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But I didn’t let him go. I grabbed his shirt with both hands, fingers curling in the fabric. I pulled him back to me, his body colliding with mine. Before I could think better of it—and before Cade got his wits about him and pulled himself away from me again—I yanked his neck down and collided my mouth with his.
If Cade wouldn’t learn to share, this would serve as our goodbye kiss, and since the two others thought they could weasel their way out here to spy on us, they deserved to see a little something. Not that I was the kind of girl who enjoyed putting on a show, but I supposed there was a time and place for everything.
My lips melded to Cade’s, and I kissed him like I was saying goodbye. I knew better than to depend on there being a tomorrow, or a next meeting, another time. I knew good things in this world were hard to find and precious as hell, and once you had them, you fought for them. You didn’t let them just walk away without putting in your best effort.
But, at the same time, sometimes it was best to set them free, let the choice be up to them. And it would be up to Cade—after this kiss.
Because right now? I wanted to show off. I wanted to hold up a metaphorical middle finger to Zander and Luca by locking lips with Cade and sucking face.
Cade didn’t pull away, much to my surprise. He took a moment to start kissing me back, but when he finally did, it was like I was thrown back in time, to the second time I’d found myself in the Playground, wanting my dragon man, craving his firm touch and wicked words whispered into my ears.
The Black Dragon. An assassin. A hitman. Whatever you wanted to call him. Even if he chose to walk away from me, a part of him would always be mine.
It was a kiss that would’ve knocked me off my feet if I wasn’t busy holding onto the collar of Cade’s shirt for dear life, a kiss that rocked my world and shook my soul, and by the time our mouths parted, I had forgotten why I’d done it in the first place.
And then I heard Luca cough and I remembered.
I was slow to relax my grip on Cade’s collar, drawing my hands down his chest and feeling the muscles beneath his shirt. If I wasn’t mistaken, he got a little hard at that kiss—if the man claimed he didn’t want me simply because I was married, he was a liar.
“Oh, sorry,” I told Luca and Zander. “I didn’t see you there. Did you two say something?” Cade chuckled, and I couldn’t help but grin.
“Uh” was all Luca could say, while Zander bristled behind him, holding onto his drink so hard I thought the glass might shatter.
“Luca, you wouldn’t send anyone after Cade here, would you? I mean, he’s a hitman, so odds are anyone you send after him he’ll only end up killing,” I rattled off. “Cade here’s worried you might get jealous over me, but you wouldn’t, would you?”
I swore, you could cut the tension on that balcony with a knife. The tension, the animosity, the jealousy… all of it was thicker than anything I’d ever felt before. The testosterone alone was almost mind-boggling.
Again, all Luca said was an awkward “Uh,” meanwhile Zander rolled his eyes and muttered, “Yeah, yeah, we all know what’s going on between you two. Doesn’t mean you have to shove it in our faces, though.”
Luca got his wits about him, flicking his free hand back to Zander, saying, “Yeah, what he said.”
“Oh, are you two pals now? Friends with a common enemy?” I looked at Cade. “I think you’re fine. And besides, if they try anything with you, I think you can handle yourself.”
“I don’t appreciate being put on the spot,” Cade muttered, flicking his eyes off me and looking at the two others. “But I guess, as long as it’s you… it’s not too bad.” He smirked at me before walking away, pausing only when he stood between Zander and Luca. He set a hand on Luca’s shoulder, squeezing so tightly Luca winced. “If you do anything to hurt her…” He didn’t need to finish that threat.
Luca met his intimidating stare. “I wouldn’t.” Something unspoken passed between them, and Cade sluggishly released him. After one last glance in my direction, Cade left the balcony. After a moment, Luca muttered, “Wow. He’s just as charming as ever, isn’t he?”
Zander shook his head. “I still can’t believe you managed to connect with that asshole.”
“Hey,” Luca said, “you and I actually agree on that.” That statement got them chatty once again, this time about Cade and how he was so broody and standoffish, and I pretended to roll my eyes and act like they were ridiculous.
And they were ridiculous, of course, but I also couldn’t lie. It was kind of nice seeing them get along, even if it was only to commiserate about Cade.
The next day, Luca had to run some errands for his father. I offered to go, but Luca said they were business errands, probably meaning Rocco didn’t want me tagging along—which was fine. It gave me some time to catch up on listening in on my father, see if I could discover what else he and Rocco were trying to dig up on the Hand.
I started where Zander had left off, the app on my phone. I got a glass of water, kicked up my feet, and listened with the audio sped up so I could get through it faster. I slowed it down when I heard my father’s voice.
I didn’t have as many connections as my father, nor was I able to cut a huge check to pay someone off for information, so I had to find dirt on him the old-fashioned way, and honestly? The old-fashioned way kind of sucked.
Time passed slowly, and I was beginning to suspect my father never did much business in his home study anymore, but right as I was beginning to doubt, I heard his voice talking, and I slowed down the audio.
“—it’s not something he can deny,” my father was busy saying. “I already brought the information to the Palmers, and they want a paternity test done to prove it one way or another.” Ah, so he was talking about Nixon and Atticus, although I didn’t know who he was talking to. “He’s going to do it, because he has no other choice.” There was a pause, and it almost sounded like he was talking on the phone—which would be why I didn’t hear anyone else’s voice with him.
“The Palmers are putting the pressure on him,” my father went on. “I knew being old friends with them would pay off. They’d suspected it, but they were never able to make demands. The Hand is supposed to be equal, but for years now, Atticus has been acting like he’s running the whole thing.” Another pause. “That will change soon enough.”
My father went on to say more, something about Atticus having expected my father’s visit, and I wondered if my father suspected my involvement. As my mind wondered, something in the background made me freeze, and I paused the recording. And not something in the background of the audio; something in the suite.
That couldn’t be. I was alone, and I wasn’t expecting Luca home for a while yet. I didn’t think Rocco would come home until dinner time; that’s how his schedule had been ever since I’d moved in.
