It was still dark outside, but they’d fallen asleep with the lamp on, and he could
see her clearly in its soft light. The sheet had settled around her waist, and her
breasts tempted him. They were full and high, the nipples a deep rose color and so
soft. Kade shifted so that he could lean closer to the peaks. He kissed one and smiled
as it grew taut beneath his lips.
“Mmmm,” she murmured, and stirred.
He traced his tongue around the base of her hardened nub, then captured it in his
mouth, gently nipping it. While he seduced her nipple, he watched her face.
Her eyes opened a slit and she smiled. “What a wonderful way to wake up.” She stretched,
then slid her hands into his hair, holding him close to her breast.
“Good morning, darlin’.” He moved to her other nipple, gently raking his teeth over
it. She gasped and arched her back. “I’m hungry. How ‘bout you?” He scooted down,
his tongue trailing to the hollow at her navel. He savored the taste of the salt on
her skin, the smell of their sex.
“I—Yes,” she moaned as his lips neared the fine curls between her thighs.
Kade wanted to slide into her velvet softness but fought for control. The thought
of pleasuring Kelsey again filled him with intense desire. He watched her face as
his tongue found her folds and he reveled in her soft moans. When his tongue met her
clit, she covered her mouth with her arm, obviously holding back a cry.
He thrust two fingers inside her while he licked and sucked her pussy. She squirmed
and bucked her hips against his face. He drove her toward completion until she finally
shuddered long and hard before her body relaxed.
With a smile he moved up and braced himself over her. He watched her face, wanting
to see the wildness in her eyes. She slid her hand between their bodies and grabbed
his cock.
In a fast movement he flipped her onto her belly and Kelsey gasped. “Kade.”
He positioned a pillow beneath her hips, raising her up so that he could penetrate
her more deeply from behind. He paused to sheathe his erection with a condom. “God,
you’re beautiful,” he whispered as he slid inside her.
Kade loved the way her ass looked and the feel of her soft flesh beneath his palms.
He watched his cock moving in and out of her and he reveled in the soft cries she
made against the bedsheets.
She fit perfectly. Everything about her did. She raised her hips back to meet him
as he drove into her, the silky heat surrounding him. He plunged in and out, harder
and faster than he had last night, and she took his every thrust.
Her body began to tremble and then she gave a broken cry and he felt her pulsating
release gripping and releasing his cock over and over. Kade arched his back and pressed
his hips tight to Kelsey’s as searing pleasure shattered him to the center of his
being.
When the sky lightened, Kade awoke again and stroked a strand of hair from Kelsey’s
face.
“I’ve got to get ready for work.” He kissed the curve of her smile, breathing in her
vibrant scent. “Have breakfast with me.”
“Mmmm.” She nuzzled his neck. “Too bad you can’t play hooky.”
“You tempt me.” He laughed softly. “I work today and tomorrow, and then I’m off for
the next two days. So don’t make any plans that don’t include me, all right?”
She kissed his ear and whispered, “Okay.”
The doorknob rattled, and then a knock interrupted the morning quiet. Kelsey bolted
upright, clutching the sheet to her chest, her eyes wide.
“Kelsey. Is Dad in there?” Trent’s muffled voice came through the door. “He’s not
in his room and I can’t find him in the house. His bed’s already made up, too.”
“Ah—” She bit her lip, a panicked look on her face.
Kade caressed her shoulder. “I’ll be out in a minute, Trent. Kelsey and I are talking.”
“How come the door’s locked?”
“Never mind. Go eat breakfast and I’ll be there after I take a shower.”
“Okay, Dad.”
Kelsey fell back on her pillow and covered her head with the sheet. “Oh, my God. What
were we thinking?”
Kade traced her features through the cloth, and kissed her nose. “It’s okay. As far
as Trent knows, we’re just talking. He’s only nine.” He peeled the sheet away from
her face and kissed her lips. “Come on and get up.”
“What about Sadie and Chuck?” She looked so worried that Kade had to struggle to hold
back a smile.
“We’re two consenting adults. Besides, Mom and Chuck like you.”
Kelsey groaned. “I can’t believe I did this. In their home.”
Kade kissed her soundly. “It’s my home, too. Don’t regret what we shared last night.
It was too special.”
She smiled, the warmth coming back into her chocolate eyes. “You’re right. It was
wonderful. Incredible.”
“Good.” He sprinkled kisses over her face, eyes, and nose. “Now get up. I’ve gotta
take a quick shower.”
He grabbed his robe from where it had landed the night before and slipped into it.
After he made sure the hallway was clear of nine-year-olds, he dodged into the bathroom.
Just thinking about Kelsey and her passionate lovemaking made Kade’s cock hard all
over again. With a curse, he switched the water from warm to cold.
When he finished showering, he ducked into his room and pulled on jeans, his bulletproof
vest, a T-shirt, and then a button-up shirt over that. As he headed to the kitchen,
Kelsey came out of her room wearing shorts and a blouse, her hair back in a French
braid.
“Ready to face the cavalry?” he asked.
She attempted a smile. “I think so,” she murmured.
He kissed her, then followed her into the dining room, letting her get there a little
ahead of him. He didn’t care if Chuck and Sadie knew he and Kelsey were together,
but he knew that she needed to get adjusted to it.
Kelsey slipped into a chair and scooted up to the table. “Looks like a gorgeous day
out.”
“Well don’t you look fine,” Chuck said as he put orange marmalade on a biscuit.
“Thanks.” Kelsey smiled as she reached for a biscuit and started to butter it.
Sadie speared a sausage. “Did you get a good night’s rest in spite of Trent being
sick?”
Kelsey nodded, her eyes avoiding Kade’s.
“ ‘Morning.” Kade ruffled his son’s hair, then slid into the chair next to Kelsey
and pressed his knee close to hers. “Feeling better, Trent?”
“Yeah. I could eat ten eggs.” Trent grinned at his dad. “Hey, how come you were in
Kelsey’s room this morning? Did you sleep in there? What were you guys talking about?”
Kelsey dropped the butter knife, and it clattered on her plate. She blushed a deep
pink and Kade had to hold back a grin.
“We were just talking.” He turned to Sadie. “Please pass the sausage links, Mom.”
Sadie raised her brows and glanced from Kade to Kelsey, who was intent on ladling
scrambled eggs onto her plate. Sadie passed the platter of sausages to Kade, and he
could see that she was trying to hide a smile.
“Well then.” Chuck reached for the gravy. “Let’s have us some breakfast.”
Kelsey was mortified. Her palms tingled and her face flushed so hot she felt as if
her cheeks were sunburned. As wonderful as the scrambled eggs, sausages, and biscuits
smelled, the food tasted like rubber and sawdust.
But the night had been so wonderful. She blushed again at the turn of her thoughts,
and avoided looking at anyone.
Trent’s chatter rolled over her like the sound of a June bug buzzing on a summer day.
He jabbered on as if he’d never been sick, telling anyone who’d listen about his plans
for taming the new calf in the barn and starting a rock collection.
Kade squeezed Kelsey’s knee beneath the table, and she almost jumped out of her skin.
A slow burn invaded her belly when she looked at him. He was so sexy. And she had
seen every charming inch of him. The thought of their passion sent another wave of
heat over her skin.
He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “Don’t be embarrassed, and don’t regret
anything. You’re too special. We’re too special together. All right?”
She nodded, unable to speak, feeling like a lump the size of a baseball had lodged
in her throat.
“I’ve got to get to work.” He grabbed his plate and headed to the kitchen. “Great
breakfast, Mom.”
As Kade drove to work, his thoughts remained on last night and making love to Kelsey.
It was better than he’d imagined. The woman was so warm and sensual. He wasn’t sure
he would be able to get his mind off her and onto his job.
When he arrived at the Border Patrol station, he forced himself to get a grip on his
thoughts and get them back on the problems at hand. He had to track down Gordo and
El Torero and he needed his usual single-minded focus to accomplish it.
Kade walked into the station and found a message from the Herald reporter, Gerald
Spitz, waiting for him.
Maybe the worm had a conscience after all.
Kade sat at his desk and dialed the number.
“Spitz,” a voice answered.
Kade grabbed a notepad and pen. “Owen here, returning your call.”
A pause. “Can you meet me at Mario’s at noon, Agent Owen?”
Kade set the pen on the desk. “I’ll be there.”
The line went dead. Real sociable guy. Probably killed Spitz to make the decision
to talk to him.
Kade arrived at Mario’s early to make sure he could snag a good booth and grab a bite
to eat. The lunchtime boozer crowd was there, the air so thick with cigarette smoke
it was like walking into a giant ashtray. The corner booth where he’d met with Jorge
Juarez was open, and Kade eased into it, facing the door, and waited for Spitz.
His skin crawled at his nape, and he knew someone was watching him from the back room.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Mari, the waitress. Her full lips were painted
in shimmering red. The color matched her low-cut dress that looked as if she’d been
poured into it then tossed in a dryer for good measure.
She slunk up to Kade on spiked heels that must’ve been a good four inches high. “Have
you come back to see me?” She leaned forward and her hair swept across his arm, her
breasts almost spilling from her dress.
He forced a tight smile. “I’ll have a plate of nachos supremos, and iced tea.”
“Is that all?” She traced her red-tipped fingernail along his bicep.
Kade gave a slight nod. “That’ll do it.”
Mari gave a seductive pout and walked away with swaying hips.
He had little patience for women like Mari, but in his line of work, she could eventually
make a good contact. That is if a man didn’t have to sleep with her to get information.
Within a few minutes, Mari brought Kade the nachos and tea. She slipped her arm around
his shoulders, her gold bangles scraping his neck, and probably would’ve slid onto
his lap if the bartender hadn’t called her away. Cheap perfume hung in the air along
with the smell of sour beer. Wood-bladed fans spun overhead, but about all the good
that did was recirculate the stench of sweat and smoke.
The nachos were tasty, and Kade had munched down half the platter by the time Spitz
walked through the front door. The reporter strode to the bar and ordered, then looked
around like a man checking to see if there was anyone he knew. He nodded to a couple
of guys, then spotted Kade. With a beer in one hand, Spitz sauntered to Kade’s table.
“Owen.”
“Spitz. What’s up?”
Mari brushed by Spitz, and he said loud enough for her to hear, “If you ever want
to spill your guts, give me a call.” He flipped a business card on the table and walked
back to the bar. Kade heard Spitz order another beer and ask the bartender to turn
on the Arizona Diamondbacks’ game.
The side of the card facing up had Spitz’s name and office information. Kade didn’t
bother to turn it over. He left the card where the reporter had dropped it, and finished
eating his lunch.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mari serving a patron on the other side of the
bar, her gold bracelets glinting in the artificial light. When Kade stood, he dropped
a ten on the table, slipped Spitz’s card into his pocket, and walked out the front
door.
The sky was hazy bright, like the morning after a good rain, but clouds were building
over the mountains. They’d be getting a good storm that night, no doubt. He slid into
the driver’s seat and started his truck, then pulled Spitz’s card out of his pocket
and flipped it over. PEDRO RIOS, 123 AVENUE A was written in sharp black letters.
Kade radioed the station on a secure channel and informed his ASAC—Assistant Agent
in Charge—that he had a lead, and gave the name and location. Then he put the truck
into gear and drove to the address Spitz had given him.
Weeds and refuse choked the front yard of the small house. The blue paint, likely
vivid at one time, was now bleached ghostly pale and crackled like a parched riverbed.
Like most homes in the border town, iron scrollwork barred the windows.
The rusted gate creaked as Kade swung it open. As he walked up the concrete steps,
he saw the door standing open about an inch. His gut clenched. He glanced up and down
the street and pulled out his Clock, shielding it. No cars were parked in front of
the house or the houses next door. The street was empty of people.
As soon as Kade crept up to the door, he smelled it. The heavy miasma of decomposing
flesh.
Bile rose. He leaned back, his head against the house, fighting to keep his stomach
from heaving up the nachos.
A rhythmic whoosh-whoosh-whoosh echoed from inside the house. With his Clock in his
right hand, Kade eased the door open with his left.
No sign of anyone inside.
He knocked. “Police,” he said, the universal word for law enforcement.
No answer. Not that he expected any.
Kade pushed the door wider with his boot, but remained out of sight. When nothing
moved and he heard no sound but the whooshing noise, he held his Glock in front of
him and rounded the corner.