Page 34

One step. Then another.

My chest tightens as I walk toward his bedroom, my fingers twisting together as I build up the courage to go into his room.

Stanley shifts on the couch but doesn’t move from his spot. Good. He needs to stay out here because whatever is about to happen in that bathroom… is between me and Cade.

I slip inside his room, my hands trembling as I quietly shut the door. Then a slow exhale leaves my lips as I lock it.

The water is still running, and my legs feel weak, but I don’t stop, because I’m done running from him. I freeze on the spot when I get to the threshold of the bathroom.

The door’s open, and Cade’s there.

Completely naked.

Heat floods my face, but I can’t look away. His body is all hard angles and perfectly sculpted muscle. His broad back tapers into a lean waist, the deep grooves of his lower back flexing as he leans forward to check the water.

His ass is firm, tight, and absolutely bitable and clenches just a little when he sticks his hand under the stream.

“Yup. Instant boner killer,” he mutters, clearly unaware I’m standing behind him.

A strangled noise catches in my throat, my teeth sinking into my bottom lip as I force my gaze up . But my mind is already running wild. I’ve felt him through his jeans, imagined what he must look like beneath the fabric more times than I’d ever admit.

But to see him? To know for certain?

Am I ready for that?

I could walk away now. Let him have his cold shower in peace.

We could both pretend tonight didn’t happen…

the club, the lap dance, the way he made me come undone with nothing but his words and his body under mine .

I could ignore the marriage proposal, chalk it up to a moment of desperation, and never give him an answer.

But I don’t want to. Not after everything he did for me tonight.

“Cade?” My voice is quiet, but the sound of his name still breaks the silence between us. I take a step closer, my bare feet meeting the cool tile as the scent of his bodywash lingers in the space.

He stiffens, his shoulders rising slightly before he turns his head, and his green eyes meet mine, widening in surprise.

For a long, stretching moment, neither of us says anything.

His gaze sweeps over me, lingering on the oversized jacket I’m still drowning in.

I know I probably look like a wreck. My eyes are puffy from crying, my hair is wild and tangled from the night, but when he looks at me, really looks at me, it’s not with pity.

It’s something that makes my heart pound so violently I feel it in every part of my soul.

Something that makes me take another step forward.

“Haven’t you tortured me enough already today?” Cade mutters under his breath, and I doubt I was supposed to hear it. His voice comes louder this time. “I’m a little busy in here.”

I can practically hear the frustration in his tone, but I don’t move. I should step back, leave him to his cold shower and the mess of emotions still crackling between us. Instead, I stay rooted to the spot, my pulse thrumming against my skin.

Cade grumbles something else, something I don’t catch, before finally turning and stepping into the shower. The moment he disappears behind the glass, my body moves on instinct.

I follow.

Steam doesn’t curl through the air like I imagined. It should be warm in here, hazy with heat, but it’s not. Instead, a sharp chill lingers, the cold tile pressing against my bare feet like ice, a stark contrast to the molten heat flooding my veins as I head to the shower.

I don’t step inside, but I’m right at the threshold, just outside the glass door. Close enough to feel the cold mist as the water cascades down his body.

He turns sharply, and the moment he does, my brain completely short-circuits.

“Oh my gosh,” I breathe, my eyes going right where they shouldn’t.

Cade’s cock hangs heavily between his legs, and when I say heavily… I mean, it’s thick, long, and massive. He felt large, but I had no idea it was that big.

I blink. Stare. Blink again. “You’re huge.”

A slow, wicked smirk pulls across his face, and his hand wraps lazily around his length and he strokes himself once, almost like he’s showing off.

“Uh… thanks?” He tilts his head, watching me with amusement before giving himself another slow tug. “Is there a reason you decided to come in here? Or did you just want to watch?”

Heat rushes through my body, but I don’t move. I don’t look away, because maybe I do want to watch, and judging by the way Cade’s expression darkens, maybe he wants me to.

“Yes. I, uh.” I gulp and think back to his words in the club. “I wanted to help you.”

“You want to what?”

“ Help. ” I bite my bottom lip. Now or never. “Let me help you the way you helped me.”

Before he can answer, I slip out of the bodysuit, letting the delicate fabric pool at my feet. Then my fingers hook under the thin strap of my thong, and I drag it down my thighs until I’m completely bare.

His sharp inhale is audible over the steady hum of the water, his gaze burning as he takes me in.

Every inch of my body is on display, and instead of shying away, I tilt my chin up, forcing confidence into my posture.

I’ve never offered myself up like this before, I’ve never felt the need to, but with Cade, my potential future husband, it feels right.

As I take a step into the cubicle, Cade grabs my arm, halting me in place.

My brows furrow. “Cade?”

“The water is freezing,” he explains, his voice thick and low.

A shiver rolls down my spine, which has nothing to do with the cold. My thighs press together, heat tingling between them at the dark promise laced in his words.

His green eyes lock onto mine, and I can feel the weight of his next words before they even leave his lips. “Are you sure this is something you want to do, Sav?” His voice is raw, like it’s scraping against his throat. “Because once we cross this line, there’s no going back.”

No going back? He doesn’t get it, does he? We crossed that line a long time ago. He already has me. Wholly. Completely. If he thinks he’s the only one obsessed here, he’s wrong.

I push forward and Cade moves quickly, swerving me around so my back is pressed into the slick, tiled wall as he cages me in. He’s shielding me against the cold water.

His gaze is intense as his palms rest on either side of my face. “I told you, it’s cold.”

I place my hand on his bicep before dropping a kiss on his skin. “Ever the protector.”

His throat bobs. “When are you going to realize that all I want to do is protect you?”

I take in his deep eyes, the thick furrow of his brow, the unshakable devotion written all over his face. The way he looks at me makes my breath catch in my throat.

“Yes,” I say without hesitation. No fear. No uncertainty. Just a deep, aching need for him.

His eyes search mine. “Yes?”

I inhale sharply, steadying myself. “Yes. I want to marry you.”

His body goes still. I feel his muscles tighten and his lips part as his expression shifts from surprise to that familiar, easy grin of his. Slow and breathtaking. “Really?”

Tears prick at the backs of my eyes as I nod, my fingers digging into his arms. “Yes. Really. As long as the offer is still there.”

“Of course it is,” he murmurs, and before he can do anything else, I cup his cheeks and kiss him. His hands cover mine, his fingers warm and firm against my skin, and I feel him sigh into the kiss as we seal our fate.

When I pull away, his chest is still heaving, that same goofy, love-drunk smile spread across his face. “This is the best day of my life,” he breathes.

Mine too.

But I don’t say it. I can’t. Words feel flimsy compared to everything he’s done for me. The way he stood by me. Fought for me. Looked at me like I was worth choosing.

So instead, I show him.

I take a step back, my eyes never leaving his, and lower myself slowly to the floor. I feel the cold water against my knees, the first time I’ve felt it since stepping into the shower.

“Sav…”

He doesn’t move, just watches me like he can’t believe it. Maybe he can’t. Maybe neither of us can, but I’m already down here with my lips parting, hovering just at the tip of his cock.

“What are you doing, Sav?”

“Helping you the way you helped me.”

His hands twitch at his sides like he wants to stop me, but he doesn’t quite reach for me. Not yet. He’s trying to be good, to be noble, but I see the way his throat works when he swallows. I see the heat in his eyes. I feel the tension in his body as he struggles between want and restraint.

“You don’t have to do that,” he says, finally. “That’s not why I’m helping you. You know that, right?”

“I know,” I say gently, still kneeling, still holding his gaze. “But that’s not why I’m doing this either. I want to give this to you.”

We maintain eye contact as I wrap my hand around his shaft, squeezing a little to test his resolve.

“Fuck,” he hisses, his chest heaving, and the veins in his forearms flex as he holds on to the tiled wall.

I stroke him slowly at first, dragging my palm down his length, watching as his muscles tighten.

It’s a test, just to make sure he’s as ready for me as I am for him.

When he bites his bottom lip, I flick my tongue out and tease his sensitive head.

That makes him falter, and a deep, guttural groan rumbles from his chest. I flatten my tongue, running it along the thick underside of his cock.

“Shit, Sav—” His voice is rough, almost hoarse, barely a whisper above the sound of the water cascading around us.

He drops his hand to my hair in an attempt to guide my pace. I grip his thighs, digging my nails into the firm muscles there as I let my mouth openly explore him, pressing wet, open-mouthed kisses along his length before swirling my tongue around the swollen tip.

“Baby,” he rasps, his head tilting back as his hips jerk forward involuntarily. “You keep doing that, I—fuck—I’m not gonna last.”