My shoulders slumped. “God, you make it sound so awful.”
He laughed. “Sweetheart, I’m just trying to get this straight before I get in over my head.”
I nodded reluctantly. “I guess so, but not by choice. Only out of necessity. Suppose I’d just have to write about something else.”
He reached out and laid his hand on my knee. “Or maybe you could be a singer.”
I swallowed hard, trying not to imagine his hand on other parts of my body. “It’s not nice to make fun of people like that. I tried not to make you sound too bad up there.”
He grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m not teasing you. You actually sounded pretty good out there tonight.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am surprised, though I don’t know why.” He slid his hand upward just beneath the cuff of my sweater so he was holding my wrist, as if he were taking my pulse. “I should know by now,” he continued, “you’ve got more tricks up your sleeve than David Copperfield.”
I tried to steady my breathing as he rubbed the pad of his thumb over the inside of my wrist. “You’re pretty surprising yourself,” I whispered breathlessly.
I held my breath as he leaned forward, his hand grabbing hold of my face as his lips closed in on mine. This man kissed me the way I’d always wanted to be kissed. Assertive and sensual, but not overly aggressive or sloppy. It was a movie kiss, yet it was grounded in the real world. Reality could not dull the eroticism.
His tongue brushed against mine. A soft whimper issued from the back of my throat, He responded with a hungry groan, which only made me want him more. My soft whimper turned into a greedy moan. Before I could stop myself, my arms were locked around his sturdy neck, pulling him into me. He laid a sensual trail of kisses over my jaw and down my neck. I gasped as a shiver of pleasure charged through me. Another helpless moan erupted from my mouth, a carnal cry from deep within me, begging him to lay his hands on me.
He heard my call. His hand slid between my legs and I panted with anticipation as he cupped my mound. As he stroked me through the fabric of my jeans, I whimpered with pleasure.
He pulled his face back a few inches so he could look me in the eye. Without another word, he slid out of the truck, slamming the driver’s side door behind him. Within seconds, he was opening the passenger door. I yelped as he lifted me out of the truck and set me down on the asphalt.
“What are you doing?” I protested, embarrassed that he may have sensed how much I weighed from this brief encounter.
He snatched my purse out of the truck and handed it to me as he slammed the passenger door. “I’m gonna give you something mind-blowing to write about on your blog.”
I chuckled as he grabbed my hand and yanked me toward the apartments. “Is that a threat or a promise?”
“I’ll let you be the judge of that.”
I couldn’t walk fast enough as he led me through the gate and past the magnolia trees in the courtyard. Glancing in the direction of my apartment, I smiled as we headed in the opposite direction. I didn’t know exactly which unit Kade lived in. I’d never stalked him enough to find out. But when we arrived at apartment 129, I had to keep myself from spin-kicking his door down.
He yanked me inside, slamming the door shut as he pressed me up against it and kissed me hard. One of his arms locked around my waist as his other hand tossed his keys somewhere behind him then grabbed my face. He ground his pelvis into mine, letting out a guttural groan as he rolled his hips in a rhythmic motion.
“Oh, God,” I breathed. “I’m not supposed to have sex with you.”
His hand slid down, grasped the back of my leg, and pulled my knee up to his waist as he dug into me. “Why is that?” he asked, laying another trail of hungry kisses along my jaw and down the curve of my neck.
“Because I want you to respect me,” I replied, aware that my response seemed utterly ridiculous in this moment.
He tilted his head back, panting as he looked me in the eye. “I promise to respect you,” he said as his hand skidded down my belly and unbuttoned my jeans. He slowly pulled down my zipper and slid his hand inside my panties. “I promise to respect you more than any man has ever respected you,” he murmured as he slid a finger inside me.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the cool door. “Oh, fuck,” I breathed.
He collected my wetness and brought it forward, using it to caress my most sensitive spot. My mouth fell open as he moved his finger in delicate circles, teasing me with every tiny movement of his finger. His mouth closed over mine, thrusting his tongue in and teasing me torturously as he gently rubbed my bud. It didn’t take long before I cried out with pleasure, my body curling into him as my first orgasm of the night rocketed through me.
Kade rested his forehead against mine, his mouth breathing in each breath I exhaled as his hand continued to pleasure me until I could no longer stand on my own.
“I can’t…I can’t,” I whispered, wrapping my arms tightly around his solid neck as the muscles in my thighs quivered with exhaustion.
He chuckled as he tightened his arm around my waist to keep me from collapsing. “You sound like the little engine that couldn’t.” He slid his hand out of my pants and scooped me up in his arms. “I think it’s time you took a ride on the big engine that could.”
Two rides on Kade’s engine later, I lay back on his gray sheets exhausted, while he stepped into the bathroom to dispose of his condom. When he returned, I was not at all surprised when he immediately attempted to climb on top of me.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute, cowboy,” I begged, turning away from him as I attempted to catch my breath. “Doesn’t that train ever stop and refuel?”
He reached around me, wrapping his arm around my waist as he pulled me into him. “Miss Laney, are you tapped out?” His hand slid between my thighs and I didn’t have the energy or the will to resist. “You let me know when you need a breather.”
I whimpered as he traced his tongue along the outside of my ear. “Oh, for Heaven’s sake.”
Two orgasms later, I tapped out and slinked away to the bathroom. As I was washing up, something shiny caught my eye. Tucked away in the corner of the countertop, hiding behind a glass canister of cotton balls, was what looked like a silver bracelet or necklace. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure I’d locked the door, then I moved the canister aside and plucked the jewelry off the counter.
It was a little larger than a normal-sized bracelet, with sparkly moons and stars dangling from the silver chain, which made me believe it was probably an ankle bracelet. Somehow, I highly doubted Mr. Big Engine That Could was into wearing anklets.
I took a deep breath to calm myself as I contemplated what I was going to do. Should I confront him about the obvious piece of women’s jewelry in his bathroom? Did I have a right to confront him?
My heart plummeted into my stomach as I realized I had no right to say anything to this man whom I’d only spent a few hours with before I screwed him…twice. I dropped the bracelet on the countertop, not bothering to hide it behind the canister, then I made my way back to the bedroom.
The room was dark except for the faint bluish glow coming from Kade’s phone, where it appeared as if he was busy texting someone. I couldn’t see where I’d dropped my clothes or my phone.
“Do you mind if I turn on the light?” I said, trying not to sound completely defeated.
Kade sat up in bed as he placed his phone on the nightstand. “Why? Where are you going?”
“I have to get home. I have a ton of work to do.”
He chuckled as he slid off the bed, grabbing my hand gently as I reached for the light switch. “Wait just a minute there. What happened? Was it something I said?”
I stared at his chest to avoid looking him in the eye. “No, I just really have a lot of work to do on the blog. I’ve got a ton of comments to respond to. And I have an entire three months’ worth of posts to schedule. I have to go.”
>
As I spoke these words, I felt more disappointed in myself than I was in Kade. He had made no promises to me, and yet I had already entrusted him with my deepest secret. How much of an idiot did I have to be to think tonight was about anything more than him getting laid?
He switched on the light and grabbed my chin to tilt my face upward. “Something happened when you were in the bathroom. What happened?” His chocolate-brown eyes bore straight through me. “Don’t lie to me, Laney.”
I let out a deep sigh. “I’m just…feeling a little…vulnerable. I found the thing you were trying to hide.”
His brows knit together in confusion. “You found what?”
“The anklet…in the bathroom. The one you hid behind the cotton balls.”
He shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I rolled my eyes and turned around to search for my clothes. “It’s on top of the counter.”
He disappeared for a few seconds, returning quickly with the anklet hanging from his index finger. “I don’t know what this is, but I assume it was left here by another woman.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I guess we’re in agreement on that.”
“Wait a minute. You can’t seriously want to leave just because I’ve had other women in my apartment before you,” he said incredulously. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re the same girl who makes a living by bringing men home with her.”
I pulled my sweater over my head. “That’s not the point.”
“Then what is the point?” He stepped around me so we were facing each other again. “You said you were feeling vulnerable. That’s not a bad thing, Laney.”
I closed my eyes and lightly pressed my fingers on my eyelids as I took another deep breath. “I…I have to go.”
I opened my eyes and cocked an eyebrow when I realized Kade was gone. Spinning around, I found him gathering the rest of my clothes off the wood floor. My heart sank as he held them out to me.
“Eventually, you’re gonna have to let someone in.”
I sat down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know how to do this anymore.”
He dropped my clothes on the floor and sat next to me. “Nobody knows how to do this. We’re all just feeling our way through the dark.”
I frowned. “Did you just quote a song in the midst of my crisis?”
He shrugged. “I’m a musician. There’s wisdom in music.” He grasped my chin again to turn my face toward him. “Stay.”
One simple word. That was all it took. Well, that and a gorgeous face, a knack for song lyrics, and a big engine.
My shoulders slumped, but inside I was smiling, as I realized there was no resisting this man. I got up and moved toward the light switch to turn it back off, but he grabbed my hand to stop me.
“Nuh-uh. I want to see every inch of you,” he said, yanking me toward him and pulling me onto him so I was straddling his lap.
I bit my lip to suppress my grin as his erection twitched to life beneath me.
His gaze locked on mine as his hands slid beneath my sweater and cupped my breasts. “Lord have mercy. You’re a bombshell waitin’ to go off.” He wrapped both arms around my waist and smoothly rolled me onto my back. He kept his eyes on me as he moved down, all the while blowing air through his teeth to make a sizzling sound. When his head was between my legs, he mimicked the sound of an explosion. “Bombs away.”
He used his fingers to expose my center, then his mouth was on me, licking and sucking until I was squirming with pleasure. But he didn’t stop until he was certain he’d squeezed out every last drop of energy coursing through me. When he finally pulled away, he made no attempt to move from his position.
Still using his fingers to expose my twitching bud, he stroked it gently with his other finger. I propped myself up on my elbows to look down at him and he smiled up at me as he continued to caress me. I gasped as he leaned forward and traced his tongue over my sensitive flesh.
I hadn’t had sex with the lights on since I lost my virginity to Bobby Winslow in his dorm one rainy afternoon. I’d certainly never had sex with the lights on while in such a compromising position. It seemed tonight was a night of many firsts.
Panting heavily, my legs began to twitch as my fifth orgasm of the night rolled through me, a series of ripples building into a thunderous, crashing wave of pleasure. A high-pitched moan escaped my throat as he finished me off with his masterful tongue. Then, with swiftness and dexterity the likes of which I’d never seen, he swiped a foil-wrapped condom off the nightstand, tore it open and tossed the wrapper aside as he rolled it over his solid erection.
I quickly scooted back until my head was resting on the pillow. Spreading my legs, he licked his lips as he settled himself between my thighs.
“Laney, Laney, Laney.” He sang these words to me like a lullaby. “She tastes like a peach,” he continued as he slid his hand behind my knee and lifted my leg as he entered me. “But she’s out of my reach. My special little lady…Miss Laney.”
I smiled at his attempt to write a song on the spot, then I gasped as he moved inside me. With each thrust, he drilled deeper, until there was no telling where I ended and he began. His mouth covered mine as he kissed me with animal ferocity. He groaned into my mouth, bit and sucked on my lips as his hips swayed to the rhythm of a song only he could hear.
He ground his pelvis into mine, lighting me up with every thrust. “You’re gonna have to tell me when to stop, ’cause I could do this with you all night long.”
I chuckled as I wrapped my legs around his hips and took his face in my hands, relishing the feel of his stubble under my fingertips. “Challenge accepted.”
Despite my daring call to action, not more than an hour later, we both agreed to allow ourselves a time-out. Kade also agreed to turn the lights off when I promised to stay the night. We lay next to each other in the dark, his hands still softly exploring my naked body in pure wonderment.
“Is that what you wanted to do with your life?” he asked as he traced the backs of his fingers over the curve of my hip.
“Do you mean, did I always want to write a blog about my love life? No.”
“What did you want to do when you were a little girl?”
I shook my head. “If I tell you, you’ll laugh.”
“No, I won’t. Cross my heart.”
“No,” I replied simply.
He chuckled as he pulled his hand back. “Turn around. I want to see your face.”
I rolled over until we were facing each other. “What?”
“Look at me. I swear to God I will not laugh at you.” He drew an X over the left side of his chest. “Cross my heart.”
I focused my gaze on his chin so I wouldn’t have to see his reaction. “I wanted to be a…a stay-at-home mom.”
His silence filled me with panic. I looked up and found one of his eyebrows cocked.
“Really?”
I rolled my eyes. “See? I knew you’d make fun of me.”
“What? I’m not making fun of you. I’m just surprised.” He reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “You don’t strike me as the type to stay at home and do anything other than think of ways to wreak havoc on the male population.”
I smacked his arm. “That’s an awful thing to say!”
He laughed as he grabbed my hand. “I’m only kidding. Settle down, Laney.” He brought my hand to his lips and laid a soft kiss in the center of my palm. “Has anyone ever told you how special you are?”
His words caught me off guard.
“Uh, yeah, of course,” I replied, my words overflowing with sarcasm. “My mom used to give me the ‘special snowflake’ speech all the time. How I was ‘unique’ and I could be anything I wanted to be.”
He shook his head as he reached up and brushed his thumb over my cheekbone. “No, I’m not talking about your parents or even your friends. Has anyone else ever told you how special you are?” His hand slid gently down the side of my face until he had my chin between
his thumb and forefinger. His gaze was locked on mine. “You’re not just a walking set of consequences. Or a jumble of bad and good decisions. You’re more than that, Laney. You’re what a woman is capable of when she denies her vulnerability.”
“Is that an insult?”
“It’s not. It’s really not,” he assured me, not breaking eye contact. “You’ve accomplished a lot on your mission to prove romance is dead. You’ve built a career on it, but what have you actually proven? You’ve proven that romance is dead…when you relentlessly attack it with an axe.”
“Are you calling me the axe murder of romance?”
He chuckled. “That’s a pretty badass nickname, but no. That’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is…you proved that romance is not dead, and that’s just as important as proving it is. I’d say that makes you pretty special, Miss Laney.”
I pushed his hand away from my face. “Okay, what’s with the ‘Miss Laney’ thing? Is it because I’m a year older than you? Do you think I’m old?”
Without warning, he rolled on top of me, spreading my legs as he pressed his pelvis into mine. As I looked up at him, I noted the carnal hunger in his eyes. His hand slid behind my thigh, pulling my leg up until it curled around his hips.
He leaned in, pressing his lips against my ear. “You want to know what I think?” he murmured. “I think I want to fuck you silly, until you’ve got no choice but to believe everything I say.”
I chuckled as I coiled my arms around his strong shoulders. “Are you going to brainwash me with the magical powers of your penis?”
“Yes, ma’am. Then maybe you’ll believe me when I say…you’re pretty fucking special, Laney Hill.”
I woke to the sound of a door creaking.
Kade entered the bedroom with his face screwed up in regret. “I tried not to wake you,” he said as he slid beneath the covers. “But now that you’re up, let me make you some breakfast.”
I turned my face away from his for fear of exposing him to my morning breath. “Are you trying to tell me you know how to sing and cook? You’re making me feel hugely inadequate now.”