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Chapter Seven
Kade
I stripped off the mask, the hoodie, the Kevlar vest my sister had begged someone to fashion for me after I’d crossed paths with Antonio and his family for the first time, and then off came my shoes, socks, and t-shirt. The exertion from our jaunt through the worst neighborhoods in the city combined with the fear which radiated off Caitlyn’s body after those bullets hit the wall left me sweaty and drained. She had been terrified and it had scared me to the bones.
“If you keep pulling off clothes, then I’m out.”
“So, you don’t want to see me naked?” I cocked an eyebrow. “I’d have thought after how many times I’ve seen all your gorgeous parts that you’d want to equal the playing field.” It hadn’t been my intent to strip all the way down, but the way her eyes drank in my muscles, it made me wish it had been.
“We’ve got way more important matters to discuss.”
“I need a shower. You can follow me if you want, but I smell like smoke and worse things.” I unbuckled my belt and enjoyed the subtle shift of her eyes as I disrobed, and then strutted passed her to get to the bathroom. She liked the view, from the way her breath caught in her throat, but her internal commentary fell silent as I turned up the hallway and went to the shower.
I tested the water, removed the rest of my clothing and stepped through the curtain. I didn’t have time to hold her hand through every step of this mess. If she wanted answers faster than I was willing to provide them, she’d have to work around my schedule. I lathered my hair, hoping the minty scent removed the awful burning smell.
“Kade?
“Yeah?”
“I smell like the worst camp fire ever. I busted open my hands on a fence and my hair is a nightmare.”
Those things were true, but she left out the vital part of her reasoning. She didn’t want to be alone, because she was scared shitless. I let my head fall back on my shoulders until it hit the wall with a soft thud. I had looked forward to a few peaceful moments to myself, but if she wanted to be in here, then I’d allow it. I gathered my thoughts but I’d need more time in order to give her all the answers she sought. Leftover questions hung out from the first time we met, and I hadn’t addressed them. Others spiraled through her brain at full speed. One stray thought kept pounding against me like a sledgehammer. I don’t matter enough to be taken care of.
I hated whomever in her life shaped her into thinking that she didn’t matter. I refused to let such an amazing woman, one who by all means could have just flipped Sheila Delgado the middle finger the other night and gotten the hell out of Devil’s Park, the same woman who allowed herself to be strangely vulnerable around me, to think so poorly of herself. She had a strong moral code for someone who had no doubt been through a lot.
“Are you waiting for a singing telegram to invite you into the shower? Get in here, Caity-bug. Hurry up before the water gets cold.”
“Stop calling me that.” She jerked open the shower curtain and joined me.
“You like it, so stop pretending you don’t.” I slapped my hand against the fullest part of her ass. She squeaked. It was the most adorable and slightly undignified sound I’d ever heard, but it fit her perfectly. “Turn around.”
Caitlyn spun around as I’d asked, and I tipped her head back to wet her gorgeous blonde tresses. They hung down passed her waist in long golden strands and felt like silk in between my fingers. I shampooed her glorious mane as she stood there watching me with huge blue eyes. “What’s on your mind?”
“I don’t know you, and yet you take such good care of me. What’s that about?”
“We all need somebody, Cate. Why shouldn’t it be me?” She shut her eyes and allowed me to rinse out the suds. Repeating the process with the creamy coconut smelling conditioner, I caressed her scalp as I worked the mixture through her hair.
“It’s just that I didn’t ask for you to rescue me.” She exhaled slowly. “I appreciate what you did and all, but it’s hard to accept.”
“There is more at stake than just personal matters and I’ve got a lot riding on this. Will you accept that much of an explanation and let me handle everything else?”
“Yeah, Kade. I’ll do that.” Cate chewed on her bottom lip. She had something else on her mind, but I refused to pry. “Were you, uh, serious about being my Daddy? Not like in a kinky way.” A light blush flushed over her cheeks giving her a cute pink glow.
“Yes.” I dipped her head into the shower stream until the water ran clear, rinsing the last of the cream from her hair. Blinking open her eyes, she stared up at me those perfect blue pools, pupils widened from my confirmation. “There’s also nothing wrong with being a bit kinky, Caity-bug. Not one damn thing.”
“If you’re in that role, then are you going to punish me the way you mentioned or were you just teasing?”
“I was absolutely serious.” I kissed her softly. “Punishing you should make you think long and hard about doing something so reckless like running off again. You nearly got us both killed tonight. I won’t tolerate such behavior. Not now and not ever.”
“Fine,” she answered quickly. It was as if she wanted to get this discussion over with as fast as possible. “You know how strong I am, so what exactly are you going to do?”
“I’ve said this once before, Captain Muscles, so pay attention.” I quirked an eyebrow. “Physical strength has nothing to do with the sort of consequences I plan on exacting tonight. They will serve as a reminder for you to lay low in lieu of the threat you’re facing.”
“Right, right, I get it. The threats are real. The danger is real. Did you set fire to Joe’s restaurant? You never answered me dressed as Master Mind-reader.”
“Wow. I’ve gone from Daddy to Master and I haven’t even spanked you yet.”
“Not funny.” She scrunched her nose up at me and I tapped my pointer finger off the top of it.
