Page 94 of King of Malice

“I’ve seen some dark shit, Cade. It’s made me darker. It’s not that I don’t want a bright future, I do. But I just need it with someone who might understand, not a woman who just wants a J. Crew cutout.”

“Oh,” I say and then I pull myself up by his neck to kiss his lips. It’s just a small kiss, not sexual.

It’s meant as a thank you. No one has ever said something like that to me before. “I know I need to let some of the anger go. But it’s the only thing that kept me safe for so long, you know?”

I’ve never shared that with a single person, and it feels good to say it now.

“Yeah.” And then he kisses me. It’s long and slow and full of tenderness and promise.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Zane

Cadence is puttyin my arms now, her body pliant as she molds to me.

The second she walked out the door I knew two things…. First, my girl has been really hurt—and she is my girl—but second, I’m getting her back with the understanding she’s going to need some patience and love to heal.

I’ve got both.

I softly part her lips, my tongue sliding against hers as I hold her tightly in my arms. I’m not trying to seduce her. This kiss is meant to tell her that I’m still here.

Her fingers curl into my hair before she pulls back only far enough to say, “Let’s go to bed.”

I don’t need another invitation as I start moving again, pushing into the bedroom and laying her on the covers.

The little nightie she’s got on is silky and hugs her slender body as it slides over her skin.

I trace her curves, one knee on the bed as I bend down to plunder her mouth, tasting her over and over.

I’m determined to go slower tonight. This is meant to be lovemaking, not just sex, but our mouths grow hungrier and hungrier as she starts tugging on my hair to pull me closer.

I smile against her lips.

Cadence doesn’t lack in intensity and I love that about her.

At some point, we’ll discuss professional counseling. She’s a child of neglect and abuse, those are wounds that run too deep for just patience to cure.

But the chemistry between us is too strong to ignore, and I’ve always been a man who’s been up for a challenge.

And what I see under Cadence’s anger is a woman of strength and grit who could love with an intensity that would steal a man’s heart.

She keeps tugging me closer and I heed her pressure.

Her legs naturally part, my body settling between hers, her legs locking around the back of mine.

I’m trying to take this slow, to show Cadence this is about more than sex for me. It’s about building something stronger and more real.

But her passion can sweep a man down river, and before I know it, our hips are grinding together, my chest sliding over the silk of her lingerie.

I pull at the straps, freeing her breasts as I kiss down her neck, wanting to taste more of her skin.

She arches into me, so open I know I need to get us to the same place emotionally. When we’re on the same page, it’s magic.

I reach her breasts and suck one of her nipples into my mouth.

Cadence cries out, the nipple peaking against my tongue as her fingernails dig into my neck.

Cadence made a few good points today. Her well of pain runs deep, and we might need more warm-up time before I dig into it.