“Abby,” Kai snaps, gripping my forearms. “What is going on?”
“My head is spinning from all this,” I honestly admit. “My dad stole a baby from my mom too, and I’ve just found out my aunt grew us in her womb, and she never fucking told me even when she was sharing other secrets on her deathbed. Excuse me for zoning out for a while.” My tone is cutting on purpose because I need to deflect him, and pushing his buttons usually works.
“C’mere.” He opens his arms, but I glare at him.
“Come. Here.” His eyes challenge me to continue disobeying him, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint him, now would I? I cross my arms and narrow my eyes at him.
He hauls me into his lap unceremoniously, growling as his arms clamp down around me. “I know you’re hurting, so I’ll forgive you for that.”
“I’m starting to understand how you feel about being betrayed,” Drew admits.
“You have no clue how that feels because this is the tip of the iceberg compared to how I’ve been treated.” That shuts them all up. “I’m tired, and Charlie will wonder where I am. We need to go.”
Kai tightens his arms around me, and I know he doesn’t want to let me go. Not like this. But we don’t get a choice. Besides, I need to be away from him because guilt is doing a number on me, and I’m terrified he’ll burrow his way into my head and figure out I’m hiding stuff from him.
“Another thing,” Drew says. “They’ve called an emergency meeting at Parkhurst. We’re leaving tomorrow night.”
“What emergency?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know until I get there.”
“But it’s five days until Christmas,” I add.
“We’ll only be away for two days, and we’ll be back by then,” he assures me.
Not that I’m in any rush for it to arrive. Christmas dinner is taking place at our house and the Barrons and Montgomerys will be in attendance.
Naturally, I’m looking forward to it about as much as a hole in the head.
“Okay.”
“I want you to stay with Kai while we’re gone,” Drew says. “He’ll keep you safe.”
“Charlie will never go for that.”
“Which is why he won’t know.” Drew winks conspiratorially at me. “I’m sure you can come up with some plausible explanation that will ensure Mrs. Barron’s silence.”
I smile for the first time in a few hours. “I think I can work something out.”
“I’m remembering why we were such good friends, Manning,” Kai drawls, smirking at my brother.
“Just keep that in mind,” Drew says, jabbing his fingers in Kai’s direction. “And look after my little sis.”
I pay the driver, grabbing my purse and my weekend bag from the floor before climbing out of the backseat of the car. The door to the house swings open and Kai appears in the doorframe. His eyes never leave mine as I walk toward him, drinking him in from head to toe. He’s wearing a tight-fitting black shirt rolled up to his sleeves, showcasing those tatted, muscular arms I love so much. My eyes travel south as I quicken my pace with the sound of tires squealing behind me as the Uber driver peels it out of there. Kai’s dark jeans hug his muscular thighs in all the right places, and I’m imagining being on my knees in front of him, running my hands up and down his toned flesh as I take him between my lips.
He licks his lips, and his eyes flash with heated desire and dark promise having guessed where my mind has gone. Goose bumps sprout all over my sensitive flesh, and my core pulses with need. Dumping my bags on the ground, I race the last few feet and fling myself into his arms.
Our mouths collide in a battle of lips, teeth, and tongue and he lifts me up, hauling me into the house without breaking our kiss. My skin is on fire under my wool dress and tights as I wrap my legs around his waist, grinding against his massive erection.
“Fucking need you, babe,” he murmurs against my lips, sitting me up on the table in the hall and spreading my legs apart. He wastes no time removing my coat, tossing it to the floor along with my ballet flats. His lips continue to devour mine, and I’m moaning and squirming on the table as I fumble with his belt buckle.
“The others?” I pant as his lips leave my mouth to trail a path down my neck.
“Upstairs. They won’t come down,” he rasps, lifting my hips and yanking my tights down as I pop the button on his jeans.
He tears his lips away to tug his jeans down, and I arch a brow as his cock springs forth.
“Going commando, huh?”
“Easy access,” he says, grinning as he rolls a condom on. He places his palms on the wall on either side of my head and crashes his lips against mine. He kisses me deeply, ravishing me with his wicked tongue, as one hand slides up my thigh, brushing against my pussy. A guttural moan leaves my lips, growing louder as he pushes my panties aside and shoves two fingers inside me. “You’re fucking drenched.”
“I’ve missed you.” I nip at his bottom lip, grabbing hold of his ass and spreading my legs wider. “And I need you now.”
The sound of lace tearing echoes through the hallway as he rips my panties off and plunges inside me in one swift thrust. He fucks me mercilessly, pounding into me as his lips continue to make love to my mouth. The table shakes, emitting screeching sounds as it slams against the wall with every thrust of his hips. I wrap my legs firmly against his waist, lifting my hips slightly so he’s hitting just the right spot.
He pumps his hips faster, his muscles strain, and the vein in his neck pops as he gets closer. His fingers rub frantically at my clit, and I scream as my climax roars through me the same time he releases with a loud grunt.
Dropping his head to my shoulder, we stay locked in position while our heartbeats return to normal levels.
When he lifts his head, the adoration on his face surprises me. He leans in, kissing me softly, completely at odds with the way he’s just roughly fucked me. “You’re fucking perfect, babe. You know that?” He rubs his thumb along my lower lip, and I suck it into my mouth.
“Fuck.” He claims my lips in a hard kiss before pulling back. “As much as I’d love to go for round two, I doubt the others are keen to hear that a second time.”
“Is it safe to come out yet?” a familiar voice asks from behind the living room door, and I slap Kai’s chest.
“You said they were upstairs!” I hiss, jumping down and snatching the ripped remains of my panties.
Kai smirks. “Oops. My bad.” He grabs the balled-up lace from my hand, stuffing the shreds in the pocket of his jeans as he fixes them in place. I tug up my tights and slip my feet into my flats while glaring at him. He reels me into his arms. “Don’t be mad that I’m so crazy about you I couldn’t wait until we got upstairs.”
His words melt me on the spot, as Xavier calls out again. “Hello! Still waiting.”
I slide out of his arms, opening the living room door as Kai puts sneakers on and goes outside to grab my bags. “Hey.”
Xavier wraps his arms around me without hesitation before jerking back, grinning. “You reek of sex.” He winks. “Naughty girl.” He glances at Kai as he comes back inside. “Although, if the hottie was mine, I’d jump his bones the second I got here too.”