Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Kai found himself wishing to have this night all over again, but with Jake at the table as well.
Shaking his head at his foolish thoughts, Kai placed the rag on the sink to dry and turned toward the back door. Every night he checked all the doors and windows in the house before turning in. He usually woke a couple of times in the night and checked them all over again despite Dev’s home security system. This bastard had found a way around it once. Kai didn’t doubt that he’d be able to do it a second time if he wanted.
As he approached the door that opened to the patio, something moved within the deeper shadows of the yard. Kai’s heart sped up as he smoothly palmed the gun tucked in the holster clipped to his pants. He paused for a moment, peering out the window while trying to stay out of the view of anyone who might be watching the house. Nothing moved.
Soundlessly, he unlocked the door and slowly opened it a crack. Crickets chirped and moths fluttered around the light on the patio, but nothing else moved. Kai carefully eased out onto the patio, gun tightly clutched in his right hand.
He didn’t get more than a step outside when a haunting scent teased his nose. Frozen in place, he sucked in a deep breath, trying to catch it a second time while his mind reeled, immediately screaming in denial. It couldn’t be.
No.
He was dead.
He had to be dead.
Kai had squeezed the trigger three times, flawlessly placing each bullet in the center of his chest.
He was not alive.
Shutting the door behind him, Kai moved quickly through the backyard, searching every inch of it before crossing toward the house. He scoured every inch of property around the house, checking along the windows and doors for any sign of tampering, any sign that someone had been there, but he found nothing in the darkness.
Unfortunately, that nothingness did not stop the erratic pounding of his heart. Only he would leave nothing behind. Kai had been a damn good teacher.
There was only that lingering scent in the air. The same cologne he’d stubbornly worn five years ago, claiming that it was his calling card. He’d refused to listen to Kai’s advice against it, and now it was his only clue.
Kai stood on the patio near the door, gazing into the thick shadows, but he didn’t see anyone. He was there. Waiting. Watching.
“Kai?” Dev’s voice echoed through the house. “Kai?” He was getting closer.
Kai’s heart jumped and he hurried into the house, carefully locking the door behind him before catching Dev as he crossed the living room.
Dev’s eyes widened when they fell on the gun still tightly clenched in his fingers. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
Kai pulled him in close, wrapping his arms around the man so that they were practically one person. “Fine. Everything’s fine. I thought I saw something outside and went to investigate. It was nothing.” He couldn’t tell Dev his suspicions yet. Not until he had a little more proof.
Dev pushed against Kai’s chest, forcing him to loosen his hold and allow Dev to look up into his face. His own expression was a mask of skepticism. “Are you sure? You look shaken.”
“I’m sure. I’m just upset that someone would dare to ruin our evening.”
Dev didn’t appear to be entirely convinced, but he leaned up all the same and pressed a kiss to the corner of Kai’s mouth. “Nothing has been ruined. Come to bed.”
With a nod, Kai finished his round of the first floor with Dev following quietly behind him every step of the way. When he was done, Dev held his hand and they climbed to the second floor together. There, Dev followed him again to check all the windows, his patience seeming endless.
They were as safe as Kai could make them for now, but he promised himself that the moment Dev was asleep, he was calling for help. He had to make sure his fears were unfounded. He had to be wrong.
Oh God, please let me be wrong.
Chapter 16
Kai reluctantly slipped from under Dev’s relaxed and sleeping body and grabbed a pair of shorts from the floor. His own body was wonderfully sated and relaxed. It would have preferred to remain in bed, wrapped around Dev for the rest of the night. He’d spent the better part of an hour rubbing oil into Dev’s skin, massaging every muscle until he was completely loose and nearly sleeping.
Then he’d slipped inside the man and fucked him so very slowly, keeping them both balanced on the edge of orgasm for nearly another hour. When they came, they’d been covered in sweat and shaking with need.
Afterward, Kai had dragged Dev into the shower to remove the sweat, oil, and cum that covered them. When they’d returned to bed, Kai had made love to the man, driving them quickly over the edge. This time, Dev was softly snoring before Kai even finished cleaning him off.