Killing Game (24 page)

Lily closed her eyes as he heaved a sigh and she rested her head against the door.

“Reece.”
She breathed his name quietly, wrapping her mouth around it and smiling as she realized how much trust and hope it must have taken for him to reveal his real identity to her.

It was such a risk. Now that she had his real name she could turn him over to the authorities, but something in the way he was stood patiently in the hall told her that he knew she wouldn’t.

“When I met you... I don’t know what happened. My whole life changed that night, Lily, just like yours did. Now everything is so confused, and I feel as though I’m drifting again with no place to call home, nothing to call my own.” Cain sighed and leaned against the wall opposite her door. He adjusted something and frowned.

Lily’s brows furrowed as she saw the sling for the first time and remembered the night he’d been shot. She’d been so scared, so petrified of losing him as he lay on the floor bleeding to death.

Her memory of the night was hazy, the whole thing seemingly passed like a blur, and she didn’t want to remember what had happened.

“I know I fucked up, everything is fucked up. I wake up and you’re gone. I thought I was dead, I should have been dead, and Russ wouldn’t tell me what happened, but I thought it was him and then I go to Jack’s because I can’t find you and Anna tells me—”

Lily leaned heavily against the door before opening it a crack and looking out into the hall at him.

He froze and his eyes met hers, searching them.

“It was me.” The words slipped from Lily’s lips, and she just stared at him blankly as he pushed off from the wall and took a step toward her.

“I know.” Cain found himself smiling at her as she finally opened the door all the way. It seemed like forever since he’d seen her beautiful face.

“I did it. He was going to shoot you. The gun was right there, Cain, right there next to me and I couldn’t let him kill you, wouldn’t let him take you from me like he took everything else.” Lily felt the tears welling up in her eyes as she looked into Cain’s and saw all the sorrow in them. He was sorry for what he’d done, for the world he’d brought her into.

Standing on the threshold of her apartment, she was unsure of what to say or do as she looked at him.

“I’m so sorry, Lily. I never meant—” he started but she shook her head and just looked at him.

“It’s done now. It’s in my past and I’m learning to deal with it. It wasn’t you that made me do that, it was me. I acted on instinct, Cain.”

Cain looked at her as she stood in the doorway. He could see the tiredness in her eyes, knew the guilt that came with the kill, and wanted nothing more than to offer whatever comfort she would accept from him.

Lily’s eyes dropped from his to rest on his shoulder and the cream bandage that was supporting his arm and stopping him from using it.

He looked down at his arm and then up at her face. “I know it hurts to think about it... but what happened? I thought I was dead, Lily... and then I wake up in a hospital, to Russ.”

“Mr. Moretti sent him,” she said calmly and ignored the way his eyes widened.

“Mort?”

“Russ and I carried you about two blocks away from the club and he left. I called the police and told them someone had shot you and driven away. I’d witnessed the whole thing. I gave them the plate of Andrew’s car. The ambulance came and took you away. Russ came and took me away.” Lily still hated Russ for not letting her go with Cain to the hospital, for not letting her make sure that he was okay.

“He took you to Mort,” Cain said wearily and closed his eyes briefly as he silently promised Russ that if he ever saw him again he’d kill him.

“He did. Mr. Moretti is quite the business man,” Lily said with confidence and Cain frowned at her questioningly. “I told him the contract was fulfilled, but not by either of his men. I think he wasn’t expecting that, and he definitely wasn’t expecting me to demand payment. I don’t know what made me do it. I think I was just so angry with everyone and so worried about you. I didn’t know what to say when he agreed, telling me that it wouldn’t be necessary for me to tell anyone about what happened and then asking me whether I’d consider working for him.”

Cain arched a brow at her as she rolled her eyes and he tried to comprehend what she was telling him. Not only had Mort agreed to pay her the contract fee, but he’d asked her to join them?

“I said no, wasn’t my scene and I wanted nothing to do with it... and also... that you wanted nothing to do with it.”

“You what?”
Suddenly it made more sense as to why it was so easy for him to quit when he’d gone to see Mort. She’d already done it for him.

“I said that you quit, and that if they come after either of us, I’d kill them. I think I was still high on adrenaline or something, because now I look back and I’m kinda scared that I threatened a bunch of killers.” She frowned when he opened his mouth but no words came out. “You okay?”

He was beyond confused and was beginning to wonder if he was dead, and this was all some crazy version of hell, or heaven. He couldn’t get his head around what Lily was saying to him, and the more she tried to explain, the less sense it made.

He swallowed noisily as he moved and pain shot out in all directions from his shoulder.

Lily caught hold of his arm as he swayed slightly and she held him steady, her eyes meeting his as he looked down at her.

“Cain?” she asked as he leaned heavily on her.

Cain focused on her and held onto her arm tightly with his one available hand. “I’ll be fine. Hurts like hell sometimes, but it’s better than being dead, right?”

Lily just smiled. When she’d pulled the trigger, that’s all she had been thinking—Andrew being dead was better than Cain being dead. She had done it on autopilot, seeing that Russ didn’t have time to get a shot off before Andrew would and the gun had been right there next to her.

She’d just grabbed it, closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger.

Bang.

When she’d opened her eyes, she’d found a very surprised looking Russ standing over the body of Andrew, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at it. She’d focused all her energies on saving Cain.

It was only after that night that she’d began to realize and come to terms with what she’d done.

Cain was right. To kill someone didn’t make you heartless. She hurt like hell every time she thought about it and she had seen in Cain’s eyes that he shared her remorse but his was for his own actions.

Holding onto his arm, Lily looked into Cain’s eyes and pushed her door open all the way.

“Come on, let’s get you sitting down. Why do I get the feeling I’m going to spend my whole life looking after you when you get into scrapes?” Lily said the last part more to herself than to him, but it caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

She turned to look at him, confused as to why he’d stopped and then realizing what she’d said.

“Going to?” Cain didn’t want to pin all his hopes on those words but he couldn’t stop himself.

“Okay, so there’s a chance that your confession in the hall has aided your cause a little... a
little
...” Lily emphasized her point and then continued. “But, it was kind of a waste of time on your part.”

“It was?” His face fell and she could almost see his hope draining away.

“Well, I mean, since I’d already forgiven you and made my decision.” She started leading him into her apartment again and stopped just inside the door.

“And?”
Cain put his left arm out and supported himself by leaning against the wall beside the door.

“I think I’m crazy.” She smiled slightly as she thought about the decision she’d made, but her heart told her it was the right one every time she looked at him.

“Crazy?” He looked confused and then raised both his brows as she took a step toward him, her hand on the door.

“I’d have to be crazy to love you, but I do.” She slowly began to close the door, letting herself get closer and closer to him.

“You do?” he asked, his eyes searching hers.

“I love you,” Lily breathed as she stopped moving, her body almost brushing up against his.

“I love you, too.” Cain dropped his gaze to rest on her mouth and then closed his eyes as her lips pressed hard against his, and she kissed him fervently.

As they broke apart, Lily’s eyes moved to rest on the bandage that was holding Cain’s arm in place. She frowned at it, her lips pouting slightly as she felt a tinge of sadness inside.

“I don’t know why I’m still wearing it.” Cain caught the solemn look in her eyes and smiled slightly, moving his arm as much as he could without hurting himself in an attempt to alleviate some of her worry. “Doc’s said I could take it off a few days ago. Guess I forgot in all the rush to find you.”

Lily looked up into his eyes and smiled at what he’d said. He must have moved heaven and earth to find her so quickly, and deep inside she felt touched by the extent of his affection for her.

Reaching up, she gently undid the knot at the back of his neck and let the bandage slip away from his arm. She didn’t stop there. Now that she’d freed his arm, she felt compelled to see what damage had been done to him that night. She bit her lip slightly as she carefully pushed his jacket off his other arm and placed it over the back of the couch.

Cain frowned as he let his eyes follow her movements. She looked so intent on what she was doing, but so distant at the same time. He wondered what she was thinking, and when she began to pull on the hem of his black t-shirt, he realized what she was after. Assisting her as much as possible, he pulled the t-shirt off over his head and then went back to watching her as she moved closer to him again.

Lily ran her fingers lightly over the bandage that was covering the wound the bullet had caused, remembering how scared of losing him she’d been that night and how everything had passed like a blur. All she’d cared about was ensuring that he survived. She couldn’t live without him.

Raising her eyes, she let her fingers lightly work their way up his neck to his jaw and then ran them along the curve of it. She smiled at him as she gently tugged him down to her, letting her lips meet his again. His kisses were softer now, less urgent, and they stirred the fire that had started in the pit of her stomach when he’d taken his top off.

Closing his eyes, Cain let
himself
go and placed his hand on her hip, drawing her closer to him. He swallowed as she ran her fingers over his chest, and he could feel her tracing patterns on him as she kissed him languidly. When she slowly began to guide him further into the room, he paused and looked at her.

“Where are we going?” he asked as she gave him a coy look.

“We’re going to finish what we started last time you came to me all messed up.” Lily smiled at him as he started moving with her again.

Leading him over to the couch, she continued to kiss him as her fingers ran down over his stomach to the belt of his jeans and gradually unbuckled it. Her eyes rolled closed as he kissed along her jaw and down her neck, his fingers seeking the front of her shirt. Helping him undo it, she removed it and flung it to one side.

Cain stepped back and watched her as she unhooked her bra, revealing her pert round breasts to his eyes. He followed her hands downwards as she began to undo her trousers, teasing him slightly before removing them and throwing them onto the pile.

Stepping back up to him, Lily felt the desire in her veins spiral out of control as he raked his eyes over her body and she smiled seductively as she popped the buttons on his jeans and then pushed them and his boxers down around his knees.

He frowned at her as she pushed him backwards and he had no option but to fall onto the couch. Sitting there, he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she hooked her fingers into the sides of her panties and slipped them down her slender thighs.

She held her hand out to him and smiled.

Unable to resist her, Cain grabbed hold of her hand and yanked her over to him. He smiled against her neck as she moved to straddle him and closed his eyes as she began kissing down his neck, nipping slightly as she did so. His head rolled backwards as she kissed the hollow between his collarbones, imitating the move he’d previously made on her. As she hungrily kissed his chest, his hand came to rest on her backside. Gripping it tightly, he pulled her flush against him and her warm mouth found his again.

He made a low growling noise as she raked her nails down his stomach, digging them in and leaving little crescent moon shapes on his skin. Breaking away from him again, she planted hot wet kisses all over his chest and then back up his neck as he did the same to hers. She gasped when he cupped her breast with one hand, and leaned back, closing her eyes as he palmed her gently.

Cain smiled wide as he teased her nipple with his thumb. Her body felt so warm and soft under his fingers, and he let his eyes shut for a second to absorb how divine it felt. Dipping his head, he captured one of her nipples with his mouth and flicked it with his tongue as his fingers played with her other one.

Lily felt as though she was burning up as he continued to tease her, and something had to be done about it. Pulling his head away from her chest, she kissed him roughly as she pinned his good shoulder against the couch.

Matching the ferocity of her kiss, Cain sucked on her lower lip as he tugged her even closer to him, letting his cock press into her as he ground his hips against her.

Moving forwards, Lily opened her eyes and kept them locked on his as she took hold of him, letting her fingers lightly stroke him. Raising her hips up, she positioned him at her entrance and slowly lowered herself onto his cock. Something inside her smiled as his eyes rolled shut and a look of ecstasy crossed his face. Rocking her hips slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes unmoving from his face as he slipped his arm about her waist.

As Cain opened his eyes again, he found Lily staring straight into them, searching them deeply as she moved against him. He could see all her feelings for him playing out in them, and he wanted to kiss her again but didn’t want to break eye contact. He was basking in every emotion she felt for him, and it was heaven to see them after everything they’d been through.