Page 12

Jess didn’t want to get out of the truck.

Kade had his elbow resting on the console, and he was leaning toward her. They’d been talking here for fifteen minutes already. Outside, the neighborhood was quiet, but that was too be expected at two in the morning.

“You’re going to be tired for work tomorrow.”

“Today,” he said with a snort. “My boss will be super understanding, I’m sure.”

“Really?”

“Hell no.”

“Oh.” She giggled and fidgeted with the hem of her tank top.

“Has your hand been tingling?” he asked.

Illuminated in the gold-hued porch lighting, Kade looked so handsome. His eyes were a piercing blue, and his smile was so easy. He’d stopped drinking hours ago, and she’d stopped after that first margarita flight, but she still felt buzzed just being this close to him.

She considered his question and studied the old scar on her palm. “Sometimes. I almost had two scars.” She inhaled deeply and forced a smile. “Thanks for swooping in and putting a stop to that.”

“You aren’t angry with me anymore?”

Jess shook her head. “No. I think you poisoned me though.”

A slight frown drew his dark eyebrows down. “What do you mean?”

“How can I go back to a cage now? You’re poisoning me with a peek at a good life.”

The corners of his masculine lips curved upward. “If I had it all to do again, I would poison you again.”

A strange fluttering sensation took over her stomach, and she rubbed the scar on her hand. “Do you have regrets on the Promise?”

He surprised her by nodding. “I have a few.”

“Oh. I understand.” She didn’t understand, so she didn’t really know why she’d told him that.

“I wish I would’ve taken you out of there. Before all the stuff went down with Tanner and Samuel, I wish I would’ve figured out a way to get us both out of there.”

“I don’t,” she admitted in a whisper. She dared a glance up at the confusion swimming in his eyes. “If you would’ve pulled me out of there, I would’ve wanted to go back. I didn’t know enough yet. And you wouldn’t have gone to Cold Foot, and gotten time to yourself to figure things out, and Wreck and Damon would’ve pulled someone else out of that prison, and from where I’m sitting, I think you ended up in a pretty cool place.”

And there was that smile again. “Well, when you put it that way, maybe I wouldn’t change a thing either. I wouldn’t have had the chance to listen to you screeching out Friends in Low Places at karaoke tonight—”

She smacked him gently on the arm. “It’s called harmonizing,” she joked, knowing damn well she couldn’t sing worth a hoot. “Besides, the whole bar was singing with me, so I’m pretty sure you were really the only one who heard me, and that’s because you were sitting right in front of the speaker.”

“Cash got video of the whole song. He’s already posted it in the Crew loop with like a thousand pictures. Freaking paparazzi.”

She fell over cackling just imagining how awful that video probably sounded. “Hey, I was trying to seduce you. Did it work?”

And that handsome-boy smile faded again. “Yes,” he admitted softly. Truth.

The laughter died in her throat, and she sat up straighter. “You can’t be falling for me, Kade. There are rules.”

“What rules?” he asked, and he was just a foot away from her.

“I can’t fall in love with you, and you can’t fall in love with me.”

“Why not?”

“Because you will get hurt.”

“What if I don’t mind getting hurt?” he asked.

“If you got hurt because of me, I would never be able to forgive myself. I would go on just like my mother, living a half-life, finding anything I could to numb the guilt.”

“And what if it’s too late?”

“Too late for what?” she asked on a breath.

“What if I’ve already fallen?”

“We can’t.”

“We can.”

“No, Kade. You don’t understand the curse. We can’t.”

“We can.”

“You’ll die—”

“Then I’ll come back to you—”

“Kade!—”

He leaned forward in a rush and his lips crashed onto hers, quieting her argument. Jess froze completely. This was wrong. Right? This was against the rules. This was against…this was…this…

His lips moved against hers, and she melted slightly, leaning into it as her eyes closed.

A soft moan escaped him as he shoved the console up between them and pulled her across the bench seat and crushed her against him.

She shouldn’t do this. She shouldn’t kiss him like this. It was against the rules. She was only to have empty affection for always, and pair with a friend, but God, this felt so good. His hand on the back of her neck, pulling her closer, his other clutching the fabric of her shirt at her waist like he couldn’t get enough of her, and nothing had ever felt like this kiss.

Riding on the high of tonight, she allowed him to pull her into his lap and hugged his neck tighter as he moved the entire seat back to make more room.

She needed to stop them, but when she tried to pull away, her body didn’t respond. Instead, she leaned into him more, melting against his chest completely.

Kade thrust his tongue into her mouth and there was no stopping anything now that she was tasting him like this. She wanted more and more and more and more…

She needed it.

She needed everything.

Frantic, she climbed over his lap, straddling his hips, and pushed his shirt up his chest and he separated from the kiss just long enough to peel the thin fabric from his body. His abs were perfect, and his chest defined, and his arms were so powerful around her as he consumed her again. His hands were everywhere as he explored her body, gripping her curves, cupping her neck, slipping his hands up her tank top. Her touch stayed frantic as she slid her hands over the curves of his muscles, committing his body to memory. She coveted every inch of him. Never in her life had she seen a man this perfect. His skin was warm under her touch, and as she slid her fingertips to the button of his jeans, he stopped holding back.

Kade pushed her tank top over her head and let off a sexy sound as his eyes dipped to her lace bra. He unfastened it and pulled it off her arms, then leaned back and moaned as he slipped his hands up her rib cage to cup her breasts. His massage felt so good, she grabbed his wrists and threw her head back, closed her eyes and uttered his name. She could feel how ready he was. She was already so wet. Just the thought of his big, hard dick sliding slowly into her turned her on. Jess rolled her hips against him, and he threw his head back against the head rest and rolled his eyes closed. “I want it,” he whispered in a gritty, sexy voice.

And oh, to be wanted by a man like him. To be wanted after everything she’d been through. To be wanted after the constant drowning waterfall of insecurities that had plagued her since the accident.

She was scarred, and her animal barely existed, but Kade—strong, steady, powerful Kade—he wanted her.

Jess had never wanted anyone like this either.

She leaned forward and whispered against his ear. “I am desperate to have you inside of me. I want it deep.”

His hand slipped gently around her throat, and he kissed her, then released her and pushed his jeans down his hips, unsheathing his thick cock.

All logical thought left her. There were no problems, or questions here in the quiet of his truck. The world outside of this connection with him had simply ceased to exist.

He’d pushed the bench seat back to make room, but it was still tight as she pushed her leggings and panties down her thighs. Kade was smooth about helping. He pulled off her heals with one hand and yanked the leggings from her ankles, and then she was straddling him again, pressing her wet pussy right over the hard length of him. She rolled her hips, sliding against him, and he adjusted his hips and relaxed back against the seat. His hands were on her hips as she rolled against him again, and his fingertips dug gently into her skin there. She loved this. She loved that she was in control, but that he could tell her the pace he liked with the pressure of his fingertips.

He pulled her against him, and her breasts pressed against the strong planes of his chest. He looked down at where they touched, and she could tell he liked seeing her tits smashed against him like this. His eyes were blazing a frost blue now, and he looked wild with hunger as she rolled against him again.

Kade moved his hips slightly and pulled at her waist until her entrance was settled right over the swollen tip of his cock. “You want it deep?” he rumbled against her ear.

“Yes,” she said, pleading in her voice.

He dipped her down onto him just a little, then pulled her back off.

“Please,” she begged.

Kade drove into her deeper, deeper, deeper until she cried out with how good the stretch felt. He pumped into her shallowly, moving his hips so smoothly, hitting her just right like he already knew exactly what she needed.

“Kade?” she said mindlessly.

“You want more?”

“I need it,” she rasped out desperately. She was so close! God, how could anything feel this good?

She slid up and down him, up and down, faster now. Kade gritted his teeth and his grip on her waist got tighter as he pulled her down on him faster, faster. She could hear the slap of her ass against his thighs, and her tits were bouncing with every deep penetration, and fuck! “Kade, I’m coming!”

He gritted out her name and pulled her against his chest as he bucked deep into her, hitting her just perfect. Her body broke around him. He absolutely shattered her. No thoughts filled her mind except for the primal need to keep dragging out that pulsing pleasure that was consuming her. He slammed into her hard, and hesitated for just a few moments, and she could feel it so easily—the spurts of warmth splashing into her as her orgasm dragged on and on. He thrust into her slower, pulsing his pleasure with her, and only when both of their releases were through did they relax against each other in sated relief.

“Holy shit. Holy shit,” she chanted in a whisper.

His arms were around her now, and his strong hands were massaging her back as he laid gentle kisses on the top of her head. She just laid like this, feeling drunk with his affection. There was a throbbing sensation in her head, but it didn’t hurt. Perhaps it was his racing heart. She smiled and pressed her hand onto his chest, but the drum in her head didn’t match his heartbeat. It must’ve been her heartbeat she was feeling.

What a beautiful thing to finally have her mind be so quiet that she could hear this. What a gift Kade had given her.

She lifted her lazy gaze to the window and looked out into the night. They’d just fucked in his truck, parked in her driveway. Classy. A giggle took her. “I’m a ho.”

The rumble of his deep chuckle felt good vibrating against her cheek.

“You are anything but a ho.”

“I didn’t last but a few days around you.”

“Technically you lasted years. I cut your hand a long time ago, and you cut mine.”

She smiled and lifted her hand to look at the scar there. Her arm felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. It looked just like it always did. The drum in her mind held steady. Bum. Bum. Bum.

How strange it was to feel so completely and utterly connected to someone. How incredible.

They stayed like this for ten minutes more, just relaxed against each other, but the strange drumming in her mind didn’t go away.

“Do you hear that?” she asked, easing up to look at him.

“Hear what?” Kade’s hooded eyes looked happy and relaxed.

She mimicked the vibrating sensation in her head. “Bum. Bum. Bum. Bum. It’s like a rhythmic whooshing sound.”

A slight frown confiscated Kade’s face. “I don’t hear anything, pretty girl.”

Huh. Jess plugged and unplugged her ears, but it sounded the same either way. Perhaps the blood had rushed to her head while they were fucking or something.

“Want me to tuck you in?” he asked.

“I need you to get home safe and text me when you get there,” she murmured. “I’ll do my walk of shame alone.”

He snorted. “Walk of fame, woman. Ain’t no shame in what we just did.” He leaned forward and kissed her neck, tickling her as he did and she squirmed to the side as a giggle-fit took her.

“I’m going to need you to not watch me stumble to the door,” she told him.

“Mmm, no deal. I want to see you lose your balance at least twice or I know I didn’t do my job.”

She laughed and struggled ungracefully into her leggings. “Fine, but no pictures.”

“Deal. I’ll take video.”

“Kade!”

“Do you know how many times I’ve thought about being balls-deep inside of you, woman? I’m savoring this. I’ll savor it tomorrow too.”

“Oh, you think you’re getting an invite tomorrow, do you?” she teased.

“I’ll bring you food,” he bargained.

She scoffed. “How easy do you think I am?”

“I’ll bring you a double portion of fried rice.”

She froze and couldn’t think of a single argument. That sounded so good right now. “Make it shrimp fried rice and I’ll think about it.”

“Mmm,” he rumbled, nipping at her neck. “Wear the lacy bra again.”

“You like it?” she asked, pulling her tank top on. She had plans to just carry her bra inside.

“I love it.”

Bum. Bum. Bum.

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, the bra draped from her fingertips down his back as he made out with her for a few minutes longer.

And when at last she pried herself away from him and slid out of his truck, she meandered toward the front door, scrambling to find her keys in her purse. The strap fell off her shoulder twice, and goodness she couldn’t even imagine what a hot mess she looked like right now. She looked up at him and grinned. She could see the white of his smile as he watched her out his open window.

“You’re trouble, little cactus.”

“I’m innocent,” she teased.

Bum. Bum. Bum.

“I’ll wait for you to get inside safe,” he called.

“I like you,” she said, feeling absolutely high on whatever he’d just done to her body.

“Good.”

She snorted and nearly dropped her keys as she tried to fit it into the lock. With the door finally opened, she turned and waved to him and then went inside.

Bum. Bum. Bum.

A smile stretching her face, Jess locked the door behind her and padded straight into her bedroom to flop onto the bed, stretched out like a starfish. She stared at the ceiling fan above her with what she could only imagine was the stupidest grin known to man.

Her phone vibrated in her purse, and she pulled it out, and read the text from Kade. I like you too.

She curled her knees to her chest and squealed to extract her happy, excited energy.

Bum. Bum. Bum.

The sound was louder now. Sitting up, Jess locked her arms on the bed and listened more carefully. Bum. Bum. Bum.

It was definitely louder now.

She leaned forward and scooted to the edge of the bed, horror rising up inside of her as the sound got even louder. Bum! Bum! Bum!

There was a soft glow coming from the velvet pouch her locket was contained in.

Bum! Bum! Bum!

With trembling fingers, Jess emptied the locket onto the bedside table, and gasped as she saw the pulsing light emanating from it.

She stood in a rush and bolted to the opposite side of the room.

Bum! Bum! Bum!

“No,” she whispered in horror. “No, no, no.”

Her mother had described this.

Her mother had told her stories about how the locket had come to life when she’d fallen in love with Jess’s father.

She’d described how the curse had activated.

How it had slowly gone from light blue, like it was right now, to a deep indigo blue over a matter of weeks. And when it glowed black, her dad…who was supposed to be this invincible tiger shifter…just dropped, and died.

Bum! Bum! Bum!

Jess clasped her hands over her mouth and stared at the cursed thing in horror. She was shaking like a leaf.

She’d known better.

She’d known better and she’d still lost herself in Kade.

This was her fault.

Everything that would happen from here out would be all her fault.

She’d fallen for him, and Kade would pay the price for her mistake.