Read Turning Point (The Kathleen Turner Series) for Free Online

mouth; it was sticky and sweet. I lingered over it, eating slowly.
    Kade thought I was beautiful. Blane had said so before as well. I didn’t think I was. “Beautiful” was a word reserved for models and movie stars. I didn’t feel beautiful.
    “So I thought you weren’t going to come back to Indy before summer,” I said. Not that I was complaining. I’d heard nothing from Kade since he’d left late Christmas night, and I’d worried, knowing that his job was dangerous—and most likely highly illegal.
    Kade shrugged. “Had some downtime. Thought I’d give you a hand in your new job, since I’m guessing Blane didn’t give you a lot to do.”
    I shook my head ruefully. “No, not really. Background checks, paperwork, that kind of stuff. That’s about all.”
    I’d had the distinct impression Blane hadn’t approved of my promotion, though whether it was because he felt Iwasn’t qualified for the job or if he thought it was too dangerous, I didn’t know.
    “Boring,” Kade decreed.
    I shot him a grin in agreement.
    Kade leaned toward me. “Stick with me, princess,” he said conspiratorially. “I’m a lot of things, but I’m never boring.”
    We landed without incident (thank God), and soon were driving toward downtown Denver in a rented SUV. I’d never seen mountains and I stared in wonder at the snowcapped Rockies off in the distance.
    “You ever been here before?” Kade asked, watching me gaze out the window.
    “I’ve never been anywhere before,” I answered truthfully.
    “No vacations as a kid?”
    “Disney World once. A cop’s salary wasn’t the stuff dreams are made of, so we didn’t go many places.”
    “Who’s your favorite princess, princess?”
    I laughed at his question, my mood lightening. “Belle, of course.”
    “Why ‘of course’?”
    “She’s smart, loyal to her dad and the Beast, clever, brave, kind, warmhearted.” I ticked off the many attributes of Princess Belle on my fingers. “And she loves to read.”
    “I thought Cinderella would be every little girl’s favorite.”
    I grimaced. “No way. She was a complete doormat for her stepmom and stepsisters. Though she does get all the press.”
    Kade laughed, a sound I rarely heard him make. It was good to hear.
    “You obviously have given this a great deal more thought than I have,” he said.
    “Belle’s awesome,” I continued, extolling her virtues. “She was able to see past the curse on the Beast to what he was—who he could be—on the inside. He became a better person because she loved him and he loved her.” I sighed. “It’s a great love story.”
    Kade’s voice had an edge to it as he glanced my way. “So are you Belle? A woman who could love a beast?”
    Our eyes met and I drew a sharp breath, just now realizing the subtext of our conversation. Suddenly the light banter about Disney princesses, of all things, was rife with deeper meaning.
    “Life’s not a fairy tale,” I said, avoiding the question. “If it were, I’d get to wear a ball gown every day.”
    Kade chuckled again and the tension was broken.
    “Sorry I missed your birthday,” Kade said after a while.
    Surprised, I said, “It’s okay. I didn’t expect you to remember it.”
    My birthday had been a couple of weeks ago, on January 21. I was now officially twenty-five years old.
    “What did you do to celebrate?”
    “Blane took me out to dinner,” I said. “It was nice. He bought me a purse.”
    I didn’t say that he’d not bought me just any purse, but a brand that I knew cost over a thousand dollars. I’d been terrified to use it—afraid I’d get something on it or mess it up. It still sat in the pretty bag it had come in, on the top shelf in my closet.
    Talking about Blane reminded me of the conversation we’d had last night, and my stomach twisted.
    “What’s going on?” Kade asked, glancing my way. “You look like I just told you Belle’s a fictional character.”
    I smiled halfheartedly. “Blane called last