Dare to Kiss (The Maxwell Series Book 1) (26 page)

“Mandy had gone for a ride one Sunday,” Kody said. “It was spring. The weather was warm. It was the first time since fall that she could take her bike out for a spin. We were going to meet up for dinner that night. Anyway, she was on the back roads in Lancaster, where she could open up and ride. She loved the freedom and adrenaline rush.” He trailed off for a second before blinking. “Anyway, she pulled off at a gas station to get a drink and called me. Told me she might be late. When we were talking, Sullivan pulled into the same gas station. I told her to ignore him and get on the road. That was the last time I talked to her.” His voice broke as he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes.

Pain crawled up my chest.
Breathe in. Breathe out.

Kade angled his body so he was facing me. “The cops ruled Mandy’s death an accident. Skid marks showed she was going fast. The fact that she saw Sullivan at the same gas station that day, to us, is suspicious.” He placed a hand on my thigh.

“Bottom line.” Kross stood, sauntered up next to Kelton. “Baseball is Aaron’s life, and he’ll do anything to make sure no one takes the spotlight away. He hated when Mandy got all the attention from the kids at school and the local newspaper. Greg, even though he goes to another school now, wants revenge. And he won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”

“And what does he want?” I swung my gaze to Kade. “You in jail? Someone dies? Or they beat Kody again?” I worried my bottom lip.

Kody harrumphed.

“You told me why Greg hates all of you,” I said to Kade. “I understand jealousy and competing, but to beat Kody like he did… Is there another reason?” I used to get envious of the girls I’d compete against for a spot on the local softball team I’d tried out for in the summertime. But my envy only drove me to work harder, not hate someone so much I’d hurt them.

“Tell her, Kade,” Kelton said. “She already knows about Mom.”

Kade ran a hand through his hair. “Our mom was grocery shopping one day and had one of her episodes. She was grabbing jars of food off the shelves and throwing them on the floor. A lady who was in the same aisle that day tried to help her.”

“Greg’s mom,” I guessed.

“That’s right. When Greg found out, he began spreading rumors about how crazy our family was. I couldn’t tolerate the rumors. Not about my mom. So I walked into his last period class one day, yanked him out of his seat, and threw him against the wall. Before the teacher pulled me off him, I’d broken his arm.” His jaw clenched.

“Is that when you went to jail?” I took hold of his hand.

“No. I got suspended from school for that incident. The first time I landed in jail was when Sullivan and his buddies beat Kody. His father pressed charges when I broke his other arm.”

Oh, my God. How many times had Kade been arrested
? I wasn’t one to judge. I certainly had my own demons that got me suspended. Still, jail was different—permanent, depending on the infraction or the state. California had the three-strike rule. After the third crime, the penalties were more severe. “Becca made it sound like Greg had been on his deathbed.”

“He was, but not from a broken arm. After Mandy’s funeral, we confronted Greg. Since he was at the gas station we wanted to find out if he saw anything.” Kade glanced around. “He’d said he wasn’t anywhere near the gas station that day.”

“I put him in a coma,” Kody stated proudly.

I should’ve gasped or screamed or run. But I couldn’t—my own family had been murdered, and I couldn’t say I wouldn’t hurt the creeps responsible if I had the chance. Still, I couldn’t tell if they were trying to tell me my life was in danger from Greg. Nothing they told me confirmed Greg had had anything to do with Mandy’s death. The only thing he was guilty of, with me, was taking a picture of Kade and me kissing, then shoving it in my face. The cops had even confirmed Mandy was going fast. Kody did say she loved to ride the back roads. There were tons of possible scenarios to cause her to crash.

“Are you okay?” Kade squeezed my hand.

“How many times have you been arrested?” I skimmed my gaze over his face.

“Twice. The second time was when Sullivan landed in a coma.” His voice lacked remorse, yet regret shone in his eyes.

“I thought Kody did that to him.”

“I would do anything to protect my brothers. I took—”

“Kade wasn’t there,” Kross said.

Kade mumbled something under his breath as my head jerked to Kross.

“Kody and I beat the crap out of Sullivan.” He lifted a muscular shoulder. “Sorry, bro. We’re not lying to your girl.”

“Why did you let him take the blame?” My voice squeaked.

“We didn’t get a choice. Sullivan told the cops it was Kade,” Kelton said, arching his brows.

My mind reeled from all this information. Kade didn’t beat Greg into a coma. Kade took the rap for his brothers. Kade protected those he loved. Kade had inner demons like me. Kade loved me even with mine. “Promise me again you won’t go after Greg. If something happened to you…I…” His kiss gave me hope. His touch gave me strength. My heart beat faster when he walked into a room, when I thought of him, when I inhaled his scent. I wouldn’t know what I’d do without him.

“What are you saying, baby?” His eyes searched mine.

I knew I didn’t want to see anyone hurt, especially him. “Promise,” I said again.

“Lace, I’m not going to hunt him down. But if he does anything to you or them, I won’t sit idle.”

I gave him a long blink of my lashes. I couldn’t get excited. I’d only stopped the forward motion of revenge for now. Oh, Greg and Kade would meet in battle eventually. Maybe not in the next day, or the next week, or even the next month. How did I know? The hatred in his eyes whenever he mentioned Greg’s name. “Take me home, please,” I said to Kade. I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep.

Kade stood. “Kross, Kel, why don’t you guys get on the road? I’ll check on the paperwork.”

As I was learning, when Kade spoke, people listened, particularly his brothers. Kelton and Kross said their goodbyes, and Kade, Kross and Kelton left.

I traded one bed for the other. “I’m sorry about Mandy,” I said as I sat down on Kody’s bed, tucking one leg under me while the other hung off the edge.

“I did love her.” His voice was despondent. “She was my world.”

Two beats of silence pounded between us.

“My brother is head over heels for you. You know that?” Kody said.

“I do.” And I was slowly realizing my heart and all of me belonged to Kade.

“I love my brother, Lacey. He deserves the best. I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but please make sure you’re honest with him. He’s been through hell, taking care of my mom and us. And he hasn’t let himself feel since my sister died, until you.”

I knew the pain associated with death all too well. Maybe on some cosmic level, our pain drew us together. Maybe fate’s plan was for both Kade and me to feed off each other so we would both heal.

Chapter 18

S
torm clouds floated above us, dark and ominous. The smell of dirt, grass, and rain hung in the air. Kade and I sat behind second base, staring at each other. No words were exchanged. We weren’t even touching. Suddenly, the sky opened up and large quarter-size drops of rain pelted down. Thunder boomed and lightning cracked. Still, we didn’t move. Each jagged strike came threateningly close to us. When I reached out to touch Kade, a thousand bolts of electricity hit my hand. Sharp, prickly pain radiated up my arm. Now I was kneeling on the kitchen floor, brushing the black hair of a young girl who I’d never seen before.

The creak of the stairs grew louder as the unknown girl slowly faded.

“Lacey.” Mary’s voice drifted around me. “Are you awake?”

I stretched my arms then rubbed my eyes before opening them. Coupled with the dream and what I’d learned last night at the hospital, a foggy feeling hung over me like a black veil.

“Happy Birthday.” Mary bounced in bright-eyed and all excited with flowers in her hand.

Sitting up, I removed the scrunchie that was snarling my hair. “Are those for me?”

“Of course.” She set them down on my bed before opening the shutters. The sunlight spilled in. “They were just delivered from the florist.”

Snatching the envelope from the bow, I removed the card.

The dark red rose is for your unconscious beauty. The lavender rose signifies how you enchant me. The coral rose is a testament of my desire for all of you. Happy Birthday. See you tonight. XO Kade.

“Well?” Mary asked. “Are they from Kade?” She sat on the edge of the bed. “They’re beautiful. Is there a meaning behind the different colors?”

I shared a lot with Mary, but not this time. The message was too intimate. “I guess I’m going out with him tonight. I thought me, you and Dad would do dinner,” I said. Then I remembered Becca and I planned on hanging out, just us girls. I’d forgotten all about my birthday.

“Well, Kade called this morning to ask if he could steal you. So, instead, your Dad and I would like to take you to lunch.”

“Oh.” I was a little suspicious. Kade and I had spent time together the previous night at his funhouse, where he’d given me the polar bear for my birthday. He’d even thought Dad and Mary would want to spend time with me on my birthday. Was Kade up to something? Or was Mary up to something? “You know I don’t like people to make a fuss over my birthday.”

“Don’t let one birthday and one person ruin all your birthdays. Brad was a jerk.”

On my sixteenth birthday, Mom had planned a big surprise bash at the country club we’d belonged to. Brad was scheduled to pick me up that night. We were going to go to dinner. Then he was supposed to take me to the country club. Only, he never showed. I called and called him. He never answered. I was in tears. Mom had been furious with Brad. I ended up driving myself over to the club. But it was the worst night. While everyone was having a good time, I was angry, sad, and completely humiliated.

“It’s almost eleven. We’ll leave in an hour.”

“It is?” I didn’t have a clock in my room. I used my phone for time and alarms.
Why was I surprised?
After four worrisome hours of processing information, I’d finally fallen asleep around four a.m. “Where’s Dad?”

“In the garage, tinkering with his car. Why don’t you get dressed?” She left me to get ready.

I crawled out of bed and into the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror, examining myself. Red blended with the green of my eyes. My long brown hair seemed to have grown since we moved here—it now fell down over my breasts, and my hair looked darker. Maybe from the lack of the California sunshine. Now that I was eighteen, I’d thought I would look different. But I didn’t. With the exception of the lump on my forehead, which was barely visible now, my skin didn’t have any wrinkles. I smiled, thinking about my mom. On her birthday Dad would say the same thing to her every time.

“Honey,” he’d said, “your beauty will always keep you young.”

God, I missed her
. She would always pamper Julie and me on our birthdays, by taking us to the spa at the country club. I chuckled as I pinned up my hair. Dad and I traded a country club for a gun club. Well, I wouldn’t be lying on a table with a masseuse kneading my muscles today. However, a bubble bath sounded enticing. I had time. So, I filled the tub, and squirted some kiwi bubble bath into the water. Swiping a towel from the wicker shelf adjacent to the tub, I placed the folded towel on the tiled edge surrounding it. While I waited, I brushed my teeth. After rinsing out my mouth, I shed my pajamas, then sent Kade a text message.

OMG! Beautiful Roses. Thank you.

I placed my phone next to the towel then climbed in. Turning off the faucet, I eased down into the warm bubbles. This wasn’t the spa, but the prickly heat of the water and the fruity aroma massaged my body and my senses.

Call Me Maybe
blared from my phone. I wiped my hands on the towel, picked up the phone then tapped the screen.

“Hello.”

“Happy Birthday, baby,” Kade’s sexy voice tickled my ear, sending a warm feeling down through my belly.

“Thank you. The roses are beautiful, and are you some sort of poet?”

“You bring out a different side of me.” Keys jangled in the background.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“I’m just leaving the house. I’m meeting Hunt for lunch. So, you okay after last night?”

“
Me
? How’s Kody?” I might be on mental overload with everything they told me, but I wasn’t in physical pain.

“Sore. Let’s not talk about him. I want you to enjoy your special day. So what’re you doing?”

“Um…taking a bubble bath.”
Wishing you were here with me
.

Silence.

I checked the phone to see if he’d hung up or if we lost the connection. “Kade, are you still there?”

“Sorry, I had to run back into the house and jump under a cold shower for a minute.”

“What would you do if you were here?”
Whoa! Did I just ask him that
? Heat stung my cheeks.

He growled. “Lace.”

The way he said my name, husky and dark, made my nipples hard. “Tell me, Kade,” I said in a low voice, which didn’t sound like me.
Bold much?

“God, baby. You’re killing me here.”

“Please,” I said in a pouty voice. “I’m…” A throbbing began between my legs. I imagined him sitting behind me, my back to his front, flesh against flesh. His lips on my neck, tracing a sensuous path to my ear, nipping. I shivered. With his arms around me, one hand roamed intimately over my breast, teasing. My nipples firmed. The other disappeared below the bubbles. Anticipation made me squirm as I imagined his magical fingers blazing a lust-arousing path downward. “I need to feel you.”

“Fuck,” he groaned, breathing heavily. “I’ll pick you up at seven. Then I’ll show you.” Pain saturated his tone.

“Promise?” The throbbing sensation pulsed out of control. Waiting was going to prove difficult today.

“More than promise. See you tonight.” The phone went dead.

I giggled.
Where was Lacey Robinson?
I’d never acted like that before
.
I didn’t feel embarrassed. If anything, I was enlivened. Like a cat waking from a yearlong slumber.

I’d called Becca on our way to lunch. She had to help her dad at the Cave that night, so I didn’t feel bad about postponing our girls’ night out. Lunch with Mary and Dad had been eye opening. We ate at a small restaurant in town, Wiley’s Bar and Grill. I’d learned Mary had eaten lunch here a few times since she’d met Mr. Wiley at the farmer’s market. I’d also come to the conclusion that Mr. Wiley—sharp angular jaw and piercing green eyes—was attracted to Mary. Maybe it was the soft peck on her cheek. Or the intimate embrace between them. I had never before seen her with a man. I was happy for her. I’d wanted to talk to her more about her new friend, but Dad had been with us.

When we returned from lunch, I lounged in my room, listening to music until it was time to get ready for my date with Kade.

“Sweet Pea, you look great.” Dad lifted his gaze as I walked into his study. He sat on the couch reading through a file.

“Thanks.” Kade liked the thigh-high boots, so I wore those with black skinny jeans and a pink blouse with a sweetheart neckline. “Kade should be here soon.”

“Have a great time.” The bruise under his left eye had turned a yellowish color.

“Thank you, Dad.” I leaned down and kissed him on the head.

“Sweet Pea, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

A horn blew outside.

Once I had everything, I flew out the door and hopped in Kade’s truck. As soon as our eyes met, my heart jolted. His honey-brown hair curled around his ears, the glow of the dashboard lights highlighting his strong jaw, and his kiss-me lips were stretched into a grin, showing me those dimples I so loved.

“What’s wrong?” Kade asked. “Did you forget something?”

“Nah. It’s nothing.”

He leaned over and captured my lips in his—warm, wet, and minty. When he had his fill, he backed out of the driveway with a smug grin on his face. “So, I thought we would stop and grab a bite to eat. Afterwards, do you want to go to the Cave?”

I shrugged a shoulder. I wasn’t hungry, and I wanted to continue our conversation from earlier. “Weren’t you going to show me something?” I asked coyly.

“You’re going to kill me before I even get out of your driveway.” He released a breath. “Let’s eat first. I need some energy.” His voice was gruff as he squirmed in his seat.

I smiled. We drove into town, and Kade parked in front of Wiley’s Bar and Grill.

“We’re eating here?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Yeah, why? You don’t like this place?”

I laughed, wagging my head. “I ate lunch here today.” Mr. Wiley might think it was odd I was back so soon.

“The food is good,” he said as he got out of the truck.

When I opened the passenger door and jumped out, Kade’s six-foot frame held me prisoner.

“Don’t tease me in there. I’m barely hanging on as it is.” A muscle ticked in his jaw.

“And if I do?” I challenged. This should be a blast. Besides, it was my birthday. Wasn’t fun supposed to be part of the celebration?

“Lace,” he said, yanking me flush to him. “Do you feel that?” he whispered. “It wouldn’t be cool for me to walk in with a bulge in my jeans.”

I giggled.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he asked, still holding me close. “Please, ease up. Just looking at you is tearing me to pieces.”

“Then let’s get out of here,” I suggested.

“I’m food-hungry, too.” He let me go and walked down to a tailor shop right next door, groaning. After a minute or two, he trudged back. “Don’t talk until we’re seated. Okay?”

“Huh?” I had a permanent smile on my face as we entered Wiley’s.

A blond-haired girl glanced up from her podium when Kade and I cut through the waiting patrons. “Hey, Kade,” she said.

“You must come here a lot,” I said. What was I saying? This was the second time within hours I’d been here.

“No talking,” he reiterated.

I batted my eyes as I stuck out my tongue.
Okay. I was officially a mean person
. The guy was in pain. I shouldn’t be torturing him, but I couldn’t help it. It was entertaining.

We followed the hostess, walking past tables with families and couples at others. Some guy shouted from the bar in the far left corner. I glanced over to find a football game on the TV screen.

“Watch your step,” she said over her shoulder, gesturing to the floor.

We climbed a set of stairs. Where was she taking us? We’d passed the main dining room. We banked left at the top of the landing.

The hostess kept going. Clearly, she was in no hurry. Finally, she stopped in front of a set of closed double doors. “In here.” She nodded at Kade. Then she left.

“What’s going on?” I peered up at the sexy beast, and shouldn’t have.

Sparks of fire shot out of his eyes as though he wanted to burn me to the wall. Without a word, he opened the door.

“Surprise!” several people shouted.

I jerked my head toward the room. The triplets, Becca, and Hunt mingled around the brick fireplace. Coach Dean and Mary stood near a white linen-covered table that had a buffet of various finger foods. Shock and excitement surged through me. I’d suspected something, but this wasn’t it. I considered Mary. She smiled and winked, her pink-blush cheeks sparkling in the dimly lit room.

I swung my gaze to Kade who was now showing me his dimples.
Thank God
. Heat pinched my cheeks as I thought of him in pain a minute ago.

“Happy Birthday!” He placed his hand at the small of my back as we walked in.

“Oh, my God. Coach Dean?”
Why was he here
? He stood tall and proud, wearing pressed khakis with a plaid oxford-cloth button-down shirt.

“Wait. Where’s my dad?” I whispered.

“Behind you, Sweet Pea.”

Spinning around, I ran into his arms. “Is this why you took the night off?”

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Lacey,” he said. “I just couldn’t get here before you.”

After Dad let me go, I mingled with everyone.

“I thought you had to help your dad,” I said to Becca, who always looked like she stepped out of one of those expensive boutiques in Beverly Hills. She wore a cream-colored cami under a jade-colored lace top and a black miniskirt with knee-high black boots.

“I did. Now I’m here. Happy Birthday.” She hugged me. “We’re going to have a good time tonight at the Cave.”

“You look great, by the way. I love the outfit,” I said.

“We’ll get you in a skirt yet,” she said, her long lashes sweeping down then up as she skimmed her gaze over me. “Although you look great, too.”

“Was Tyler invited?” I asked. “Have you talked to him?”

“I called him this morning. His shoulder is killing him.”