"That bad, huh?"
She winces. "You have no idea. But this call is about you, babe. If this is going to keep you safe, then I’m all for it."
"So, you think it’s fine to agree to the public announcement of Cade and me being together?"
"If it’s going to keep you safe, then go for it." She picks up the phone and peers into my face. "I’m glad he was there for you. I’d reach out to the Sovranos and ask them for help to track down your stalker, but I imagine Cade wants to be the one to do that."
"He was so pissed off when he saw my face, Solene." I bite down on my lower lip. "I thought he was going to march out, right then and there, and go in search of revenge."
"He’s in love with you."
I blink. "Now you sound like Zara. And no, he isn’t. He’s just pissed that he couldn’t get there earlier—" I frown.
"What is it?"
I shake my head. "Something Cade said." I draw in a breath. "Never mind. So, when are you back in London?"
"When the tour ends. I have a few more months to go. Oh, that reminds me. I have a friend who just moved to London. Her name is Penny. She doesn’t know anyone. I gave her your number, so she‘d have someone to reach out to. Is that okay?"
"Of course, it is. If it weren’t for you and Zara and the other women, I’d still be floundering. I’m more than happy to plug her into the Sisterhood of the Seven." That was the informal name the wives of the Seven and the Sovranos had given themselves.
Someone calls Solene off screen. She nods in the direction of the voice, then turns to me. "Sorry, babe, I gotta—"
"Go. Go on. Don’t keep the crowd waiting."
She blows me a kiss. "See you soon. Love ya!" She signs off.
I place the phone down on the table up by the window, then glance out to find Cade swimming in the pool below. His sleek body cuts through the water—his muscled arms move in precision, and his brawny legs help propel him forward with ease. God, he’s so sexy. He reaches the end of the pool, then turns and begins to swim back toward the other side. And again. Lordy! The man is a machine. The stamina he carries in those sinews and tendons is something I’ve felt first-hand. How long has he been swimming, anyway? As I watch, he continues with his laps, showing no sign of stopping. Hmm. I pivot, head toward my closet, and rummage around. Damn, the bikini I packed has gone missing. How strange. I shrug out of my clothes, pull on my bathrobe, then throwing my hair up in a messy bun, I head toward the pool.
I position myself at one end, waiting for him to notice me. I don’t have to wait long. He reaches the opposite end, then pulls himself up. As he straightens, the water flows off his shoulders, down his waist, those trim flanks, that tight arse. He shakes his head and the water sprays about him. Then he turns and faces me across the length of the pool.
I hold his gaze, then reach for the belt of my bathrobe. It pools about my ankles, leaving me completely naked.
34
Cade
Ho-oly shit! My jaw drops. I rake my gaze down those upturned breasts, that tiny waist, her thick thighs that bracket her glistening flesh. She runs her hands up her stomach calling attention to her hourglass figure, then lowers them to her sides. Before I can react, she dives into the pool. Naked. She swims upward, then cuts through the water until she reaches me. She pushes herself up onto the ledge and rises to her feet. The water trickles in rivulets down the valley between her lush breasts, over her curvaceous hips and onto the ground. My brain cells seem to short-circuit. All the blood flows to my groin. My heart barrels into my throat, and a roaring sound fills my ears.
"What are you doing?" I growl.
"What do you think I’m doing?" she purrs back.
Ex-fucking-cuse me. Did she answer my question with a question? The fuck? What happened to the shy, willing woman who’d barely been able to look me in the eye, let alone question me? How dare she doubt my authority? I glare at her, she pales, but she doesn’t look away. She merely juts out her chin and flutters her eyelashes at me.
A-n-d I’m just a man, standing in front of the woman he hasn’t been able to get out of his mind for years. Sure, I hated her, and a part me still wants to make her pay for what she did to me, just… Not by making her life miserable. Somewhere along the way, my feelings for her became a lot more complicated. Seeing her hurt and scared brought out the protective instinct in me. It’s unacceptable for anyone else to cause her pain. I’m the only one who can make her ache in any way, be it physically, emotionally or by being brought to the edge, repeatedly, and being deprived of an orgasm.
"You’re playing with fire, Sparrow."
She swallows. "Maybe I want to be burned."
"I promised Knight I’d protect you. I failed."
"No, you didn’t." She searches my features. "You were there for me when I fell apart. You held me when I needed you most. You consoled me when I was at my most vulnerable. You asked me to move in with you, under your roof, and make me feel safe."
I glance away, then back at her. "I told your brother I’d take care of you."
"So do it." She half-smiles. "Take care of me."
Every muscle in my body turns to stone. My balls tighten. My dick stabs into my swimming trunks until I’m sure it’s going to tear through the material.
"You don’t know what you’re asking," I say through gritted teeth.
"Only what you previously offered me so freely."
"That was before—"
"—you developed a conscience?" She asks.
“Before you were attacked by a stalker. Before I walked in and saw you crumpled on the floor.” Before it felt like my heart was going to shatter. Before all these feelings I can’t quite define played havoc in my gut.
Her gaze narrows. "You’re not the kind of man to have compunctions."
"The way you didn’t have compunctions when you betrayed me?"
Her features crumple. Her chin wobbles. I glimpse the brightness in her eyes, and my heart threatens to burst out of my ribcage. "Fucking hell, I didn’t mean that."
"You did." She swallows. "You’ll never be able to forgive me for what I did to you."
"Believe me, I’m trying. I think you’ve paid enough for what happened. I think I’ve done more than enough to make you repent for what you did. I think you are truly sorry for what you did and yet," —I rub the back of my neck— "a part of me isn’t able to let go of what happened."
"It’s because you haven’t seen me suffer the way you did…"
"You’re wrong. I don’t want to see you suffer. When I saw the door to your apartment was open, my heart dropped to my stomach. And then I burst into the bathroom and saw you crumpled on the floor crying, and I knew I was going to have to make the person who did that to you pay."
Her gaze widens. "Promise me you won’t do anything that’ll get you into trouble."
I incline my head. "After everything I did to you, you’re worried about me?"