Demand (Careless Whispers #2)(64)

This time, he’s managed to say something comforting. Kayden’s focused. He’s staying alive. As I head toward the stairs Adriel calls out, “I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” I waste no time heading down the steps and entering our bedroom, snatching my phone from the nightstand just as it rings. Hopeful that it’s Kayden, I glance at the caller ID and frown at the unfamiliar number. Not sure what to expect, afraid it’s Niccolo, or somehow related to Niccolo, I press the “answer” button and will myself to sound calm. “Hello?”

“Eleana, it’s Chief Donati.”

“Chief,” I greet him cautiously, assuming Gallo gave him my number, and considering I’m now worried he’s calling to tell me something is wrong with Kayden, I somehow manage a cool, “This is a surprise.”

“Why don’t you tell me why Kayden is at Niccolo’s country estate?”

Alarm bells go off in my head, and I choose my words cautiously. “I’m watching football and stuffing my face, Chief Donati. I don’t involve myself in Kayden’s business.”

“That bracelet you had on last night says differently.”

“The bracelet is about commitment. That doesn’t equal conversation to a man like Kayden.”

“Don’t f*ck with me, Eleana,” he shocks me by spouting. “Why is he there?”

“Everyone wants a favor from Kayden, so it’s likely that,” I say. “And you know as well as I do that Kayden listens to all requests but doesn’t hand them out freely.”

“No one turns down Niccolo.”

“Then you don’t know Kayden well.”

“On the contrary, I know him better than you think. Perhaps better than you. Gallo was right. You’re either blind, or a problem we have yet to understand.”

The line goes dead and a chill runs down my spine, and I wonder at his statement: “No one turns down Niccolo.” What did he give Niccolo? And why do I think he’s afraid Kayden is about to find out?



By nine o’clock, football, Italian lessons, and food have all filled the hours, but news from Kayden has not. “I’m going to nap,” Adriel says, lying down on the living room couch.

“Then I’m going to take a shower,” I say, but his arm is already over his face, and he’s tuned me out.

Retreating to the bedroom, I shower, dry my hair, and, still feeling that I need to be prepared for anything, I dress in pink sweatpants, a black T-shirt, and tennis shoes. The clock now reads nine thirty, and I’m going crazy. Surely Kayden will call on his way home? Or will he still be concerned about an ambush? Not sure what to do with myself, I grab my journal and phone from the nightstand and check my call log, but there is nothing. I sit down on the big brown chair between the security room and the bed, and set the journal down next to me. What’s the point in tormenting myself to remember my past, if Niccolo is sharing that with Kayden? And oh God. What if Kayden learned something about me that wasn’t good, and that’s why he hasn’t returned? I lean forward and press my hands to my face. What if we are enemies? What if—

That same low electric hum that sealed the castle begins again, and I drop my hands. Sure enough, the lights flicker and brighten. We’re out of lockdown, which means Kayden must be here! I rise and enter the security room, sitting at the built-in desk and keying the computer in the center to life. Tabbing through several screens, I all but shout for joy when I see Kayden entering the main castle foyer, with no one by his side. A good sign, at least for now, that trouble has passed.

“Yes, yes, yes!” I stand up and enter the bedroom, tossing my phone on the chair and rushing out of the room into the hallway just in time to find Adriel disappearing down the stairs. Fully intending to follow him, I move down the hallway, and as soon as I reach the top step, the sweet relief of hearing Kayden’s voice lifts in the air, followed by Adriel’s. Almost instantly, footsteps sound, traveling in my direction, and my gut knots in fear that somehow, some way, whatever he has learned about me has changed us. I’ve barely had the thought when Kayden appears, looking ruggedly sexy in his black-and-gray leather biker jacket, his hair a light brown rumpled mess, his expression weary.

I forget dread and worry, launching myself in his direction. The few steps between us feel like an eternity before I am finally in his arms, wrapped in the warm cocoon of his embrace, his powerful body absorbing mine. The hours of worry fade and I melt into the hard lines of him, sliding my hands beneath his jacket and inhaling the deliciously spicy scent that is so wonderfully Kayden.

My gaze goes to his, and I feel the punch of our connection. “I was so worried about you,” I whisper.

His mouth closes over mine and I can taste his urgency, the fear that he’s not dared speak to me, but which I recognize as my own. A fear that he’d go to this meeting and something would go horribly, terribly wrong, and we’d never be here, like this, again. I arch into him, drinking in his passion, instantly, willingly consumed by all that he is. I shove my hands under his shirt, absorbing the hot feel of taut skin over hard muscle, pressing closer to him. A rough sound of desire rumbles from Kayden’s chest, and I gasp as he tears his mouth from mine, staring down at me, his hand cupping my face, his gaze meeting mine.

“We’re fine,” he says, speaking what our bodies have already tried to answer. “I told you. No one is going to take you from me, no matter what that means. And that hasn’t changed. Everything went as planned.”