Mitch opened his mouth to retaliate, ashamed of the dampness on his cheeks, but his response was stolen by the sudden pressure of Kade's mouth on his. A thousand thoughts flashed across the surface of his mind at once, too fast for him to latch onto any of them. He'd known this man for barely twenty-four hours, knew nothing about him, yet his body reacted as though in Kade's arms was where he was supposed to be. God, he hadn't been kissed, touched, in so long, it almost felt like the very first time. He wouldn't have said the same for Kade; the man must have taken a course or something. The way Kade's lips moved sensuously over his turned his blood to liquid fire, and he hadn't even used any tongue yet. As if Kade read his mind, Mitch felt the gentle trail of warm, wet muscle at the seam of his lips, requesting entrance. Mitch was torn between granting Kade's request and running for the hills while he still could. Sensation flooded through him, his nerve-endings sparking wildly in the overwhelming need to give himself up to every single, wonderful, spine-tingling moment. To forget everything for one brief moment and succumb to the desire coursing through him. To be free from guilt, just for once.
"Don't think," Kade murmured against his mouth. "Just feel."
Mitch's knees buckled as the timbre of Kade's voice washed over him like a heated caress. His lips parted on a gasp, his hands lifting to grip Kade's shoulders, hanging on for dear life as he whimpered into Kade's mouth. He didn't think he'd ever been kissed this way before. As if he were the very air Kade needed to breathe, or the last oasis in the middle of a barren desert and Kade didn't want to miss a single drop of water. Mitch swayed in Kade's arms and moaned low in his throat when Kade's arms slid around his waist and pulled him hard against his muscled frame.
He knew it was crazy, he didn't know this man, hadn't known any man for over a year. What was he doing? Good question; one he'd been asking himself since he opened the door in the early hours of the morning and let a complete stranger into his sanctuary. Stop being so holier than thou, his inner voice drawled in his ear, albeit slightly muffled as Kade dragged his lips across Mitch's cheek and was currently tracing the whorl of his ear with the point of a teasing tongue. We both know you’ve wanted this from the moment you opened the door. He couldn't summon the energy to argue, because Kade's ministrations had turned his legs to jelly and it took everything he had just to stay upright. Things were moving too fast.
"Could you stop thinking?" Kade mumbled against his ear. "I'm trying to concentrate."
"I… don't do this," Mitch stammered, his fingers involuntarily slipping into the soft strands of Kade's dark hair. "I mean… I'm not a virgin… or anything… but it—" Kade's mouth was on his again, teasing, nibbling, sending jolts of pleasure straight to Mitch's cock, which quite frankly couldn't care less what Mitch did. It had an agenda of its own.
"Mitch." Kade stepped back, so there was once again space between them. "It's okay. I want to be with you, Jesus, you have no idea how badly, but I'm not in the habit of forcing myself on anyone. If you want to stop, I'm okay with that. What happens now is totally up to you."
Mitch stared into a sea of green for what felt like hours, but in truth was probably a only a moment, and blocked out any other thought apart from the man in front of him. Lifting his hand, he traced the curve of Kade's cheek and closed the gap between them once again. He captured Kade's mouth with his; letting his actions speak for themselves. His acquiescence seemed to light a fire inside Kade, because he was guided until the back of his legs hit the mattress. Wrenching his mouth away from Kade's he felt a sudden shyness fill him and he buried his head against Kade's shoulder. "Kade," he whimpered, the weight of Kade's body lowering him onto the bed.
"You look so fucking hot under me," Kade said, his voice husky and filled with heat as he pressed Mitch onto the cool white sheets.
All Mitch could do was stare up at the man above him as Kade curled his fingers into the hem of the wife beater Mitch wore and slowly removed it. His skin burned wherever Kade's gaze fell, the need in Kade's eyes sending tremors of anticipation through him. Arching his back, trying desperately to get his bare skin closer to Kade's now naked chest, his T-shirt having joined Mitch's on the floor.
"Please," Mitch whimpered. "Touch me… please." He ignored the smug smile pulling at Kade's lips and tried to free his wrists from Kade's grasp, but the man obviously wasn't done torturing him yet. The gleam in Kade's eyes skipped past wicked and bordered on obscene. Kade lowered his head and the soft strands of his hair brushed against Mitch's chin, sending shockwaves of sensation skittering across his skin. Mitch's gasp echoed in the static-filled air around them, bouncing off the wooden walls of the open space.
"Jesus," he hissed at the dip of Kade's tongue into the rapidly pooling sweat in the hollow of his throat. Mitch didn't think he'd seen anything more erotic than the flick of Kade's tongue across soft plump lips, or heard anything more erotic than the growl escaping from between them as Kade savored the taste of him.
Mitch was drowning. Kade mapped out his every muscle, every curve, every inch of skin, exposing more flesh as he journeyed down Mitch's body. Kade's gentle touch burned with a delicious heat and Mitch gave himself over to the sea of sensation washing over him. Bombarded with wave after wave of desire, he barely noticed Kade removing the rest of their clothes until the warmth of Kade's naked body against him brought a shuddering breath from his throat.
"Open your eyes, Mitch." Kade's voice was rich, like the warm trickle of JD over ice. "Look."
Mitch was sure he would do pretty much anything that voice asked of him, so he opened his eyes to find that Kade was not looking at him… directly. Confused he followed Kade's gaze and gasped. The muted lighting cast shadows over their naked bodies reflected in the huge ornate mirror he'd been forced to look into not that long ago. Now, he wasn't sure he would ever be able to tear his gaze away.
His damaged arm was hidden from view and all he could see was the starkness of his pale skin against the tanned length of Kade's naked body. The gold of the man's flesh seemed to glow where their hips and thighs touched, the strands of their dark hair tangling together where Kade's cheek rested on his. But their faces captured Mitch's attention. His cheeks were flushed, his lips parted in invitation, his eyes darkened by desire, the answering need reflected in every curve of Kade's face.
"That’s what I see," Kade murmured, rolling his hips in a gentle wave, the movement forcing a moan through Mitch's lips.
Mitch almost forgot how to breathe as Kade settled himself between Mitch's thighs and began a rhythm so sweet and sensuous he never wanted it to end. Who the hell was this man? How had Kade managed to get past his defenses? He'd spent so long securing himself in his luxury prison, far away from prying eyes and outside interference, he'd thought he would spend the rest of his life alone and undisturbed. Then this enigmatic stranger with his charm and his easy smile had made him feel as though… hell… just feel. Kade took his lips again, the gentle nibbling kisses they had started out with gone, leaving only raw heat and passion as he tried to keep up with Kade's frantic kisses that left him gasping for air.
Mitch's senses seemed as though they were heightened tenfold. Every touch burned his skin, every kiss tasted sweeter than the last, every gaze filled with a need so acute it was palpable. Pleasure rippled through him over and over as Kade raised himself on his hands and thrust harder, their throbbing cocks sliding tantalizingly together, stimulating every nerve-ending he possessed. His balls were drawn up so tightly he could practically feel them in the back of his throat. It had been so long since he'd felt any other hand but his own that his mind was melting quicker than a snowball on the equator, and he was lifted high on surge after surge of pure bliss.
"Mitch… I'm close," Kade whimpered, bending his head to graze his lips against Mitch's ear, biting on the earlobe.
Mitch gasped as he felt the shockwaves down his spine as though his cock and his ear were connected by some invisible wire, Kade's breath on his skin driving him crazy, urging him towards the edge of release.
"Kade… more… more," Mitch cried out as orgasm rushed through him, pumping hot reams of white across his chest. Quickly joined with the thick pulsing ropes of Kade's orgasm heating his already fevered skin, as they came almost simultaneously, bodies shuddering together, muscles straining in climax.
Mitch's chest heaved with the effort to fill his lungs with air when Kade collapsed on top of him, crushing the sticky mess between them before rolling off to the side. But somehow Mitch couldn't be bothered to summon up the energy to care. He was boneless, fluid, utterly sated, and… absolutely terrified. He lay there, staring up at the criss-crossing beams of the ceiling, not even daring to risk a glance at Kade, who was panting beside him. What happened now? It wasn't as though Kade could get up and go home. Did that mean they would spend the next however long it took for the roads to clear in separate rooms? This wasn't some casual pick up in a bar—God knew he'd had his fair share of those, but then there had always been a means of escape. He was trapped; there was nowhere to run… nowhere to hide.
****
Kade's heart pounded in his chest. Every moment with Mitch had been intense, his orgasm white-hot, blinding, unlike anything he had experienced before—and his experience was wide and varied. What the hell was going on? He hadn't even fucked Mitch for Christ's sake. There was something different about this guy. Why wasn't Kade making good his escape? Duh… ‘cuz you can’t… or ‘cuz you don’t want to? Pushing his inner voice behind a lead panel and quickly building a wall around it so all he could hear was a far off mumble, he saw Mitch draw his lip between his teeth and start to worry on it.
From the moment he'd laid eyes on Mitch Spencer, he'd been drawn to him. Not just because the man was attractive… that was undeniable. But there was something haunting this guy. Something had happened to make this man hide himself away from prying eyes. Sure, there were the scars, but Kade had seen a damn sight worse walking down the street. It was as though Mitch carried a great weight and, God help him, Kade wanted to lift that weight, share it, and free Mitch of it forever.
Kade felt Mitch withdraw from him before the man even moved on the bed and he turned quickly, throwing his leg across Mitch's thighs, effectively pinning him down. "You're thinking again," he said, lifting his hand and rubbing at the frown creasing Mitch's brow. "You really need to stop doing that. It'll only get you into trouble." His gaze fell to Mitch's mouth as his tongue snaked out to moisten his lips.
"Kade—"
"No, it wasn't," Kade replied, forcing Mitch's chin up and cutting him off. He instinctively knew what the other man was going to say. Mitch's brown eyes stared up at him quizzically and Kade counted on his fingers as if he were ticking off a list. "No, it wasn't a mistake. Yes, it is definitely going to happen again and no… there is nowhere to run, for either of us."
"But this is insane," Mitch said on a groan, running his hands through his hair.
"You think I don't know that?" Kade countered, raising himself on his elbow and gazing down at Mitch. "You think I'm not telling myself this is all kinds of crazy? It's like some ridiculous scene from a bad slasher flick or something. Freaky storm, dark house in the middle of the night, stranger knocking at the door and finding handsome, haunted man inside." He grinned, warmth spreading through his belly at the answering one that twitched Mitch's lips when he said, "I'm not going to end up in that damn kitchen cupboard with the rest of the lonely travelers who cross your path, am I?"
"No," Mitch replied, his fingers grazing Kade's cheek. "I ran out of space in there ages ago. I tend to favor the under stairs closet now. More leg room. Although I cut them off, obviously."
"Obviously," Kade murmured, unable to drag his gaze away from the bow in Mitch's lip. "Very considerate of you." He bent and traced the outline of that sinful lip with his tongue, then pulled it between his own and suckled on it gently. The sounds emanating from Mitch's throat tightened his gut and sent sparks of heat radiating through him. Trailing his fingers across Mitch's chest, he pinched teasingly at the already pebbled nipple begging for his touch and continued down over Mitch's belly… which promptly vibrated against his hand. Raising his head, Kade grinned at the flush painting Mitch's cheeks, not all of which was desire-fueled. "Hungry, Mitchell?"
"Sorry," Mitch said with a shrug. "I seem to have worked up an appetite."
Kade chuckled and sprang off the bed, reaching out a hand to Mitch and pulling him to his feet. "Me too. Come on, it's your turn to cook."
"Seriously?" Kade stared at the plate Mitch had put before him.
"Hey," Mitch said, his tone affronted. "You told me to make you my specialty."
"True," Kade replied with a wry smile. "But I was expecting your specialty to be something a little more exotic than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."
"I never said I could cook." Mitch grinned around a mouthful of said peanut butter and jelly. "Sometimes I forget to eat more than once a day, so be grateful you get to taste this fine cuisine."
"Then I am definitely in charge of dinner." Kade picked up one half of his sandwich and bit into it. A myriad of childhood memories, not all of them pleasant, whizzed around his brain clamoring for attention, as the tang of the nut wrestled with the sweet grape of the jelly, fighting for dominance on his tongue. Kade closed his eyes and rolled the bite of sandwich around his mouth, savoring every chew in quiet ecstasy. At least he thought he was quiet—apparently not, if the tease in Mitch's voice was anything to go by.
"Um… Kade, do you need me to leave you two alone?"
Kade grinned, vaguely aware that he probably had peanut butter stained teeth. "I'd forgotten how good this tasted. My mom used to make them for me, when she was—" He snapped his lips shut and turned his attention to his sandwich. What the hell was he doing? He'd been on the verge of spilling his guts to Mitch. He didn't do that. Had never done that. Not even Gustav knew the whole story. He felt the weight of Mitch's gaze on him and swallowed. "So what do we do now?"
"Well I go back to the workshop and finish that cradle. You have the run of the house," Mitch said, around mouthfuls of sandwich. "Movies are in the cabinet under the TV. Books are in the bookcase. I'm afraid you'll have to entertain yourself. I've already lost over an hour." Kade chuckled as Mitch tried to sound put out, but the sternness of his tone was belied by the gleam in his golden-brown eyes.
"No problem." Kade popped the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth and stretched his arms over his head, groaning as his shoulder popped loudly in the kitchen, echoing around the room.
"Wow, I heard that," Mitch said, concern suddenly washing over his face at Kade's wince. "Are you okay?"
Kade nodded and stood up, picking up the empty plates before crossing the room to put them in the dishwasher. "I'm fine. Old sports injury. I played tennis in college." He sighed inwardly when Mitch seemed to accept his answer, not entirely sure Mitch would be as sympathetic if he knew Kade had damaged his shoulder jumping from a first story window to evade capture. Leaning against the sink, he watched the other man pull his jacket on in readiness for facing the rain again. His belly warmed as Mitch's wife-beater rode up as he put first one arm and then the other into the coat. Mitch's skin was a milky white, smooth and bare, apart from the thinnest trail of hair disappearing into the waistband of his sweats. Mitch's hand was on the back door handle before Kade had pulled his mind out of Mitch's pants and said gruffly, "Wait!"
Bridging the gap between them in long strides, Kade grabbed the back of Mitch's neck and crashed their mouths together. He took control of the kiss and Mitch's lips opened with no hesitation. Kade delved his tongue deep into the dark cavern in short swift jabs. Sliding his other hand around Mitch's hip and down, he curled his fingers into the firm ass cheek that filled his palm. God… He couldn't get enough of this guy. If Gustav could see him, he'd think he'd lost his mind. Kade reluctantly ended the kiss with a soft snick—not entirely sure Gustav wouldn't be right.
Mitch's glazed eyes stared at him and Kade couldn't help the curl of satisfaction in his gut at the tremor in Mitch's voice when he spoke. "Well… um… yes… um…see you later."
When the door had closed behind Mitch, Kade pulled his cell out of his pocket, hoping for reception. "Thank you," he mumbled to himself as he stabbed the speed dial and the corresponding number for Gustav. His father must be frantic by now. The fact that Gustav picked up on the first ring and barked down the phone at him told him he was right.
"Where the fuck are you? I've been worried sick!"
"Calm down." Kade lowered his voice, trying to soothe the other man. "I got stuck in a stupid freak storm. The car broke down and triple A can't get to me because the roads are impassable. I've had no reception until now."
"I told you to get a new cell months ago. But then why should I expect you to listen to me? You never have before." Gustav ranted for a few more moments and Kade let him, knowing the underlying basis for his anger was worry, not condemnation. He heard Gustav taking several deep breaths and then his voice was at a more normal decibel when he spoke again. "How did it go last night?"
"The Hendersons' was a breeze," Kade replied, sitting down on the kitchen chair and leaning his elbow on the table. "I got everything we planned, plus a few extras we weren't expecting. Mrs Henderson has obviously been shopping since her last insurance appraisal."
"And the Spencers'? Did you get the diamonds?"
"Um, not exactly," Kade prevaricated, needing to buy himself some time so he could chose his words. Of course, he should have known the care he took with his phrasing would make no difference to the man at the other end of the line.
"Kade." Gustav drew out his name and Kade flinched at the steady monotone.
"The house wasn't empty," Kade said on a rush, quickly adding the rest before Gustav had time to respond. "The Spencer's son lives here. There was nowhere else for me to go, so I'm stuck here with him for a few days, until the flood water recedes." The line was silent although Kade could practically hear the wheels and cogs of Gustav's mind mulling over the information he had spewed. The man was quiet… too quiet. It wasn't a good sign.
"Are you insane? Get the hell out of there right now!" When Gustav replied it was with a high-pitched, panic-filled whine. "Why don't you just call the police and cuff yourself for Christ's sake. Didn't I teach you anything?"
"Will you chill out, you're gonna give yourself another heart attack," Kade yelled back. Good one, Kade. That really helps. "My back is covered. Everything is okay. He thinks I'm the Hendersons' nephew who got caught out in the storm. As soon as triple A can get to me, I'm out of here. There is no need for panic."
"Kade, son, what is the golden rule?"
Rubbing at his forehead where the beginning of a headache was blossoming above his eyes, Kade sighed heavily. "Get in, get out, and don't get caught," he intoned, reciting the lesson Gustav had drummed into him over and over.
"So, not only did you not get in and get out… you decided to stay for fucking dinner. I'm surprised you didn't give him your real name!"
Eternally grateful Gustav could not see the flush in his cheeks, Kade swallowed hard. "Everything is going to be fine. You taught me everything you know and I've picked up a few things of my own along the way." Kade kept his tone even, knowing that Gustav couldn't resist a bit of ego bolstering. "I know what I'm doing. I'll be out of here in a couple of days with the Spencer diamonds in my pocket and this place and everyone in it in my rearview mirror."
****
Mitch closed the back door softly. He'd forgotten to pick up the fresh sanding sheets he'd ordered last week from the dresser where he'd left them—and now wished he hadn't. He stood staring at the glass, watching as Kade leaned back in the chair, his cell pressed firmly to his ear. Kade's words ricocheted around his head like the narrative on a bad black and white detective movie.
"I know what I’m doing. I’ll be out of here in a couple of days with the Spencer diamonds in my pocket and this place and everyone in it in my rearview mirror."
Turning swiftly, he stepped out into the rain once more and ran for the safety of the barn, as though the Devil himself were on his heels.