KADE WENT LOOKING for Sam. He found her pulling on her running shoes, her face red with irritation. “Samantha?”
“I need to run.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
She shrugged. “Whatever. I just need to do something or I’ll kill him.”
“Give me a minute.”
Kade changed quickly and met her at the front door. She was outside and down the street before he’d even passed the mailbox at the end of the driveway. He followed her for a little over a mile before pacing her.
“You know, I know my brother’s a narcissistic jackass most of the time, and we have to work within the limitations of his dumbassery—”
“Dumbassery?” he asked.
“Don’t interrupt.”
Kade chuckled. “Sorry.”
“But this… this just goes beyond selfishness. If he’s this big time FBI agent, he has resources available to him to at least find out if Pepper’s in trouble. He’s not even willing to do that.” Sam stopped running and paced in a circle. “Seriously, Kade. I want to tear him limb from limb right now!”
Kade grasped her arms and smiled. “Your brother is looking into Pepper’s trouble.”
“What?”
“He’s watching her. He has been since you asked him to, which is why he got shot.”
“So it wasn’t a robbery?”
“No.”
“Then why didn’t he just tell me that?” Sam snapped.
“Because no one’s supposed to know he’s working for the FBI.”
“But I’m his sister!”
“I know, love,” Kade said. “You also failed to notice his ear was red.”
“I was too mad to notice much of anything, to be honest.” Sam sighed and dropped her head onto his chest. Kade pulled her close and held her until her emotions calmed. She looked up at him and grimaced. “I told him I hated him.”
“He knows you don’t.”
Sam groaned. “Now I have to apologize. I hate apologizing to my idiot brother.”
Kade took her hand and started back toward the house. “I have a feeling he knows that.”
“Which means he’s going to make my life miserable.”
“If you were Fiona, I’d do the same thing.”
Sam smacked his arm. “You know, you should really be more protective of your mate.”
He lifted her hand to his lips. “I’ll work on that.”
She frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not hot. Or sweating.”
Kade nodded. “We don’t unless the temperature’s high.”
She widened her eyes. “Ever?”
“Never.”
“But we’re supposed to get a good sweat going… you know, for heart health and all that mumbo jumbo. Are you telling me we don’t have to exercise anymore?”
Kade chuckled. “No, it’s still good to exercise. Our bodies just don’t react the way humans do.”
“So we only have an issue if it’s hot outside? Our bodies won’t overheat?”
“No. Our bodies self-regulate, unless they’re compromised by the external temperature.”
She grinned. “That’s so cool.”
He laughed. “I guess it is.”
* * *
Two days later, Kade had managed a quick shower before a knock at his door brought Sam with extra towels. “Good morning, beautiful.” He leaned down to kiss her. “Och, I’ve missed you.”
“Me too. I feel like I haven’t seen you for days,” she complained as she set the towels on his bed.
He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. “That’s because you were asleep when I finished my call with Con.”
“You were supposed to wake me.”
“You needed to sleep. I made a judgment call.”
She ran her hands up his chest. “Next time, make a different call.”
“And have your mother catch me sneaking into your room?”
She wrinkled her nose. “You could just go through the bathroom.”
“You sound like you’ve done that before.”
“What? No. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she retorted.
“We could tell her the cat’s already out of the bag, so to speak.”
“She’d still make us sleep in separate beds because we are not “legally” wed and then she’d look at me differently.” Sam sighed. “I hate lying to her, but it’s not like I can tell her you and I are joined forever because you’re an immortal Viking and we did this ceremony and stuff. Besides, she’d be devastated to know we got married without her. I’d rather keep her in the dark.” She wrinkled her nose. “You know what I mean?”
Kade laughed. “I think I need to record these conversations for our kids.”
“I’m glad I’m entertaining.” She smirked. “I’m doing a load of laundry. Where’s your stuff?”
He pointed to the hamper in the corner of the room.
“Thanks.”
“Hey,” he said and took her arm. “We will have a wedding, love. We could even have it here...now. Or at the very least, soon.”
“It’s something to think about, I guess.” She smiled. “I don’t need anything big.”
“I know. Whatever you want.”
She looped her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” He kissed her nose and grinned. “Now, about my delicates.”
She patted his chest. “I’ll be sure to put them on the heaviest wash cycle for you.”
“I’m enjoying your service, love.”
“Oh, don’t get used to it. I’m doing this to kill some time. Mom and Dad are going out for lunch, so we’ll have the house to ourselves for a few hours before my night out with Pepper.” She slipped her hands inside his shirt and ran her fingers over his chest. “I plan to take full advantage.”
Kade settled his mouth over hers, his already crumbling composure slipping further into the abyss that was his desire for his mate. The shrillness of his cell phone shattered the moment and he broke the kiss with a groan. “Sorry, love.”
He sat at the small desk in Dalton’s old bedroom while Samantha gathered his laundry and left the room. She returned just as he hung up with Connall.
Her face fell. “You have to leave.”
“Aye.” He sighed. “Tomorrow.”
“When will you come back?”
“My plan is no more than a week. I don’t think I could live without you for very long.”
She bit her lip. “Me neither. If Pepper wasn’t acting so out of character, I’d be tempted to blow off our girls’ night. But this really hot guy managed to get us front row tickets to The Citizens…”
“What’s the appeal with that band, hmm?”
“Oh, it’s the lead guitarist. He’s gorgeous and has an angelic voice…” She sighed. “I plan to get dolled up, just in case he notices me. Maybe he’ll pull me up on stage.”
Kade shook his head. “Isn’t he engaged? I believe I saw the notice in all the magazines.”
“Engaged. Which means, not married. Still hope for me.”
Kade growled as he threw her on the bed and tickled her. Sam squealed in surprise.
“I think I should lock you in a gilded cage until we’re married.”
“Hey! You promised it would be a tower.” She giggled. “And, we’re already married, aren’t we?”
Kade paused. “There is that, yes.”
“But I suppose, not legally, right? So, there’s still that small chance.”
He tickled her again.
“Kade,” she squealed.
“What was that about this guitarist character?”
“Um… he’s talented. I understand he plays multiple instruments.”
Kade’s hands hovered over her stomach. “Anything else?”
“Nope, nothing else.” She raised an eyebrow. “Did I mention he was cute?”
He tickled her again, then kissed her into submission. He broke the kiss and grinned. “How cute?”
“Nowhere near as gorgeous as you.”
“Good answer,” he said.
She stroked his cheek. “I wish you were coming tonight.”
“You need to spend time with Pepper.”
“I know.”
He gave her his secret smile. “Let’s have lunch at the hotel.”
“In bed?”
“Of course in bed. What kind of a mate do you think I am?”
She jumped off the bed and clapped her hands. “I’m in.”
* * *
The next morning, Sam woke with a heavy heart. She sighed as she felt Kade tighten his hold, and turned to face him. “Hi.”
“Good morning, love. How was last night?”
“Amazing. The band was better than ever.” She rolled to face him. “I just wish it wasn’t morning.”
“Don’t be sad,” he said as he slipped her hair away from her face. “My business isn’t going to take long. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“I just feel like everything’s so jumbled right now.”
“You don’t do well when things aren’t resolved, do you?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Not so much, no.”
He kissed her and pulled her close. “This too shall pass, Sam. I’ll get everything settled in Iceland and then we can go home and make babies.”
“I know. I’m just worried about Pepper.”
“Why doesn’t she come home with us?”
“She hadn’t planned on coming for another month. I don’t know if she has more stuff to do before she leaves.”
He linked his fingers with hers. “She doesn’t have anything holding her here now that she sold her horse, right? She could give notice, pack her bags, and save the cost of a flight by joining us. You could do some sightseeing before she starts school and help take her mind off whatever’s bothering her.”
“I can ask her.” Sam smiled. “You really are the most amazing man on earth.”
“You just make me look that way.”
“Sam? Honey, where are you?” her mother called.
Sam sat up. “Crap! If she finds me in here…”
Kade chuckled. “You’re not a teenager hiding your boyfriend.”
“I know that, Kade,” she whispered as she pulled on her sweats. “But this is still her house, and she’ll think I’m breaking the house rules. Get some clothes on.”
He nodded toward the bathroom. “Why don’t you just sneak back in the way you came?”
“That’s where I’m headed.” Sam slipped into the bathroom and pulled the door closed.
“Sam?”
“In here, Mom,” she called.
Kade took the distraction to get dressed as Sam and her mother talked in the next room. Sam returned a few minutes later.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yep. My parents will be back sometime before you leave. Not that I needed to know that.” Sam wrinkled her nose. “I’m pretty sure she just wanted to see if I was in my room. I mean, really.”
“Sweetheart, your mother is not an idiot.”
Sam settled her hands on her hips. “How do you know?”
“Because I’ve had more than a five-minute conversation with her. Why don’t you just tell her?”
“No. It’s not the southern way. We deny, deny, deny, and then we sweep it all under the rug.”
Kade laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
They spent the next few hours finalizing Kade’s trip, and Sam grew more and more pensive as the minutes ticked by. She couldn’t even focus on the game of pool she’d challenged him to almost an hour ago. To make matters worse, her father came looking for Kade not long before he was scheduled to leave.
“Kade? I have a rather personal question. May I borrow you for a few minutes?”
Kade set the pool cue down. “Of course.”
“Sam, honey, would you excuse us?” her father asked.
“Huh?” she said. “Oh, sure.”
Kade gave her a quick kiss and she made her way to the kitchen, where she found her mother baking… again. Sam guessed she’d already gained ten pounds with the amount of sweets her mother had already made. Between her mother and Kade force-feeding her, Sam was sure she’d end up being rolled back to Scotland.
Her mother glanced up from the cookie sheet. “Is Kade with your dad?”
“Yep. Super-secret guy talk, apparently. Need some help?”
“The cookies have to cool, so nothing at the moment.”
“I’ll do the dishes,” Sam offered.
“Thanks.” Her mother removed her apron. “Honey, are you okay? You’re wound up like a top.”
“I know. Sorry. I just wish Kade wasn’t leaving.”
“You can go with him, you know. We’re fine here.”
Sam turned away from the sink. “I can’t, mom. He’s got to tie something up with work, so I’d be alone in Scotland, too. I’d rather be here without him than there without any of you.”
“I’m glad we rate,” she joked.
“Just below highest.” Sam smiled as she slipped a baking sheet into the dishwasher. “Something’s going on with Pepper. Do you have any idea what?”
“No. I noticed the same. She’s jumpy and ridiculously skinny. She won’t talk to me about it, but I’ve tried.”
“I have, too. It’s not like her. I never have to guess what she’s thinking or feeling,” Sam said.
Her mother laid a hand on her back. “You’re in a bit of emotional upheaval right now. Give yourself a break. When your heart is calm, you’ll see things more clearly.”
“Better advice has never been given,” Kade said from the doorway.
Sam faced him. “Are you leaving now?”
“Soon. The car’s on the way.”
Her mother left the kitchen and Sam turned back to the sink. “Let me make you something to eat.” She kept her back to him as she made her way to the fridge. “We have some ham left over from last night. Would you like me to slice some for you?”
“That sounds lovely.”
She nodded and pulled the food out. As she began to prepare everything, Kade wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the nape of her neck. “This is not going to take long.”
Sam sighed. “All of it’s too long.”
“I know.”
“I’m refraining from asking exactly what you’re doing. And I’m not trying to get through your block… flimsy as it is. Have you picked up on that?”
“I did pick up on that,” Kade said. “And I appreciate it. You know that, right?”
“Yes.”
She squeezed her eyes shut briefly, regretting it instantly as she sliced open her finger. She let out a shout of pain. Kade grasped her hand and held it over the sink. He rinsed the cut and Sam let out a whimper as it stung. She wasn’t prepared for what he did next. He wrapped his lips around her finger and gave a gentle suck. “What are you doing?”
I’m healing you. Just relax.
Sam felt instant relief and she let out a deep breath. Kade released her finger and Sam washed her hands. She studied where the cut should be and let out a quiet whistle. “It’s as if nothing happened. How did you do that?”
“Remember the discussion about gifts?”
She nodded.
“Angus and I both have the gift of healing.”
“Is that why you’re doctors?”
“Probably.”
“Is the healing property in your saliva?”
He grinned. “No.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Then how—?”
He tapped his temple. “It’s all in the mind.”
“So you didn’t have to suck on my finger?”
“No.” He laughed when she thumped his arm. “Technically, I can heal you with touch. I just enjoy the process of suck—”
She laid her fingers over his mouth. “Shhh,” she hissed. “No naughty talk in the vicinity of my parents.”
He disengaged from her hand and wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
She rolled her eyes. “You are impossible.”
Think of the possibilities with our ability to communicate so privately.
“Kade,” she admonished.
I’ll start every conversation with “What are you wearing?”
Samantha groaned. “Stop or I’m going to lock you up and make you stay.”
“Hmm, that sounds fun.” He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her.
She broke the kiss and frowned up at him. “Hold that thought, buddy. Could you have healed my concussion right away?”
He had the good sense to drop his head and look somewhat remorseful. “Aye.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
He smiled. “Because you would have gone back to your flat and I wouldn’t have had an excuse to keep you close.”
“Brat,” she said as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Is that why you’re not easy to kill?”
He nodded.
“So, if someone shoots you…” she trailed off.
“No one’s going to shoot me.”
“But if they did?” she whispered.
“If they did, I’d be able to heal myself.”
“What if you’re unconscious?”
He frowned. “Sweetheart. No one’s going to shoot me!”
She fisted her hands in his shirt. “What if you’re unconscious, Kade?”
“Well, I would imagine Angus or Connall would heal me.”
“What if they’re not there?”
“Samantha! Stop it. One, no one will get close enough to shoot me and, two, someone is always around. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”
She bit her lip and stared up at him for a few seconds. “What if someone stabs you?”
“Samantha.” Kade laughed. “No one’s going to stab me… or shoot me.”
She sighed. “You promise not to be alone?”
He kissed her. “I promise not to be alone.”
“Fine.” She smoothed his shirt. “What did my dad want?”
Kade shook his head. “Doctor-patient confidentiality.”
“You’re not technically his doctor, Kade. He doesn’t really have one, since he refuses to go to one.”
He grinned. “He wanted some advice.”
“Oh? Is he okay?”
“Yes, love. He’s fine.”
“Well, tell me,” she pressed.
“You don’t really want to know.”
“I do so want to know.”
“This falls under the category of something you can’t un-hear.”
“Kade. Tell me.”
He leaned in and whispered, “He asked about the little blue pill.”
“WHAT? Eww! Kade!” Sam squealed. “Ew, ew, ew. Why didn’t you ignore me?”
“Because you would have hounded me until I told you.”
“Gross!”
He grinned. “I’m personally comforted that your parents are still having fun.”
“He’s almost seventy. He’s had plenty of fun!”
“But your mother’s much younger, love.”
Sam laid her fingers over his lips again. “No more. I will not hear any more of this. Total HIPAA violation. Ew.”
He kissed her hand and pulled her away from the sink. “Come with me. I have something for you.”
He led her upstairs to Dalton’s room and handed her an envelope. She opened it to find cash and a credit card. “What’s this?”
“I have added you to my accounts at home, so if you want or need anything, buy it. The credit card’s unlimited, so go crazy if you want.”
“Kade, I have my own money.”
“I know you do.”
Sam smiled. “But you need to make sure I’m taken care of, right?”
“I’m well aware that you can take care of yourself, sweetheart, but I kind of hoped you’d plan our wedding while I’m away and I wanted you to have all the resources available to you.”
Sam laid the envelope on the bureau. “First, well done with the acknowledgment that I can take care of myself. I appreciate the words, even if you feel the need to have security follow me constantly. Second, planning a wedding would certainly help distract me from the hopelessness I feel about you being gone. So, again, you are the most amazing man alive, and even though I’m not happy you’re going, I love you, love you, love you for making it as easy as it can be.” She pulled his head down for a heart-stopping kiss, and she groaned when he broke it.
“If you continue with this type of gratitude, you will be naked and I will be late,” he warned.
“Darn. Evil plan thwarted.”
Kade grinned. “I’m going to bring Con and Brodie back with me, so we can have the ceremony and then go home, if that works for you. I should be back here in five days, but I’ll let you know if that changes.” His phone buzzed and he checked the screen. “The car’s here. I need to go.”
“Okay.” Sam made a ridiculous attempt to hold back tears that were already streaming down her cheeks.
“Kade, honey,” Sam’s mother called up the stairs. “There’s someone here to take you to the airport.”
He peeked out of the room. “Thank you, Mrs. Moore. I’ll be right down.” He handed Sam a handkerchief then slipped his wallet into his inside pocket. He tapped his temple. “I’m only a call away.”
She dried her tears and nodded. “Will it work that far away?”
“We’ll know in a few hours.”
She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut.
“Please don’t cry, love. You’re breaking my heart.”
“Now you know my pain.”
He kissed her quickly and smiled. “Be a good mate and come and kiss me at the door. You can use the hanky to wave me off.”
Sam snorted, unable to stop the giggle. “Don’t make me laugh or I won’t let you leave.”
They made their way to the car and Kade kissed her longer than might have been wise, considering the longer he lingered, the harder it was for Sam to let him go. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Sam said. “Please be careful.”
“Always.”
Sam waited in the driveway, waving Kade’s handkerchief until the car was out of sight, then made her way back inside and closed the door. “Mom! We have a wedding to plan.”
* * *
Kade waited until the car was well underway before he dialed Connall.
“Hey there,” Connall said. “How did Sam do?”
“She’s planning our wedding, so I’m hoping that will distract her. Is everything set?”
“Yep. The Gunnach plane is ready to go. Brodie, Alasdair, and I’ll be arriving within minutes of you.”
Kade checked his watch. “Good. I want this done, Con. No more mercy.”
“I’m with you.”
“Are you sure?”
Connall sighed. “Just because I’m nice doesn’t mean I’m willing to show these bastards my throat. Ármann’s become a problem. We’re gonna take care of the problem. Simple.”
“Okay. I don’t want you do to anything you don’t want to do.”
Connall laughed. “Like that’s ever happened. Just help me reel Brodie in.”
“Why?”
“Payton’s been getting pressure from Annis.”
Payton’s sister, Annis, was bound to Baldvin Daðason and currently living in Iceland with his family. Baldvin worked for Ármann, however, and Kade hadn’t determined where his loyalties lay.
“What kind of pressure?” Kade asked.
“She won’t give specifics. Not even to Angus. Brodie’s convinced Ármann’s pulling the strings, but for Payton’s sake, none of us want to jump to conclusions.”
“Aye. I’ll find something for Payton to do. She should probably get out of Scotland for a while.” Kade sighed. “Who’s watching Sam and her family here?”
Connall paused.
“Con?”
“Cole organized protection for her. It made the most sense and with her brother close, he’ll be able to double down on security,” Connall rushed to add.
“Aye,” Kade reluctantly agreed. “I don’t like it, but I see the logic.”
“I knew you would.”
“I’ll see you at the airport.”