolted out of the bed.
He sat up slowly, sleepily, and the sheet fell away from his waist.
Horrified, a blush crept up her neck to her face. She’d never let
him stay the night, never actually slept with him. Closing her
eyes, she made a silent plea to the powers that be that her sleep
had been restful. No nightmares, no talking. He’d ask questions,
and she had no intention of answering them. Thankfully, she didn’t
remember any.

Footsteps roared up the stairs, and she
grabbed her robe, getting it on and belted before Rheana threw the
door open. She was a little out of breath, also dressed in a robe
and carrying one of Calista’s pistols. She looked at Kane.

“Nico’s downstairs, and he’s hurt.”

He moved in an instant, mindless of his
nudity as he rushed out. Calista sighed and picked up his trousers
before hurrying after him. Rheana stopped her.

“Should I get Izzy?”

She shook her head. “Let her sleep. How did
he get in?”

“He knocked.” Rheana looked sympathetic. “Did
you have a rough night? I hoped with Kane here, you’d sleep.”

Frowning, she stepped around her sister. “It
was fine. Must have been the knock that woke me up.”

Downstairs she stepped into the parlor and
tossed the pants to Kane, who grunted something that may have been
thanks. Then she walked to where Nico lay unconscious on the sofa.
Rheana followed with a bowl of water and cloth. Blood and dirt
coated one side of his head and she started to wash it off.

“He got this far and passed out,” she offered
in explanation to Kane, who was pacing now that he was dressed.

The cool water on his skin roused Nico and he
lurched to a sitting position, his eyes searching the room. When he
saw Kane, he gulped and paled. Calista wondered at the stricken
look on his face when he watched Rheana dip the cloth back into the
water and lift it to him.

“Kane,” he said, a voice a mere croak. “I’m
sorry they got me.” He looked at the ceiling. “Isadora?”

Alarm ran through her and she exchanged a
look with Rheana. Why was he asking about Izzy?

“I’ll go,” she told her sister and ran from
the room.

After taking the stairs two at a time, she
sprinted down the hall and rushed into Isadora’s room, Kane on her
heels. It was empty, the bed rumpled, and no sign of her anywhere.
Kane cursed under his breath, sounding angry but not surprised.

“Fuck.”

She whirled around to face him. He’d been
hiding something from her last evening. She’d assumed it was a job
he knew she’d go after, a job that would put them in competition
again.

“I asked you earlier what was going on. Later
is now.”

“Yeah. Downstairs.”

He turned and left. She stood there another
minute, looking around her sister’s room until her stomach knotted.
Had her dangerous life finally followed her home? Had her craving
for excitement harmed her sister? Grinding her teeth, she spun on
her heel and stalked out.

Kane was waiting for her and two more men had
joined them. One looked so much like him he had to be a brother or
other close relative. She glared at them both. She couldn’t believe
she’d been sleeping with him for two years and didn’t know he had a
brother. The men hadn’t been standing near Kane when she walked in
but as the tension built, they both shifted closer to him as if he
needed protection. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
Like that was even remotely possible.

“Talk,” she ordered and watched as one of the
men cringed at her tone and the other grinned.

She arched her eyebrows. “And you could start
with who your friends are.”