Next to Always: Shattered Innocence Trilogy Book Two (37 page)

“You’re a gem, Gwen. I don’t know what I would do without you.” Rade was glad that he had Gwen on his payroll. He could depend on her for anything.

His next order of business was to get in touch with Richard. He had several matters he needed to attend to, one of which was Michael Stewart. With Rade being unexpectedly detained and out of the loop for a couple of weeks, he needed to get his head back into the game and get a handle on his affairs. Another was the matter of Chloe Dupree. Rade was still convinced that Chloe had something to do with his kidnapping, even though he couldn’t remember ever seeing her in that house. He wished he could remember all that happened to him there. At least one of his problems was taken care of. With Alex dead, he didn’t have to worry about him coming after Dylan again. Even though Rade would have preferred him spending the rest of his days behind bars, he got what he deserved in the long run.

Rade made it back to the living area with no pain. Going down the stairs was much easier than coming up. His body was beginning to feel better as well. Maybe the movement was doing his body good. Rade spotted his cell on the coffee table, and grabbed it and called Richard. While Rade waited for Richard to pick up, he walked into the kitchen to grab something to drink.

Richard answered after only two rings. “Mr. Matheson, this is a surprise. I thought you would be resting.”

“I can’t stand being in bed doing nothing. I needed to start getting a handle on things. What’s going on with Michael Stewart?” Rade asked bluntly.

“There’s no news. We still haven’t been able to locate him once we found out he was in LA. My guess is that he’s back here. It’s like he has vanished into thin air,” Richard confessed.

“Well, do whatever you need to do to find him. I’m done playing games. I need you to do something else for me. Even though I don’t remember Chloe being in the house where I was taken, I’m not convinced she didn’t have something to do with my kidnapping. I need to have someone on her 24/7. I want to know her every move,” Rade ordered.

“Josh has been watching her place. She hasn’t been anywhere near there. Just like Mr. Stewart, she has just vanished. I asked Peter to get one of his men to search her apartment. Maybe there will be a clue as to where she may have gone,” Richard stated. “Peter is still keeping an eye on Dylan, otherwise I would’ve asked him.”

“Good, with Chloe and Stewart still out there, I don’t want her to be left unguarded. The last thing I need is another surprise,” Rade snapped. “Oh, and Richard, thanks for taking care of things while I was gone. It really means a lot. You’re the only person I can really trust.”

After Rade hung up with Richard another dilemma he wasn’t ready to deal with came to mind: his brother. If what his dad said was true, he would need proof. The only way he would be able to get that was to find out if Evan and he shared the same DNA. He would need to meet with him. He wasn’t sure what Evan may or may not know about his family ties. Pulling up Richard’s contact, he called him again, this time for a different reason.

Richard showed up at the penthouse thirty minutes later. He wasn’t keen on driving Rade to
Riley’s
to meet with Evan. He would have liked it better if Rade waited to confront Evan until he felt better. Being out of the hospital for a week wasn’t enough time for him to heal. He knew it was a losing fight to argue with him. When Rade had his mind set on doing something, there was no fighting him on it.

It took Rade only a few minutes to change into presentable clothing. He took off his loungers and pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a button up while shirt. Richard was waiting for him in the kitchen when he appeared. “Are you ready to go?” Rade asked.

“Yes, sir, whenever you are,” Richard replied.

Without another word to each other, they headed out of the penthouse down to the parking garage. Richard tried to help Rade into the Bentley, but could see Rade’s uneasiness, so he stood back, allowing him to climb into the SUV without his assistance. Rade moaned and grunted a little, but managed to settle into the front seat. Rounding the Bentley, Richard put the SUV into reverse, backed out of his parking spot, and out of the covered parking garage.

In a matter of minutes Richard pulled up in front of
Riley’s.
Slowly, Rade got out of the car and watched as Richard got ready to exit as well. Looking over to him, he said, “ No need to come with me, I shouldn’t be long.”

“I’ll put money in the meter, just in case.” Richard casually looked over at Rade with one foot already out of the SUV.

Rade wasn’t looking forward to this meeting. The last time he saw Evan was when he was tucked in the corner of the bar watching as he kissed Dylan. His feelings for this man were all but warm and fuzzy.

When Rade opened the door, the bar had a few patrons, but not crowded. A young blonde walked up to him. “Hi, how many for dinner?” she said as she fluttered her lashes at him.

“Not here for dinner. I need to speak to the owner. I believe his name is Evan Taylor,” Rade demanded.

The hostess was quite willing to comply with Rade’s request. He could have asked her to crawl on her hands and knees and she would have submitted to his command with no hesitation. Looking at his gorgeousness she said, “You bet, handsome, have a seat and I’ll be right back.”

Rade watched as the little blond sauntered off, moving her hips and her tight little ass with a little more swing than he suspected she normally had. He chuckled at himself for her attempt at flirting with him to get his attention. Since he met Dylan, no other woman compared to her when it came to getting his attention.

Rade must have been waiting for Evan what seemed like hours. He was thankful when he finally appeared. Getting to his feet, Rade approached him as he saw Evan walking towards him. Once the two men were face to face, Rade boldly said, “Is there a place where we can talk in private?”

Evan looked at Rade trying to figure out what this was about. “Yeah, we can talk in my office. Have we met before?”

“Not formally, but when I tell you what I came here for, you may not want to see me again,” Rade confessed.

The men headed to Evan’s office, which was located in the back of the establishment. Pushing the door open Evan gestured for Rade to step into his office as he followed behind. Rade scanned the small room and took a seat in front of the wood desk. Evan crossed the room and took his place behind his desk.

“So, tell me what this is about?” Evan asked.

“My name is Rade Matheson. Some recent information has been shared with me that you and I have the same father,” Rade said glaring across the desk at Evan.

“Wait, what did you say?” Evan had to hear Rade’s words to make sure he heard correctly.

“Let me make it simple for you. My father fucked your mom while he was still married to his wife, my mom,” Rade cursed as his hand suddenly tightened around the arms of the chair he was seated in.

Evan looked at Rade in shock. “What? Are you saying that my real dad is your dad and that my mom never told me?” Evan started. “I can’t believe she would lie to me. She told me my real father died when I was young.”

“Well, it seems everyone has secrets. I don’t care about what your mom did or didn’t tell you. All I know… there’s only one way to find out the truth.” Rade admitted. “A simple blood test will tell if we share the same bloodline. If we are brothers, then we will deal with it, but if we aren’t, you never have to see me again.”

Evan looked astonished as he fixed his eyes on Rade. “Tell what I need to do.”

“Meet me at my home tomorrow morning. I’ll have my doctor take a blood sample from each of us and run a test. She’s the only person I trust with this information,” Rade offered.

“Okay, so if the test shows we’re brothers, what do we do?” Evan asked. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He never had a brother before. Granted, Rade would only be a half-brother, but a brother nonetheless.

“Let’s not worry about that until we know for sure. If it shows we share the same genes, we can figure it out then,” Rade answered.

When Rade left Evan’s office, Evan was sitting with his head against the back of his chair. He wasn’t expecting Evan to ever agree to a blood test. When Rade heard the information for the first time, he wasn’t shocked or surprised, he was pissed that his father would even try to pull one over on him, but when he heard it from Dylan, and how trusting she was of the possibility of him having a sibling, it made him wonder if his dad was telling the truth. Two weeks ago, he couldn’t have given a rat’s ass whether he had a brother or not. But when his life was about to end, his perspective changed. Everything changed. Making Dylan happy was now his top priority. Finding out if Evan was truly his brother was more for Dylan than it was for him. He wasn’t sure what kind of relationship they would have, especially since Evan had his hands on her. He only hoped that there was a chance that his father was up to his old games and Evan wasn’t his brother at all.

*****

Dylan was already at the penthouse when Rade opened the door. She was standing against the staircase with her arms folded over her chest. Her foot was tapping frantically, like she was waiting for an explanation. When Rade met her eyes, he could tell that she was pissed at his little venture. Her eyes were a darker green, which made them seem more intoxicating than before.

Walking to her, he kept his gaze on her. God, she was beautiful. Stopping in front of her, he pulled her near to him, lifted her chin, and leaned in for a kiss. He was surprised when she turned her face, causing him to pull back. “Dylan, look at me,” he said as he waited for her eyes to connect with him.

“Where did you go, Rade? The doctor had specific instructions for you to rest,” Dylan scolded.

“I was tired of doing nothing. So I went to meet with Evan. You were right,” Rade began. “I needed to find out if my father’s story was true. Evan has agreed to meet me here for a blood test.”

“You still shouldn’t have left. You waited this long to find out, a few more weeks wouldn’t have made a difference,” Dylan argued.

“I feel fine, Dylan. It was something I needed to do, so I did it,” Rade reiterated.

Rade pulled Dylan in closer and leaned down to capture her lips. This time she didn’t pull away from him. Her body melted into his. She missed him so much, so when his lips pressed to hers, she took them freely. Their kiss intensified as Rade’s warm tongue slipped between her soft lips. “God, I missed this,” Rade whispered into her mouth. Dylan’s arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him even closer to her. They were so close that Dylan could feel the hardness of Rade’s shaft as it pressed against her belly. Her only regret was that he had almost a foot on her and she had to strain to get the height she needed so that he would be pressed against her dying pussy. Rade moaned into her mouth, lifting her feet off of the floor. Dylan’s eyes popped open when she realized what he had just done. “Rade, no. It’s too much. Please, you need to put me down,” Dylan begged.

“I don’t feel any pain when I’m with you, Sweetness. You are the only medication I need.” Rade admitted as he slowly walked her to the bedroom.

Dylan was lost. She needed him as much as he needed her. It had been too long since she got to feel his touch on her. Her mouth was still on his as he slowly set her on his bed. The pain in his side was almost unbearable, but having Dylan beneath him made the ache feel like a heyday compared to the torment his heart was feeling. He could no longer deny his feelings for this woman. Stripping off his shirt without even unbuttoning it, he felt Dylan’s eyes burning with the desire he also longed for. His shoes and jeans were off seconds later. Assisting Dylan with her clothing, he took more time as he pulled away her top first, making sure to trail kisses in its path. Next was her bra. Unclasping the front closure, he slowly peeled the delicate material down her soft shoulders. There was nothing about this woman that he didn’t love. Exposing her taut nipples, he lowered his head and tenderly sucked her sensitive peaks while quickly stripping off the remaining clothes from her body. She was his perfect angel. Lifting his head, he looked into her heavy-lidded eyes, watching her take in every pleasure he could give her. She was his. Lowering his head, he began trailing soft butterfly kisses down her chest and abdomen until he was met with her wetness. With his teeth, he gently bit her hard nub, careful not to hurt, He only wanted to bring her pleasure as he bathed his tongue between her wet folds. Dylan’s back arched as she accepted his tender assault on her.

When she was close to her release, Rade pulled from her and captured her hands, pushing them upward until they rested above her head. One day he would have her bound again, but today he was going to take it slow. This was not about bondage or submission. This was about the love he had for this woman that he had been denying for so long. With one easy thrust, he found her channel and entered. This was ecstasy. If only he could bottle what he felt every time he entered her. That way he could have her whenever he wanted. Moving his hips in a slow circular rotation, he found where he needed to be. Her soft moans confirmed that he had found her special spot. “Harder, Rade, I need more. Please,” she whimpered as he slowed his movements even further. This was not about taking it hard. He would eventually succumb to her demand, but for right now he wanted it slow and tender. He wanted to show her what it meant to love her. Dylan’s hips began moving upward, showing him her need to have him fully embedded inside her. Unable to deny her, he plunged deeper within her tight channel, increasing his movements. Their bodies were as one as they worked together. Dylan screamed, “Rade,” as she shuddered with an earth shattering orgasm. Something was different when she felt her release. Was it the love she felt for him or was it something else?