Page 231 of Blackwood

The lights drop low. A new beat slides in, smooth, deep, and filthy slow. I cut across the floor before anyone else can even blink and grab Bella right out of Josh’s arms, dragging her into me like the past fifteen minutes didn’t just fry my entire nervous system.

Her breath catches as I press her full to my chest, my hand cupping the back of her neck, possessive and firm. “Baby,” I growl, leaning down, lips brushing hers. “You are in some serious trouble.”

She pulls back, grinning against my lips. “Jealousy looks good on you, God of War.”

“You haven’t seen how good it feels,” I murmur, voice low, dragging her into a sway with me as the music pulses around us.

She smiles, body loose between us. We dance like that for a few songs, dirty and sensual. I press against her from behind, fingers laced at her waist, letting my breath drag down the back of her neck.

The beat fades, the tempo slowing, dim lights shifting to a warm gold. The next track is the kind of song you sway to with someone you don’t ever want to let go of. Bella exhales, her body melting back into mine, and Cade slides in close, arms wrapping around her from the front. All three of us dancing together. No theatrics, no grind. Just the kind of closeness that makes the whole room disappear for a little while.

We’re still on the dance floor when Knox’s voice cuts through the music. “Hey yo Bella! Your boy Cade has a special request.”

She turns toward Cade, brow raised. “What?”

Cade doesn’t miss a beat. Just lifts her hand to his lips, “You remember Nashville, sweetheart?”

Chapter 63

CADE

The Obsidian

721 Days Since Zeke’s Death

The first notes of “Nobody” by Dylan Scott drift through the speakers, low and slow. Bella freezes in my arms, eyes wide.

“Oh my God, Cade,” she breathes. “I can’t believe you remember this.”

I tighten my grip on her waist, guiding her into the sway. “How could I forget? This was the moment you taught me how to dance.”

She laughs under her breath, head shaking softly. “Yeah, I know. But still… you didn’t even want to be in Nashville. You and Cal were so mad at us.”

“Not at first,” I admit, brushing her hair behind her ear. “But I honestly ended up never wanting to leave.”

She pulls me in for a quick kiss before I spin her out and back into my arms. Her laugh curls down my spine. We keep moving to the rhythm, the world fading around us.

“Sweetheart,” I rasp, voice low against her temple, “I think Nashville was the first time I stopped seeing you as Ellie’s friend and started seeing you as you.”

Her gaze flicks up, soft and shining.

“I mean, I never acted on it or anything. I was unsure. Nervous,” I admit. “But I really think that night was when I first started to truly fall in love with you, Bella.”

She gives me that smile, the one that’s only ever been mine. “I love you so much, Cade.”

“I love you too, sweetheart,” I press a kiss to her forehead. “When we’re finished, Lex and I need to give you your present.”

Her brows lift, just slightly. “My present?”

“We won’t be gone long,” I add.

When the song is over, I grab her hand, motion for Lex, and we lead her off the floor like gods claiming what’s ours.

The door clicks shut behind us, cutting off the thump of the bass and the roar of the crowd. It’s quieter back here, just the three of us and the aftershocks of too much dancing, too much adrenaline, and too much of her.

“So, this where I get ravished?” she asks with a smirk.

“Eventually,” Lex laughs behind her.