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Kade dropped his head to her shoulder with a groan, knowing he’d made a complete ass out of himself. “You are special. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”
She yanked at her wrists, and Kade released her reluctantly. His mind and body were screaming at him to keep her, but she obviously didn’t understand how he felt. Hell, he didn’t even understand it himself. His feelings for her were out-of-control crazy, but he couldn’t help being a lunatic. His emotions were stronger than his common sense.
Expecting her to push him off her, Kade shuddered as he felt her hands hesitantly push underneath his shirt and up his back, exploring and wandering across his bare skin. Her lips against his ear, she whispered, “I’m homeless and barely surviving. My boobs are too small, and I’m no seductress. I’ve only been with one man in my entire life, and sex was never something I really wanted or thought I needed. But I’m starting to crave you, and it scares me. I don’t know why you want me, but I can guarantee I want you more. I know I shouldn’t be telling you how I feel, but I can’t let you think I don’t want you back. Because I do. I want you so much it hurts.”
Kade lifted his head, his expression incredulous as he started to drown in her swirling chocolate eyes. Her words made him come completely unraveled, but he needed her to understand that he wanted more than a fuck. “I don’t care where you come from, or how much money you do or don’t have. I just want to be with you because of who you are. You’re brave, talented, smart, sexy and completely insane to want a lame, washed-up jock like me, but I’m glad you do,” he answered in a shaky, low voice, his emotions out of control. Asha had tapped into his hidden emotional well, and he was tangled in a web of need so tightly that he couldn’t extricate himself, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to escape.
“Stop it.” Asha speared her hands into his hair and pulled his face close to hers. “You’re the kindest man I’ve ever met, you’re incredibly handsome and sexy, and I couldn’t care less if you can’t play football anymore. And I think your ex-girlfriend was either crazy or incredibly superficial if she couldn’t see what she had. I want you because of who you are, too. I don’t even understand football. It’s just a silly game.”
“Whoa! Hold on. Don’t call football silly,” he scolded her in a teasing voice, resting his forehead against hers. “It was my entire life for years.”
“Maybe it’s time to make a new life,” Asha suggested hesitantly. “You have so much more to offer the world than just playing a game. I know how much it meant to you. It would be like taking away my ability to do my art. But you’re more than just one thing, Kade.”
He swallowed hard, moved by her faith in him. Yeah. Maybe it was time to start a new chapter in his life, just like Asha was trying to do for herself. And he could think of nothing better than beginning it with the woman beneath him. He could happily drown in her seductive scent, bury himself inside her until he didn’t give a shit about anything else but her. And he’d quite gladly take on the task of making her happy and keeping her that way. “Maybe it is time to do something else,” he agreed in a graveled voice, moving the few inches needed to cover her tempting, lush lips with his own.
Her instant response just fueled the flames that were already consuming him. She met his tongue stroke for stroke, squirming beneath him to unbutton his shirt. Finally, he felt the buttons pop, and his shirt parted, their bare skin finally meeting. And Kade completely lost it. The feel of her naked breasts—that he personally found to be the perfect size—sliding against his chest felt so incredibly erotic that he was desperate to get her naked, to feel their entire bodies skin-to-skin.
“Touch me,” he demanded as he pulled his mouth from hers. He needed her hands on his heated skin before he went completely insane. Her fingers had just started their shy exploration, were almost to the waistband of his jeans, when Kade heard a noise from downstairs.
“Kade? Are you here?” The voice was coming from the kitchen and it was definitely female.
“Fuck!” His sister had shitty timing. And he should have known he wouldn’t have to let her know he was home. No doubt Mia passed by his house on a daily basis, waiting. Kade wanted to lock the bedroom door and ignore it, but he knew he couldn’t, even though he was pretty sure his balls were as blue as a Smurf.
Asha froze beneath him, her expression startled. “Who is it?”
Kade clenched his jaw tightly and forced himself to move from the sweet haven between Asha’s jean-clad thighs. “It’s Mia—your new pain-in-the-ass sister-in-law.” Kade loved his sister, but considering what she’d interrupted, he wanted nothing more than for her to go away for at least a week. Or maybe two. “No doubt Maddie is with her, and probably Max.”
Kade stood and Asha scrambled to her feet, holding her buttonless shirt in front of her. “Oh, God. I’m not ready for this,” she groaned.
He grinned at her wickedly. “I guess you better find a shirt.”
Watching her scurry around the room, pulling open drawers frantically, made him smile even wider. She looked so adorable when she was frazzled. Rifling through her bag, she pulled out a bra, jerked it on and snapped it in the front. Kade scowled, thinkingthatwas a real pity.
“Can you grab me a shirt?” she asked nervously, looking in the mirror and frowning at her reflection. “I look like I just tumbled out of bed,” she said, her voice tremulous.
“You did,” he answered, sounding pleased with himself. Knowing it was his fault that she was somewhat tousled made him want to take her back to bed and finish the job.
“I don’t want them to know that,” she hissed, pulling a brush from her purse and yanking it mercilessly through her long hair.
“Kade?” Mia’s voice sounded again, closer this time.
He strode to the bedroom door and yelled, “We’ll be down in a minute.” The last thing he wanted was to be confronted by Mia, Max, and Maddie in Asha’s bedroom. Their appearance would lead to questions he couldn’t or didn’t want to answer. He supposed he should get another shirt for himself, but he strolled to the closet and browsed the selection Mia had picked for Asha. Pulling out a bright red silk with a swirling black design, he pulled it from the hanger and walked over to Asha. He held the shirt open while she slipped her arms into the sleeves and hastily buttoned the front. He took the brush from her hand and set it on the dresser. “Stop torturing your hair. You look beautiful,” he told her gruffly, taking her hand and leading her across the hall.
He grabbed another shirt from his bedroom closet and shrugged it on before reaching for her hand again. “Ready?”
“No. I’m a coward. I don’t want to go down there,” she told him honestly, her voice panicked.
“Then don’t,” he told her simply. “I’ll go down and make something up. If you’re not ready to meet them, they can wait.”
Asha sighed. “I can’t do that to them. They’ve been nice enough to come meet me. I can’t be rude. I don’t want to hurt their feelings.”
Kade shrugged. “Sure you can. If you’re not ready, then they can wait.” Really, his main concern was whether or not Asha was comfortable. Maddie, Mia, and Max were here because they couldn’t contain their curiosity; Asha was scared shitless.
“I’m fine,” she murmured, tightening her hold on his hand.
Asha was clinging to him, but he had no complaints. She could lean on him all she wanted. He’d be there for her anytime she needed him. That was another thing he couldn’t explain—he actuallywantedher to need him, to be able to count on him to have her back in any bad situation.
Shaking his head at his thoughts, he let go of her hand and wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her body tightly against his in a protective gesture.
She yanked at her wrists, and Kade released her reluctantly. His mind and body were screaming at him to keep her, but she obviously didn’t understand how he felt. Hell, he didn’t even understand it himself. His feelings for her were out-of-control crazy, but he couldn’t help being a lunatic. His emotions were stronger than his common sense.
Expecting her to push him off her, Kade shuddered as he felt her hands hesitantly push underneath his shirt and up his back, exploring and wandering across his bare skin. Her lips against his ear, she whispered, “I’m homeless and barely surviving. My boobs are too small, and I’m no seductress. I’ve only been with one man in my entire life, and sex was never something I really wanted or thought I needed. But I’m starting to crave you, and it scares me. I don’t know why you want me, but I can guarantee I want you more. I know I shouldn’t be telling you how I feel, but I can’t let you think I don’t want you back. Because I do. I want you so much it hurts.”
Kade lifted his head, his expression incredulous as he started to drown in her swirling chocolate eyes. Her words made him come completely unraveled, but he needed her to understand that he wanted more than a fuck. “I don’t care where you come from, or how much money you do or don’t have. I just want to be with you because of who you are. You’re brave, talented, smart, sexy and completely insane to want a lame, washed-up jock like me, but I’m glad you do,” he answered in a shaky, low voice, his emotions out of control. Asha had tapped into his hidden emotional well, and he was tangled in a web of need so tightly that he couldn’t extricate himself, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to escape.
“Stop it.” Asha speared her hands into his hair and pulled his face close to hers. “You’re the kindest man I’ve ever met, you’re incredibly handsome and sexy, and I couldn’t care less if you can’t play football anymore. And I think your ex-girlfriend was either crazy or incredibly superficial if she couldn’t see what she had. I want you because of who you are, too. I don’t even understand football. It’s just a silly game.”
“Whoa! Hold on. Don’t call football silly,” he scolded her in a teasing voice, resting his forehead against hers. “It was my entire life for years.”
“Maybe it’s time to make a new life,” Asha suggested hesitantly. “You have so much more to offer the world than just playing a game. I know how much it meant to you. It would be like taking away my ability to do my art. But you’re more than just one thing, Kade.”
He swallowed hard, moved by her faith in him. Yeah. Maybe it was time to start a new chapter in his life, just like Asha was trying to do for herself. And he could think of nothing better than beginning it with the woman beneath him. He could happily drown in her seductive scent, bury himself inside her until he didn’t give a shit about anything else but her. And he’d quite gladly take on the task of making her happy and keeping her that way. “Maybe it is time to do something else,” he agreed in a graveled voice, moving the few inches needed to cover her tempting, lush lips with his own.
Her instant response just fueled the flames that were already consuming him. She met his tongue stroke for stroke, squirming beneath him to unbutton his shirt. Finally, he felt the buttons pop, and his shirt parted, their bare skin finally meeting. And Kade completely lost it. The feel of her naked breasts—that he personally found to be the perfect size—sliding against his chest felt so incredibly erotic that he was desperate to get her naked, to feel their entire bodies skin-to-skin.
“Touch me,” he demanded as he pulled his mouth from hers. He needed her hands on his heated skin before he went completely insane. Her fingers had just started their shy exploration, were almost to the waistband of his jeans, when Kade heard a noise from downstairs.
“Kade? Are you here?” The voice was coming from the kitchen and it was definitely female.
“Fuck!” His sister had shitty timing. And he should have known he wouldn’t have to let her know he was home. No doubt Mia passed by his house on a daily basis, waiting. Kade wanted to lock the bedroom door and ignore it, but he knew he couldn’t, even though he was pretty sure his balls were as blue as a Smurf.
Asha froze beneath him, her expression startled. “Who is it?”
Kade clenched his jaw tightly and forced himself to move from the sweet haven between Asha’s jean-clad thighs. “It’s Mia—your new pain-in-the-ass sister-in-law.” Kade loved his sister, but considering what she’d interrupted, he wanted nothing more than for her to go away for at least a week. Or maybe two. “No doubt Maddie is with her, and probably Max.”
Kade stood and Asha scrambled to her feet, holding her buttonless shirt in front of her. “Oh, God. I’m not ready for this,” she groaned.
He grinned at her wickedly. “I guess you better find a shirt.”
Watching her scurry around the room, pulling open drawers frantically, made him smile even wider. She looked so adorable when she was frazzled. Rifling through her bag, she pulled out a bra, jerked it on and snapped it in the front. Kade scowled, thinkingthatwas a real pity.
“Can you grab me a shirt?” she asked nervously, looking in the mirror and frowning at her reflection. “I look like I just tumbled out of bed,” she said, her voice tremulous.
“You did,” he answered, sounding pleased with himself. Knowing it was his fault that she was somewhat tousled made him want to take her back to bed and finish the job.
“I don’t want them to know that,” she hissed, pulling a brush from her purse and yanking it mercilessly through her long hair.
“Kade?” Mia’s voice sounded again, closer this time.
He strode to the bedroom door and yelled, “We’ll be down in a minute.” The last thing he wanted was to be confronted by Mia, Max, and Maddie in Asha’s bedroom. Their appearance would lead to questions he couldn’t or didn’t want to answer. He supposed he should get another shirt for himself, but he strolled to the closet and browsed the selection Mia had picked for Asha. Pulling out a bright red silk with a swirling black design, he pulled it from the hanger and walked over to Asha. He held the shirt open while she slipped her arms into the sleeves and hastily buttoned the front. He took the brush from her hand and set it on the dresser. “Stop torturing your hair. You look beautiful,” he told her gruffly, taking her hand and leading her across the hall.
He grabbed another shirt from his bedroom closet and shrugged it on before reaching for her hand again. “Ready?”
“No. I’m a coward. I don’t want to go down there,” she told him honestly, her voice panicked.
“Then don’t,” he told her simply. “I’ll go down and make something up. If you’re not ready to meet them, they can wait.”
Asha sighed. “I can’t do that to them. They’ve been nice enough to come meet me. I can’t be rude. I don’t want to hurt their feelings.”
Kade shrugged. “Sure you can. If you’re not ready, then they can wait.” Really, his main concern was whether or not Asha was comfortable. Maddie, Mia, and Max were here because they couldn’t contain their curiosity; Asha was scared shitless.
“I’m fine,” she murmured, tightening her hold on his hand.
Asha was clinging to him, but he had no complaints. She could lean on him all she wanted. He’d be there for her anytime she needed him. That was another thing he couldn’t explain—he actuallywantedher to need him, to be able to count on him to have her back in any bad situation.
Shaking his head at his thoughts, he let go of her hand and wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her body tightly against his in a protective gesture.
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