Dare to Dream: The Maxwell Series (13 page)

I
lay
on the couch in my theater room, staring at the ceiling. The past two days had been hectic. Lacey and I had helped her father straighten up. He had work at his nightclub. We had school. Lacey had baseball practice. I invited Wes and Hunt to my house. Everyone, including my brothers, my father, her father, Lacey, and me, listened as Wes detailed a plan of bodyguards and schedules. Wes showed us pictures of the three men, in addition to Hunt, who would be working Lacey’s detail and of the two vehicles they’d use. Mr. Robinson had alerted the Ashford police to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. At that point, we had our bases covered.

The outstanding issues were the red ledger and Lorenzino’s actions to get it. Mr. Robinson had yet to explain to Lacey about his adoptive family, someone had to tell Pitt the connection between Lorenzino and Mr. Robinson, and I had to tell Lacey I was tutoring Chloe, her cousin. I was waiting to do the latter until Mr. Robinson did his part. Otherwise, Lacey would have a host of questions that would lead right back to her father.

Anxiety rolled through me, and I threw the covers off. The cold air of the theater room was a welcome relief. It was only four in the morning, and I couldn’t sleep. Mr. Robinson had planned on speaking with Lacey last night, except her practice had gone beyond their scheduled time. The season was starting in a week, and Coach Dean was working the team overtime. By the time Lacey got home, Mr. Robinson had left for the club. Now I was under a time crunch. I was scheduled to tutor Chloe after school today.

A nightlight glowed below a family picture on the wall to the right of the TV. I stared at it as I thought about how easy our lives had been in Texas before Karen died. We were all happy in that picture. Karen was sitting on my father’s lap, kissing him on the cheek. My father had his arm around my mom while my brothers and I stood behind them. I remembered that day like it was yesterday. Karen had been so excited to take pictures, and we boys were not happy that our mom wanted to drag us to some studio when we could be out playing sports.

Footsteps broke my concentration. I sat up to find Kelton walking in. His black hair was sticking out in all directions as he adjusted his sweatpants on his hips.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked.

He plopped down on the other couch. “I see you’re wide awake.” He scrubbed a hand over his bare chest. “Why are you down here? Dad isn’t home. You should be in your bed with that beautiful woman of yours.”

I laughed weakly. “I told her old man we would sleep in separate beds.” I hadn’t told him we wouldn’t have sex though.

“Always doing the honorable thing. You’re a better man than me.”

Oh, I didn’t think so. “You okay from the other night?” I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Kelton in more detail about Lacey’s blackout.

“I’ll be fine. I’m not doing love, bro. Just not. I have a newfound respect for you and Dad.” He kicked a leg up on the couch.

“You’ll find that one girl, Kel. And once you do, it won’t be about the pain. Because all the good stuff that comes with being in love will overshadow any other emotions.”

“So when are you tutoring Chloe? Is it today?” he asked.

“Yeah. I tried to get Wes to postpone it, but she has a math test on Monday, and today is the only day she’s available.” I filled my brother in about my conversation with Mr. Robinson.

“I can step in, man,” he said with a hitch in his voice.

I bet he would. “I’m asking you to stay away from her. At least until things die down. The last thing we need is her father cutting off your balls.” I didn’t have time to worry about my brother.

Silence stretched for a moment. Then the stairs groaned.

Kelton sat up. My gaze traveled to the doorway. Lacey rubbed one of her heavy green eyes as she wound her way around the couch and the table. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She wore striped sleep pants that hung low on her toned hips while her pink tank hugged all her sexy curves, including her beautiful braless breasts. Every part of me stirred awake—as always— when she walked into a room, but more than that, she erased every thought I’d had before she entered the room.

“I’m out of here,” Kelton said as he breezed by Lacey.

Smart brother.
An hour alone with my girl was all I needed.

She curled up next to me, her hair brushing over my bare chest as she laid her head against me. “Why is your heart beating so fast?” she asked as her magic fingers slid down below my abs.

I tangled my hand in her hair. “Do you even have to ask?”

“Um, no. Not with Mr. Steel growing in my hand.”

I chuckled then kissed her. “Only for you, baby.”

She let go of Mr. Steel and traced a path up and down my abs.

I wanted to protest. I wanted to be inside her. I wanted to ravish her gorgeous body, slow and steady. My brothers wouldn’t bother us, and my old man had gone up to visit my mom for the weekend.

“Why are you awake?” I asked.

“A lot on my mind. My dad sent me a text last night since we missed each other. He wants me to meet him at the house before school. We were going to talk about his adoptive family last night. He said it wouldn’t take long.”

I did an imaginary fist pump.

“Why are you and Kelton awake?

“I’d rather not talk.” I snaked my hand under her tank top up to her breasts. Her nipples were hard. I caressed one breast then the other, following a lazy path around her hardened nipples.

“Your brothers could come down here.”

“Lace, Kel won’t, and Kross and Kody sleep through everything.” I gently pinched a nipple.

She moaned ever so softly, sending my brain into overdrive. In a flash, I was on my back and had her rolled on top of me. A lazy smile tugged at her lips before she dug her hands into my bare chest. Then she pushed herself to a sitting position as she straddled me. Her lazy smile became seductive as she dragged her nails down my chest to my abs. I bit down on my lip, trying to keep from having my way with her. I wanted to enjoy every touch she had to offer.

She shifted her hooded gaze from me to the waistband of my sleep shorts then back to me as though she was asking for permission. When she pulled at the waistband, Mr. Steel poked out, and she sucked in a sharp breath. My fingers tightened on her bare thighs, rough to soft, and I almost flipped her over and pushed inside her. But I was savoring every soft moan coming out of her mouth as she licked her lips. Then she started to move her luscious hips into me.

My throat became dry, my pulse spiking instantly. I lost all my willpower. I sat up and tore off her tank top. She squealed as my lips found her breasts.

“So soft,” I said kissing them.

She arched back, bracing her hands on the sides of my thighs. Her hair fell behind her, grazing the tops of my legs, and the feather-like sensation sent a wave of heat straight to my groin.

Then her breathing picked up and soft mewls and little cries fell from her beautiful mouth. I lifted my head and watched in quiet fascination as she got lost in her own world. I was riveted where I sat. I couldn’t look away. Hell, I didn’t want to.

My own breathing increased, and I started to break out in a sweat. If I didn’t do something soon to tame the animal inside me, I was going to lose it, and I couldn’t. Her needs came first. They always did. I made sure of it.

With her head back and her neck exposed, I trailed my fingers up between her breasts to her neck, settling on her lips. She opened her mouth, and I dipped one finger inside before she sucked then bit lightly, her body writhing on me. The way she continued to move, slow and erotic, made my dick harder than concrete. When she righted her head and opened her eyes, my heart practically stopped then tried to beat out of my chest. Lust—and something more—filled her eyes. I knew she loved me, but something deeper than love resided in those eyes. It was as though she’d just opened her soul for me. I knew I sounded like a lunatic, but I didn’t care.

“Love me, Kade.” Her mouth covered mine, her hands getting lost in my hair.

I pulled my finger from her mouth then nipped on her tongue. She tugged hard on my hair, and I couldn’t control myself anymore. I flipped her onto her back, then I stood up.

“Sit up,” I commanded.

Her rosy lips split into a smile as she obeyed me. “I love when you get all rough and sexy.” Then she reached out to grab onto my shorts.

“Patience,” I barely got out. Who was I kidding? My body was on fire as my gaze roamed her toned abs, breasts, pink cheeks, and messy hair and finally fell to her legs.

She held her bottom lip hostage as she smoothed a finger over one of her nipples.

The fire inside me blazed into an inferno. I dropped to my knees then removed her sleep pants. My eyes shot to hers. No thong or panties, and her tattoo was on display.

My little minx just simpered then shrugged as she eased open her legs, exposing the one place I’d been dreaming of tasting.

She whimpered as I stared. I couldn’t believe she was all mine. I trailed my tongue along the inside of her thigh, taking my time as I inched upward. I bypassed the one place she wanted me to touch, teasing and tasting over her hip, her tat, then her abs.

She tugged on my hair, wiggling, trying to push me toward her sweet spot. I kept up my assault on every other part of her body until I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed her butt and pulled her toward me. When I covered her bundle of nerves lightly with my lips, she shot off the couch. I settled into a rhythm, sucking, tasting, and licking. Her breathing grew shallow, her moans louder, the muscles in her legs bunched. I knew she was close, so I eased up. I wasn’t trying to torture her. I wanted her pleasure to last an eternity. The problem was that I wasn’t going to make it another minute.
This is about her, not you, idiot.

“Kade,” she pleaded.

I slipped a finger inside her and sucked on her clit. She mewed more little noises, moving her hips into me. Every muscle in her legs tightened before she moaned her release.

When she finally relaxed, her moans barely a whisper, footsteps sounded above us. I jerked up my head to find horror painted on her pink cheeks.

I grinned. Between the panic in her eyes and her flushed face, she was downright beautiful. “They’re probably going to the bathroom.” I kissed the inside of her thighs. The toilet flushed. More footsteps. Then a door closed.

Her features relaxed. I shucked my shorts then crawled up onto the couch. She swung a leg over me and braced her hands on the back of the couch on either side of my head as she straddled me.

I grasped her hips, guiding her down onto Mr. Steel. Once inside her, I stilled.

Her eyelids slid shut. She was warm, wet, and ready. She opened her eyes, pressed her hands to my chest, soft to hard, and began to move. Love and lust washed over her as her cheeks flushed even more. I wanted to give her control, let her drive, but I was dying to thrust hard and fast. She splayed her fingers on my heated skin as she lifted her hips, and when she did, I drove into her, hard. She gasped.

Slow
was not in my vocabulary. With my hands anchored to her hips, I lifted her up and brought her down, groaning from the friction our bodies created. She pressed harder into my chest, meeting every movement as I moved faster, taking us higher and higher until our bodies were drenched in sweat. She moaned my name softly. She was mine. All mine.

My rhythm increased as we both got lost in each other. Then she clenched around me, and I exploded, a jolt of heat spreading through my groin then my entire body, the rush roaring through me. She collapsed against me, both of us laboring for air.

I tangled my hands in her hair. “I love the crap out of you.”

“This is the best way to start the day,” she whispered as she tried to regulate her breathing.

No doubt. I hoped the rest of the day went off without a hitch.

A
fter an amazing rendezvous with Kade
, I showered and headed home. With bodyguards tailing me, I kept checking my rearview mirror. A black SUV trailed two cars behind me.

The past couple of days had been a whirlwind. I had trouble processing all of it. Bodyguards following me all the time, a grandfather—who might be responsible for killing Mom and Julie—popping up out of nowhere, Dad supposedly possessing a red ledger that belonged to the mob. And I was more than curious about Dad’s past, especially since his past had led to the deaths of Julie and Mom. Maybe his adoptive family had the red ledger. I hadn’t thought about that angle until last night. We’d been so caught up in how everyone was going to protect me that we weren’t putting our heads together to figure out where this book was. Or thinking about what would happen if we couldn’t find it. Lorenzino couldn’t keep killing until Dad produced the book. The man would run out of family members.

In my mind, we had to take a step backwards into the past. Clearly, Dad didn’t have the ledger. As we were cleaning the house from the break-in, we didn’t find anything missing, and we didn’t find a red ledger. Dad had given me the nursery rhyme book, and that was the only thing he had from his mom.

I found Dad on the couch in the family room. The news was on, and he was dozing.

“Hey, Dad.”

He opened his tired eyes. Boy, he appeared to have aged so much since the funeral. I got comfortable on the couch next to him.

“Good morning.” He kissed me on the forehead. “I know you don’t have much time.” He sat a little straighter. “I know you’ll have a ton of questions, and over time I’ll answer them. For now, I wanted you to know that my adoptive sister, Gloria, lives in Boston, and she’s married to Jeremy Pitt.”

“What?” My face had to be twisted up like a pretzel. “The guy Wes works for? The guy who’s connected to the mob? That guy?” My mouth was wide open. I seriously couldn’t handle any more surprises or information. “Are you telling me you’re related to two mob families?”

We could write an epic novel on our lives.

“Her husband is a Harvard grad. He’d been a prominent defense attorney up until a couple of years ago. No one said he was connected to the mob. He runs businesses.”

“Dad?”

He held up his hand. “Lacey, put aside for the moment the word
mob
. Please. Frankly, I’m tired of hearing that word. We’re humans. We make choices. In the case of both my families, whoever they are, I didn’t choose them. And as much as I don’t want anything to do with my past, my sister wasn’t the one to blame for why I took off. And that’s a story for another time,” he said sternly. “Gloria and Jeremy are concerned about us.”

“You’ve talked to her?”

“The first time I’ve spoken to her since I left home was three weeks ago. According to her, she’s been searching for me for years. She found me in LA a few months before the murders. And when we moved here, I never sought her out. Her husband discovered that we lived in the area.”

My head spun like a spinning wheel spinning yarn. Questions flew through my mind. Yet the one that stuck out the brightest was, “Have you asked her if she has the red ledger? Maybe she didn’t give you all of your mother’s things.”

“Sweet Pea, I will. I’m going to speak with her and Jeremy. Let me worry about this. I know you want to help, but I want you to concentrate on—”

“School and baseball.” I was tired of hearing that one. He was right though. I’d worked hard to get to this point, and I did want that baseball scholarship to ASU. But lives could be at stake—Dad’s, Rob’s, even those of the men who protected me.

“Have you considered that Lorenzino could hurt you?” I asked.

“He won’t,” he said matter-of-factly. “He needs me to find that ledger. I’m not telling you not to worry, because I know you will. But rest assured Detective Fisher is watching every move Lorenzino and his men make. You should get to school.”

Reluctantly, I rose. “Can I meet Gloria?” I was excited to meet someone in Dad’s family.

“Let’s get through this first.”

I guessed I could wait. Concentration on baseball
was
key. Our first game was next week. I needed to be in my zone. Coach was counting on me, and so was the team. A reprieve from all this would help my clouded mind. I kissed him goodbye and headed to school.

I sent a text to Kade once I was in class. I knew he would worry even though I had men tailing me.

He sent me a heart and a smiley face back along with
How did it go?

I texted him back.
I now could be related to another mob family… lol.

Can’t wait to hear all about it. See you at lunch.

I had the urge to laugh out loud. I couldn’t wait to see Kade’s reaction when I told him I was related to Pitt.

During lunch, Coach Dean requested my presence in his office. When I arrived, I found Shaun and Aaron sitting inside.

“It’s short notice, but Mr. Camp has asked if I could send you to the middle school this afternoon. He would like your help with his gym class since most of his players are in gym, and he’d like you to stay afterwards and help his team. He’s also asked if I could send three players. Shaun will be going with you. I’ve already set up passes for you to leave school early. This is a great opportunity for all three of you.”

“Coach, why Shaun?” Aaron flicked a thumb at Shaun. “No offense. You’re new here, and we do have some great ball players.”

Shaun shrugged. “I was curious, too.”

“Mr. Camp has pitchers who need work. Shaun has a great change-up and splitter. Lacey has her fastball, curveball, and slider. Gather your things and head over there. He’s expecting you within the hour.”

I welcomed the change in pace, despite having to work with Aaron. The opportunity to teach my skills to a younger crowd would take my mind off my problems and give my brain a chance to clear.

I trudged to my locker to drop off my books. I was about to dart down to the cafeteria to let Kade know my plans when Shaun sauntered up. His locker wasn’t far from mine.

“Can I bum a ride?” he asked. “I don’t have my car today.”

“Yeah, meet me out in the main lot. I have to do something first.” I hurried down the hall, past other students hanging out near lockers, chatting. I rounded the corner and saw Kelton either talking to a brunette or about to kiss her. They were so close that it was hard to tell.

I slowed my pace and cleared my throat. His head came up, and he gave me one of his cocksure grins. “Kade is looking for you,” he said, not budging from the girl.

“Can you tell Kade I’ll be at Swain Middle? Aaron, Shaun, and I are helping a teacher with gym class and baseball practice.”

He stuck his finger in his ear, moving it around. “Okay, I think my ears are clear. Did you say that you and Seever are helping little kids?”

I couldn’t remember if I’d ever shared that news with Kade or his brothers. “Shocker, right? I’ll send Kade a text as well.”

He wasn’t going to be happy about Aaron and me working together.

T
he ride
over with Shaun was a non-event. The black SUV followed us and parked in a spot along the road where they could see me. Gym class was held outside under the warm March sun, a welcome change to the cold and snow we’d had last week. The field was clear of any snow, though it was still damp. Eight out of the twenty students were on Swain’s baseball team. Aaron, Shaun, and I were working with those on the team.

I was enjoying the fresh air as I worked with a boy, Eddy, and girl, Pam, who were having trouble with their fast pitch. We spent time talking about how to hold the ball, the mechanics of the pitch, and how to breathe when pitching. Aaron had taken four players to a grassy area on the side of the school to work with them on batting. Shaun was working with two boys on their pitching on the other side of the field from me. Mr. Camp, a man in his forties, was holding down the fort with his other students, having them throw a baseball back and forth to a partner. My group was close to a heavyset boy who was throwing to a meek girl with blond hair. From the looks of it, she didn’t want to be there.

“God, you’re pathetic,” the heavyset boy said. “Throw the ball like you mean it.”

The tone of the boy’s voice caused me to stop and watch. The blonde returned the ball, but it fell short of the boy.

“Girls shouldn’t be playing baseball,” he said. “Pick it up and throw it again.” His tone was condescending.

I swallowed as my face heated. I’d had plenty of boys in middle school tell me the same thing, even though I could throw.

With her eyes downcast, the girl gingerly picked up the ball.

I regarded Eddy and Pam.

Pam said, “Ron is a bully.”

I got that. What seeped into my pores, spawning my anger even more, was that the girl was obeying him. I trotted up to the girl. “What’s your name?”

She picked up the ball. “Tiffany.”

“Can I see the ball?” I held out my glove. “Would you mind if I play catch with your partner?” I didn’t want to embarrass the girl. I also didn’t want to put her in a worse situation where Ron would lash out at her, thinking she needed a big sister to fight her battles.

She lifted a dainty shoulder.

“Would you also mind if I taught him a lesson? I know you have to go to school with him.”

“Be my guest,” she said in a soft, low voice. She went to stand with Pam and Eddy.

“Ron,” I called. “It’s you and me. Show me what you got, dude.”

He smirked as though he was about to show me a thing or two about how to throw a ball. He whipped one at me.

I threw the ball back, not hard. We volleyed for several throws. He had a good arm. Then I readied the ball for one of my seventy-mile-an-hour fastballs. One of those pitches in anything other than a catcher’s mitt could bruise a hand and sting like ten beehives. When he caught it, he squealed. Pam and Tiffany giggled. Eddy chuckled.

“Is that all you got?” Ron said as he returned the ball.

A few more fastballs and the boy wouldn’t be able to hold a glass in his hand. I threw another one. That time his face grew beet red. I didn’t want to torture him too much. I also didn’t want to be accused of bullying myself.

I jogged up to him. “The next time you call someone pathetic, or tell a girl she shouldn’t play baseball, or pick on Tiffany, remember that sting you feel in your hand. You got it?” I whispered so low only he could hear.

His head bobbed up and down fast at every word I said.

When I joined my group, Aaron was walking up with his. “Showing off, Robinson?” he asked.

“Teaching,” I responded. I had other smartass comments, but I kept them to myself. I didn’t want to come off as a bully in front of my group or Tiffany.

“Is Lacey treating you right?” Aaron asked Tiffany.

“She was great,” Tiffany gushed with excitement.

I did a double take. “Relation?”

“Sister,” Aaron said as he mussed Tiffany’s hair.

I didn’t know why I was surprised. Then again, I didn’t know much about Aaron’s personal life.

The bell rang, and we had about fifteen minutes before we had to shift from gym class to practice with the entire team. I used that time to send Kade a text, figuring he should be getting out of his last class for the day.