But first, he allowed himself one last look at Dakota, curled on her side under the covers, her breathing deep and even, her face finally peaceful in sleep.
"I'll fix this," he promised her quietly, even though she couldn't hear him. "I'll fix all of it. Somehow."
Then he turned and walked into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him.
The shower was already warm when he stepped under the spray, letting the hot water pound against his shoulders and wash away the mud, the blood, the chaos of the last few hours.
After showering, Kade stood in his walk-in closet, water still beading on his shoulders as he surveyed his options.
Today required perfection, not just in strategy, but in presentation. He was about to face Richard Winters across a negotiation table while the man's youngest daughter slept upstairs, marked and mated and completely unaware her family was in the building.
