Ruthless Game

CHAPTER 20

The scent of flowers permeated the air. Rose inhaled deeply and turned her face up to Kane’s. His piercing gaze met hers, and her heart nearly stopped and then began to pound. Would it always be like this? Such an extraordinary, overwhelming love that shook her every time she looked at him?

“Do all brides feel like this on their wedding day?” she murmured, waiting for him to bend his head to hers. She couldn’t look at him without wanting to be kissed, and Kane always knew what she needed—or wanted. Even the boots she’d left behind in the store were now safely in her closet—a gift from him. He seemed to like giving her gifts. No one had ever done that before, and sometimes she didn’t quite know what to say or do when he presented her with another package or left something on their bed.

He didn’t disappoint her, his arm sliding around her waist, drawing her close to him, so she could take him deep into her lungs before his mouth touched hers. The familiar butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She would always— always—love kissing him. The world dropped away in spite of the noise of so many voices, so many conversations swirling around them. Three GhostWalker teams had come to help celebrate their day and to catch up with one another.

Kane had given this to her—this incredible wedding and a memory she never considered she would ever have. It wasn’t the white wedding dress right out of the magazine that Jaimie and Rhianna had found for her or the tuxedo on Kane that made him look like her very own handsome prince that meant so much. It was these people—her people—surrounding them, celebrating with them. They’d come from all over, filling the warehouse, the one Gideon and Paul and been renovating.

The warehouse had been transformed into a sparkling world filled with elegant chandeliers and ice sculptures, dazzling things seen only between the pages of a book but never experienced. The men were incredibly handsome, just like in the fairy tales, while the women, dressed in beautiful gowns, were breathtaking.

Kane pulled her into his arms as the music slowed into a sweet, dreamy rhythm so that she rested her cheek against his chest and let herself melt into him. They danced past the playpens where Jack and Briony Norton had placed their twin sons. The two boys, Jeremiah Ken and Noah Jack, followed the action with interested eyes, occasionally turning their heads toward each other as if in silent communication.

That was the strange thing, Rose decided, about the babies, the way they seemed so completely intent with each other, as if they were silently communicating. Daniel Ryland Miller, Ryland and Lily’s son, was there as well, a strong boy with his mother’s eyes and his father’s commanding features. Sebastian lay on his stomach watching the other babies soberly, and they all seemed to be very interested in one another.

“You don’t think, at their age, Kane, that the babies could already be telepathic and communicating with one another, do you?” Rose murmured speculatively against his chest.

At once, all four boys turned their heads toward her, as if they’d heard her, their eyes bright and interested. Her breath caught in her throat. “Kane, I think they can hear and understand me.”

He turned his head to study the expressions on each of the babies’ faces. Each of the boys was watching them intently. There was no doubt that they looked more intelligent than blank, but he didn’t know yet the developmental process with babies. He glanced at the mothers of each of the boys. Briony was whispering to her husband, Jack Norton, as Kane swept Rose past them. Both parents turned to look with that same speculation they were feeling at their twins and then at the other two boys. Ken and Mari Norton immediately followed their lead when they’d been cuddling together in a corner, which meant Jack or Briony had alerted them to the difference in the babies.

“It stands to reason that all of them would be strong telepaths, Rose,” Kane said gently, turning her hand against his heart.

His steps directed her easily around the dance floor, so that she felt as if she was floating. She felt like she could do anything when she was with him. The intricate steps were easy with his strong direction.

“Jack and Ken, as well as Ryland and I, are all natural telepaths. Briony and Mari probably are as well. Lily is. And you have talent as well.”

“Not strong,” she denied. “I can tap into your talent.”

“Nevertheless, it follows that our children are going to be very adept and strong in that area. Don’t be afraid for them, Rose. Everyone in this room will stand for those children. We’ll love them and guide them and provide everything they need to grow strong and healthy. They’ll know they’re loved. If anything, the very child Whitney was looking to create might be his downfall. They’re bound to inherit strong loyalty genes, to us and to one another.

The way our teams work will only reinforce that. All of us scored high in the protection area, so my guess is, so will they. This is going to work, Rose.”

Rose snuggled closer, nuzzling his throat, her heart contracting. The room was filled with so many GhostWalkers, it made her feel as if she wasn’t so different from normal. Her child would grow up with them, with all these men and woman who would understand if he—and the other children born—were strong telepaths.

“I’m so happy,” she murmured as they danced past Ryland and Lily.

Lily caught her whispered confession, and she nodded her head, flashing a beaming smile.

“You look so incredibly beautiful, Rose,” Kane said, pulling her closer. “I’ll never forget the way you looked walking toward me. I never thought that I’d have a woman like you in my life. It’s all there etched in my brain. And now, the way the light pours over your hair, the way all that silk shines, so black it’s nearly blue. The world disappears when I’m holding you.” He brushed a kiss over the top of her head.

“You make me feel like a princess, Kane,” she admitted. “In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined this moment.”

He stopped her in the shadows and found her mouth almost blindly, pouring his love into her. A tremor ran through her body. Love was such an overwhelming emotion. She could barely think straight when she was kissing Kane, so she gave it up, wrapping her arms around his neck and dragging him closer, giving herself to him.

He’d given her everything she could possibly want for her wedding day. The room was transformed into an amazing glittering world of laughter and camaraderie. There was definitely magic permeating the air, surrounding her. Each time he kissed her or smiled at her, her heart fluttered and her body reacted. Time slowed while they talked to the members of the various GhostWalker teams, as she renewed her acquaintances with the women she’d shared the first few years of her childhood with.

Tears of happiness and of memories turned to laughter, and all the while, Kane was there. His arm steadied her. His smile made her feel as if her entire world was right. His strength steadied her. She looked up at his face, so familiar now. So loved. Every line. Every expression. Those vivid green eyes. She could look at him forever and never tire of it.

“Javier said word filtered down that Lopez was canceling the contract on you, that it was a mistake, but we’re still alert for any news,” Kane informed her.

“That’s what Jaimie said. No chatter on me, which is a good thing.”

The good thing was really standing in front of her. How different her life was now. Why had she ever thought she might be exchanging one prison for another? She reached for him, suddenly aching inside. His arms tightened, and once more, they were circling the dance floor, only this time, the heat of his body encompassed her until she could hear his heart hammering beneath her ear. She felt his hands glide down her back to her hips, pulling her closer so that his heavy erection ground into her telling need.

It didn’t take much contact between them to ignite a fire. He bent his head, nuzzling her neck and then teasing with small licks that turned almost abruptly into desperate nips. Each stinging bite sent an electrical current rushing through her veins. Her womb contracted as she shivered beneath the assault of his tongue and teeth. Hidden in the shadows, she suddenly wished they were alone. She needed her husband desperately.

The fairy-tale world dropped away. The music. The dancing. The murmur of conversations. All the good-looking men and women who had come from great distances to celebrate with them. Everything disappeared until she was alone with Kane—her Kane. Solid. Real. A man—a soldier—the one person in the world she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The man who set her blood on fire and could bring her more pleasure than anything she could have imagined.

“Do you think we could slip away? I could change my clothes,” she suggested.

His eyes blazed down at her, going dark. Going hungry. So Kane. For an answer, he practically dragged her over to Jaimie. “Rose is going to change,” he informed her. “Can you keep an eye on Sebastian until we get back?”

Mack snorted. “Change? You haven’t even cut the cake.”

“We cut the cake when you and Jaimie had a sudden need to visit the stairwell,” Kane retorted.

Rose and Jaimie burst out laughing. Mack shrugged. “Well then, go change.”

Kane didn’t waste time, his gaze hot as he caught Rose’s wrist and nearly ran with her in a most undignified manner for the princess and prince, exiting their own wedding.

They barely made it inside the doorway of their home before Kane’s mouth took hers, his body pressing hers against the wall. He devoured her, a starving man bent on survival, his tongue stroking, demanding, caressing until she was breathless and so needy the dress she was wearing hurt her skin.

“Get it off,” she pleaded. “Take it off me.”

Kane’s hands were sure on the small pearl buttons in spite of his labored breathing. He would have been a lot faster, but Rose couldn’t help that she kept reaching behind her to stroke over the heavy bulge in his very elegant tuxedo trousers. She was nearly sobbing with need when he dropped the dress to the floor and she stepped out of it. She wore only a lace bra with low-cut cups, so that her nipples were readily available. A lace thong and garters and high heels had him groaning, falling to his knees, and stripping her panties away.

She cried out, her hands going to his shoulders to steady herself as he pulled her thighs apart and plunged his tongue deep. Her entire body shuddered, went up in flames, and she nearly orgasmed right there. He ate her like candy, his desperate, greedy sounds only arousing her more. She was nearly sobbing, nails digging into him, trying to get through the immaculate shirt to his skin below.

The sounds he was making, hot, needy, groaning with pleasure as he savored her feminine cream, all that spicy honey spilling into his mouth, had her knees going weak. She had to clutch him tightly as his tongue and teeth teased her clit and his fingers thrust inside her, stretching, invading, demanding. She couldn’t stop thrusting against his mouth, holding his head to her spread thighs, the white lace silk sliding over his face as he licked and stroked until her stomach muscles bunched and her nipples hardened into impossible peaks.

“Kane, please.” She felt desperate, so hungry for his body she would have done anything.

He bit down gently on her most sensitive bud, thrusting deep with his fingers, his tongue circling, and she felt herself flying apart, rocketing. She screamed, and she couldn’t remember ever doing such a thing, but she couldn’t stop the sound. His arms slipped up her hips, around her waist, holding her to keep her from falling, lowering her to the unyielding floor.

He rose above her, stripping fast, nearly ripping the buttons off his shirt, not nearly as gentle with himself as he’d been with her, answering her long-ago worry that a husband might not find his wife who had recently given birth wildly attractive.

Kane managed to rip off his clothes in record time, feeling almost desperate to be inside her. He felt like he’d waited a lifetime for this moment—much like he did every single time he took her, which was as often as he could. He dragged her very sexy, silk-clad legs around him, lifting them over his arms so that he could use leverage, and drove deep into her pulsing center.

The feeling was exquisite. Hot, living silk grasping him, clasping tightly, stroking and caressing him. Each time he entered her, he was shocked at the need building so fast in him. He wanted hours inside that tight haven. Dark lust crossed his face, made his fingers flex once right before he began plunging into her over and over, hard and fast, a desperate man. Her breathy cries incited him, her dazed, sexy look, the spill of her breasts over the demi-cups excited him all the more. No one was more sexy to him—no one ever would be.

Sensations tore through him with each hard stroke. He tried to keep her still, pinning her hips, feeling her muscles tighten around him, sending streaks of fire rushing from his groin throughout his body. He groaned, trying to tell her, trying to stop her. He needed more time with her. Always more time. Her keening cries only fed his arousal, sending him careening out of control.

Rose dug her nails into Kane’s back. His cock felt like steel driving through her scalding velvet folds. She could barely catch her breath, barely hang on as the room around her spun away and there was only his body pounding into hers, sending fire racing through her, into her veins, into her belly, streaking down her legs so that she locked her ankles, high heels and all, behind his back, rocking with him, thrusting up to meet each surge.

She had no warning, no tightening of her body, only the sudden ripping through of a wild rogue wave, high and long, taking her tumbling over the edge of a cliff, her body spiraling out of control. She couldn’t scream, couldn’t find breath, could only hang on while she shattered beneath him.

Kane felt her body clamp down like a vise on his, milking and grasping, the friction sending him plummeting, free-falling, while his body burned and his heart raced. She consumed him. Burned him clean. Took him somewhere he couldn’t reach on his own or with any other woman. He collapsed over the top of her. Rose. His miracle.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he whispered. An admission. A confession. The raw truth.

She put her arms around him, holding him to her. “I love you more than you could possibly know.”

He smiled, satisfied, not moving, his body locked with hers, his weight holding her there on the floor, his arms keeping her spread open, their hearts pounding in rhythm. When he managed to bring his ragged breathing under some semblance of control, he pushed her bra away from her breasts, bending his head to suckle there. He teased her nipple, laving and drawing that hard peak into the hot depths of his mouth. She gasped, her body writhing under his assault, her sheath clamping down hard as more ripples spread through her.

He lifted his head and grinned at her. “We don’t really have to go back to the party, do we? Because I’d love to just feast on your body all night.”

Rose stared up at his face with stars in her eyes. Her arms went around his neck, drawing his head back down to her flushed breasts. “Feast away, Kane. I’ll never have enough of you, and after all, this is our night.”

One thing about Kane—he never did anything by halves.