The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart: A Hart Brothers Novel (34 page)

“Fine. But I’m the son of a bitch who always
has your back, has saved your ass a time or two and who’s gonna
keep saving your ass. You have two hours. Go!”

Sabin stomps out and rips another door off
its hinges.

Exactly three hours later, Edge and Andros
return with information on Kade and Juliette’s whereabouts. At
approximately the same time, Drey, Verus, and Helios come in with
their findings.

“Before you begin, let me get Sabin,” Rafe
says.

When they’re all assembled, the men take
turns.

Drey starts. “Tortola, the British Virgin
Islands was the destination of the flight.”

“Good work,” Rafe says. “Edge?”

“All their computer records were erased so
it took awhile …”

Sabin interrupts. “We don’t give a fuck. Did
you find anything?”

“The brother has a boat docked in Tortola. A
sailboat.”

Sabin announces. “Gear up. We’re going to
Tortola, boys. You’d better pray we get there before our other
friends do.”

“Do you really think they’re fast enough to
beat us there?” Edge asks.

“I worry about you sometimes with these
questions you ask, Edge,” Sabin says as he grimaces.

“Sabin, what if we can’t persuade her to
come back here?” Rafe asks.

“Persuade? Who said anything about
persuasion? This isn’t a game, Rafe.” He walks away, leaving
everyone watching.

Kade

Watching her gaze at me makes me want to give
her the world. Given the chance, I will do exactly that. Her smile
is better than any sunrise or sunset. Holding her hand is better
than any dip in the sea. Her kisses … nothing comes close, and if I
knew I could never have one again, I would trade my life for it.
When you find that one, that person who singularly insinuates
herself into your life and makes it worth waking up for every day,
there is nothing, nothing you wouldn’t do for her. If she asks me
why I love her, I wouldn’t be able to tell her a single reason.
Because there isn’t one. There are dozens. All wrapped and merged
together to create my special love for her. I’ve often heard the
phrase, “She stole my heart.” Something can’t be stolen which is
freely given, and I have not only given her mine, I have laid it at
her feet.

Her hand reaches for mine. “What are you
thinking of with your beautiful eyes, so blue and expressive?”

“That I am so in love with you. If you asked
for the world, I would find a way to bring it to you.”

“Oh, Kade, you’ve given me more than the
world. You’ve given me yourself.”

“Come stand with me here.” I put her in
front of me as I navigate the boat out into the open water. “I need
you close to me.” She leans against me and I love the way her body
molds to mine. Even though we are unmatched in height, we fit. Even
though she’s a tiny thing and I’m pretty large, we fit. I rest my
chin on her head and inhale her vanilla scent.

“Are you warm?”

“Just a little.”

“Why don’t you go put on some shorts and
when you’re finished, I’ll put some on.”

She’s back and I go down, telling her just
to stay the course. We’re in deep water now, so she’ll be fine.

When I find the perfect cove, I stop,
release the anchor, and ask her if she’s up for a swim. No one is
anywhere near us, we’re about a half mile out, not far, but far
enough.

“We can swim for a bit and maybe see a
sunset.”

“I’d love that.”

She starts to head down below. “Where you
going?”

“I have to put on my bathing suit.”

“No need. No one will see you. We’ll leave
some towels on the platform in the back of the boat.”

She’s skeptical. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Do you see anyone around?”

“No, but what if they come?”

“They won’t. And we won’t be out there
forever.”

“Sunscreen?” she asks.

“It’s going to be dark soon. You’re
fine.”

I start to strip and she follows. I jump in
and so does she.

“It’s so warm,” she says.

I don’t give her much time before I grab
her. “Sorry, I can’t keep these hands off your naked body.”

“I don’t want you to.”

I pull her close and she wraps her legs
around me. My dick is so fucking hard I want to push it into
her.

Her mouth sucks on my neck and it’s making
my dick even harder. I kick us over to steps that are in the back
of the boat and lean on them.

“I wanna fuck you in the water, Juliette.
You’ve made me so damn hard. But I don’t have a condom, so I’ll
have to pull out.”

Her hand encircles my dick, and squeezes it,
pumping it.

“No, don’t. I want that to be you … your
body. Not your hand.” I reach between her legs, and slide a finger
in her, finding her slick and ready for me.

“Hold my arms.” Then I push her legs open
wide for me. “Sit on me, Jules.” She takes my dick and guides it
into her. She’s hot, slick, wet. “You’re so tight around me. You
don’t know how good you feel.”

“Oh, I think I do.” Her words come out all
raspy. I tilt my hips, thrusting upwards. I have to hold her legs
down to keep her from floating off. Then I get an idea. I flip us,
putting her ass on the steps.

“Wrap your legs around me and hold onto me.”
I feel her heels pressing, digging. Now I can do my thing.

“Jules, are you good?”

“Yes. Oh. Great. Right there.” I keep up the
thrust as I hold us on the steps. Her hand clutches my shoulder,
fingers dig into my muscles, and her head is turned. I can feel her
mouth against my skin, hot air blowing across my skin, scorching
me. But I feel her teeth scrape me at first, then bite me. Not
hard, but not soft. Soon her hand nudges between us and I can feel
her seeking out her spot, pushing herself to the edge.

“Yes, yes, harder, there.” But when I hear
my name, I wait a little longer, then pull out and come all over
her. Her hand covers mine and she helps me finish it off. She rubs
my cum over her breasts and nipples, pinching and twisting them,
while watching me watch her. It’s the biggest turn on; I think I
could get hard again.

“Fuck, Jules.” I grab her chin and plunge my
tongue into her mouth, tasting every bit of her. The kiss is hot,
wet, and deep, and it lasts until we are both desperate for
air.

“Can you stop being so sexy?” I ask.

“I can go back to acting like a nun,” she
laughs.

“No! Don’t you dare. I was kidding, anyway.
Sexy, sensuous, Juliette is far more appealing to me. I loved you
before, but damn, you’re going to kill me like this.”

“I wouldn’t do that.” She smirks at me.

I pull her under water and rub the remnants
of our lovemaking off of her.

“Hey, a little warning would’ve been nice,”
she says when she comes up.

“Get up there so we can eat,” I say. I smack
her on her bare ass, making her jump. She tosses me a look over her
shoulder and I want to pull her back into the water and have a
replay. I don’t. Instead, I follow her into the boat and we make
dinner. When we finish, we talk about the necklace.

“Have you made a decision?”

“Yeah. I want to get rid of it. What’s the
point of keeping it if it will only get us killed?”

“When do you want to do it?” I ask.

“The sooner the better.”

“Tonight?”

“I see no reason why not.”

“Then let’s do it.”

We go up top, I pull up the anchor, start
the engine, and we get underway. “I want you to toss it out there
as we move, and then I’ll find us another place to anchor for the
night. I don’t want to spend the night next to where we throw it.
You know, just in case.”

“Good idea.”

As we drift along the peaceful sea, I say,
“You can throw it whenever you want.”

“How deep is the water here?”

I check the depth finder and it reads
between forty-five and fifty feet, so I tell her.

She lifts it off her neck, puts it in her
palm and says, “Here goes.” Then she lets it fly. As I watch, I
think maybe I should’ve thrown it. It would’ve traveled a greater
distance. But no matter. I give the throttle a shove, and off we
go.

Forty-five minutes later I cut the engine
and drop anchor again. It’s a beautiful night. The sky is dotted
with a million stars, their pinpricks of light barely leaving any
sky untouched. The moon is huge, a yellow glow blazing the sea in a
silvery path, almost like it’s paving the way somewhere.

“Oh, Kade, what a glorious night.”

“I was thinking the same thing. I think it
agrees with our decision.”

“I hope so.”

We both lean over the railing of the boat,
satisfied that the necklace has found its true owner, the sea.

“Maybe the necklace belonged to Atlantis,”
Juliette says. “Maybe that’s why the sea is glowing. It’s happy to
be returned home.”

“Perhaps. I’m just happy I have my love with
me to share this with.”

This is not what I planned on doing. I have
not prepared for anything. But this is so special, the two of us
here, that I have to speak.

I face her and take her hands. “I never
thought you would happen, Juliette. And don’t laugh, because this
is spur of the moment, but sometimes the best things that happen
are the ones that aren’t planned. I want us to spend the rest of
our lives together. Will you say yes?”

“Kade, are you asking what I think you’re
asking?”

My head drops, and I nod. “I know we said go
slow. But I know here,” I bang my chest, “that this is true. It’s
right. And it’s not going to get any better than this. And if you
say yes, it doesn’t have to mean tomorrow or next month. I only
want you to know that I am committed to you for the rest of my
life.”

“Yes. On one condition.”

“Condition?”

“You say the words. Ask me, Kade.”

“Juliette Bressan, will you marry me? I’m no
hero, but I’ll be by your side, for better or worse, and I’ll love
you with all that I can give you.”

“Yes, Kade Hart, I will marry you and you
are
my hero.” When her lips touch mine, I’m the happiest man
alive. All my insecurities about who and what I am fade, have
faded, ever since she found me that day in church. She is my life.
Now and forever. My Juliette.

Dear Reader
,

This is where you have to make a decision. Do
you end
The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart
, accept
Kade and Juliette’s Happily Ever After when they return from their
trip on the boat, or do you choose to continue on? I must warn you,
if you choose to continue, you will learn more about The Seven,
Judgment Day, and Paradox. What you uncover will take you out of
your comfort zone—your
normal contemporary
world
. Remember, this is
your
choice. End
the book as a
Contemporary Romance (
click
here
)
, or read on and find out what happens
next.

If you choose to continue, I ask two things
of you. One, you don’t spoil this ending for others. In other
words, be discreet describing it in reviews and please omit it from
your spoilers. And two, remember that
you
chose
this path. In either case, I hope you enjoy whichever you
choose.

And The Story
Continues
…

Juliette

Our lips touch, gently at first, but as
usual, we get carried away by our passion. “Thank you. For being so
kind, for loving me, and for bringing me here. I’ll be more than
proud to be your wife.”

“Well, isn’t this a touching scene?”

I screech at the sound of the sarcastic
words. It comes from a few feet away. It’s dark but light enough to
see there are seven figures on the boat. Huge men. The shadows have
found me. Shit. Kade sidles in front of me, offering me what little
protection he can.

“You can’t help her, Mr. Hart. It’s
pointless to even try.”

It’s him. The one who saved me. I’d
recognize his voice anywhere. It’s … sexy. Hoarse. Throaty. I hate
to admit it.

“How—how did you find us?” I ask.

“Not a particularly easy thing. But not that
difficult either,” he says. Then his voice booms. “What the hell
were you thinking? Running off like that? Do you realize how much
danger you’re in?”

Each of his words jolts me like an electric
charge.

“You’re frightening her,” Kade says.

“Good. That is my intention.”

He approaches me. He’s massive. A few inches
taller than even Kade. Broader across the chest, too. I’m finally
getting my first full look at him. And it’s only because of the
monstrous moon tonight. I look at Kade then back at him. My shadow
is dark to Kade’s light. Black shaggy hair frames his angular face.
And it’s quite a face. Full lips, wide mouth, and strong jawline.
Scars. Several. There’s one that’s exceptionally difficult to avoid
staring at. It runs from under his left eye to the corner of his
mouth. This man has seen his share of fights, and by the looks of
him he faces them head on. It’s too dark for me to tell what color
his eyes are, but my guess is they are as attention grabbing as the
rest of him.

He stands a foot away and leans into me. In
a voice that hovers over the air, sending shivers racing across my
skin, he says, “Where is your necklace, Juliette? I don’t see it
around your neck.” His tone is clipped, unfriendly. Not the one
I’ve become familiar with.

I’m wearing cutoffs and a tank top. It’s
obvious the necklace isn’t on me.

“I don’t have it anymore.”

His posture instantly changes. He pushes
himself into me, and his steely frame cages mine.

Kade tries to maneuver himself in front of
me, and then roars, “Back away from her!”