Turning Point (The Kathleen Turner Series) (10 page)

My cell phone rang, and my heart leapt.

I didn’t stop to examine the sinking sensation I felt when I saw that it was Blane.

“Hello?”

“Where have you been?” Blane’s voice was strung tight.

“I’m sorry I missed your calls last night,” I apologized. “Kade and I were investigating this guy in Denver.”

“He took you with him?”

I bristled at the incredulity in his tone. “Yes, he did. He’s training me, remember?”

“And how many close calls did you have while you were in Denver?”

I flinched. “Two, maybe three.” My voice was small.

Blane cursed and I could mentally see him running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Listen, I’m heading back on the last flight tonight. I’ll see you in a few hours. We need to talk.”

I went on offense. “Good, because I really want to discuss your latest case with you.”

Silence.

“Has it already made the news there?”

“Yep.”

“We’ll talk when I get there,” he said. “I have to go.”

“Bye.”

My feelings were in turmoil. I was frustrated at our relationship, which seemed to be caught in a stalemate. It seemed very obvious that Blane disapproved of my new job at the firm. Did he believe in me at all? Or was I just another pretty face?

It was several hours before Blane would be here, and I fidgeted, not knowing what to do with myself. I was too on edge to sleep, so I watched TV. Reruns of old episodes of
Simon & Simon
were on and I thought the blond brother reminded me a little of Blane.

The sound of the door opening woke me, my tired eyes slitting open to see Blane’s form weakly illuminated by the light from the muted television. I watched as he set down his suitcase, garment bag, and laptop case, settling them quietly on the floor. He locked the door behind him, removed his coat, then stooped to give Tigger—who had jumped from his perch to welcome him—a scratch behind the ears.

The emotions I felt at seeing Blane were so overwhelming I could only lie there and observe him as they washed over me. I hadn’t realized how very much I’d missed him, or how much I needed him. My reasons for holding him at arm’s length suddenly seemed silly and naive. He was mine for the moment, and after my tumultuous time with Kade, Blane’s solid, steady presence was a welcome respite.

Although bigger than his brother, Blane moved just as silently, and soon he was crouched in front of me.

“Kat?” he whispered, his fingers lightly brushing my hair.

I loved Blane. Sometimes it really was as simple as that.

Without speaking, I reached my hand around the back of his neck and pulled his head down to mine.

Blane needed no urging, his lips relearning the contours of mine. He kissed me as if we had all the time in the world, with slow, deliberate sweeps of his tongue against mine. Heat and desire gradually built between us.

I broke our kiss off long enough to sit up on the couch and pull my T-shirt over my head. His mouth found the sensitive skin of my shoulder while my hands worked at the buttons of his shirt. I wasn’t wearing a bra and gasped when the rough pads of his fingers touched my breasts, cupping their weight, his thumbs lightly brushing the tips.

Finally done with the seemingly endless series of buttons, I pushed Blane’s dress shirt aside, only to be met with the barrier of his T-shirt. I made a noise of frustration that would have been a curse word if my mouth hadn’t been otherwise occupied with Blane’s. He laughed, a soft chuckle in the back of his throat that warmed me from the inside out.

“Let me help you with that,” he teased, pulling away enough to strip off the offending cloth.

“You wear too many layers,” I complained, then couldn’t think much of anything anymore. The sight of his broad chest and shoulders made my mouth go dry, and I had the insane urge to rub my skin against his and purr as though I were Tigger.

Blane didn’t work out because he was vain and wanted a body women drooled over, though he wasn’t unaware of his physical appeal. He kept his body in as good a condition as possible because that’s what he’d been trained to do as a SEAL. The better shape he was in, the better his chances of survival, and that was that. Some lessons can’t be unlearned.

I thought again of his possible reenlistment, but I shoved it to the back of my mind.

Blane’s hands returned to caress my breasts, now achingly aroused and sensitive to the slightest touch.

My fingers traced the contours of his chest and biceps, the firm muscles still fascinating and impressive to me. Our eyes caught and held. We didn’t speak, just looked into each other’s eyes as he touched me and I touched him.

Capturing his roughened jaw in my palm, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his for a sweet, tender kiss that I hoped conveyed what I didn’t have the courage say.

It must have worked, because his arms slid around my waist to pull me close, our bodies colliding, skin against skin. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, eagerly deepening the kiss.

Before I knew it, Blane had stood, with my arms and legs still wrapped tightly around him like a koala bear clinging to a tree.

“Impressive,” I murmured against his mouth.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he replied. His voice had that deep roughness to it that never failed to send a thrill of desire through me.

Somehow we made it into my moonlight-dappled bedroom—my attention was on other things, like his lips, his neck, and his jaw—and Blane laid me down on the bed. I pulled him down with me, cradling his body between my thighs. Distantly, I heard his shoes hit the floor.

His kisses were like a drug, and I couldn’t get enough. I started to push my flannel pajama pants down, but Blane stopped me.

“Let me,” he said. Sitting back, he eased down the fabric, taking the panties I had on with it. When I was naked, he just looked at me.

I squirmed a bit under his steady gaze, moving my arms to cross over my exposed chest, but he caught my wrists and held them.

“Don’t cover yourself,” he implored softly. “You’re beautiful. Your skin glows like ivory in the moonlight, your hair a cascade of silver. You take my breath away, Kat.”

Well, when you put it
that
way…

Taking my hand in his, he lifted it to his face and gently pressed his lips to my palm. From my palm, his mouth traveled to the inside of my wrist, then the tender skin inside my elbow, all the way to the curve of my shoulder, pressing warm, wet kisses along the way.

Blane slid his arms under my back to wrap around me, nuzzling my neck. The stubble on his jaw was a gentle scrape against my skin and I twined my arms around him, tilting my head to the side to give him better access. I heard him inhale deeply through his nose.

“Do I smell bad?” I asked, suddenly worried.

“You smell like home,” he replied, his voice a rough whisper in my ear.

His words sank deep inside me, nestling somewhere near my heart.

He kissed me, a melding of his mouth to mine that was as thorough as it was unhurried. It seemed more than sexual, more than lust, more than what it had ever been before.

Blane lifted his head and I could see his eyes, glinting silver in the moonlight. He moved so he was braced on his elbows above me, both palms cradling my face as his thumbs brushed my cheekbones. His gaze was intense and I couldn’t look away. A moment passed.

“What is it?” I asked, a sense of foreboding creeping over me. He seemed very grave, and I wondered if he had bad news to tell me.

“No matter what,” Blane said quietly, “I want you to know that I love you.”

My heart seemed to stutter in my chest as I stared at him, shock warring with joy inside me. Blane didn’t move, merely watching my reaction, his expression as serious as if he’d just told me he had only a week to live.

“You do?” The question fell out, and I flushed as I realized how insecure it made me sound.

Blane’s lips twitched a little before he replied. “I do.”

A few seconds passed before I could make my mouth move again, to form the words I hadn’t spoken to anyone in a very long time.

“I love you, too.” My voice broke on the last word, and I was embarrassed at the tears I had to blink back.

Then his lips were again on mine, and I kissed him, holding nothing back. But soon, it wasn’t enough, and I fumbled at his belt before he removed my hands and undid it himself. I waited impatiently while he shed his remaining clothes and rejoined me in bed. The desire I had to give myself to Blane after what had just happened between us was overwhelming, almost like a need to confirm our words with actions.

As much as I wanted to hurry, Blane wanted to take it slow, savoring each moment of our lovemaking. When he finally slid inside me, stretching and filling me, I let out a deep sigh of contentment.

Then he was moving, his body, hard and powerful, surrounding me, pushing me closer to the edge. He loved me with his mouth and his hands, my sighs and gasps filling the room while he repeated words of love in my ear. And when I couldn’t take any more, when he urged me to let go for him, we fell over the edge together.

B
lane’s breathing was deep and even as I watched him sleep, the moonlight providing enough illumination for me to see him clearly. His square jaw was dark with stubble, and lines of fatigue were etched around his eyes. I wondered what else had been going on while he’d been away, what other problems he was dealing with. Would he tell me when he woke? Or would he keep it to himself, wanting to protect me from anything unpleasant?

That thought quite effectively pierced the happy bubble in which I’d been blissfully floating.

I slid out of bed, taking care to not wake Blane. Grabbing his shirt, I slipped it on before closing the bedroom door quietly behind me. I made a pot of coffee and took a steaming cup into the living room. My sleep schedule was all off, and I was now wide awake, even though it was barely after five in the morning.

I grabbed a blanket and sat cross-legged on the couch sipping my coffee. Tigger leapt up beside me, settling half on and half off my lap. I absently stroked his fur, lost in thought.

What would change between Blane and me after what we’d said last night? I didn’t take the phrase “I love you” lightly, and I didn’t think Blane did either. I was nervous to see him when he woke, but contented, too. Blane’s feelings for me were no longer a mysterious unknown quantity. He’d put a name to them, and so had I.

I couldn’t help the stupid grin on my face.

A buzzing noise distracted me. It sounded like my phone, but it wasn’t the culprit. Getting to my feet and following the sound led me to Blane’s cell phone, in the pocket of his coat. A glance at the screen had my breath catching in my chest.

Kade.

I debated not answering. It was Blane he was trying to reach, after all. But what if something was wrong? What if he needed Blane right away? I decided to answer the call.

“Hello?” My voice was tentative.

“Whoever you are, you shouldn’t be answering Blane’s phone. Now be a good girl and put him on,” Kade responded briskly.

“Kade, it’s me. It’s Kathleen.”

Silence.

“I see you made it back to Indy in one piece,” he finally said stiffly.

I nodded stupidly, before remembering that he couldn’t see me.

“Yeah.” I didn’t know what else to say. “I see you’re still alive, too.”

“I’m hard to kill,” he said. More awkward silence.

“I know you didn’t mean it,” I blurted, unable to hold back. “I know you just said those things to get me into the car.”

A pause. “You needed to leave,” he replied, his voice flat. “It was a dumb move, bringing you with me. I nearly got you killed.”

“I’m sorry I believed you, if only for a moment.”

Sorry didn’t feel adequate enough to convey the regret I felt at my own stupidity, for immediately putting him back into the category of a ruthless bastard who cared about no one but himself.

“It’s easier that way, isn’t it?” he finally asked, his voice rough.

I didn’t know what to say, didn’t want to look at the meaning behind that question.

“And I’m guessing Blane is in your bed,” he continued when I was silent.

Again I didn’t reply.

Kade cursed and I winced. “Put him on the phone,” he said. “I need to talk to him.” His tone cut off any argument I might have made.

“All right,” I said. “Hold on.”

I went back into the bedroom, but paused inside the doorway. Blane seemed to be caught up in the middle of a bad dream, moving restlessly on the bed and mumbling.

“Just a sec,” I said to Kade. “He’s having some kind of nightmare. I need to wake him.”

“No, Kathleen, wait—”

But I’d already leaned over the bed and grasped Blane’s shoulder.

“Blane, wake—”

Blane exploded upward, his fist flying toward me and catching me on the jaw. It was a glancing blow, but enough to send me hurtling backward. My head connected with the
wall, and I let out a startled cry of pain before collapsing to the floor.

“Oh my God, Kat!”

Blane leapt from the bed, fully awake now and at my side in an instant. “God, I’m so sorry. Are you all right?”

He helped me up to a sitting position, and my vision swam. I closed my eyes and cradled my aching head. My jaw throbbed and my whole body was shaking.

“Christ, I’m so sorry, Kathleen.” Blane touched my back as gently as if I were made of glass, which at the moment, I felt like I was.

“I’m okay,” I managed. “Just… get the phone. It’s Kade.”

I motioned to where the phone had fallen out of my grasp. I could hear the tinny sound of Kade’s voice, calling my name.

Blane grabbed the phone. “What?” he barked.

He listened for a moment.

“Yeah,” he said grimly to something Kade had asked, glancing guiltily at me, then away again. “No, I didn’t,” he gritted out. “No shit. I will. Listen, I’ll call you back, all right?”

Blane disappeared into the kitchen. I heard the sound of ice clattering.

Getting off the floor seemed like a good idea, so I eased my way onto the bed. I’d been hit before, but this had taken me by surprise. Even though it had been an accident, it was taking my emotions a bit longer to catch up with logic.