Page 39 of These Deadly Dreams

He smiles and leans in to kiss me. “Anytime, love,” he mumbles against my lips.

When he tries to pull away, I stop him. I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my fingers in his hair, deepening the kiss. When I finally let him pull away, I stare into his eyes.

“I love you, Cade.” It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud. I’ve said it with my emotions, so Kai can pick up on it. I’ve said it to myself. But I’ve never voiced it aloud before.

His eyes shine and he shudders. Pushing me down to the mattress, he leans over me, brushing hair away from my face.

“Fuck, Ellis. I could listen to you say that for the rest of my life.”

He lowers his mouth to mine and kisses me. It’s deep but sweet. The tenderness steals my breath and leaves my head spinning. I slide my hands under his shirt and run my fingers up his back. From the first moment I met him, Cade has been able to calm the rising tides in me. It’s like he just gets me. He knows when I need someone to be gentle, or when I need an encouraging word.

“Fuuck,” Cade groans, breaking this kiss. His chest rises and falls rapidly, matching my own. “We have to stop.” Even as he says this, he kisses me more.

“Says who?” I’m breathless, but craving more. It’s never enough.

He leans up on his elbow, trailing his fingers over my cheek. “There really are important things we need to talk about.” His breath fans over my neck as he leans down.

I tilt my head to the side and let out a breathy sigh. “Can’t it wait?” This is so much more fun, and whatever we have to discuss will still be there when we’re done.

Cade groans again and runs his nose up my throat to my ear. “It really can’t.” He tugs my earlobe between his teeth and gently pulls. “One of us has to be responsible here.”

“It sure as hell won’t be me.” I emphasize my point by sliding my hand down his side and around to the front of his hips. Palming his hardness, I bite my lower lip and moan, knowing it will drive him wild.

“Dammit, Ellis.” With quick, jerky movements, he shoves off of me and takes a few steps away from the bed.

Sticking out my lower lip and widening my eyes, I pout, hoping it’s enough to change his mind. His erection pushes against his sweatpants, and I want to get my hands on him. He stays strong though.

Pointing a finger at me, he shakes his head. “Don’t look at me like that. It won’t work.” He runs his hands through his hair, mussing up the brown strands. “Go downstairs. Now. I’ll be down in a few.”

I sigh as he walks to the bathroom and closes the door, locking it behind him. Damn. I thought for sure that would work. The sound of the shower turning on followed by a not so manly yelp kind of makes it all worth it though. Serves him right. He started it anyway.

When I enter the living room, Kai looks up from his phone, wariness evident in every line of his body. He watches me closely as I walk toward him, muscles tense and gaze searching, like he’s preparing himself for battle. My shoulders slump as guilt weighs me down like a heavy blanket.

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly, situating myself on the couch so I’m facing him. “I haven’t been the nicest person to be around. Sometimes everything just kind of … gets to me. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you guys.”

“I knew I should have sent Cade up sooner,” Kai mumbles under his breath. He quickly continues when I narrow my gaze on him. “You know you can talk to us about anything. We’re here for you, baby girl. Always.” He tucks a curl behind my ear and kisses my forehead, making my stomach flutter at his gentleness.

I curl up next to him and rest my head on his shoulder. “Thank you, and I know. I’m just used to dealing with everything on my own.” A sense of peace settles over me as his arm circles my waist and tugs me closer.

It doesn’t last long. Frustration smothers the peace as Sterling walks through the front door. His steps falter when his gaze lands on me, but he quickly averts his eyes and steps to the side so Drew can enter. I can’t pull my attention from my mate, though. The connection between us grows taut, and I don’t know how he ignores it. The tugging in my stomach makes me want to throw myself at him. I clench my hands into fists and shove them against my belly, attempting to curb the desire. It doesn’t work. And through it all, Sterling looks as unphased and uncaring as ever.

Tension grows in my shoulders and a fire ignites in my veins, slowly burning away the frustration and turning it into anger. Why won’t he just listen to me? It’s not fair he gets to judge the reasons behind me wanting to accept the bond. He doesn’t get to make my decisions for me.

I’m opening my mouth to say something I’ll probably regret, when Cade walks down the stairs, distracting me. With his wet hair and the small shivers of his body, I can’t help but grin.

“You look a little cold there buddy,” Kai says, cracking a smile.

“Yeah, well,” Cade tosses a look in my direction, and growls, “She’s a fucking temptress.”

I give him my best sultry look, which to be honest, isn’t very sultry. With lowered lids and pouty lips, I wink. Apparently he agrees, because he busts out in laughter.

“Well, that certainly takes care of any lingering desire,” he says through his chortling. As he sits next to me on the couch, he ruffles my hair with his hand.

I flop back on the couch with my arms crossed over my chest. Jerk. Kai chuckles and elbows me playfully in the side. I give him some side-eye. Also a jerk.

Sterling clears his throat. “I asked Drew to come because I think he can help us get into Noah’s office.” With those words, reality crashes back around me. “We don’t have a lot of time. Noah is supposed to return in a few days. So we have to move quickly.”

“I’ve been hanging out by his office to monitor things, and I think I have it figured out.” He crosses his ankle over his knee, and settles into his chair. “His secretary leaves every day at 11:30 for lunch. She returns at 12:15. So that gives us a 45-minute window, which should be plenty of time to find the document.”

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