Spice (11 page)

Her safe word, or rather, her safe phrase. If she said
sticky buns
, Kane would stop. She didn't want him to. Maybe she was too aroused, more bent than she realized, but the thought of this man stroking her to a climax in the middle of the club made her body tighten with anticipation. She wanted this. She wanted him.

She held back the words, twisting enough to kiss him instead. He took the opportunity to push his forefinger into her slick channel, his mouth devouring her moan of pleasure. “You're beautifully wet for me, sweetheart,” he whispered with approval. “I think you like this more than you care to admit.”

“I can admit it,” she managed to say. “To you. I can also admit I like what you do to me.”

“I'll be sure to keep up the good work. Oh, and Nadia?”

“Yes?”

“You still don't have permission to come.”

The other performances passed in a blur as Kane stroked her to the edge repeatedly, only to bring her back down. It was ninety minutes of the most exquisite torture she'd ever experienced. She hadn't known her body was capable of holding out for so long. By the time the emcee announced Siobhan, Nadia was ready to explode.

The track for “When You're Good to Mama” from the musical
Chicago
rolled through the sound system. A spotlight appeared on the curtain, which parted to reveal Siobhan dressed as a very sexy prison guard with a crop instead of a police baton. The crowd, full of regulars, applauded as she strutted the stage, belting out the song in a clear, strong alto as she peeled off layers of the uniform. As the song reached its crescendo, Sugar took off the last piece to reveal bright pink glitter pasties and a black thong, the standard reveal for Club Tatas.

Nadia leapt to her feet, clapping and cheering as Sugar blew kisses while leaving the stage. She turned to Kane. “Isn't she fantastic?”

“She is.” He snagged her around the waist, dragged her back down to his lap. “She's got a beautiful voice.”

“Right.” She snorted in disbelief. When she and Siobhan were side by side, Nadia knew everyone's eyes weren't on her. Compared to Siobhan's voluptuousness, Nadia was virtually flat-chested. It wasn't something she envied about her partner; it was a fact of life. For Kane to be so ambivalent about Siobhan's striptease when every other hetero male had his tongue dragging on the ground was suspect. “Is that the only thing you noticed?”

He pierced her with a glance. “I was finger-deep in a hot woman's pussy. Forgive me for being distracted.”

“Ah . . . oh.” His blunt response took the wind right out of her sails. “Well. Okay then. I'm sorry.”

The harshness left his features. “You'll make it up to me.” He glanced at his watch. “In fifteen minutes.”

It was the longest fifteen minutes of her life. The emcee closed out the show and the house lights rose. Nadia noticed the empty chairs beside them. “Looks like Audie bailed,” she said to no one in particular, unable to squelch the pang of regret.

“That's Audie being Audie,” Vanessa said, rising to her feet. “I'm going to bail too. That's me being me, tired after a long day of work. Kane, you don't mind taking Nadia home, do you?”

“Of course not.” His hand was warm on her back as he guided her to her feet. “It was nice to officially meet you.”

“You too, Professor.”

“Hey, do you guys want to come dancing with us at Down Below?” Tracy asked.

“I've got the breakfast shift tomorrow,” Nadia answered, not wanting to give her assistant and his girlfriend the brush-off, but not in the mood for Club Tatas' basement dance club. “Next time for sure.”

“Do you need to say good-bye to Siobhan before we leave?” Kane asked.

“She's usually in high demand after the show, taking pictures and signing autographs. She's got a serious local fan club. I'll just send her a text and tell her that I'm headed home.”

“Do it. I've got ten minutes to get you out of here.”

She pulled her phone out of her tiny crossbody purse then sent the text. That done, Kane led her out of the club and across the street to the premium parking deck. “How much longer?” she asked as they made their way to his car.

“Seven minutes.” He handed her inside.

She waited until he joined her, then said, “I'd better get my apology out of the way.”

Before he could stop her, she reached over, unzipped his pants, then reached her hand inside to find him still hard. She stroked him, pushing the foreskin back, then leaned over and did what she'd fantasized about for the past two days: took him into her mouth.

“Christ, Nadia!” His hips surged up, the head of his cock bumping the back of her throat as his hand tangled into her hair.

She came up for air. “Hold on. I'm still apologizing.”

He started the car as she continued her delectable exploration, discovering the feel of him in her mouth, learning his taste as he drove. The sounds of his harsh breathing filled the car, giving her a thrill of pleasure.

“You like pushing me, don't you?” he ground out. “Almost as much as I like pushing you.”

She hummed in agreement, running her tongue along his length before swirling around the head again. She liked knowing she could drive him to lose control, to push him to the same edge she balanced on, a heartbeat from letting go. Moisture had soaked through her panties long ago and she shimmied out of them, needing something, anything to ease the need that hadn't let her go from the moment she'd seen Kane in the club.

“Dammit.” Kane pulled her free as he jerked the car to a stop, slammed it into park, then killed the engine. “Come on.”

She got out of the car without waiting for Kane's assistance, ready to run for the elevator. She took a step then stopped as soon as she noticed the unfamiliar surroundings. “This isn't my place.”

“I know. We're still in the parking deck.” He draped a jacket over her shoulders then tugged her into the shadows around the corner from a stairwell, pressing her back against the wall.

Nadia gasped as she realized his intent. “Right here?”

“You dare to blow me in the car but balk at doing
el keurchi
here?” Reaching beneath her skirt, he easily thrust two fingers inside her, readying her even more. “Be daring, Nadia. Want me as much as I want you.”

Be daring. She'd told him that's what she wanted. She had to live up to her own expectations, her own wants. At that moment, she wanted him inside her more than she wanted her next breath.

Uncertainty vanished as she reached for him, wrapping her hand around his thickness. He hadn't bothered tucking himself back into his pants, a sure indication that she'd pushed him to his limit. He grunted in approval as she guided his cock to her entrance, rubbing the tip along her slit to coat him in her juices and tease them both.

“Nadia . . .” Kane's voice was a low growl of warning. He threw his hips forward, surging through her fingers, embedding himself inside her.

“Hands on my hips, sweetheart,” he ordered as he shifted his weight, his hands gripping her ass beneath her skirt. “
El keurchi
. Belly to belly, face to face, lips to lips. Squeeze me, babe. Squeeze me with that sweet pussy of yours.”

Her inner muscles clamped down on him as he rocked forward. Fire erupted in her veins as desire steamrolled her. The man, the intensity, the risk of discovery all combined into a heady aphrodisiac. They moved together, a frantic, jerky dance of need that led to only one outcome.

Much too soon she could feel it, feel the orgasm rushing up from her toes. “Kane,” she gasped, then shattered.

His mouth slammed down on hers, swallowing her cry as she came. His fingers dug deep into her buttocks, each wild thrust bumping her shoulders against the concrete wall. With a hoarse groan he buried himself to the hilt, spasms shaking his body as he poured deep inside her.

After a long moment, he pulled away from her. “Are you all right?”

“I'm better than all right.” She reached out, cupped his cheek. “Are you?”

“I forgot a condom.” He tucked himself in, straightened his clothes. “I forgot a fucking condom.”

“We saw each other's records,” she reminded him. “We're both clean, and I get birth control injections. We're good.”

“Yeah. We're good together.” He blew out a breath, then guided her back to the car. “You have an uncanny ability to make me lose multiple levels of control, Nadia Spiceland.”

She forced a laugh. “You make it sound as if that's a bad thing.”

“I don't know.” He started the car. “Right now, I'm too damn satisfied to care.”

“D
ads!”

Surprised but pleased, Nadia stepped back to allow both her fathers to step over the threshold. Victor Spiceland immediately grabbed her up in one of his huge bear hugs, spinning her around until she was dizzy and giggling. “I can't believe you guys are here. You weren't due to come down for a visit until next month!”

“We had some free time,” Nicholas Spiceland explained as he took his turn for a hug, dropping a kiss to her forehead.

“We were in the neighborhood,” Victor answered at the same time.

Nadia took a step back, settling her hands on her hips. “Just in the neighborhood with time on your hands, huh? I may be a baker and not an engineer, but I do know that San Francisco is a hundred miles away and therefore not in the neighborhood.”

“What, we can't come visit our favorite daughter?” Victor asked, maple brown eyes twinkling.

“I'm your only daughter,” she reminded him, torn between exasperation, affection, and amusement. “What's up?”

“We weren't able to be here for your birthday,” Nicholas explained in his quiet tone that had always managed to soothe her and keep her in line. He shed his coat, then took Victor's as Nadia closed and locked the door. “So we rearranged some things and started the family tour early.”

She watched him hang their coats in the coat closet, her heart brimming. Her dads—actually, the entire Spiceland family—were her collective rock. They had walked the rocky road of recovery with her, from the moment she'd regained consciousness in the hospital after the accident to the day she'd left the rehabilitation facility somewhat better equipped to take control of her life and her choices. They'd helped her find a Narcotics Anonymous group that suited her and attended counseling sessions with her.

As thrilled as they'd been when she decided to leave Los Angeles after she left rehab and started her recovery, they'd been worried about her decision to start over somewhere new instead of returning home to San Francisco. It had taken them more than a year to accept her move to Crimson Bay, but they'd finally realized the small town had done wonders for her and Siobhan. The fact that they were less than two hours away by car helped. What helped more was each day she lived without popping pills, each day that took her further away from the person she had been, a person on a steep trajectory to self-destruction. She was in a good place now, and they knew it.

“It's okay, Dad,” she said, giving him another hug as they made their way toward the kitchen, as everyone who visited her did. “We talked on the phone.”

“He worries,” Daddy Vic said, giving his spouse's shoulder an affectionate pat. They'd been together since their college days, and though she'd rolled her eyes at their public displays of affection as a kid, she loved and admired their easy way with each other. “He had to see for himself.”

“I worry,” Nicholas agreed. “Vic frets. He wouldn't relax until we were on the highway headed here.”

Nadia stared at the two men she loved most in the world. Nicholas Spiceland had always been the quieter of her dads, as tall and silent as a redwood and just as permanently there with his unwavering support. His sternness and strict nature were a perfect foil for Victor, who was a head shorter but broader in the shoulders and had always worn his emotions on his sleeve. To Nadia, Victor was a walking, talking teddy bear, always ready to dispense a hug or a word of encouragement to his children.

Victor was the one she'd turned to for every scraped knee and broken heart, but Nicholas was the one she'd been terrified of disappointing. He hadn't wanted her to enter the reality show cooking competition but had supported her through it, ending up her most boisterous supporter when she'd won and got her own show. The only time she'd ever seen Nicholas cry was when she'd awakened in the hospital after the car accident that had killed her manager and nearly killed her. Seeing her stoic father break had riddled her with guilt she was still trying to overcome. She never again wanted to be the cause of that sort of pain for her fathers again.

“I'm okay. And I have the girls here. We support and encourage each other.”

“How are the girls?” Victor asked as he inspected the contents of her fridge. He was always of the opinion that there wasn't anything that a good meal couldn't cure, especially a meal shared with friends and family. It was his enthusiasm as well as days spent in the kitchen with him and Nana Spiceland that made the decision to start a café a no-brainer.

“They're good. I'm assuming you're planning on staying over?”

“Only if we're not intruding,” Nicholas said.

“Of course we're staying,” Victor chimed in.

Nadia shook her head with a laugh. “I think you do that on purpose, just to keep us kids on our toes. Did you leave your bags in the hallway?”

“In the car,” Nicholas said. “We can probably get a room at the B and B on Bay Street if you have plans.”

“Just finished working out, then I planned to start on a few things for next week's menu.” An image of Kane immediately came to mind. Saturday afternoons were spent taking care of personal errands while Sundays were about café business, but she'd been waffling on the idea of calling Kane to take him up on his offer to spend the remainder of the weekend together. Though they'd parted well enough the night before, something about Kane's after-sex reaction in the parking deck didn't sit well with her. She wanted to make sure they were still good.

“What're you thinking, princess?” Victor asked. “Are we interrupting something?”

Both men looked at her expectantly. Butterflies began to stomp grapes in her stomach. There was no way she was ready to tell her fathers about Kane. What in the world could she tell them anyway? “Hey, there's this great guy who's a customer at the café who I've been banging every chance I get”? Yeah, that would go over well. Not.

“No, just café business, like I said. Maybe I can invite everyone over tonight for an impromptu dinner party.”

“It would be great to see the girls,” Victor said. “Maybe we can even take you all out to your favorite party place.”

“Oh no,” Nadia said, shaking her head for emphasis. “There's no way I'm going to a drag bar with my dads.”

Victor grinned at her discomfiture. “Why not? It will be fun. We could use a night out on the town.”

“If anyone deserves one, it would be you guys,” she agreed, “but not with your kid. You guys can take yourselves to the show.”

“You can ride in with us and then we can go our separate ways at the door,” Victor argued. “Far be it from us to keep our favorite daughter from trawling for hot guys.”

“First, I'm your only daughter,” she automatically retorted. “Second, I don't need to trawl for guys. Third, if you're serious about going to Tatas, I need to call the police chief and give him a head's-up that my dads are in town and encouraging my friends to be on their worst behavior.”

“Vic, I thought we were planning a date, not playing chaperone,” Nicholas said. “You know how the girls are. They'll be incorrigible just because we're there.”

“Of course. That's part of the fun!”

The feeling was mutual, Nadia knew. Her fathers had taken her friends under their collective wing. Her friends were just as gaga over her fathers as they were about their “extra daughters,” and Nadia didn't mind a bit. She knew how awesome her dads were, and considering that Siobhan's father had passed years ago, Audie didn't know hers, and Vanessa had a strained relationship with hers, she was glad her fathers wanted to be a paternal presence in her friends' lives.

“How's Audie doing?” Nicholas asked. Of all her recovering friends, Audie was the one who concerned Nicholas the most, and as the youngest, the one he felt most paternal toward.

“I honestly don't know, Dad,” Nadia replied with a sigh. “She seems fine, but . . . I worry about her. I don't think she's hit her bottom yet.”

Nicholas frowned. “I figured you and Siobhan would be enough of a steadying influence on her by now.”

“I know,” she replied, pleased that he'd consider her a steadying influence of any type. “I'm not at a good enough place to be a sponsor to anyone, and her issues are completely different from mine, but I'd hoped Siobhan and I could be living examples for her and anyone else in our group.”

“That's all you can do, pumpkin,” Victor said, giving her a one-armed hug. “That, and be ready to give her help when she asks for it. You can't force her.”

“You're right.” Audie had shown up at the café just before noon looking none the worse for wear, so Nadia had to accept that Audie knew how to take care of herself.

She blew her bangs out of her face, seeking to lighten the mood. “Speaking of people with issues, you said you were on a family tour. So I guess after me, you're going to San Diego to see Sergey?”

“Yes.” Victor shook his head, his smile dimming. “I don't think he's doing as well as he wants us to think.”

Her oldest brother had just watched his marriage to his high-school sweetheart implode without warning. Despite his best efforts, he hadn't been able to convince his wife to save their relationship.

“Poor Sergey.” She realized with a flash of guilt that she hadn't talked to him in more than a week. “Is he in a bad way?”

“Jane moved her things out last week,” Nicholas said. “I think he was holding out hope that she would change her mind as long as her belongings were still there, even if she wasn't. He's taking it pretty hard.”

“It's still hard to believe that she'd leave him after all the years they've had together. Almost twenty years. She has to know he doesn't blame her for the miscarriages.” Sergey and his wife had tried for years to have children, only to meet with repeated heartache. She'd thought they were going to adopt or try surrogacy, but the disappointments must have taken a toll, and their marriage had paid the ultimate price.

“I know,” Nicholas said. “I suppose the grief and the guilt finally outweighed the love. Now the guilt and grief is all on Sergey's shoulders. We're hoping to convince him that a change of scenery would do him good.”

“Maybe he should come here. This town is great for helping people heal from whatever ails them. I'll call him and ask him to come for a visit.”

Sergey had been there for her when her life had disintegrated. Even though he was on the San Diego police force, he hadn't turned his back on her when her drug problem came to light.

“He'll probably appreciate that, but don't push him, okay?”

“I won't.” Much. She didn't like anyone she knew to hurt, especially not those she considered family. Whatever she could do for her brother, she'd do.

“I guess Anton is still being Anton, right?”

Victor snorted. “You mean, is he still falling out of skyscrapers and perfectly working airplanes? Yes.”

Anton was an in-demand Hollywood stuntman, and when he wasn't on a set he liked to go skydiving and hang gliding to rest and relax. A true adrenaline junkie, his favorite motto was “I'll rest when I'm dead.” Since he was always on the move, trying to catch him for a conversation was a perpetual game of tag.

“And now we come back to you, darling daughter.” Victor eyed her as he ransacked her kitchen for dinner ingredients. “Are you seeing anyone yet?”

She fumbled the bottle of wine she'd just extracted from the wine fridge. “What?”

Nicholas rescued the bottle. “I think that's a yes. Don't think I didn't hear you declare that you don't need to trawl for guys anymore.”

“You should have been a detective, not an architectural engineer,” Nadia complained. “I can totally see where Sergey gets it from.”

Victor raised a brow. “Is he wrong?”

Nadia sighed, knowing she was about to open the door to a third degree she hadn't endured in years. “No, he isn't wrong.”

Nicholas focused on opening the wine bottle as Victor leaned against the counter, pinning her with a curious glance. They had the nice-dad, mean-dad routine down pat, Nadia knew, perfected over nearly four decades of raising her and her two older brothers. Victor would initiate the questioning while Nicholas would stand in silence, not overtly trying to intimidate but doing a good job of it nonetheless.

Somehow the combination of the two of them created some kind of dad energy field that had she and her siblings confessing to things they swore they'd never divulge to their parents. Yes, she'd kicked Billy Robertson in the shins, but he'd deserved it. Yes, she'd tried a cigarette but had thrown up after the first inhale. Yes, she was an addict.

She looked at both of them in turn. They'd known from their first date that they'd be together, or so they said, buying a home together right out of college. They'd used the same surrogate for her and her brothers. Sergey was the spitting image of Nicholas, from the height to the same golden brown hair and eyes and analytical mind. Middle kid Anton seemed like a bridge between the two men, with Victor's gregarious personality and Nicholas's build. Anyone who looked at Nadia knew that she was Victor's little girl from hair to toes.