Surrender (24 page)

But that call was so worth all those hours of hell.

“Abigail. You did it! You did it!” Kam practically shouted into my ear. “When I get my hands on you I am going to kiss you until you can’t breathe.”

Tears of happiness welled in my eyes.

There was a lot to be sad about—particularly finding out my brother was truly a hardened criminal, willing to drug me in order to cover his tracks. But at least I had been able to save Kam from serving time in prison for a crime Joss had committed.

“Abigail? Are you there?” Kam asked.

I sniffled. And sputtered. “I’m here.”

“You’re crying.”

“I am.” Sitting up, I wrapped myself in the blanket and dragged my hand across my face.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“I’ll tell you when I see you.”

“I’ll come as soon as I’m through here.”

“Okay. How much longer will that be?” I checked the clock on the nightstand. It was a little after seven.

“I have no idea. They’re processing me now.”

“Do you need a ride?”

“No, I’ll call Stephanie and have her send a car.”

A wave of chilly hatred swept through me at the mention of her name. “Oh. Um, you probably can’t do that. Even if you could, you don’t want to.”

“Why?” he asked.

“She’s in on it.”

Silence. “No.” It was a shocked whisper.

“She is. She was at my apartment this morning. I heard her talking to my brother about everything. There’s no doubt she’s been part of this thing since the beginning.”

“Damn.”

Silence.

Clearly, he was devastated by this news. I was sorry I was the one who had to deliver it to him. After all, she was the one he had trusted when he’d arranged to be arrested.

“I’m sorry,” I said, softly.

“I trusted her.”

“Yes, I know.” When he didn’t speak again, I asked, “Do you need me to come and pick you up?”

“I . . . I don’t need you to. But if you want to . . .”

“Call me when you’re ready, and I’ll be there,” I told him.

“Okay. See you soon.”

I opened my mouth to say the words I’d been trying to say since he was arrested, but he cut me off. “Abigail?”

“Yes?”

“I owe you my life.”

The tiniest ripple of happiness swept through me. “No, you don’t.”

“Yes. Yes I do.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay.” After a beat, he said, “Bye.” And that was the end of the conversation.

Figuring I had at least an hour, I scurried into the shower to freshen up. I wasn’t sure what Kam would have in mind once we were alone. But I was willing to bet he was going to want to make up for lost time. With all that had happened I wasn’t exactly in the mood to play his tie-me-up-and-make-me-beg games, but the thought of having his arms around me sure sounded great.

I had just finished up showering when my cell phone rang. I recognized the phone number. It was Kam’s cell phone. It was in his possession again. That had to be a good sign.

“You can come and pick me up at your convenience,” he said by way of a greeting.

Dabbing my face with a towel, I said, “I’ll be there in about twenty.”

“I can’t wait to see you.”

I smiled. My gaze caught my reflection in the mirror. “I can’t wait to see you too.”

“It’s pouring, so call me when you get close and I’ll come outside.”

“Will do.” I grabbed a second towel with my free hand and used it to squeeze some of the water from my hair.

“Abigail?”

“Yes.”

“I . . . I want to say something, but I don’t want to take it wrong.”

“Okay.” A niggle of unease swept through me, replacing the fleeting giddiness that had lifted my mood slightly. “What is it, Kam?”

“I . . . I . . . I think I need to wait and tell you later.”

“All right then. I’ll be there soon.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” When he didn’t say anything else, I added a quick good-bye and clicked off.

What was wrong now? I’d never heard that man sound so unsure. Not even when he was facing prison.

A little uncertain whether I was mentally or emotionally prepared for another jarring shock, I quickly dressed, hurried out to my car, started it up, and zoomed toward the jail. My palms sweated so badly as I drove that I had to keep dragging them down my legs. They were shaking too hard to dial his number while I was driving, so I set my phone in the cup holder and decided to put off trying to call him until I was parked. By the time I had pulled into the crowded parking area by the jail’s main entrance, my heart was thumping so hard in my chest, my breastbone was getting sore. And I was breathing so quickly I felt a little lightheaded. I was nervous. I was excited. I was a mixed up bundle of joy and sorrow, confusion and happiness, relief and anxiety.

Sitting in the parking lot, my engine turned off, the view out my windshield distorted because of the heavy rain, I dialed his number. He didn’t answer after six rings. I tried a second time, and when the call cut to voice mail, I began to wonder what was going on.

I tossed my phone into my purse, powered down the window, and peered at the entry, looking to see if he was waiting somewhere close by.

I didn’t see any sign of him.

People scrambled out the building, heads ducked to shield their faces. But none of those people were Kam. I checked my clock, sighed, and shoved open the door.

Swiveling to lock my car, I jumped when he tapped my shoulder. I hid my fright by chuckling and twisted around.

I said, “I thought I’d find you here—”

That wasn’t Kam.

Pure terror rocketed through my body, chilling me from head to toe. I jerked back, slamming my butt against my car. “Stephanie. What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to pretend I didn’t know anything.

“Taking care of some urgent business.” Her back to the building, she flipped open the flap of her coat, showing me, only me, the gun she was holding. That gun was pointed at my stomach. And I couldn’t breathe.

“I knew the moronic brainwashing crap wouldn’t work.” She shoved the gun into my belly. “Get back in the car.”

“W-where are we going?” I stuttered, my gaze locked on that gun.

“Somewhere quiet where we can have a little talk.”

I’d watched enough of those real crime shows to know that if I got into the car, I would probably end up in a ditch somewhere with a bullet in my head. But that gun was poking into my stomach, and I could see the muscles in her hand tense as her trigger finger curled ever so slowly around the trigger. Was she going shoot me? Right here? In the parking lot? Despite the fact that we were outside of a police station and the minute shots were heard there’d be a flood of officers pouring through those doors?

She’d be a fool if she did.

“I’m too scared to drive,” I said, lifting my hands in a sign of surrender. My gaze flicked to the doors. There had to be cameras out here, recording what was going on. Wasn’t anyone watching?

“Put your fucking hands down,” she spat. “And smile. You’re glad to see me.”

“No, I’m not.” I lifted my hands higher and prayed someone was monitoring the parking lot cameras. If not, I was in trouble. “Tell me, Stephanie, why did you drug Kameron? Why?”

26

“P
ut. Your. Fucking. Hands. Down,” Stephanie enunciated through gritted teeth.

Feeling slightly empowered by the fear I saw flashing in her eyes, I jerked up my chin. Rainwater was running down the sides of my face, dripping off my chin. “Why should I put my hands down? Are you afraid someone is going to see what you’re doing? You’d better leave. Right now. You know there are cameras out here. You know there is probably a horde of police officers rushing toward the door at this moment. They’re going to arrest you for attempted murder. That’ll make your other charge look like a cakewalk.”

“Shut the hell up.”

“Or what? You’ll shoot me?”

The muscle in her jaw clenched. Her gaze jerked to her hand. So did mine. For a handful of terrifying seconds I watched the muscles in her forearm tense.

Images—of my childhood, my parents, my brother—flashed through my head as time ticked by, one fraction of a second at a time. Despite time slowing, I couldn’t move. I was frozen in place, unable to stop what I knew was coming next.

“Throw down the gun!” someone shouted.

“Put down the gun, now!” yelled another.

My gaze jerked up to her face. My gaze locked on eyes void of emotion. Her soul was empty. Why hadn’t I noticed that before?

“Put down the gun and raise your hands!” said someone else.

Stephanie’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t ready to give up. She might never be ready to give up. Would she shoot, despite the consequences?

A second passed. Another. She didn’t move a muscle outside of her eyes. They were snapping back and forth, from me to something or someone behind me. Right, then left. Right, then left. Her lips started moving, but I heard no words. Was she praying?

Her face flinched.

Her eyes went cold.

And then I heard a pop. Her empty eyes met mine. Now there was something in them. Pain. She fell before I realized what had happened. As I whirled around to see where the sound had come from, someone tackled me from behind, hauling me away from her. Things started happening too fast. I became confused, lost.

“Are you hurt?” someone asked as I was rushed toward the building’s entrance

I looked up. It was Kam. Kam was holding me. We were in the vestibule, closed between two sets of doors.

He jerked me against him. “This was my fault. Mine.” His voice echoed sharply in the closed space. “Dammit, if I’d known she would have a chance at coming after you before they picked her up, I wouldn’t have asked you to come.”

“I’m okay,” I said, suddenly feeling like all the bones in my body had turned to mush. My legs trembled. My hands. I struggled to stay upright. Wrapping my arms around Kam’s waist, I let him support me as he hurried me away from the mêlée. “It was Stephanie. She was the one who drugged you that day.”

“We’ll talk about that later. As soon as they get her away from your car, I’ll take you home.”

My head bobbed. “Okay.”

Had I really almost been shot? Had that really happened? It seemed like a bad dream, a nightmare. I had to see for myself. I had to know if it was real. I pushed through the doors, stepping outside. The overhang shielded us from the rain.

Then I heard that awful laugh. The sound sent another wave of horror through me.

I stared at the wall of police officers standing around my car. I watched as it parted and Stephanie was escorted past me, her arms pinned behind her back, handcuffs securing them.

She was laughing. Hysterically. The sound was haunting. Bone-chilling.

When our gazes met again, all I saw was dead blackness. “You know why I drugged him?” she sneered. “I did it because I could. That’s why. He was an easy target. And it was fun.”

“She’s crazy,” I said, more to myself than Kam as I snuggled into his warmth. If it weren’t for him holding me up, I would have fallen. I was so glad to have him back. So, so glad. My teeth chattered as I spoke.

“She is.” Kam’s hold on me tightened. He smoothed a hand down my back. “I found out she’s been stealing from the company for years. Falsifying invoices for services that were never performed and then pocketing all the money. She’s stolen millions from MalTech. And that’s not the worst of it.”

“You found out all of that today?”

“Not exactly. I hired a detective before I was arrested. He discovered the fake invoices a couple of days ago and took those to the police. It was your call, though, that let us know who she was working with. I’d already made plans to replace her, but I was waiting for her to slip up and reveal her accomplice before I made it official. I was thinking about promoting a certain friend of yours. . . .”

“Julie!”

“Julie.”

“She’ll be great. I know it. Thank you, Kam.” I squeezed him as hard as I could. “So if you knew about Stephanie, were you just released from jail today? Or have you been free to leave for a while? Were you waiting for them to catch her?”

“No, I was still being held, which infuriated me. I was afraid for your safety. The damn police wouldn’t listen.” He jerked his head toward the car, which was no longer surrounded by armed policemen. “Looks like we can go now.”

“Good.” My teeth were still chattering, and I couldn’t stop shaking. “I’ve had enough of police and guns for a lifetime.”

“So have I.” He walked me toward the car, stopping next to the passenger door. “Before you get in, there’s something I’ve been wanting to do.” He palmed my face and kissed me. It was the kind of kiss you read about in fairy tales. Magical. Wonderful. Beautiful. I looped my arms around his neck and kissed him back, letting my mouth and body tell him how desperately I had missed him. By the time the kiss ended, we were both a little wobbly and breathless.

But I wasn’t quaking from fear anymore.

And I wasn’t cold.

“Wow,” I said, fanning my face. “I’ve been waiting for that for a long time too.”

He chuckled. How I had missed the sound of his laughter. “Actually, that wasn’t what I was talking about.”

“It wasn’t?”

“No, but the kiss was nice. Really nice.” His thumb dragged across my lower lip, which was still overly sensitive. A tingle swept through my body as the nerves fired beneath the skin. “What I wanted to do was tell you I . . . I love you.”

“What?” The word flew from my mouth before I realized I’d said it. I had heard him. It was just such a shock.

His eyes widened. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No!” I flattened my hands on either side of his darling, handsome, traffic-stopping face. “No. You didn’t say anything wrong. You just caught me by surprise.”

“Yeah, I suppose my timing’s a little weird.”

“I’m not complaining. You can say those words any time you want.”

His lips curved into a stunning smile. “Good.”

“Like now. You could say them again,” I suggested, thinking this time I would provide a more appropriate response.

“Very well.” His smile brightening, he said, “I love you, Abigail.”

“I love you too, Kam.” I pulled on his head, bringing his mouth down within range so I could kiss him again.

This kiss was even better. It made me wish we weren’t standing in the middle of a public parking lot.

I had a sneaking suspicion it had the same effect on Kam. He growled. Then he groaned and cut off the kiss. His cheeks were a little red as he stared down at me, looking as if he might gobble me up.

“We need to go. Now,” he said.

“Yes. Now.”

 

Kam insisted, as we drove to his house, that I sit with my legs wide open so he could stroke me the entire way. I had never had a man ask me to do that.

Ohmygod, what a wicked thrill.

I spent the entire ride with my eyes clamped shut, with his hand down my pants, squirming and moaning as his right hand explored my folds, fingers dipping between my labia. I was barely aware of the car stopping.

Kam cut off the engine, then cupped my chin with the hand he had been using to steer. The other one was still between my legs, tormenting me. “Abigail.” His mouth crushed mine. The kiss was electrifying. It made me breathless, dizzy, desperate for more. I clawed at his chest. I whimpered. His tongue shoved its way into my mouth, and I lost all ability to think. All I could do was ride the waves of pleasure crashing through me.

When he broke the kiss, I sucked in a huge lungful of air.

“Let’s go inside,” he said.

It wasn’t until he’d removed that wicked hand from between my legs that I could function at all. I blinked open my eyes. We were parked in his driveway, all right. Trembling from head to toe, I managed to get out of the car and into the house without my legs buckling. Kam’s strong arm wrapped around my waist helped keep me steady. But his nearness, his heat and scent, made me all the more shaky. My shoes
click-clacked
on the polished wood floor as we made our way through the foyer with the soaring ceiling and down the hallway, toward his bedroom. But this time, instead of going to his room, we turned down another hall and stopped outside a set of black double doors.

“What’s this?” I asked. In the back of my mind, I knew what it was.

His dungeon.

Instead of telling me, he opened the doors.

Yes, that was what it was.

Since the very first time Kam had talked to me about domination, I had tried to imagine him in a dungeon. My mind had conjured up all kinds of images. None of them, however, bore any resemblance to this room.

It was hard to describe. Elegant was a word that came to mind. And yet I never would have thought a sex bondage dungeon could be elegant. I had imagined a dark place, dank and dreary and frightening. This room was none of those things. Three of the walls were papered with a damask in shades of gray. The fourth was spanned by a series of gray silk–swathed French doors. Soft light shone from the gorgeous multitiered crystal chandelier hanging at the apex of the angled ceiling, reflecting on the gleaming wood floors and the wood furnishings. Directly beneath that chandelier stood a table that was roughly at bed height, the top padded.

I was speechless as I took in the details. My heart thumped heavily in my chest. And the tissues that had been burning from Kam’s touch began tingling once again when Kam, using hands on my shoulders, coaxed me to face him.

“I have been waiting for this moment for so long. I almost don’t want it to end.” He flattened a hand against the side of my head and stared into my eyes. His thumb grazed my jaw. “You’re not afraid.”

I shook my head. “I trust you.” Wrapping my fingers around his wrist, I pulled that hand down. It followed the column of my neck, glided over my collarbone, and finally settled over my breast. My eyelids fluttered as the pressure against my nipple made it tingle and harden. “I’m yours, Kam. All yours.”

His fingers curled, squeezing my right breast, and my spine arched. I wanted so much more. I wanted his thick cock buried deep inside. I wanted his weight pressing me into a thick, soft mattress. I wanted to hear him say my name on a sigh as he found release. And yet, I too feared having this magical, special moment pass too quickly.

Finally, the suspicions were gone. The worries were behind us. We could relax. Enjoy. Explore.

This place, this lifestyle, was a part of Kam that I had only glimpsed. I was eager now to experience it more fully. To see how I might fit into Kam’s world, his life. And how he would fit into mine.

“Teach me,” I said as I swayed against him.

He pinched my nipple through my clothes, and I shuddered. “Look at me,” he demanded. I met his gaze. In his eyes I could see the heat of his need. It burned like a searing blue flame. “Take off your clothes.”

Unable to speak, I pulled off my shirt first. My pants were next, but I was too shaky to stand. I wobbled over to the table and leaned against it for support. His gaze never left mine. He watched, silent, jaw tight, expression dark. His mien reminded me of a wild animal, tracking its prey, waiting patiently for the right time to strike.

He didn’t move, didn’t speak until I had everything off, including my panties and bra. I stood before him completely nude, his gaze caressing my flesh, his menacing, sexy expression making me long for his touch.

What would he do next? What sort of wicked pleasures would he show me in this strange and wonderful place? My whole body shuddered. Would he lick and nip me from head to toe until I couldn’t take any more? Or would he just put me out of my misery and shove that big cock into my pussy and pound away the ache throbbing deep in my center?

I couldn’t wait to find out. I was breathless with anticipation.

He stepped up to me and stared deeply into my eyes. His fingers curled around my waist. I thought he would pull me to him, flatten my body against his, but instead he lifted me and set me on top of the table. My butt rested on the cushioned tabletop, my legs dangling over the edge.

I felt my lips curling up. I loved this, how he built anticipation in every moment, every touch, every glance.

“Open your legs,” he commanded, his gaze flicking to my knees, which were clamped together.

Watching his face for a reaction, I slowly dragged them apart, wide, wider, as wide as I could. My folds unfurled, and I was exposed. Deliciously open to his feasting eyes.

“Pretty, Abigail. You’re going to enjoy this.”

I had no doubt I would.

As if to illustrate, he scraped his fingernail down my slit. My insides quivered, heated. Oh yes, I was going to enjoy this. A lot.

He caught up the bottom of his shirt and pulled it off. I drank in the sight of him. Muscles flexing, smooth skin gleaming in the soft light. I still couldn’t believe I was here with him at last. In this place, his most secret, private place.

“Now that I have you here, I’m not sure what I should do with you first.” The metal of his belt rattled softly as he unbuckled it.