Page 210 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

‘I’m always sure.’

Kade believes it. He knows it.

If there’s a man alive on the planet who is the dictionary definition of sure, it’d be Lachlan Tanner.

He closes his eyes, swallows his nerves. ‘I love you.’

Kade can feel the way Lachlan’s breath leaves his body, locked in intimate space as they are.

‘Fuck.’

‘It’s OK?’

Lachlan nods, swallows loudly. ‘I love you too, sweetheart.’

A tiny smile forms.

He says it again.

‘Love you.’

Lachlan says it back every time and Kade is getting addicted to how it makes him feel, like pouring bottled pleasure over his bare skin. The more he says it, the more he loses common sense about necessary things that require his attention. It’s only Lachlan breaking the kiss, breathing fast and shallow, that prevents them from moving to the bed.

‘We have to go… do things,’ he says, holding himself back.

‘Yeah,’ Kade agrees, subtly not making any such move to do so. He stays where he is, petting and playing and keeping pressure against Lachlan’s lower half. ‘Do things. You’re right.’

The former bodyguard drops his head against Kade’s.

He laughs softly.

‘Fuck, you love making it hard, don’t you?’

‘You seem hard already,’ Kade whispers wickedly, stealing another kiss just to fuck with him, just to push and see what happens.

‘Baby.’

‘Bodyguard.’

‘We have to go talk to Silly. Jolene too, I guess.’

Kade sighs, lets Lachlan drop him. ‘Don’t call her that.’

‘What do you call her? Lee?’

‘Don’t call her that either. She’s still here then?’

‘She comes and goes.’

‘What about Riley?’

‘I imagine,’ Lachlan says, adjusting his dick under the borrowed trousers, ‘he’s entertaining his guests.’

Vasily Sorrenko as a guest.

Christ.

‘All right, let’s go.’