Page 45 of Kyle (Gold Team #3)

“Thanks for doing this,” I told Kyle.

“No problem.”

“And thanks for lunch. Piper and Ace seem happy.”

“That’s because they are.”

I glanced at Kyle, and since he was driving, I had him in profile. Strong square jaw, covered with a day’s worth of stubble, and I shivered in my seat remembering his promise and what those whiskers felt like between my legs.

Funny how I’d gone from the thought of someone touching me being nearly revolting to craving Kyle’s and desperate for it.

I’d gone from having nothing to having it all and I still wanted more.

I wasn’t worried I’d screw this up between us, because Kyle wouldn’t let me.

I trusted him to guide me where we needed to be.

I knew he’d take care of me, I knew he’d protect me, I knew he’d continue to be patient as I worked out all the poison that churned in my stomach.

That there wasn’t much left, he’d made sure of that, too.

But whatever remained, we would work it out of me together .

He was proving it to me once again by parking in front of Evie’s apartment complex.

“Everything’s gonna be fine,” he told me as he pulled into a spot.

“I know.”

“You know?” He chuckled. “Then why do you look so nervous?”

I wasn’t nervous, not really. I knew what I needed to say to Evie and I wasn’t worried about that.

I’d learned it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was to share my past, not with those who loved and cared about me.

I was anxious about her response. Only because I was afraid when Evie found out all that I was holding back over the years, she’d be disappointed in me, or hurt.

“She’s gonna know what a shitty friend I’ve been.”

“Sweetheart, that is not true.”

“It is, honey. And she’ll be right. I knew every time I changed the subject or glossed over a question she asked, I was hurting her feelings, yet I still did it.”

“Anaya—”

“And you know how that feels,” I cut him off.

“Every time Declan does it to you, I see the hurt on your face. I hate that for you. I hate that you’re hurting for a friend who refuses to open up and share his burdens.

Even if there’s nothing you can do to ease the pain, you still want him to know he can unload his demons and you’ll have his back. So you know the hurt I’ve caused Evie.”

“You’re right about some of that, but not all.

I also know the kind of pain that’s inside of Declan is so deep he cannot just unload.

He gives us what he can when he can. So with that, we all know we have to give him time.

Something I’m sure Evette understands she had to give you.

That does not make you a shitty friend. And if she cares about you the way you know she does, then she’ll really understand that and be happy you’ve taken the time you needed, and now you’re ready to open up. ”

God, I loved this man. I loved he knew what I needed to hear.

I loved he was so patient with me and those around him.

He was a good friend, something else I loved.

He treated the people he cared about with understanding.

He was honest and held nothing back, something that made you want to return the favor ten-fold. All around, he was a good man.

“You make me really happy,” I blurted out.

“Would suck if I didn’t.” He smiled. “Ready to go up?”

“Yeah.”

Before he opened the car door, he reached out, wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, and pulled me to him and laid a scorching hot kiss on me that made me forget all my worries. It also dampened my panties and made my girly parts tingle.

“You’re a really good kisser,” I told him when he broke the kiss.

“Now that would seriously suck if you didn’t think that,” he murmured.

“Lucky for me you’re really good at other things, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah. But you know you are.”

“I don’t think I do, maybe you should tell me.”

“Maybe tonight I’ll give you the list.”

“There’s a list?”

“A long one.”

“Jesus,” Kyle muttered. “She’s being cute and making me hard.”

I giggled as his hand went to his crotch to adjust the hard-on he was complaining about having.

“Now she thinks it’s funny.”

What could I say? It was amusing he was talking to himself. But mostly it made me feel something else—powerful, sexy, strong that little old me could arouse Kyle with nothing more than my words. That felt great.

Evie’s pale blue eyes were filled with unshed tears and her lids were rimmed with red from the ones that had been falling over the last hour. I’d told her everything. All the horrors of my past summed up in one hour and a few odd minutes.

Wasn’t that a kick in the gut? I could recite all of my trauma in sixty-plus minutes, but it had taken me years to process and move past it.

“I knew,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Not all of it, obviously. I didn’t know how you felt, but I’d known the facts,” she admitted.

Evie looked destroyed and Kyle must’ve seen it, too, because his hand holding mine squeezed.

“At first it was an accident,” she rushed out.

“The paper was doing a huge story on the modeling agency that was really a front for a trafficking ring. I was researching similar incidents and I found the article about when you were rescued. Of course, your name wasn’t mentioned because you were a minor, but there was a picture.

Even though the FBI agent was trying to shield you, I knew it was you. ”

I stared at my friend, not knowing what to say. She’d known for years what had happened to me, but hadn’t pushed, hadn’t told me she knew, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

“Why—”

“Please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t say anything because I knew you weren’t ready to talk about it. Any time Kalee or I brought up something that resembled being personal you shut down. I was afraid if I told you I knew, you’d stop being my friend and I didn’t want to lose you.”

Shit, she was right. I would’ve exited stage right and I would’ve done it in a way that ended our friendship forever. My eyes closed trying to block out the shame. I was a horrible friend.

“Did Kalee know?”

“God, no. I would never share your secrets. I wanted you to tell me when you were ready. And, honey, I wish you would’ve told me sooner but I understand why you didn’t.

I understood why you’d closed yourself off and I couldn’t blame you.

The only reason why I wanted you to tell me was so I could tell you how proud I am of you. ”

My eyes opened and I focused on the tears that now streamed down Evie’s pretty pale cheeks.

“What?”

“But I get to tell you now. Anaya, I always thought you were the bravest, strongest, smartest woman I know. But now that I know the rest, I know I was wrong—you’re not just strong, you are resilient.

You’re not only brave but you’re tough. You’re made of something so fierce and formidable that nothing can stop you.

When I tell you I am proud of you, I mean it.

Everything you’ve overcome is astounding. ”

I waited for more shame of being a shit friend to hit but it never did. Instead, more of the acid and poison in my belly neutralized. More of the toxic venom I’d allowed to overtake my life was gone. Just like that.

“Thank you for always being such a great friend, even when I wasn’t a good one.”

“Say what? Girl, you’re crazy. You’ve always been a good friend.

Always. When my mom died, who was the first one to rush to my side and hold me together when I was falling apart?

You. And when Tommy Bradshaw broke my heart into a million pieces, who offered to go key his car and kick him in the balls?

You. I can go on and on. Story after story.

You always being the first person to lend an ear, a hand, your support.

So shut up with the ‘I’m not a good friend’ shit. ”

“Tommy was a dick,” I reminded her, then turned to Kyle. “He was married. Married with kids and lied to Evie for six months. She had no clue. He worked hard to make her fall in love with him. He even had an apartment. Can you believe that shit?”

“No, sweetheart, I can’t.” Kyle’s lips tipped up.

“I’m thinking it’s a shame you didn’t get to kick him in the balls.

A man who would set out to cheat on his woman, then go about getting his hooks in a good woman while he was tied to another isn’t just a dick—he’s no kind of man.

I’m thinking a kick to the balls would’ve been sweet to start but he deserved a hell of a lot more than that. ”

“Right? That’s why I wanted to key his car, too. But Evie wouldn’t let me.”

“That’s a shame.” He chuckled.

“See?” I turned to Evie. “He gets it. You should’ve let me do it. The pompous asshole loved that stupid Mercedes. He would’ve pitched a fit if I’d scratched it to hell.”

“And she thinks she was never a good friend.” That came from Evie but she wasn’t talking to me, she was talking to Kyle.

“She knows better now,” he told her.

“Thank you,” Evie whispered.

“No need to thank me.”

The two of them were talking like I wasn’t in the room, but instead of being annoyed, I was grateful.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t be thanking you, because now I’m gonna have to get on a plane to go see my best friend and I hate flying.”

“I wish I could say I was sorry, but that’d be a lie. ”

Evie laughed and turned her blinding smile to me. “I think I like him.”

“That’s good, because I love him and it would suck if my best friend didn’t like my boyfriend.”

“Not your boyfriend, Anaya.”

“What?”

“I’m not your boyfriend, first because I’m not a boy, I’m a man.” I shivered at his declaration thinking he was correct, he was a man—all man—nothing boy about him. “That would mean I’m your man, but more than that, I’m the man that’s gonna make you my wife.”

The shiver turned into a full body earthquake and I tried my best to stop the quaking. But I must’ve failed because Evie’s peal of laughter filled the room.

“I love it,” she said through her hilarity. “So worth the stupid plane ride. I’ll take a thousand of them if it means my girl gets this kind of happiness.”

Kyle and I stayed a while longer, the three of us laughed a lot, Kyle and Evie got to know each other, and when we got up to say our goodbyes, Evie promised to fly out to Maryland soon and I knew she meant it, she’d brave flying to come and see me.

Evette London was the best and I couldn’t wait for her to meet Tatiana, Emerson, and the rest of the women.

She was going to love them, and they’d love her.

When we walked down to the car I felt lighter, freer, better than I had in forever—save when Kyle told me he loved me, or when he was holding me, or when he made love to me, or when he was being sweet, or bossy, or protecting me, or healing me.

Those were the best of times and nothing could compare to how he made me feel.

But knowing I’d given Evie what she needed—which was all of me—was definitely a close second.

The second the hotel room door closed behind us, Kyle pressed against my back. His hand swept my hair from my shoulder and he gathered it in one hand, the other went around and pressed to my belly. Then it was moving down.

“Before I get you naked, I got something I wanna say,” Kyle said conversationally. “Your friend is right.”

“About what?” I asked even though he’d unsnapped the button of my shorts and his hand disappeared into my panties, which meant I was close to not being able to comprehend his answer.

“About everything.” His finger dipped inside of me and he continued. “Made from steel.”

“Kyle,” I panted as he continued to tease me, coating his finger with my excitement.

My head hit his shoulder, his lips went to my jaw first for a kiss, then to whisper against my skin.

“So fucking proud of my girl. So strong.” He added a second finger and his thrusts become harder. “So beautiful.”

“Honey,” I whispered because really, he was doing great things between my legs and I was beyond words.

“Naked, Anaya. I want to taste you before I fuck you.” A shiver ran through me and my pussy clenched around his fingers. “You like when I’m hungry, baby?”

“Yes.”

“Good, because I’m gonna take my time eating before I flip you over and take the rest of you.”

Kyle did indeed take his time eating me and after he’d brought me to a screaming orgasm, he took more time licking and tasting the rest of me.

And by the time he’d finished with me riding on top of him giving him a show, because, well, he’d given me a second orgasm that was arguably better than the first, he deserved it.

And when he groaned his pleasure, I continued to ride him harder, until he exploded with a shout, yanking me down so he could kiss me through it.

It was everything Kyle had promised it would be.

It was thorough, it was rough, it was sweet.

And through it all, I felt it in my heart, in my soul, from top to toe, and all the places in between.

All the cracks and voids that once had dominated my life were now filled.

Each and every one of them. And he was right about more—he’d cemented over them in a way I’d never forget.

I was invincible because that was how he made me.

And I was fearless because I was strong.