Kade POVI got Rook to bed, he needed to sleep off the alcohol. But me? I can’t sleep. The weight of everything still sits heavy in my chest, pressing down like a fucking vice, refusing to let go.So I get up and throw on my clothes, grab my things, and leave.The drive to Tyler’s place is short, but my head is still spinning by the time I pull up outside. The second I see the house, my blood starts boiling all over again.I don’t bother knocking. The door’s unlocked, so I shove it open, slamming it behind me as I step inside. The sound echoes through the quiet house, and Tyler, who was sitting on one of the chairs, jolts, his head snapping toward me.His eyes widen.“Shit...wait, Kade, Mercer, fuck!” He shoots up from his seat, already backing up with his hands raised. “Look, we’re fucking mates.”I laugh, sharp and cold. “Mates?” My voice rises. “You were in bed with Rook.”Tyler winces. “Nothing happened.”“No,” I snap, stepping forward, making him move back. “But you wanted it to,
Kade POVTyler scoffs. “That’s what I thought.” He crosses his arms. “You want to know what I see? I see Rook with Harlow, all the time. I see him alone at the rink, at the bar, everywhere. But you?” His eyes narrow. “I never see him with you anymore.”My stomach clenches. “That’s not fair.”“Isn’t it?” He raises a brow. “When’s the last time you showed up for him? Actually showed up? Not just physically, but fully fucking there?”I grind my teeth, my hands curling into fists. “I’ve been busy—”“We’re all busy, Mercer!” Tyler snaps, throwing his hands up. “That’s a fucking excuse. You chose to put everything else first. You chose work, you chose obligations, you chose—” he gestures vaguely, “—whatever the fuck it is you’ve been doing for your father-in-law. But you didn’t choose him.”His words slam into me like a wrecking ball.Tyler lets out a breath, his voice quieter now. “As a friend, I tried to tell you. I tried to warn you. But you brushed it off like it didn’t mean shit.” He t
Rook POVA nudge against my arm pulls me from sleep, the smell of pancakes creeping into my senses before I even open my eyes. I blink, groggy and still feeling the weight of last night’s drinking, only to find Harlow standing beside my bed, holding a plate directly under my nose.I can’t help but laugh.“What are you doing, Princess?” My voice is rough, still thick with sleep as I push myself up.“We made pancakes!” she declares, her excitement evident as she shoves the plate against my chest.I take it, but the thought of eating right now makes my stomach churn. Still, refusing her isn’t an option.Grabbing one, I hold it out to her, knowing damn well that even if she’s already eaten, she’ll always find room for more pancakes. As expected, she snatches it up, taking a big bite before immediately shoving another toward my mouth.“Okay, I can feed myself, tha
Rook POVKade doesn’t let it go. I knew he wouldn’t. His jaw is tight, his hands flexing against his knees, and I can see the tension still running through him.“It’s not the same,” he says, voice sharp. “You keep saying I fucked up too, that I should’ve told you sooner, and yeah, maybe I should have. But I was sat in a room listening, Rook. I knew, yeah, but I didn’t actively fucking do anything. I didn’t sit there, touch someone else, flirt with them, and then end up in their fucking bed.” His voice hardens. “Even if nothing happened, that’s what you did.”I hold his gaze, nodding once. I won’t argue with him, because he’s right.His jaw ticks, his fingers drumming once against his thigh before his eyes narrow slightly. “What would you be doing right now,” he asks, voice quieter, but just as sharp, “if it had been me?”The question hi
Kade POVI want to be angry at him. I should be. But anger isn’t easy when I know he’s right.The worst part? I don’t even know why I let it get this bad. I don’t know why I threw myself so deep into helping Nikolai when he had already accepted me. There was no real reason for it, but I did it anyway.Maybe he wanted me to sink into it. Maybe he kept pulling me deeper so I’d get so used to it that I wouldn’t even think before agreeing. But that’s not on him, it’s on me.I could have said no, just like I did this morning. I could have refused all those other times too, but I didn’t.I hate that I don’t even have a fucking answer for why. I switched to part-time in hockey so I’d have more time with Rook and Harlow, but somehow, I spent even less time with them. The extra hours didn’t go to them, didn’t go to the family I swore meant everything to me.They went to him.Every part of me wants to explain, to give Rook a reason, something to justify why I let this happen. But I can’t. Becau
Kade POVI can’t blame him for not trusting me.The weight of everything still hangs thick between us, lingering in the space where trust used to be easy. I’ve said my piece, made my promises, and I meant every fucking word of it.But Rook?He wants to believe me, but I can see it in his eyes, he’s not there yet. And I don’t blame him.Then, out of nowhere, he lets out a fake laugh, dry and hollow. He leans back against the headboard, smirking like this is all some kind of fucking joke.“Hey, look at that,” he mutters. “Our first real argument as a married couple. Think we handled it well?”I don’t react, I don’t roll my eyes. I don’t smirk back. I just watch him.“You don’t have to do that,” I say, my voice quiet but firm.His head tilts slightly, feigning confusion. “Do what?”I shake my head. “Deflect. Act like it’s nothing. Pretend like it doesn’t fucking hurt.”Rook’s smirk falters for a fraction of a second before he catches himself. He holds my gaze, the humor fading from his fa
Kade POVI can’t blame him for not trusting me.The weight of everything still hangs thick between us, lingering in the space where trust used to be easy. I’ve said my piece, made my promises, and I meant every fucking word of it.But Rook?He wants to believe me, but I can see it in his eyes, he’s not there yet. And I don’t blame him.Then, out of nowhere, he lets out a fake laugh, dry and hollow. He leans back against the headboard, smirking like this is all some kind of fucking joke.“Hey, look at that,” he mutters. “Our first real argument as a married couple. Think we handled it well?”I don’t react, I don’t roll my eyes. I don’t smirk back. I just watch him.“You don’t have to do that,” I say, my voice quiet but firm.His head tilts slightly, feigning confusion. “Do what?”I shake my head. “Deflect. Act like it’s nothing. Pretend like it doesn’t fucking hurt.”Rook’s smirk falters for a fraction of a second before he catches himself. He holds my gaze, the humor fading from his f
Kade POVShe stops in front of me, looking up with wide eyes and a bright smile.“Where’s Daddy Rook?”“He’s sleeping,” I explain, reaching down to pick her up. “He was naughty and didn’t go to bed last night.”She huffs, crossing her arms dramatically, her bottom lip jutting out. “That’s not fair,” she pouts.I laugh, shaking my head. “I’m sure whatever you wanted him to do with you, he’ll do it later.”She sighs again, just as dramatic, and I smirk. “Okay, what do you want him for?”Instead of answering, she wriggles, trying to get free. I set her down, and she immediately grabs my hand, tugging me across the room to where a blanket is spread out on the floor.On the blanket is an entire setup, teddies, dolls, small plates with food, and cups filled with drinks.Rose is sitting there too, her expression flat as she watches me. The second our eyes meet, she rolls them.I frown. “I don’t get it.”“Rook normally does this,” Rose explains with a shrug. “Unless he’s playing an important
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’
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
Rook POVWhen I wake it’s nearly midday. Kade is still asleep, so maybe it’s time to get payback for last nights shit.He looks peaceful. Too peaceful. I smirk, remembering last night. The way he tried, the way he pushed, and the way he immediately passed out the second I left him alone. He wanted to mess with me? Fine. I’ll get him back.Slowly, I ease out from under his arm, careful not to wake him. He doesn’t stir, lost in whatever drunken dreams he’s having.This is almost too easy. I grip his hips and flip him onto his stomach, his body barely reacting. He groans softly, face still buried in the pillow, but he doesn’t wake.Smirking, I grab his wrists and pull them above his head, using the handcuffs to secure them against the headboard.Now, for the best part. Biting back a laugh, I slide off the bed and head into the bathroom. Grabbing the small bucket from under the sink, I turn on the cold tap, le