Dirty Little Secrets: A Stepbrother Romance (20 page)

W
hen Vince
and I got back, Rita greeted me at the door with a flying hug, which I hadn’t gotten from her in ages. “Congratulations, you big goof!” she said, squeezing my neck so hard that I felt like my head was going to pop. “You sure move fast when you want to!”

“Ack, you’re choking the surgical patient,” I groaned in mock distress. She unwrapped her arms from my neck and plopped down, chagrined. “So I guess Alix told you.”

“Told her what?” Vince asked, carrying two bags. “By the way, we got your cheesecake.”

“Thanks babe. Set it on the counter in the kitchen, please?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Vince said, walking past.

I gave Rita a look, and she smiled back.
Ma’am?
I mouthed.

Rita nodded. “Alix and I talked.”

“Okay, later then,” I said. “Let’s enjoy some gourmet cheesecake, and you can fill me in on the progress.”

Inside, I found Alix relaxed and comfortable, if perhaps a little tipsy. “Hey babe, you should try this stuff Rita showed me. Shoo-hi.”

“Chu-hi, and I think you’ve had enough, sis,” Rita said. She picked up two empty cans and took them into the kitchen. “Had no idea you’d be a lightweight with this.”

“What? I’m just hungry, that’s all,” Alix said. “Really, Kade, I’m fine. I’m not good to drive, but I’m not drunk.”

“It’s okay,” I said, sitting down. “Just, let’s switch to water for the rest of the night. Okay, Princess?”

“Yes, Kade,” she said, her voice much more serious. “By the way, I asked Rita to be my maid of honor.”

“Okay, guess I know what you all are talking about,” Vince said as he came in from the kitchen. “Congratulations, you two.”

“We can talk about that later,” I said. “I really want to hear about what the progress is on finding Sydney.”

“Hold on,” Rita said, glancing at Vince before turning in her chair to her computer. The printer on top of the desk hummed to life, and seconds later a shipping invoice came out. “He ordered . . . shoes, of all things,” Rita said, handing me the printout after turning in her chair. “Some designer online shop or something.”

“That fits with his mindset,” Alix said. “He’s always had a bit of a thing for really clean, really high-fashion shoes. Let me guess, Italian sneakers?”

“Looks like it,” I said. “And he’s having it delivered to an address in Salinas. That’s up by Big Sur.”

“Big Sur,” Rita giggled, then grew sober. “Sorry, the chu-hi must have affected me too. I think we all need some food.”

“Salinas? Why would he choose there?” Vince asked.

Alix spoke up, all traces of her previous alcohol consumption gone. “He’s from Stockton, remember? Salinas is nearby, and it’s a bit run-down. There’s a lot of people that he could hide with, and he’d still be able to play the big fish in a small pond. Best of all for him is that Salinas tries to put itself forward as a sort of artsy or wine country place. He can go from one end to the other of the Salinas population, and as long as he stays out of people’s business he could keep doing that for a long damn time.”

“That may come to bite him in the ass,” Vince said with a feral grin. “He may know some people in Salinas, but so do I.”

“Come, let’s get some food, and we can talk plans,” I said. “Rita, do you have any real food, or are we just having cheesecake?”

A
fter we’d all gone
out for a bite to eat, Kade and I barely got back into the hotel room before he was all over me, kissing me and caressing my body through my jeans and blouse. I was delirious with arousal as his lips found my jawline and nibbled, sucking on my neck and sending ripples of desire and want through my body.

“My Princess,” Kade said, picking me up and carrying me through the main room into the bedroom. He tossed me down on the bed, the momentary free-fall both thrilling and arousing. He stared at me, his eyes glimmering in the lights from the harbor and the main room. “Strip.”

“Yes, Kade,” I said, reaching for my jeans and pushing them down.

“Only you have ever caused this much loss of control in me,” Kade whispered as he climbed on the bed, his hands resting on the curves of my ass. I shivered and pushed back, my whole consciousness focused on the feel of his hands on my sensitive skin.

“Turn over,” Kade said. He stretched out next to me, his body smooth and still lean. Even the glaring pink scar in the middle of his body was nothing more than a sign to me that he loved me. “Kade?”

“Yes, Princess?”

“Before we go to Salinas to stop Sydney, I want to stop somewhere with Rita. We chatted about it before you and Vince got back, and she thinks it’s a great idea. It’ll give time for you and Vince to coordinate with his friends as well.”

Kade thought about it and nodded. “As you wish. You’re not giving me details because you want it to be a surprise, right?”

“Yes, Kade.”

“Then I look forward to it. For now though, no more words.”

I turned to my side, kissing Kade as he cupped the curve of my hip. For long, gentle minutes we only touched at our lips and his hand on my waist, delighting in each other’s presence. Finally I brought my right hand up to caress his back, pulling myself closer to him until my chest was pushing against his. Every inch of skin that came into contact with him was joyous—pure energy, light and beautiful.

Kade nudged me onto my back and kissed down to my breasts, sucking and nipping at them until I was moaning incoherently, my back arching to meet his teasing lips. My hands pulled at his head, but even with his injury he was too strong, too much for me to resist. Instead, in a voice that I barely recognized, I was begging, mewling for him to give me more. It’d been far too long since we’d really made love, just lots and lots of teasing since his operation.

He kissed his way down to my belly button, extending his long, nubile tongue to tease the shallow depression before licking lower. There, he stopped, surprised. “You shaved.”

“I thought you’d like it,” I said, nervous. “I did it this morning, hoping we’d have a chance to be together.”

“I adore you either way,” Kade said, lowering his tongue. He dragged it between my labia, my moan rising in pitch as he drew higher and higher, a small shriek of pleasure tearing from inside me when the tip of his tongue teased my clit. “I have to do this more often.”

“Any time you want, Kade. Morning, noon, night . . . I’m yours.”

He lowered his head again, hungry sounds of contentment coming from deep in his chest as he licked me over and over. I was in pure ecstasy, my hips lifting to meet his nimble tongue until I couldn’t hold it any longer. Before I knew it, my hips were thrusting up again as another wave of hot pleasure swept through my entire body.

Kade propped one of my legs on his shoulders, easing one of his fingers inside me. I bucked as he curled it, finding my g-spot and leaving me breathless. He curled it again, and a deep twitch inside me threatened to overwhelm me. “One more,” I begged. “Please.”

Kade licked my clit while at the same time curling his finger again, and the world shattered around me. My body lost control, and all I was aware of were the nerves on fire within me, and how hard I was coming.

When I finally finished, instead of being exhausted, I was filled with a carnal hunger. If that was what Kade wanted to do just to relax me and give me pleasure, I was ready for whatever the next step would be. Growling and smiling, I looked down at him. “My Lord and Master,” I purred. “Thank you, but this Princess wants more.”

“Aggressive tonight, aren’t we?” Kade teased, his hands coming under my hips to begin massaging my ass. I groaned deeply, aware of what he was doing and loving every second of it. “Maybe when we get home you need a lesson on the bench? Or how about the spreader bar?”

“Don’t tease me, Kade.” I turned my head, watching as he went over to the dresser and took out a small, pink bottle. “Lubricant,” he said, bringing it over.

Suddenly, I felt Kade’s hands, warm and strong, massaging my ass in slow, broad circles that spread me apart gently. Kneading as he circled, Kade relaxed my hip muscles until my lower back and ass felt like warm melted butter, sighing as my chest relaxed and my back arched. “So good, Kade. So good.”

“Okay, Princess, I’m going to use my fingers now. They’re lubed, but this might hurt some. Just relax, and I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

“Yes, Kade,” I said, pulling myself open for him. I felt pressure, then a slight pain as he pushed a finger inside me. I was open to him, smiling as the pain faded away.

“That’s just one,” he said, moving his finger around while his other hand kept up the light massage. I could feel my ass gripping the finger, wanting it deeper as he pulled it out to rub my sphincter, massaging it looser and looser. When he added a second, there was another, bigger flare of pain, but with it was an undercurrent of pleasure and accomplishment.

I heard the sound of the cap on the lube bottle opening again, and another squirting sound. “Okay, Alix, turn over for me,” Kade said. “I want our first time for you to be able to look at me.”

I did as ordered, opening my eyes to see Kade’s cock, shiny and drippy with lube in his hand. I pulled my legs up as high and wide as I could, looking him in the eye. “It’s okay, Kade. I’m ready to ride the line.”

Kade nodded, his Adam’s apple rising and falling as he swallowed his emotions and placed the tip of his cock against my hole. “Princess.”

He pushed forward, and he was right, there was pain. White lighting of pain ripped through me, and I nearly cried out, biting back the cry only by sheer force of will. Kade pushed further in, and tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn’t take it anymore, he was too large, and I opened my mouth. “
Tud
. . . “

There are times, and Kade knows that line better than any person I sub for, that I’m quivering on the edge, pain and pleasure and everything mixing, and it’s powerful, more powerful than any drug you can think of. I’m like this far from saying our safe word, and then he rides that line right up until the point that my body explodes.

Rita’s words echoed through my brain, and my teeth clamped down. I willed myself to submit, to give myself totally to this man, and trust him with everything that I am.

Kade paused, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he looked down at me. “Alix?”

“Go on. I trust you.”

Kade slowed and pulled back, letting me adjust, then pushed forward again in slow, tiny little thrusts. I held on, my hands balling into the comforter underneath me, and I forced myself to look Kade in the eye. He was studying me intently, his eyes filled with love, concern, and yes, lust. He was pushing me, watching me ride the line truly for the first time.

As he did, the pain didn’t quite go away, but instead changed in flavor. I welcomed it, stopped fighting it, and let it come over me. Behind it I could sense the pleasure chasing after it, slower but deeper, more powerful, like the old story of the tortoise and the hare.

I’d never in my life to that point felt more accomplishment than when Kade’s hips nestled against mine, and his balls rested on my ass. Without a word, Kade pulled back, slowly pushing forward again, my ass loosening as the pain retreated, exhausted under the loving strokes of my Kade, unable to resist his will and mine. Instead, the pleasure grew within me, joining with my pride to propel me higher and higher.

Kade kept riding that line with me, his thrusts speeding up as the pain diminished and my pleasure grew. Soon, all I could feel was pleasure and the love in Kade’s eyes as he thrust in and out of my ass. I was building to another orgasm, and I could tell from the way he was shaking that he was closing in too. “Please, Kade, give it to me.”

“After you come,” he said, smiling. “I love you.”

We went faster and faster, our bodies joining in a way no other man ever had. When my ass tightened, I knew I could hold back no longer. “Kade, I’m coming!”

It was like Rita had promised. Riding the line, my body exploded, shaking and losing control. My fists beat at the bed spread and my head threw back, my throat working to find air but unable to draw breath. The sound of Kade grunting and coming sent me the rest of the way, cascading into unconsciousness, warm and secure.

T
he next morning
, I had to grin at Vince when I dropped Alix off with Rita at her apartment in Torrance. “You look like something the cat dragged in,” I said as he gingerly got behind the wheel. “And yet you also look like you’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“Yeah,” Vince said quietly. “In a heartbeat.”

We drove in silence toward Ventura County. “Where are we meeting these guys?” I asked.

“Near the Long Beach pier,” Vince said. “Kade, about last night, Rita told me . . . ”

“Forget it. Rita and I are done. Not that we ever had anything to begin with.”

Vince nodded, and for the rest of the drive, we specifically avoided either the subject of his budding relationship with Rita or the people we were going to meet. I was nervous enough with Vince’s idea without having to discuss the damn thing to death.

Calling it the Long Beach Pier is a bit of a misnomer. The entire Long Beach Port is pretty big. Cruise ships dock there all the time, so it isn’t like the other piers that dot the Los Angeles area coastline, simple things that jut into the water. Instead, it’s a true shipping complex, but there is one area, off Pier J, that has a fishing spot. This is where Vince and I went. It’s actually pretty ugly, very industrial with nothing but asphalt and steel around you, the air thick with the combined stench of burning fuels and the not so clean parts of the ocean. Why anyone would choose to fish there I have no idea.

Vince’s connections were waiting for us, approaching us as we got out. “You’re Vince?” one of the men, who looked a bit long-haired but other than that normal, said.

“Yeah. This is my associate,” Vince said. “Thanks for meeting with us.”

“No problem. Nice to meet you, Mister Prescott.” Before I could react, the man held up his hands in a show of peace. “Hey, you’re a famous face these days. It doesn’t have any bearing on what we’re going to discuss today.”

I nodded, and the man turned. He had two other men with them, much rougher looking characters who looked uncomfortable in their work pants and polo shirts. They looked like people pretending to be middle class guys out to fish, if anything. “Come with me, please. We chartered a boat for the next three hours.”

It made sense. In three hours, we could go beyond the twelve mile legal limit of US jurisdiction, discuss whatever we wanted, and then come back. Of course, as a lawyer I knew that such ideas were more or less a legal fiction, but if it made the men feel more comfortable, I wasn’t going to object.

The boat was actually kind of nice, a thirty-five foot cabin cruiser equipped with fishing gear and even a lightly stocked galley, complete with snacks. “Have you ever been out on the ocean before?” the first man, who seemed to be the leader of the group, asked. The other two men had taken over operating the cruiser, one steering while the other worked on preparing the fishing gear. “I try to get out at least three or four times a year.”

“It’s been a while, but I used to surf. And yeah, I’ve been out some,” I said, not mentioning the time Dad had booked a summer vacation cruise around Baja, California. Two weeks of private use of a yacht, complete with a crew to man it. As I was fifteen at the time, just coming into my own as a teenager, it was quite a memorable experience, stopping in little port towns and then being gone the next day.

“So Vince tells me that my group and you have a common problem,” the man said. “Sydney Hale.”

I nodded. “Son of a bitch blackmailed my fiancée and stabbed me. Want to see the scar?”

The man shook his head. “No, that’s all right. I’m sure I would win that competition. I just want to be clear that this man has greatly offended you before we discuss anymore.”

“Care to share why you have it in for him?” I asked, not expecting anything. Instead the man smirked.

“No details, but let’s just say that Sydney Hale has done this type of action before, specifically with the daughter of one of my associates. While not as big time as your woman, the results were far more tragic, as a nineteen-year-old girl committed suicide over it. He’s had it comin’ for a while now.”

I nodded. “I want him taken into police custody.”

The man nodded. “So do we. If something happens to Hale outside of the prison system, my enemies will make sure to pin it on us. However, within the prison walls, things are . . . different.”

I turned and looked out at the ocean. The consequences of my decision would be a lot different than what I’d originally planned. I had to know the truth, unabashed. “Are you planning on having him killed?”

The man shrugged. “I can’t speak for the future, but let’s just say that I plan to exact some payback for his past transgressions.”

“As in?”

The man grinned. “He’s going to spend quite a few weeks walking bowlegged. Now, how about a little fishing?”

W
hen Vince
and I got back to the hotel, Rita and Alix were waiting for us. “After so much time at her place, I thought the four of us could go out for a nice evening off,” Alix said, “so I booked us a reservation at Night Market. You guys up for Thai food?”

“Sure, I love Thai food,” Vince said, then looked at Rita, his head cocked to the side. “What?”

“It’s not your typical Thai food,” she said, coming over and kissing his cheek. “But you might enjoy it. I do hope you have something more formal than your perennial jeans and t-shirt.”

Vince shook his head sadly. “No, ma’am. Sorry.”

I clapped Vince on the shoulder and laughed. “It’s okay. You and I are close enough in size that you can borrow a sport coat of mine. Throw that on top of some clean jeans and a fashionable shirt, and you’ll be able to get away with it.”

Just as I finished, the phone rang, not giving Vince a chance to respond. “Hello?”

“Kade, it’s Layla. How are you?”

I blinked, shocked. “Uhm, hi, Layla. I’m doing okay, I guess. How can I help you?”

“Derek’s memorial service is Monday, and I . . . I didn’t want that to happen with animosity between us. Is Alix there?”

Alix, whose eyes had widened and was standing in front of me with her hands clasped at her chest and her face full of questions, looked at me in a near panic. I nodded and held up my hand. “Yes, she’s right here. I’m going to put you on speaker phone. Just a second.”

I set the phone down on the table. Rita and Vince looked at each other and faded back into the bedroom, closing the door politely behind them. I turned on the speaker and reached for Alix’s hands. “Go ahead, Layla.”

“Alix?”

“I’m here, Mom,” Alix said, tears trickling from her eyes. “I . . . I miss you, Mom.”

There was a choking sound on the other end of the line, and I knew that Layla was fighting back tears as well.
“I miss you too, honey. Oh, Alix, I’m so sorry about what I said and did in the hospital. I know it wasn’t your fault, I’m so sorry . . . ”

“I’m sorry too, Mommy,” Alix said, breaking down. She put her head in my shoulder and sobbed, both women crying for a few minutes. “Mom, I want to see you.”

“Me too, baby. Can you two come to the house? It’s your house too, you know. I’ve been a fool in that regard too.”

I looked at Alix, who looked over at the bedroom door. “What about Rita and Vince?”

“You made plans for the night already,”
Layla said, overhearing Alix’s question.
“I understand.”

I shook my head. “No, Layla, we’ll be there. Tell you what: how about, instead of us coming to the house, you come out with us? We’re taking two close friends out to dinner as a bit of a celebration, and I think it would make the night complete if you were there too.”

Layla’s voice came back, curious.
“Kade. Celebrating?”

“Yes,” I said, thinking quickly. “I asked Alix to marry me, Layla. I know it’s weird, and I know this might be awkward, but . . . ”

“I’ll be there,”
Layla said with finality.
“Where and when?”

“How about we come pick you up?” I said instead. “Alix’s car can easily seat five. We’ll just stick Rita in the middle in the back, between you and Alix.”

“Okay. I think I’d like to meet your friends anyway. When can I expect you?”

I looked at Alix, who smiled and wiped at her eyes. “As soon as we can get changed, Mom. Nothing too formal, but say, not casual either? I’m going with a summer dress I have.”

“Okay, honey. Alix . . . I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom. See you at the house.”