“And do you?” he said softly. “Want to be free?”

You’re either in or you’re out. His words flashed in my head again.

“Brooke left, and you went after her,” I pointed out.

His eyes flashed, and his hand pressed against me, grinding over my clit. “She left without being safe. Her boyfriend is an added complication, but if Brooke wanted out, I would let her go, as long as she was safe.”

I licked my lips, gasping as he lifted his palm and began to pull the sheet over me. It was a caress, the slow slide of that sheet. The texture teased me.

“So you wouldn’t completely let her go?”

“If I knew she was safe, yes.”

My mouth fell open. That sheet grazed over me, a whisper in the air, sending pleasure through me.

My mind felt muddied. What were we talking about?

“You’re feeling better?”

“What?” The sheet finished its caress, and I arched my back.

His other hand went to my stomach, and he slid it up to the bottom of my breasts. He smoothed over my ribs, then circled one of my breasts. Applying the slightest pressure, he tugged me until I was sitting—my forehead close to his, my breast firmly in his hold, and his eyes holding mine captive.

His thumb ran over my nipple.

I groaned, lust flooding me.

His eyes dipped to my mouth. “You are feeling better, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

I was feeling better. So much better. Every cell in me was awake and throbbing with need.

I lifted a hand, touching his face and drawing him back to look in my eyes. “The door?”

“Is locked.” His eyes darkened, meeting mine.

That was all we needed.

I reached and his mouth met mine.

God. This kiss.

He applied pressure, demanding, commanding, until he pulled away. “Are you sure you feel okay?”

“Yes.” I slid my hand down his arm and entwined our fingers before I moved them between us. I put them exactly where I wanted them and reached up to draw him back to me. My hand slid around his shoulders and my fingers sunk in. “I want you.”

There were so many reasons I shouldn’t, but I was done. At this moment, I only wanted one thing.

Him.

? ? ?

Kai stayed with me most of the day, but we didn’t talk.

There was an ominous heaviness in the air, as if holding me wasn’t enough for him. He took me again, and then again, each time a little harder, a little more desperate, but always making me explode in his arms before he finished himself.

As he came, he never looked away. His eyes held mine, memorizing me, burning into me. Something told me to hold my words, to feel, to be present, to be here with him because something was going to happen. Something bad. Something that would take him away. But none of that mattered today. This was him and me.

The loathing and disgust, the feeling of compromise, I set that all aside.

It was as if this day was special, as if it would hold a place in our memories forever.

Around six that night, I sank down on him, my breasts on display for him to feast from, and I let my head fall back. He pushed up into me, and anchoring a hand to his chest, I began to roll back and forth.

I rode him.

His hands grasped my ass, his fingers pushing into my skin enough to leave handprints, and he growled, sitting up underneath me. His mouth latched onto one of my nipples. He sucked, and licked, and tasted, and I kept riding, moving faster and faster.

Reaching around me, he slid a hand up the middle of my back. Goosebumps broke out over my skin just before he wrapped a tendril of my hair around his finger.

“Wha—”

He tugged on it, holding my head back.

I kept moving on him, taking him in deep, clenching around him, but I looked to see what he was doing.

His hand tightened even more.

“Kai!” A breathy groan from me.

Another savage growl erupted from him. I felt it all the way in my pussy. Letting go of my hair, his hands went to my hips. He lifted me, setting me on my knees, and moved behind me. Fitting between my legs, he arched me farther up for him and thrust in from behind.

“Kai…” Another groan as the sensations of him moving in me built, heating me. I’d never had this much pleasure, not all at once, not in one day, and I felt like I could scream until I had no more voice.

My body tightened. I felt it coming.

He kept stretching me, digging deeper, then pausing, rotating inside, and finally I erupted.

“AGH!” The first waves crashed inside of me, then another, and another round of waves. My body convulsed until I settled back and realized I was still kneeling.

Kai had a firm arm wrapped around my waist, holding me up as he continued to pump inside of me.

He hadn’t come yet.

“Kai.” I took his hand, lifting it from my waist and pressing a kiss to it. Then I leaned forward, giving him a better angle. “Fuck me.”

He gripped my thigh as he began to do as I said.

He fucked me hard.

As he finished, he held still inside me. I felt his body trembling, but he didn’t pull out. He kissed my shoulder, running a lazy hand down my back.

“I can’t get enough of this.” He said it as if he were talking to himself, a quiet murmur. But he held me firm and dropped a second kiss to my forehead before pulling out, and we fell to the bed together.

He wrapped himself around me, his entire body stretching as he yawned against the back of my shoulder. “God, Riley.”

I felt his forehead press to the back of my neck. And as before, spoken as if I wasn’t supposed to hear him, he murmured, “How am I supposed to let you go?”

I didn’t answer him.

I couldn’t.

I didn’t know myself.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

“Well, hello there.”

A dark greeting alerted everyone in the kitchen to my presence.

Tanner stood by the kitchen counter, a glass in hand. He smirked and tilted his head, giving me a knowing look. “What a coincidence. You were in bed all day. Kai just ‘arrived’ even though we saw his guards earlier.” His mouth flattened.

There was an ugly glint in his eyes, but he took a sip from his drink and looked away as Brooke came toward me.

“How are you feeling?”

She was happy to see me.

Tanner wasn’t.

I glanced over. Jonah appeared from a back hallway, his bag in hand. He saw me and motioned for me to go to the table. As I did, he came over, set down that bag, and began to check me over. Once he had his stethoscope inside my shirt and had leaned over me, Kai chose that moment to walk in.

He paused, looking at us, until Brooke’s voice broke the silence.

“Kai!”

She and Tanner had gone back to the counter. She was making drinks for everyone.

No one had asked. She volunteered.

She grabbed something she declared was a pumpkin-tini and brought it over, full of smiles. “Big brother returns.” She pushed the glass into his hand and kissed his cheek. “We’ve missed you.” She patted his cheek and turned back to her drinks.

Tanner picked his up and raised it to his mouth with the same smug and taunting look in his eyes. “When’d you get in?” he asked. “I know your guards showed up at ten this morning.” He waited a beat, his eyes sliding to me and back. “Or did you come much later?”

What Tanner said was disrespectful, a challenge. It wasn’t meant in a teasing manner. Everyone in the room knew Tanner had sent a shot in Kai’s direction.

To say I was mildly curious about how this would go down—yeah, that was an understatement.

Even Jonah stopped assessing me.

He pulled his stethoscope out and stepped back to watch.

Kai wore an Oxford blue Henley shirt, the sleeves pushed up to bunch around his elbows, and jeans that molded over his powerful legs. His hair was tousled, and the whole look made my mouth water.

Tanner had on ripped and trendy jeans with a white fleece hoodie, and his hair was combed back. His eyes were angry, a dangerous note in them, but as he gazed at his brother, that look lessened.

Kai didn’t react. He didn’t blink. He barely moved, and yet real danger began swimming around him. The air in the room grew tense, thick and oppressive, and it was all because of Kai. His dark eyes blackened, and his lips thinned, and he reached over to fiddle with one of his sleeves.

He spoke almost casually. “What’s your problem, brother?” He didn’t look at me, but directly at Tanner. “Is it that I might be sleeping with her? Or is it that you’re only second in charge?” He took a step closer, his nostrils flaring. The casual air evaporated. His lip lifted in a sneer.

He was done messing around.

“Let’s not forget the fact that I’m the one who murdered him.” He paused. “For us.”

Jonah stepped away from me. I heard a quiet, “Shit,” under his breath.

Brooke’s eyes were focused on the floor, her hands laced together in front of her.

No one said a word. This fight was between Tanner and Kai.

I couldn’t speak about the other stuff, but I could talk about myself. I rose and cleared my throat.

Jonah frowned at me. Everyone frowned at me.