Page 40 of The Sinners Touch

“The fuck you say!” Disbelief warred with shock as Dimitri struggled to digest Kade’s little bombshell.

“She’s the sister of the guy I was told to get close to.”

“Sounds like you got a little too close,brat.”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Kade laughed, but the sound was hollow, empty. “I could never stay away from that girl.”

“Did you love her?”

“I still do.” That was the problem, wasn’t it? Being away from her, refusing to think about her, dulled the ache to a bearable level. Being this close to her? There was no dulling it. It was an open, bleeding wound. One that couldn’t be patched up. It just bled.

“So, what’s the problem? She married now or something?”

“No.” Kade took a deep breath. “We’re still married.”

“Back up, Romeo. You’restillmarried? You need to start from the beginning.”

Kade sighed, but he did as Dimitri asked. He told him everything about Miami, the baby, the miscarriage, and then brought him up to date on current events.

“You’re fucked, motherfucker.”

That, right there. In a nutshell.

“I don’t know what to do. She hates me.”

“I’d fucking hate you too, if I were her. You screwed up, Kade. I don’t know if you can fix this.”

“Fucker, you’re the romance expert. I called you for advice, not for you to tell me what I already know.”

“Well, she fell for you once, didn’t she?”

“Yeah.”

“Then make her fall for you again.” Dimitri yawned. “Charm her. I’ve seen you at work. You’re as deadly as Nik when it comes to women. Make her remember why she loved you in the first place.”

“How the fuck am I supposed to do that when she won’t even have a civil conversation with me?”

“You two are holed up together until you catch this psycho,da?” When Kade nodded, Dimitri continued. “Use that. Do what you need to. Talk to her, even when she refuses to talk to you. Fill the silence. It’s Christmas, for God’s sake. Do some holiday stuff. Women love all that Christmas shit. My point is, stop sulking like a girl feeling sorry for yourself. Man up and go get your woman back.”

Leave it to Dimitri to be blunt.

“Look, I gotta go. Charlene is probably ready to kill me. Do you want me to fly out there? For support and backup? Romance writers are the perfect wingmen in this kind of situation.”

Kade started to say no but changed his mind. Christmas was just around the corner, and with Nik here, it’d be nice to have another brother around. “If you think you can get away, I’d appreciate you coming. You can’t stay here, though.”

Dimitri laughed. “Fuck, no. You need all the alone time you can get with your wife.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Kade laughed.

“Fucker, get lost. I’ll see you when you get here. And, Dimitri, keep this to yourself. No telling the rest of the family. If this all goes to hell, well…”

“I got your back. Don’t worry. See you tomorrow, and good luck. You need it.”

Kade turned off the app and stared up at the ceiling. There was so much he needed to apologize for. So much he wanted to tell her. So much he’d always wanted to tell her, starting with that day in the ER when he found out she was pregnant.

He’d driven like the hounds of hell were on his heels when he’d gotten Peter’s text saying she was hurt and at the ER. That was all his text said. No details, just that she’d had an accident and to get his ass to the emergency room.

The fear that nearly crippled him was the first big wake up call. He’d argued with himself, told himself it was too soon, that she was just someone to hang out and have some fun with while he was there. But the thought of her being hurt, in pain, somewhere that wasn’t with him…he understood what it meant that day. Seeing her sitting on the exam table, pale, bruised, and crying drove the knowledge home. He loved her.

She’d been alone when he found her. She looked up, her green eyes wide and terrified. His first thought was that someone had attacked her. Her arm was a purple mess. The fear in her eyes made everything inside him bristle up. Whoever had fucking hurt his girl would pay for it.

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