Kane: An Assassin's Love Story (6 page)

She nodded. “I followed the instructions, sold some of my jewelry, and made the drop where indicated. I didn’t know if I would get any results, but I took a chance. When the weeks passed, I was certain it had been a fraud, until an unidentified motorcyclist murdered him in his limousine on the freeway. I knew then my faith had been well-placed, but that I had to maintain the front of grieving, frightened widow.”

His palms were solid, soothing warmth on her back as he rubbed in a circular motion. “It takes time to complete a contract. I had to become familiar with his habits.”

“In retrospect, I figured as much.” She closed her eyes, sinking against him. It was so good to have someone to lean on, someone who understood everything she had gone through and didn’t think less of her. When his lips skimmed her neck, she didn’t protest. After sharing the intimate secrets of her life, how could she object to an intimate touch? Why would she want to, when his mouth sent shivers arcing down her spine and beaded her nipples into hard points of need?

She wrapped her arms around Kane, drawing him closer. In the process, his mouth left her neck to seek out her lips, as she leaned back against the cushion of the sofa. He knelt between her spread legs, his hands braced on her thighs, while his mouth sampled hers with gentle kisses, feathering his lips against hers before breaking away, hesitating, and repeating.

Her body was on fire, straining for Kane, and she reveled in it, having experienced nothing with Edmond, except disgust the couple of times he had visited her bed after she made the shocking discovery of his true predilections. After five years with a partner who failed to arouse her, Danika’s body seemed to want to make up for it in spades. Her pussy was slick with wet heat, convulsing with each kiss he pressed against her mouth. Her fingers anchored his head in place by threading through his hair, and she deepened the kiss, needing more than his teasing strokes.

As his tongue darted into her mouth, her mind conjured up the image of his cock fusing their bodies in the same manner, and she was unable to keep from thrusting her hips forward, bringing the aching apex of her thighs closer to the heat of his body. His kneeling position between her legs made it impossible for her to touch him fully, and she groaned with frustration, turning the emotion to his jacket, which gave way under her impatient hands. She stilled upon seeing the shoulder holster and gun. With nonchalance, he removed the holster, leaving the pistol in it, and tossed it on the coffee table. After taking a second to recover from the shock of facing the reality of encountering the firearm, her hands once again busied themselves with the same impatience she had displayed toward the buttons of his white shirt.

She broke the kiss when her hands encountered the top button, hidden behind his tie. Danika tugged at it, but her impatience made it impossible to loosen the knot. A grin flashed across his face, and he moved his hands from her thighs to undo the knot, remove the tie, and unfasten the last button. While slipping off the shirt, Kane’s eyes strayed to the doorway. “Should we go up to your room, or the guesthouse?”

“No.” What did it matter if any of Edmond’s security staff saw her with Kane? They all thought her a gold-digging whore, so it wouldn’t change their impression. “Stephanie is out with friends, and I don’t care about anyone else seeing us.” She managed a grin, although it was difficult to muster any amusement when her body was screaming for release it hadn’t received in years. “Besides, both are too far. I don’t even have the strength to leave you long enough to close the door.”

A chuckle of pure joy escaped Kane, and he rose to his feet. His hands made short work of his shoes and socks before he unbuttoned and unzipped the wool trousers, teasing her with the slow-motion removal of the garment, revealing an inch of tanned flash at a time.

When they pooled at his feet, she let out the breath she hadn’t been aware of holding, as a ragged gasp made up for the lack of oxygen. Danika’s eyes focused on his thick cock, barely obscured by the gray boxer-briefs he wore. They were the cotton kind, hugging his thighs, and she wanted to slip her hand inside the waistband to stroke the hard flesh straining to greet her.

“Things are now uneven.”

She cocked her head. “How so?”

“There you are in jeans and a sweater, and I’m…” He waved his hand down his front.

Licking her lips, her eyes still on his cock, she said, “Yes, you are.” Danika crooked her finger at him, and he shook his head, duplicating her gesture. “We’re at an impasse.”

“What do you suggest?”

“If I won’t come to you, and you won’t come to me, we’ll have to meet in the middle.” Danika stood up, taking a single step toward him, just as he did the same. His skin was warm, even through her sweater, and she placed a palm on his bare chest, running her fingers through the dark hair that lightly dusted his body. Her fingers had a mind of their own, deciding to follow the line of hair as it narrowed into an arrow that disappeared into his underwear.

As she neared the elastic band, Kane’s hand blocked her way. She looked up at him with questioning eyes, but didn’t fight when he lifted her arm into the air, before doing the same with the other. When his hands went to the bottom of her sweater, she realized his intent and assisted his removal of the sweater by moving her arms straighter, so he could peel it from her. Her breasts seemed to swell out of the black maternity bra, straining to reach him. The cups were suddenly two sizes too small, and the padded satin was an exquisite torture against her sensitive nipples. She gasped when he cupped a breast, sliding his thumb over the peak.

Kane stopped, his brow arched. “Did I hurt you?”

“A little, but in a good way. My breasts are so sensitive right now that it hurts to have you touch them, but even more not to have your hands on them.”

A chuckle emanated from deep in his throat, and his fingers danced lightly over her nipple again, as his other hand cupped her neglected breast. Both hands moved in rhythm, alternately tugging and circling her nipples in a cadence that threatened to drive her mad with desire.

A sob of relief escaped her when he stopped the movements, immediately followed by feelings of withdrawal when his hands left her breasts, going to her back, where he rubbed small circles with his palms, igniting shivers wherever he touched. Danika held her breath when he began to unhook her bra, dealing with the fastening in seconds. The bra slid down her arms when the cups dipped, exposing more of the creamy swell of her breasts. His hands assisted the bra on its downward journey, freeing her breasts completely, and letting the delicate lingerie fall to the floor.

She threw back her head, arching her back to offer her breasts for his inspection. To her delight, Kane did more than look. He cupped one in his hand, lightly abrading the nipple with the slight roughness of his palm, while dipping his head to taste the other. A cry of pleasure escaped her at the first delicate touch of his mouth on her hardened nipple, so swollen it strained for his lips even as they engulfed it. His tongue was warm, wet Heaven on the sensitive peak, and her body responded to the stimuli by moistening her slit with a new surge of arousal. When he sucked, applying just enough pressure to make her want to scream at the combination of pleasure and pain, her stomach fluttered, and it seemed like her thighs turned to Jell-O. She slumped against him, unable to stand completely on her own.

Kane lifted his head from her breast and pulled her more fully against him, just holding her for a long moment. The embrace was both comforting and sexual, and she chafed against the urgings of her body, telling her to rush things along, to go for satisfaction. The side of her that wasn’t physically starved for lovemaking reveled in being held in his arms, knowing they had all night to consummate their passion, if they chose to take that long.

The clock on the mantle ticked away the seconds as they stretched into a minute, and then two, before he withdrew slightly, still offering support. She tilted her chin to meet his gaze, and warmth pooled in her stomach when she saw the caring concern reflected in his gaze. His need was there as well, but masked, controlled. He was putting her needs first. She blinked back tears, not wanting to ruin the moment by letting them fall. Being a man, he might not understand they were good tears, healthy, and inspired by his kindness. Instead, she summoned a smile and brought a hand up to caress his cheek. “Will you make love to me now, Kane?”

He gave her a crooked grin. “I thought that’s what I was doing.” As he teased her, his hands moved to the waistband of her maternity jeans, seeking out the zipper. A frown flashed across his face. “How do these things work?”

She giggled, while moving his hand to the zipper and button at her hip. “You should find it easier now.”

His hands dealt with the zipper and button, while he shook his head. “To think I spent all that time practicing how to unfasten bras as a teenager, when I should have been studying the design of women’s pants, since my ultimate goal was to get into them.”

“With the stretchy panel, these might fit you.” Danika giggled again, and the lighthearted sound amazed her, as did the sensation of freedom accompanying it. It had been so long since she had been truly happy, without constant fears and worries, that she had forgotten how liberating it could be. She owed everything to the man currently kneeling at her feet, so he could more easily slide the jeans down her legs. It really didn’t matter what he had done in the past. To her, he had atoned for any sins he might have committed by freeing her from the tyranny of her husband, by protecting her daughter from Edmond’s sick perversions.

Gratitude might have overwhelmed her arousal, if he hadn’t paused in his leisurely removal of her jeans to glide his thumb down her slit, shielded by thin cotton panties that couldn’t do much to hide the state she was in. She parted her thighs as wide as she could, finding the jeans around her knees a deterrent. Her balance was precarious, and only Kane’s hands on her thighs kept her from falling.

He looked up from his visual inspection. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “Just wobbly. You make me weak in the knees.”

“You should get off your feet then.” He took her hands, pulling her down in front of him with slow movements, keeping her steady until she was lying before him on her back. For a moment, she noticed how hard the floor was, even through the plush cream carpeting, but the thought fled when Kane bent her knee to untie the sneaker on her left foot and remove the sock, before repeating the process with her other foot.

Soon, he had removed her jeans too, leaving her wearing only her panties. Danika moved her hands to the waistband, prepared to remove them herself, but he beat her to it, stilling her hands with his, and then placing them on her stomach.

“Don’t move.”

She cupped her stomach, feeling the baby kick. For a second, she was tempted to tell Kane, but held back, still uncertain how he felt about the child in her womb. Instead, she surrendered to him, moving only to lift her hips so he could remove the underwear. Then she lay before him, naked and vulnerable, although it wasn’t frightening to reveal her weakness. Somehow, with Kane, it was empowering. Maybe it was because she knew he wouldn’t abuse her trust, or exploit his power over her. His strength gave her strength, because he would take care of her. It was a nice feeling, one she had never experienced before with a sexual partner.

When Kane shifted positions, preparing to lie beside her, his leg knocked against a box of Christmas decorations, and it tipped onto its side, spilling the contents across the carpet. Danika ignored the disruption, until she realized something had caught his attention. She braced herself on her elbows, rising to a semi-sitting position to see what intrigued him. All she saw were the typical things—garland, trim, bulbs, and some decorations, including the glass ornaments she had purchased at the mall. She frowned, wondering if he was having second thoughts. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head, finally looking away from the items on the carpet. “No. I just see some interesting possibilities.”

Danika’s brow quirked with curiosity. “Like what?”

A wicked grin curved across his face when he reached for several long strands of silver tinsel. “I can show you…if you trust me?”

Her head bobbed of its own volition, and she didn’t protest when Kane drew her wrists together over her head. A smile teased the edges of her lips when he wound the tinsel loosely around her wrists, tying it with a knot slack enough for her to break, if she chose, while being tight enough to give the illusion of captivity. She had no hesitation playing this kind of game with Kane. “What’s next?” Her voice emerged as a croak, and she cleared her throat, her eyes watchful as he slid down her body.

“Close your eyes and enjoy.”

His cryptic answer fueled her curiosity, but she found herself complying by squeezing shut her eyes. Her nerves sang with tension, waiting to see what he would do next. Her nipples throbbed at the slight chill invading the room, exposed so blatantly by the position in which he had tied her. She expected his mouth to find the needy peaks, but instead, it discovered the secret between her thighs.

When his tongue invaded her slick pussy, seeming intent on devouring everything in its path, her hips arched automatically, seeking more from him. Her clit swelled when he flicked his tongue across it, spreading liquid heat that seemed to spread from her sex to all throughout her body. It was exquisite to have him loving her so intimately, his mouth finding every tiny place that could bring her pleasure. She closed her eyes tighter still, clasping her hands with enough force to turn her knuckles white in the hopes of staving off the cries of delight trying to burst from her.