Kane: An Assassin's Love Story (7 page)

Kane pressed gentle kisses to her mound before his tongue delved back into her crevice, to sweep once again from her clit to her opening. She parted her thighs wider when he brought a hand between them, anticipating his fingers would enter her. His thumb and forefinger parted her lips, but his tongue never stopped in its appointed task, continuously sweeping small circles around her throbbing clit.

At the first touch of something unidentifiable against her opening, Danika’s eyes popped open. Before she could inquire, the item slid inside her. It was rigid, and just a tad cold, with a ribbed pattern. As Kane pushed it deep inside her, and then withdrew it slowly, his tongue continuing to work magic everywhere it touched, a mingled cry of pleasure and shock escaped her. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on the question in her mind. Finally, her mouth formed the words. “What is that?”

He lifted his head to answer her, his face bearing traces of her feminine fluid. “Do you remember the glass bulbs you purchased at the mall?”

She nodded, finding it difficult to answer when he rotated the item inside her, while simultaneously thrusting it into her.

“There was one in particular that you might remember. It’s about six inches long, swirled like an ice cream cone, and made of clear glass, with flecks of silver glistening in it. Do you know the one I mean?”

“Y-yes.”

His eyes were dark with passion, but he seemed intent on controlling his own needs. “It struck me the day you selected it that it would make an excellent dildo. I fantasized about sliding it into your pussy, never dreaming I would have the chance.” He trailed off, slowing the pace of the ornament’s thrusts. “How does it feel?”

“Strange…good. I like the coolness. It’s an interesting contrast to the heat…” She trailed off, a flush of embarrassment warming her cheeks.

“This is one decoration that won’t end up on that tree.” He rotated it again, letting her feel each groove of the swirled pattern. “I’m going to reserve it for the much more pleasurable job of fucking you.”

Danika was panting with exertion and excitement, trembling on the edge of an orgasm. “Will you be fucking me too? The ornament is nice, but no substitute for you.”

He laughed. “Patience. We have all night.”

It was true, but she wasn’t certain she could go all night without satisfaction, particularly if it involved taking Kane’s cock inside her. Biting on the inside of her cheek, she willed herself to rein in the impulse to beg him to make love to her right then, knowing it would be more satisfying to let the intensity build. She only hoped she could survive his love play.

He continued thrusting the makeshift glass dildo into her convulsing pussy, working her to a fever pitch. Danika’s hips arched at a frantic pace, eager to meet his hand, catching his fingers just right so that they brushed against her clit each time. Once again, she closed her eyes, imagining how wonderful release would feel, visualizing the moment, and preparing herself.

A cry of frustration ripped from her throat when he stopped moving the object, leaving it secured inside her snug passage. She opened her eyes to see what he was up to, but her position made it difficult to see what occupied his attention. “Kane?”

“Shh.” He patted her thigh, but made no effort to resume his previous activities. She hoped he was getting into position to return his mouth to her pussy, but that idea left her when he scooted higher. Without thought, she tugged at the tinsel on her wrists, so desperate for satisfaction that she was about to bring herself to an orgasm. His hand on her festive bonds stopped her, as did the reproachful look he gave her.

When she had stilled, letting him see her surrender in her expression and posture, he moved again, straddling her thighs. His cock poked into the soft skin of her leg, and its hardened state betrayed just how close he was to losing control, especially by the way it spasmed when she deliberately stroked it with her thigh.

“Are your eyes closed?”

He knew they weren’t, looking down on her as he was. Still, the command was subtle, and she obeyed, letting her lids flutter closed. Danika held her breath, anticipation stretching her nerves to the breaking point. Her stomach quivered when his fingers stroked down her bulge, and she hoped his hand would move lower. After hesitating a moment, it went higher instead, and she let out a harsh breath of disappointment.

A second later, it changed to a gasp of delight when Kane stroked something across her nipples. It felt like velvet, and she struggled to identify what it might be. Immediately, she remembered the blue and silver tree skirt from last year’s tree, recalling it had been a turquoise-blue velvet, trimmed with some kind of rough silver material.

Her guess was confirmed when he continued to rub the velvet across one nipple, while moving something stiff across the other. Danika’s back arched, seeking more stimulation. The contrasting textures were decadent against her rigid nipples, and she moaned when he alternated pressure, first abrading, and then soothing, each sensitive bud in turn.

When Kane’s mouth took possession of the nipple covered by the rough material, she couldn’t hold in a cry of delight. The wet warmth of his mouth changed the sensation just enough to have her body convulsing with tremors. She was poised on the edge of orgasm and held her breath, keeping her muscles tense, as she strained for release.

In an instant, he withdrew his mouth and the skirt. Her eyes popped open, and she glared up at him, incredulous. “You can’t be serious.” Her anger evaporated when she noticed his flushed skin and the droplets of sweat clinging to his brow. His uneven breathing revealed he was on the verge of losing control, and she smiled. “Now?”

He nodded. “Now.” With haste, Kane ripped through the tinsel binding her hands, and she put her arms around his neck. He positioned himself between her thighs, one hand going between their bodies to seek out the ornament he had left inside her pussy to keep her slick with need. He removed it slowly, rotating it once more to tease her, and then his cock was at her opening, replacing the glass ornament. She arched her hips, assisting his possession. His cock was much better than the inanimate glass object, full of heat, and pulsing with need.

Kane buried it to the hilt inside her, pausing like that to dip his head for a quick kiss. Then he was thrusting in and out of her with a pace that was urgent, rather than controlled. She matched each stroke with her own, meeting his pace, and urging him to go faster. Her pussy contracted around his cock as it spasmed inside her, and she wrapped her thighs around his legs, anchoring him against her. He cried out as an orgasm overwhelmed him, and the spurts of hot fluid filling her insides spurred her own release. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, and her entire body trembled under the force of orgasm. She forgot how to breathe as satisfaction swept through her, relaxing her tense muscles, and filling her with a languorous sense of completion.

The moment was perfect, and they lay together for a long time, Kane still inside her, semi-hard. She didn’t want to disturb the silence, finding it peaceful, and the perfect accompaniment to what they had just shared. Instead, she laid her cheek against his chest, letting his heartbeat lull her into a state of rest as it gradually slowed. Her lids closed, and she was seconds from sleep when footsteps outside the doorway broke the silence.

Kane and Danika broke apart at the intrusion. He rolled toward the table where he had left his gun, freezing as he reached for it.

“Don’t even think about it.” Stephanie emphasized her point by clicking off the safety on the pistol in her hand.

Danika reached for the tree skirt, wrapping it around her awkwardly. She rose to her knees, but froze when Stephanie swung the gun in her direction. A tremor of fear passed through her when she saw the pistol aimed at her, remembering Edmond bragging about what a good shot his daughter was. He had taught her himself.

She licked her dry lips, trying to assess Stephanie’s state without being obvious. Her stepdaughter was bedraggled, with her blonde hair a tangled mass of loose ringlets around her face. Her makeup was virtually nonexistent, save for the smudges of mascara under her eyes, reddened either from prolonged crying or from a chemical compound like alcohol.

“You don’t want to do this.” Kane’s voice was the epitome of cool reason, but she seemed unaffected.

The gun turned to him, and while Stephanie’s movements were jerky, her hands appeared steady around the pistol. “You’re wrong. I’ve dreamed about this for years. I should have killed that slut before Daddy married her. Then she wouldn’t have destroyed my family.”

Once again, the gun turned back to Danika. This time, the weight of Stephanie’s rage and hatred bore down on her more intensely than the presence of the pistol. “I’m sorry if I’ve done something to upset you—“

“Upset me?” She shrieked the words. “You hired him to kill Daddy. I heard you confess.” For just a moment, her hands trembled. “I knew you hated Daddy, but how could you do that?”

“You must have heard why.”

Stephanie shook her head, her attention focused squarely on Danika. “After I heard you thank him for killing Daddy, I went to find Daddy’s gun. It took me a while to pry open the drawer.” She raked her contempt-filled gaze over their pile of mingled clothes on the floor. “I guess just long enough for you to have a celebratory fuck.”

In the blink of an eye, a cold expression replaced Stephanie’s heated one, and her voice changed to icy calmness. “Turns out it was your last fuck. I’m going to make you pay for everything. I had already planned to, even though the killer I hired screwed up the first attempt. Daddy used to say if you want it done right, do it yourself. So, now, I’m going to do it myself. I’m going to enjoy watching you suffer.”

“I had no choice.” As she spoke, Danika could see she wouldn’t reach Stephanie through logic, but instinct urged her to keep the girl talking. From the corner of her eye, she saw Kane easing toward the girl and knew it was imperative she keep her attention diverted. “Your father was a pedophile. I was afraid he would molest my baby.” Her voice softened. “Did he ever hurt you, Stephanie? I know there were other girls. I hope you were spared.”

Stephanie shook her head vehemently. “You’re lying. It wasn’t like that. There weren’t any others. He loved me. He didn’t hurt me.” A sob escaped her, and she took one hand from the gun to wipe her eyes. “Daddy needed me after Mother killed herself. She was a coward, leaving him all alone, but he had me. He loved me, and I was enough for him, until he met you.”

Danika’s stomach churned with nausea, and she shook her head. “He used you, hurt you, because he was perverted. It didn’t matter that you were his daughter. He took what he wanted, simply because he could.”

“Liar!” She waved the pistol, her movements increasingly uncoordinated. “He loved me, more than he ever loved you. You ensnared him somehow, until he couldn’t think straight. I know you made him send me away. It’s your fault I wasn’t here for him when he needed me. You have to pay.”

Once again, Danika shook her head. “I didn’t tell Edmond to send you to boarding school. In fact, I tried to change his mind, because I knew it would only make you resent me more, and I thought you were at a vulnerable point in life, too young and unsure to go away to school. He promised it was only for one semester, until we settled into married life, but he lied. Just like everything else, he lied about that.” She took a deep breath, her eyes on Kane as he moved the last few feet behind Stephanie, holding it for a long moment, until she was certain the girl hadn’t noticed his movements. “Don’t you see that it wasn’t because of me that he sent you away? You just got too old to satisfy his cravings, Stephanie. You weren’t Daddy’s little girl any longer.”

“Bitch, I’ll always be his little girl.” She gripped the gun with both hands, determination clear in every line and groove of her face. With careful precision, Stephanie aimed the pistol square at Danika’s heart. As she started to squeeze the trigger, the crash of a porcelain angel against her head interrupted her. She crumpled to the floor, eyes closed.

Danika jumped to her feet, rushing over to Kane, who was kneeling beside Stephanie. He eased the gun from her hand before checking the girl’s pulse. She knelt beside him, gripping his arm. “Is she all right?”

He nodded. “She’s just unconscious. The girl will wake up with a headache in an hour or two, but will be no worse for wear.” Kane sighed. “I suspect that will be the least of her problems.”

She brushed strands of matted hair from Stephanie’s forehead. “I guess she came home early and heard us. When I tried to guess who might have wanted me dead, it never occurred to me that it would be her. I knew she resented me, but I never imagined how much…or why.” A wave of nausea swept up her throat, and only a forceful swallow kept it down. “I wondered in the back of my mind if Edmond had hurt her, but couldn’t find a way to ask. I tried to tell myself he couldn’t have, that she was too normal, loved him too much, for it to be possible. But I still wondered.” She looked up from her stepdaughter, meeting Kane’s concerned gaze. “How could he do that to her? She was only six when her mother killed herself. He ruined her life.”

His arm was solid comfort around her waist as he helped her to her feet. “He deserves to die again and again for what he’s done. I only wish I had the pleasure of killing him a few more times. I don’t know how his mind worked, and I can’t pretend to understand his sick needs. It is probably too late to help Stephanie, but it isn’t too late to help yourself.”

She shook her head, not comprehending.

“We have to get out of here, Danika. If the police come, Stephanie will tell them everything. We’ll go to prison for killing Edmond.”

She swallowed as the grim reality set in. “I can’t leave her here.”

“We’ll call for help right before we leave.” He gripped her hand, guiding her to the stairs. “Think of your baby. Do you want her to visit you in prison someday, to be raised in foster care?”

She shook her head, finding her feet ascending the stairs without conscious direction of her brain. “I know you’re right. It’s just so sudden. Where will I go?”

“We’ll go to Paris. I have an apartment there. We’ll get new identities, and I will never need to take an assignment again. I don’t think I could now, after you’ve brought my emotions back to life. But we don’t need to worry about finances. I have enough money to keep us in comfort for the rest of our lives.” Briefly, he touched her belly. “The rest of hers too.”

“Paris.” It was all happening so fast that she could barely comprehend everything. “Are you sure you want me to go with you? For how long?”

Kane’s gaze was direct, his expression open, with a touch of vulnerability. “Forever, if that’s what you want.”

“What about the baby?” She looked down at her stomach, feeling the compulsion to avoid his eyes. “Can you raise her as yours, knowing what you do about her father?”

His fingers were gentle when he tipped up her chin. “I don’t care about who donated half of her genes. I can love her as much as I love her mother, because she will be a part of you. Edmond Rich has nothing to do with her. Nothing at all.”

His words gave her hope, and excitement stirred, blotting out some of the confusion swirling through her. “You’re sure?”

“I’m positive. I will be her father. I promise you that, Danika. I will take care of both of you, if you give me the chance. You and…Melissa?”

Kane suggested the name with so much hope that she couldn’t bear to refuse. She nodded, finding it almost impossible to speak because of the lump of moisture in her throat. “I’ve heard Paris is beautiful at Christmastime.”

“Paris is beautiful anytime.” He leaned forward to press his lips to hers, his kiss one of reassurance, rather than passion. When he lifted his head, he said, “We’ll live happily there.”

She nodded, her doubts cast aside. Danika clung to his hand as they hurried up the stairs so she could pack. She had no doubts that she and Kane would live happily in Paris. They could live happily anywhere, now that they had found each other.

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