64. Kade

64

Kade

C hloe is inconsolable, and it takes ages for Tessa to calm her down. When she eventually falls asleep with her favorite stuffed monkey in her arms, Tessa is on the verge of tears herself.

"Why would anyone try to kidnap Chloe, Kade? She's just a baby!"

"I don't know," I admit. Is this connected to the original kidnapping? Or is it just a random attack?

"I've asked someone to check the cameras outside the daycare to see if we can identify the car. I'm looking into this Elaine woman, too."

"That fucking bitch, I will kill her if I see her again," Tessa snarls, brushing a tear away.

"Not if I see her first." My phone buzzes. It's Alberto. I let him know what happened when we arrived at the apartment. I'm surprised it's taken him this long to call me back.

"Is my granddaughter safe?" he barks.

"Yes, she's fine now. We're back at the penthouse."

"Find out who's responsible, Kade."

"I plan to."

"Good. I'll be back tomorrow. Keep me updated."

"Yes, sir."

The call ends and I turn to find Tessa sitting on the floor with Buttons. The pup licks her face as tears drip down her cheeks. In the short time I spent talking to Alberto, she's finally fallen apart.

Comforting women is not my strong suit. Cin is much better at this shit, but I can't ignore her distress. Besides, I don't want to. Seeing her like this hurts me. It's unexpected but I don't want to think about it now.

I sit down on the floor next to her and pull her into my shoulder. Buttons gives me a dirty look as if to say, dude, I was there first. What gives?

"Hey, it'll be OK, kitten. Chloe's safe now," I murmur against her soft hair. She smells of coconut and vanilla. Good enough to eat.

"Why does this keep happening?" she sobs. "I never wanted this life. It's why I stayed away from my father."

"I know, kitten, I know."

We sit there on the hard tiled floor for so long that my ass goes numb. But I don't care. The only thing I care about is Tessa and her kids.

"I'm sorry," Tessa apologizes eventually. "I've made a mess of your tee."

"It's fine. It's not half as bad as the mess Buttons made when she chewed a hole in Madden's couch."

We both snort. Madden was not happy about that. He blamed Cin for giving Harry a puppy instead of an older dog. Cin gave no shits, of course, but Harry offered to pay for the damage out of his swear jar money. It was cute as fuck.

"True. Speaking of...did you check whether you'd left your sneakers out?" she reminds me.

I groan because no, of course, I haven't. At that precise moment, Buttons comes trotting back into the kitchen with one of my sneakers in her mouth. She throws me a look as if to say you gotta problem, dude ? Then promptly drops it in front of me and wanders off.

Luckily, there's no damage other than doggy drool stains.

"Aww, she's bringing you gifts," Tessa giggles.

"Hmm, I'm flattered." I turn to face her and although her eyes are red from crying and her cheeks stained with tears, she's never looked more beautiful.

Her smile fades as we lock eyes and she swallows. The tension that's been building between us for weeks tightens, drawing me toward her. When my mouth meets hers, she sighs like she's been waiting for me to do this for the longest time.

Like she can't quite believe it's finally happening.

She tastes of coffee and mint. Her lips are so soft, her mouth so responsive. My fingers thread through her thick hair and she moves closer until her breasts press against my chest.

It's fucking uncomfortable on the floor, but if I try to move, I'm scared she'll realize she doesn't want this and run away.

The kiss deepens. I'm hard as steel and if she moves across my lap, she's going to feel it. Then we both hear a cry from the baby monitor. Chloe's awake.

When we break apart, both of us are breathing heavily. She stares at me like this is the first time she's seen me. The real me.

"Kade, I--" she starts to say, but Chloe's crying escalates to screaming and I press a finger to her swollen lips.

"It's OK, kitten." Now is not the time. Chloe needs her mama and I have work to do if I'm to get to the bottom of what happened today.

I watch as she scrambles to her feet, self-consciously rubbing her mouth. A mouth that's all swollen and pink from our kiss. Her hair swings down and hides her face, but I don't miss the fact her nipples are hard.

She dashes off toward Chloe's room, leaving me to adjust an aching cock that threatens to bust my zipper.

My phone buzzes with a message from my brother.

Cin: is my girl OK?

It's enough to kill my erection. Because he's right. Tessa isn't mine. She won't ever be mine. I can see how hard Cin has fallen for her, and I'm well aware he's been sneaking into her room at night. There are cameras installed everywhere in this apartment, which I suspect is something he hasn't bothered to tell her.

I checked the feed the other night and saw Madden join her and Cin. So Cin isn't the only one who's fallen under her spell.

Two guys are more than enough for one woman. She doesn't need a third guy in her harem, so whatever this is between us can't continue. I need to stay the fuck away from her and do the job Alberto expects me to do.

Which is to keep his daughter and grandkids safe.