More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between
December 21 - December 22, 2023
“Sit down.” If ever there was a way to sound both demanding and tender all at once, it would sound like him.
He’s about to take on the biggest case of his life. Some big-name kingpin whose been raising hell all throughout Miami since, like, the 1980s. When my father sends him to prison, he will be the most famous prosecutor in America. Trust me, you’re going to want to network with him.”
“Your father is Joshua Caplan,” he guessed. I nodded, smiling proudly. “He’s trying the case against Silas Montgomery this August.” “You’ve done your research!” I was impressed. Kain breathed out a short, quiet chuckle. He leaned forward in his desk chair, expression intimidatingly serious, and slowly said the words, “Silas Montgomery is my father.”
Most recently, Silas was booked on involvement in a triple murder, and he’d posted the twelve-million-dollar bail in less than forty-eight hours.
Dangggg
My better sense got the best of me eventually, and it dawned on me why Kain might’ve felt like my question wasn’t worth answering. Kain wasn’t doing any of this for my father, I determined. He was doing it for me.
“Kain, get the fuck out of bed, it’s four in the afternoon and Cici’s birthday dinner starts in—Oh.”
4?!
Three hours. That was how long I’d been in Kain’s shower.
“Hey,” he interrupted, rising from his reclined position. “Don’t sweat… I should thank you. I hate Japanese food.” I watched his eyes trace the outline of my body as he took in the fact that I was wearing his clothes. A small smile turned up the corner of his mouth and he said, “But you can buy me dinner if you’re tryna make it up to me.”
There was a lot of love here, however, the measured silence of it all made our home less warm, a little intimidating.
“Are those…” She gasped. “Are those hickies on your neck?” I looked away from her, feeling my eyes water a little before I brought my hands up to my neck to hide the bruises.
Reminders Ughhhh
They were feminine, social, fashion-conscious women who had a tendency to be snobby at times. Morgan had recently crossed into Mom’s sorority, and that was the only time I’d ever seen Mom cry over one of our accomplishments. My sister was a total Momma’s Girl, and the love she had for our mother was clearly mutual.
Where Morgan had Mom, I had Dad. I was a complete Daddy’s Girl. We had a bond that I would argue was even stronger than the one Mom and Morgan had.
Criminals aren’t born. They’re made. As a child psychiatrist I hoped to get into the minds of troubled children before they became troubled adults. I didn’t want to try criminal cases, I wanted to prevent them from ever happening.
had on tight, high-waisted dark denim jean shorts that covered my bellybutton paired with a white midriff top, exposing some of the skin on my abdomen. My waist-length natural hair was tied up in a high ponytail and twisted around itself to form a messy bun, keeping my long hair out of my face. I kept my makeup light, but that was only because I didn't know how to do it that well. However, I went with a lip color that I didn't normally wear—a deep purple which really brought out my dark complexion.
“You look different,” he said plainly when I reached the table. That's it. No ‘wow’. No ‘oh my God’. I wanted to know if he meant I looked different in a bad way or in a good way. Instead I replied, “You look the same,” in the most uninterested tone I could fake.
“You’re cute,” he said finally. When I smiled, he quickly clarified. “And not because of what you got on. I don’t know who you tryna fool…but it’s cute.”
Out of all his four sisters—all of which having different mothers—he was the only sibling who didn't know his mother.
Even though Kain was a mystery on a lot of fronts, I couldn't help but be an open book.
Don't let your mouth get you in trouble, Lauren.” The advice was stern, but it was delivered thoughtfully, like he was more concerned than he was offended.
I followed him down, taking a seat beside him. Our shoulders touched as we sat facing the ocean, but neither of us made an effort to create some space.
“Also,” he paused, and in my peripheral vision, I could see his eyes on me. “I wanted you to be sober for this.” This. His voice was lower now, rich like chocolate the way it flowed out of him, catching my attention. My breathing slowed and I turned to face him again. His eyes were still warm, contrasting with the seriousness of his features. Not even trying to be vain, but in that moment, Kain looked at me like I was the only thing he saw. It had the most stripping effect on me. I felt naked. I didn't know what to do with all that attention. I didn't know how to react to feeling so seen. He
...more
“Lauren,” he broke the silence, catching me by surprise. “If you don’t want to do something, speak up. And do that shit unapologetically,” Kain said looking at me over his shoulder. “If a guy gets mad at you for that, or makes you feel some type of way about it, that’s not the nigga you should be fuckin’ with anyway.”
“Because you’re askin' me what I think you should do. Which means you ain’t sure. And if you ain’t sure…” he trailed off, looking at me over his shoulder again and I watched the moonlight dance in his eyes. “Wait for your fairytale, Lauren.”
Just like the way he slowed down his steps to keep himself from walking ahead of me, Kain managed to do the same thing in the way that he touched me.
Awww
“She was beautiful,” he said quietly against my lips.
“Daddy, I'm in college. I'm over eighteen.”
“You are not an easier target.” I couldn’t decide if Kain was trying to convince me of something or make me a promise. Perhaps it was both. “Nothing is gonna happen to you.”
“You’re right, it’s not funny… But seriously—I need you to realize that no one can protect you like I can. That’s not arrogance, that’s fact. Nobody understands what you’re up against the way that I do. Even if I’m seven hours away, I got
And then there was Kain. What with his unwavering desire to do what he knew was right, and the way his friends—either consciously or unconsciously—looked to him for the final decision. He was The Leader.
“You survive Monday through Friday afternoons, and then you got me through Sunday. I’ll keep you safe myself. Every weekend until the end of the Spring semester—six weeks. And then you’ve got me every day of the summer until your dad loses the trial.”
My favorite part. I smiled into the kiss, thinking for the hundredth time this month that summer couldn’t get here fast enough. Kain pulled back, doing that thing he did where he lingered a while to remember my face, my cheeks held between his palms.
“Baby, I’m not mad at you,” Kain interrupted. My heart fluttered. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Kain had just called me baby for the first time. It was unnerving how much I liked
Baby my heart fluttered too
“Hey, Beautiful,” he said quietly into my hair, voice low and rich like chocolate.
Kain’s smile was a little sad when he replied, “What if I’m more like him than you realize, and… and you’re just the exception?” I raised my head from his lap, sensing a serious shift in the conversation coming. “What if the person I am with you is nothing like the person I am when you’re not around?”
“I’m on the border of two entirely different worlds right now. There’s your world… and then there’s mine. I can’t just pick one. The person I am with you just wouldn’t survive in my world. The person I am with them… would scare a girl like you to death.”
“What happens when those worlds collide? Who would you be then?”
immediately decided that I never wanted Kain Montgomery to care about me to the extent that he would put himself in danger.
These were the hands of a man who I felt like I could lean on. And despite the fact that Kain’s hands were noticeably larger than mine, as I weaved my fingers between his… They managed to still fit perfectly.
Kain’s eyes were so tender in that moment, adorned with the kind of warmth I could wrap myself in for even the coldest of winters.
I craved the feel and warmth of his skin, something I’d never really wanted from anyone. I could just curl into a ball and tuck myself away in his arms. My desire to be as close as possible with someone had never been so strong.
Of course I knew people had sex because it was supposed to feel great, but sex was also as close as two people could ever get to each other.
watched as Kain pulled his own phone from his pocket, and dial in my number from memory.
the hatred in my father’s voice made me want to wrap my arms around Kain and protect him.
“Daddy, this is Kain Montgomery,” I repeated, laying emphasis on his last name. There was a long pause. I couldn’t be sure if everyone was breathing, it was so quiet. “He's my boyfriend.”
“You need to breathe.” It took me a stretched second to realize that Kain’s words were for me. Was he being serious right now? My father’s punch was caught mere centimeters away from his face and he was telling me to breathe? “You’re having a panic attack. Calm down. I’m straight. Your Pops is straight.” Kain looked at my father, eyebrow raised with a look of wary mistrust, before he let go of his fist. “See? Baby, breathe.”
In that moment, it became clear that Kain did not give a single good goddamn about my father, or his approval.
Kain would completely zone out into the material, only looking up from his reading glasses every once in a while to check up on me. There was passion there, a desire for excellence. Kain was most attractive to me when he got in that headspace. I could watch him go over his well-organized notes for hours—and I did!
All he’d managed to do was shine a little light on his own devious nature. Before tonight, no one could tell me that my Daddy was anything less than perfect.
“Do you know what they call him on the streets? Trigger Fingers. What the fuck do you think that means?”
Then again, parts of me were absolutely convinced I knew exactly what I was seeing. She had Kain's eyes.
