Page 108 of Blackwood

I shake my head, still grinning. “You should’ve seen Madison’s face.”

“That bad?”

“Oh, sweetheart, it was priceless.” I lean in, lips brushing her ear. “And when you licked Lex?” I pull back just enough to raise a brow. “I’ll admit. I got a little jealous.”

“And a little hard?”

I groan. “Don’t start.”

Then I pull her in and kiss her slow and deep, my hands gripping her waist like I might never let go. I press my foreheadto hers, breathing in her cherry-vanilla scent. My heart is still thumping out of my chest.

“That was one hell of a dance, Bella. I mean it. You stole the whole damn night.”

“That was the point, Cade.”

“And as much as I loved it. Sweetheart, we need to talk.”

Bella stiffens. “Not now.”

“Then when?” I step back just enough to look her in the eye. “Bella, you got more messages during the dance.”

Her face falls. “From Luca?”

I shake my head. “No, sweetheart. Wanna share who the hellNateis?”

Her entire body stills. Eyes wide. Color draining. She looks like she might faint. And right then—perfect fucking timing—Lex slides up behind her, one arm casually wrapping around her waist pulling her toward him.

“Well…” he drawls, glancing between us with that cocky grin I love so much. “That was one way to meet.”

The color rushes back to Bella’s face in a slow wave, like she’s remembering how to breathe. She takes a small step toward me, fingers tugging at the hem of her shorts nervously.

“Yeah,” she says lightly, voice threading the tension. “Sorry about that. The Trifecta and The Revenants rivalry runs pretty deep.”

“No worries, baby.” He says nonchalantly, brushing his fingers down her arm. “I thoroughly enjoyed the show.” Then he leans over and kisses me.

When he pulls back, he gives us a wink. “I’m gonna hit the showers. You two stay here. I’ll be right back.”

As soon as Lex disappears down the hallway, I turn to her. “Okay, sweetheart,” I say, my voice lower now, steadier. “Who is Nate?”

Bella’s jaw tightens. Her eyes flick away from mine. “Cade, please. Can we just drop it?”

“No,” I snap, firmer than I mean to. “We cannot just drop it.”

Her lips press together.

“You’ve got a stalker, Bella,” I say, my voice rising with each word. “Someone who’s clearly obsessed with you. And now I’m seeing texts from some guy talking about a ‘buy’ and picking you up at midnight?”

My jaw locks. “You expect me to just sit with that?”

I take a step closer, keeping my voice just between us. “Bella, is this about drugs or something?”

Her eyes shoot up, wide. “What? No. No, Cade, it’s not—” she cuts herself off and takes a deep breath.

“It’s not drugs, Cade,” Bella snaps, but there’s something fragile under the edge in her voice.

Before I can press again, her phone starts ringing. She looks down at the screen.

NATE.