Kade POV
Rook is staring at me, and I’m not sure why. “You knew?” I ask.
“Yeah, don’t shout I fucking forgot because of everything.”
I’m not about to shout. It’s not his fault, I wasn’t there so he couldn’t tell me.
“I’m not about to shout, I just don’t get why you let her stay.”
Turning, he faces me more. “I wasn’t going to, but everyone looked at me like I was heartless. She’s dying Kade, and had I sent her away without you knowing it wouldn’t have gone down well.”
I nod and look out of the window. How have I fucked up so much? When did it get to a point where if I make a move on him, it’s something calculated and meaning more is happening?
When did things turn to shit? I push to figure it out and I hate it because the more I focus, the more I realise I’ve pushed Rook out for years, it began
Kade POVI can’t stop shaking. My whole fucking body feels wrong, like my skin is too tight. I feel like I’m trapped inside something I can’t break out of and my hands keep flexing and curling into fists because I don’t know what the fuck else to do with them.Rook is still holding onto me, still looking at me like I’m worth something, and I don’t fucking understand it.“I’ve fucked up everything,” I whisper, my voice hoarse.Rook exhales, his grip on my jaw loosening slightly, his fingers brushing against my skin. “Kade—”“No,” I cut him off, shaking my head. “I have. I fucking have, Rook. You sat there and told me you thought I’d change after we got married. That you thought I’d let you in. I didn’t, instead I spent five years treating this like it wasn’t real, like if I let myself believe I had you, it would mean I’d lose you.”Rook doesn’t say anything, doesn’t interrupt, he just watches as I fall apart in front of him.“I wasn’t
Rook POVI don’t think I’ve ever seen Kade like this, not once.Not when he came home hurt from that fight my dad forced him into, not when things with work went to shit, not even when he was exhausted and running on nothing but adrenaline. He always had control, always held himself together, always showed only what he wanted people to see.Kade doesn’t break. He gets angry, he gets cocky, he gets jealous, but he never lets himself be sad. He’s never cried, not in the five years I’ve been married to him. Not even once. I can't remember a time before that when he has either.Now, he’s falling apart in my arms, his body shaking, his is breathing ragged, as his hands grip at my shirt like he doesn’t know how to let go.I hold him tighter, keeping him pressed against me, my fingers still buried in his hair. He fought me at first, tried to pull away, tried to convince himself he didn’t deserve this, but I
Rook POVKade hasn’t moved much since he finally let himself collapse into me. He’s still pressed against my side, his head resting against my shoulder, his breathing is slower now, but there’s still something off. He’s not asleep, but he’s not really here either. He’s stuck somewhere in his own fucking head, lost in thoughts I can’t pull him out of, so I just sit here with him, my arm around him, my hand rubbing slow, steady circles on his back.I don’t rush him, I don’t tell him to get up, get over it, and move on.I just wait, because for once, he’s not trying to pretend.The car slows, the subtle shift in movement telling me we’ve arrived at the airstrip. I glance out the window and see the jet waiting, the engines already running, ready to take us the fuck away from here.Damon is standing by the car before we even get out, his face unreadable as he opens the door. “Rose t
Rook POVKade’s fingers move to undo the rest of my buttons, and I lift my hips to help him slide my trousers down. His eyes never leave mine, and I can see the fire in them. I reach up and run my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to me.His hand wraps around my cock and I shudder at the touch, my body betraying my earlier reservations. He smirks, knowing he’s won this round, and leans in to press a kiss to my neck. The sensation of his lips on my skin sends a thrill down my spine, and I can’t help but let out a low moan.Kade takes this as encouragement and continues to explore my body with his mouth. His tongue traces a path along my collarbone, and I can feel my resolve weakening with every passing second. I try to remind myself that this isn’t the right time, that we have more important things to focus on, but it’s hard to think straight when Kade is making me feel this good.He drops to his knees in front of me and I can feel his hot breath on my cock, and I know what’s
Kade POVThe sound of Rook pulls me from my sleep. Groaning, I try to get more comfortable.“Kade,” he whispers, and I groan.“No.” I’m sleeping. He can leave me alone.“Wake up.”Shaking my head, I keep my eyes closed. “Shh.”He chuckles quietly. “You need to wake up.”“Five more minutes,” I whisper.“As nice as it has been to have you this close for the last, like, eight hours, the plane is descending, and my body is numb.”I move slightly and realize. “Shit.” I fell asleep on him. I pull back slightly, and he’s smirking at me. “Sorry.”“It was highly amusing. One moment we were talking, then you were snoring in my ear. No warning, nothing.”I rub my face, trying to wake myself up. “I slept the whole flight?”“You did. On me.” He smirks, and I nod.“Sorry. You should have woken me and told me to move.” What sort of idiot doesn’t? I remember we got cleaned up and dressed. Then he pulled me back onto him.What the hell were we talking about? My mind tries to think back. I just remembe
Kade POV“If I handle my shit, me, not you, because it’s me fucking things up, then we come back to the conversation in six months.”He groans. “Six months?”“You’re acting like it’s years.”He nods quickly. “In Rook time, that is years.”“Rook time? What are you now, a fucking dog?” I laugh, and he nods without hesitation.“If it works for them, it works for me!”“You’re delusional. Do you agree or not?” I look at him, waiting.Chewing his lip, he tilts his head before finally nodding. “Deal. Six months, and we get a kid.”“No, that is not what I fucking said.” I glare at him.“Would you even know if I did it without you?” He smirks.I glare harder. “The screaming baby when I came home would be proof you had. Six months, and we talk.”His grin widens, but at least he doesn’t argue. Instead, he stretches out in his seat, looking far too pleased with himself.I narrow my eyes. “You’re not going
Kade POVThe bass from the music vibrates through the floor beneath my feet, the heat of so many bodies pressing into me from every direction. The club is electric, alive with the high that comes after a championship win. Most of the noise is coming from people who are shouting, then there's drinks getting spilt, as I walk through hands grab at me, pulling me deeper into the chaos.I should be celebrating. I should be drunk off my ass, soaking up the attention, riding this high for as long as it lasts, but instead, I can’t stop looking up. Sure I'm drunk, but not enough, yet.“Mercer!”A hard slap lands between my shoulder blades, making me stumble forward. Turning, I see Tyler grinning at me, his blond hair damp with sweat, his eyes already glazed over from too many shots. He's wasted already.“Come on, man! We fucking won! You should be wasted by now,” he shouts over the music, shaking his drink at me like I’m supposed to grab it.Forcing a smirk, I look at him. “I’m working on it
Kade POVHis hand presses firmer against my thigh. “How do you usually celebrate a win, Mercer?”I swallow, my throat feels dry, which is impossible considering how much I've drank. I push down the nerves and respond anyway. “That depends.”“On?”My gaze flickers up and I focus on him. “On how far you’re willing to take it.” My shoulder shrugs slightly, purely to try and make it seem like I'm indifferent right now when I'm not.Darren watches me for a long moment, then exhales slowly. He leans back, his hand moves off my leg and I watch as he reaches into his jacket pocket. A second later, he presses a key card into my hand.“Room 714,” he says. “Give me five minutes.”My eyes go down, and I stare at the card, my skin tingles where his fingers brush against mine. I don't say anything else, I just stand and leave while clutching the card.The night air is sharp as I step out of the club, but it does nothing to clear my head. I move quickly, weaving through the crowd outside, gripping t
Kade POV“If I handle my shit, me, not you, because it’s me fucking things up, then we come back to the conversation in six months.”He groans. “Six months?”“You’re acting like it’s years.”He nods quickly. “In Rook time, that is years.”“Rook time? What are you now, a fucking dog?” I laugh, and he nods without hesitation.“If it works for them, it works for me!”“You’re delusional. Do you agree or not?” I look at him, waiting.Chewing his lip, he tilts his head before finally nodding. “Deal. Six months, and we get a kid.”“No, that is not what I fucking said.” I glare at him.“Would you even know if I did it without you?” He smirks.I glare harder. “The screaming baby when I came home would be proof you had. Six months, and we talk.”His grin widens, but at least he doesn’t argue. Instead, he stretches out in his seat, looking far too pleased with himself.I narrow my eyes. “You’re not going
Kade POVThe sound of Rook pulls me from my sleep. Groaning, I try to get more comfortable.“Kade,” he whispers, and I groan.“No.” I’m sleeping. He can leave me alone.“Wake up.”Shaking my head, I keep my eyes closed. “Shh.”He chuckles quietly. “You need to wake up.”“Five more minutes,” I whisper.“As nice as it has been to have you this close for the last, like, eight hours, the plane is descending, and my body is numb.”I move slightly and realize. “Shit.” I fell asleep on him. I pull back slightly, and he’s smirking at me. “Sorry.”“It was highly amusing. One moment we were talking, then you were snoring in my ear. No warning, nothing.”I rub my face, trying to wake myself up. “I slept the whole flight?”“You did. On me.” He smirks, and I nod.“Sorry. You should have woken me and told me to move.” What sort of idiot doesn’t? I remember we got cleaned up and dressed. Then he pulled me back onto him.What the hell were we talking about? My mind tries to think back. I just remembe
Rook POVKade’s fingers move to undo the rest of my buttons, and I lift my hips to help him slide my trousers down. His eyes never leave mine, and I can see the fire in them. I reach up and run my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to me.His hand wraps around my cock and I shudder at the touch, my body betraying my earlier reservations. He smirks, knowing he’s won this round, and leans in to press a kiss to my neck. The sensation of his lips on my skin sends a thrill down my spine, and I can’t help but let out a low moan.Kade takes this as encouragement and continues to explore my body with his mouth. His tongue traces a path along my collarbone, and I can feel my resolve weakening with every passing second. I try to remind myself that this isn’t the right time, that we have more important things to focus on, but it’s hard to think straight when Kade is making me feel this good.He drops to his knees in front of me and I can feel his hot breath on my cock, and I know what’s
Rook POVKade hasn’t moved much since he finally let himself collapse into me. He’s still pressed against my side, his head resting against my shoulder, his breathing is slower now, but there’s still something off. He’s not asleep, but he’s not really here either. He’s stuck somewhere in his own fucking head, lost in thoughts I can’t pull him out of, so I just sit here with him, my arm around him, my hand rubbing slow, steady circles on his back.I don’t rush him, I don’t tell him to get up, get over it, and move on.I just wait, because for once, he’s not trying to pretend.The car slows, the subtle shift in movement telling me we’ve arrived at the airstrip. I glance out the window and see the jet waiting, the engines already running, ready to take us the fuck away from here.Damon is standing by the car before we even get out, his face unreadable as he opens the door. “Rose t
Rook POVI don’t think I’ve ever seen Kade like this, not once.Not when he came home hurt from that fight my dad forced him into, not when things with work went to shit, not even when he was exhausted and running on nothing but adrenaline. He always had control, always held himself together, always showed only what he wanted people to see.Kade doesn’t break. He gets angry, he gets cocky, he gets jealous, but he never lets himself be sad. He’s never cried, not in the five years I’ve been married to him. Not even once. I can't remember a time before that when he has either.Now, he’s falling apart in my arms, his body shaking, his is breathing ragged, as his hands grip at my shirt like he doesn’t know how to let go.I hold him tighter, keeping him pressed against me, my fingers still buried in his hair. He fought me at first, tried to pull away, tried to convince himself he didn’t deserve this, but I
Kade POVI can’t stop shaking. My whole fucking body feels wrong, like my skin is too tight. I feel like I’m trapped inside something I can’t break out of and my hands keep flexing and curling into fists because I don’t know what the fuck else to do with them.Rook is still holding onto me, still looking at me like I’m worth something, and I don’t fucking understand it.“I’ve fucked up everything,” I whisper, my voice hoarse.Rook exhales, his grip on my jaw loosening slightly, his fingers brushing against my skin. “Kade—”“No,” I cut him off, shaking my head. “I have. I fucking have, Rook. You sat there and told me you thought I’d change after we got married. That you thought I’d let you in. I didn’t, instead I spent five years treating this like it wasn’t real, like if I let myself believe I had you, it would mean I’d lose you.”Rook doesn’t say anything, doesn’t interrupt, he just watches as I fall apart in front of him.“I wasn’t
Kade POVRook is staring at me, and I’m not sure why. “You knew?” I ask.“Yeah, don’t shout I fucking forgot because of everything.”I’m not about to shout. It’s not his fault, I wasn’t there so he couldn’t tell me.“I’m not about to shout, I just don’t get why you let her stay.”Turning, he faces me more. “I wasn’t going to, but everyone looked at me like I was heartless. She’s dying Kade, and had I sent her away without you knowing it wouldn’t have gone down well.”I nod and look out of the window. How have I fucked up so much? When did it get to a point where if I make a move on him, it’s something calculated and meaning more is happening?When did things turn to shit? I push to figure it out and I hate it because the more I focus, the more I realise I’ve pushed Rook out for years, it began
Rook POV“I don’t know how to commit,” he mutters, voice rough like the words are cutting him on the way out.I don’t say anything. I just wait.He swallows hard, shaking his head slightly. “I love you. I want to be married to you. But I don’t know how to just be. I don’t know how to exist without the weight of knowing things can fall apart at any second.”His breathing is uneven now, but he pushes forward, like he’s ripping open something inside himself that he’s never touched before. “I don’t know how to stop waiting for the worst to happen. I don’t know how to sit still, how to let things be good, because every time I do, every time I think I have something that’s mine, something that’s safe, it’s taken from me.”His voice lowers, his fingers curling against his palms. “I had nothing growing up, Rook. And every time I thought I was getting
Rook POVThe bed shifts, and I blink awake, my vision blurring as I adjust to the dim light. The first thing I see is Kade hovering over me, his mouth tilted into a small smirk.I reach for my phone to check the time, but before I can grab it, he stops me, pressing his lips to mine.“Kade.” The word is muffled against his mouth, but he doesn’t let up.“Shut the fuck up, Rook,” he growls, his grip tightening as he kisses me harder.I let out a breathy laugh, my hands bracing against his chest. “You’re telling me what to do?” Since when does he? His fingers slide into my hair, gripping tight as he pulls my head back, deepening the kiss.“Yes, I am.” His body presses down over mine, pinning me beneath him, his lips hungry, his touch rougher than usual.This isn’t him. “Kade, what are you doing?” I push him back, and he stares down at me, his expression unreadable.“Don’t do that,” I mutter. “Don’t start doing shit