Big Sexy: Mercy Springs Heroes Series Book 1

by Bliss Carter

  She couldn’t believe that she just had the beginnings of a panic attack over a date with a guy. Jaxson could adapt better than her to things, Kres felt sure. But she knew this was more than just a date. It wasn’t just some guy. It was maybe THE guy. Kresley knew deep down that Cade could be the man she was meant to have in her life, to grow old with, have babies with, learn how to be part of a healthy relationship. And all of that scared her to death. For so long it’s been just her. Oh, Kresley knew she had her sisters and Grace always, but having the one that is meant to be your partner in life, your mate, your match in every way…well, it was special. And Cade being alpha Cade, Big Sexy and so sweet was almost too much for Kresley to understand. He was just too much it seemed at times.

  Kres took a deep breath and said, “Thanks Grace, for the support. Just a lot going on in my brain right now. With what’s going on with Drake, the phone calls and gossip going around town, and now having a man to heavily pursue me that I barely know, well it just hit me hard all of a sudden. Thanks for having my back.”

  “No need to thank me. I’m always here for you. Now, question. What are you going to wear for this date?”, Grace asked with a serious face. “I think we need sister services, don’t you? Francie, Gertie, Birdie, get your asses up front now.”

  Kresley watched as her sisters came running up towards the front of the office, probably thinking the worst had happened. They soon found out that it was a clothing emergency for date night. That put them all in a tizzy and they headed upstairs to go through Kresley’s closet, leaving her downstairs to answer the phones. “Nothing low cut, y’all!”. Giggling women’s voices were the only answer Kresley received.

  She found herself 30 minutes later walking downstairs to show her sisters what they had picked out for her to wear for her “date” with Cade. They had chosen a cute spring-like dress that Kresley had actually never worn before. The tags were still on it. It was a navy-blue cotton wrap dress, with a jaunty bow tied at her waist and a small V that dipped down towards her cleavage. The sleeves were cut at the shoulders, leaving her arms bare and the skirt was flirty and flared at her hips. It fell to just above her knee. They paired it with small, red flats and minimal jewelry. Kresley had taken a shower, being sure to shave and lotion every part of her body. She washed and dried her hair and put it up into a twist at the back, securing it with a hair clip. Small red tendrils fell around her temples and ears. Just a little mascara, lip gloss and blush to her face, and Kresley walked into the front lobby of Whimsy Events to get so many unwanted opinions.

  “Wow, sweetie, smokin’ hot!”

  “He won’t know what hit him.”

  “You sure he’s good enough to see you in all this glory?”

  “So pretty Kresley. So pretty.”

  “Thanks, y’all. You make me feel actually beautiful. I needed that. Now, can y’all go ahead and clock out for the day and leave? Cade should be arriving any minute now. It’s already close to 6 PM.”

  Gracie looked at Kres closely, then stated “sure thing buttercup. But let me ask before I leave, are we still on for Friday night to get together? I’ve got the babysitter ready to take care of Jaxson.”

  “Yes, I’m still planning on going out with you. I wish you’d tell me what we’re doing or where we’re going.” Kresley knew that Friday would be a hard day for her and her sisters. Her especially. It was going to be the 8th anniversary of her parent’s passing away. Kresley still had nightmares about that night. The ache in her chest sat heavy as she thought of all she lost that day; all she would never have again. But for the first time in a long time, Kresley questioned if that were really true. She had a feeling that Cade wouldn’t be the type to let her wallow in self-pity. So maybe this year she would try hard to remember the good things about her parents and not focus on the bad ending.

  After Grace informed her where they were going to remember her parents was a surprise that she would like, she and the sisters all packed up their stuff and headed out the back door, locking it behind and leaving Kresley in the quiet to wait for Cade. Oh, butterflies, I wish you’d fly away. She held a hand to her stomach to calm the flutter within and then heard her phone ding with a text just a few moments later.

  Cade: Turn around baby, let me get a look at you through this window.

  Kresley quickly turned around and found herself face to face with Cade Grantham, handsome in dark blue jeans, white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled back over his muscled forearms and a pair of leather loafers, holding up two bags. She could see Cade’s grin shining through the store front window and grinned in return. It was going to be a great night. She just knew it.

  Chapter Ten

  Francie pounced on Kresley as soon as she could, wanting to know all the details about her date. “So how did your date turn out last night Kres?”, she asked when all the girls were settled at the coffee bar in the office the next morning. Kres was honestly shocked that she hadn’t gotten bombarded with texts from any of them last night or early this morning. And she was so glad for that small reprieve from them. Maybe they were learning.

  “It was fine.”

  “It was fine?”, Grace asked with a note incredulity in her voice. “Just fine?”

  “Okay, so it was amazing. Absolutely the best date I’ve ever had in my life. Does that work better?”, Kresley asked cheekily, with a huge smile on her face.

  Last night had been amazing. Cade was amazing. He had been funny, sexy, and a true gentleman. The date had begun with him unloading the bags he had brought, revealing several different take out containers of Italian food from Dante’s across town. He had also pulled out two flameless candles and a box of Monster M&M cookies from Letty’s Bakery. He made Kresley sit at the bar and went about her kitchen, taking down plates, wine glasses, utensils and retrieving the bottle of red wine he had set aside to breathe. He set up the small dining room table in the corner with the candles and such, then poured them both wine and dished up wonderful smelling pasta dishes. Then Cade and Kresley sat and ate, telling stories and laughing a lot. Kresley still smiled at some of the stories he had told her of his childhood. After dinner, they had sat on the couch eating cookies and talking about his job. Kresley could tell that Cade was passionate about his work, especially working to help victims of domestic violence and hate crimes.

  “Tell me something no one else knows about you, well, with the exception of Grace and your sisters”, Cade had stated with a sweet smile. He seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say and gave her his full attention every time she had opened her mouth. Kresley had to stop and think for a few moments and finally thought of something.

  “I’ve never slow danced with someone before.” She saw surprise in his eyes before he quickly stood up and found his phone. More curious than alarmed, Kresley waited to see what he was going to do next. He clicked a few times on his phone and then Kresley could hear the sounds of soft music coming from his phone speakers. He then held out his large, masculine hand to her and Kres took it without question. He pulled her up to stand and then looked deep into her green eyes.

  “May I have this dance, baby?”, Cade tenderly asked Kres. A thrill went up her spine at the look on Cade’s face and the heat she could hear in his voice. Placing her hand in his, Kres allowed him to pull her into his body. Her head fit into the crook of his neck and shoulder perfectly. Cade wrapped his arms around her waist, crossing them over each other at her back. Kresley placed one hand on the nape of Cade’s neck, fingering the hairs there and placed the other on his chest, over his heart. Cade then began swaying with Kresley, dancing slow and seductively around her living room. Kresley could hear Adele singing To Make You Feel My Love in the background. Closing her eyes and just choosing to feel, Kresley burrowed in deeper to Cade’s body and let go. Soon the sounds of Tennessee Whiskey by Chris Stapleton came on and the couple swaying around the living room had eyes for only each other.

  After dancing around her living room for nearly an hour, she and Cade ha
d cuddled on the couch and watched a movie together, though they didn’t pay much attention to what was playing. Kresley had melted into Cade, laying her head on his chest and pulling her legs up on the couch, knees bent and feet tucked beneath her. Cade relaxed with his arm around Kresley, playing with her hair that was now down around her shoulders and back. He leaned over and kissed her forehead every few minutes. It was the perfect date. Kresley had walked him to the front door of the downstairs offices and Cade proceeded to give her the best goodnight kiss ever. His mouth was hot, his big hands wrapped around her ribs with thumbs rubbing the sides of her breasts. Kresley’s arms wrapped tightly around his neck and shoulders. He had softly said goodnight and with one last soft kiss to her nose, he had walked away toward his car parked down the street.

  Kresley came back to the present and stared around at her sisters. “What?”

  “You know what”, Gertie stated, finger pointed at Kresley’s face, indicating that blush that Kresley just knew was there, bright and heated.

  Birdie spoke up for the group and summarized in her dead-pan tone, “So Cade came to your home, bringing Dante’s Italian, monster cookies and all the romantic table decorations and after feeding you, he slow danced with you, bodies touching, for at least an hour. Then you cuddled and watched a movie together. Afterward he was a complete gentleman and kissed you at the door where you said goodnight. Am I missing anything?”

  “Nope that’s about it.”

  “I ask again, does the man have any siblings? I will take an adopted brother. Seriously”, Birdie states loudly. “What an amazing date it was for you Kres. I’m so happy for you.”

  Kresley just smiled softly, put her hand over her heart and rubbed the ache there. Soon work called for all of them and they separated to their individual offices. Later that day, Grace called back to Kresley and stated that Claudia Nolan and her father Pete Nolan were there to see her. Kresley’s heart sped up in anxiety, but stated that they could come back. Claudia and her father walked into her office moments later and sat down without being asked.

  “I am guessing that you’re aware of what’s going on, seeing as this is where my fiancé died”, Claudia stated without a greeting. She had always seemed to be so cold to Kresley. She didn’t know why she was, except maybe she knew the history behind she and Drake from long ago. But that wasn’t her problem to dwell on. Like her, don’t like her, Kresley really didn’t care.

  “I am very well aware since I’m the first person to come upon Drake after the fact”, Kresley stated with no emotion in her voice. “I am so sorry this has happened and I wish I could help with any info of why it happened, but I don’t know anything. Please just let me know how you want details handled on cancelling wedding plans, and I’ll take care of those soon. The insurance you paid for, Mr. Nolan, will take care of any fees that can’t be refunded or down payments that aren’t returned. You won’t lose any money on things that aren’t in your control.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Anderson. I appreciate you taking care of this for my daughter. She has enough to deal with right now. We’ll let you get back to your work. Please call me with any questions”, Pete Nolan stated, just as icy and emotionless as his daughter. Like father, like daughter Kresley guessed. She walked them out of her office to the front door. As soon as it closed behind them, she let out a long sigh, looked over at Grace talking with Officer Boomer Collins for their “daily afternoon safety meeting” and went back to work.

  Kresley sat at her desk after her meeting with Claudia for a few minutes, thinking about how awkward that was for everyone, but Claudia handled it as well as she could under the circumstances. She then shook herself more alert and made phone call after phone call, trying to wrap up details for the upcoming wedding for the Smith-Truett couple. She also winced as she made phone calls to cancel plans for Drake Harris’ wedding. Throughout the day, she received several phone calls that would hang up as soon as she answered. She finally asked Grace about them, since Grace patched all calls through to the appropriate Anderson sister. Grace stated that all calls she had answered had someone on the line.

  “How many hang up calls have you gotten lately, Kresley?”, Grace asked with curiosity.

  “I’m not sure, but I’d guess I’ve gotten around ten or in the last few days.”

  “Ten or so since Drake’s murder?”, Grace asked more carefully.

  “Yes”, Kresley answered, confused with how Grace was looking at her.

  “Kresley, I think you should let Cade know about the hang up calls, just in case. Boomer told me about the note they found here that night. I know he wasn’t supposed to tell, but he kind of let it slip when he was in earlier doing his patrol thing. Why haven’t you mentioned it to us?”

  “I didn’t want to worry y’all. I really don’t think I’m a target or anything. Why would I be? I haven’t had anything to do with Drake or his family in a very long time. But yes, I’ll let Cade know, just in case. By the way, what time are we leaving to go do whatever you have planned tomorrow night? I need to make sure I have things wrapped up first”, Kresley stated to Grace as she took out her smartphone to text Cade.

  “We’ll leave here around 6:00 PM or so. Wear clothes that are comfortable, but bangin’ at the same time. We may or not be dancing at some point”, Grace stated with a grin on her face. Kresley just nodded her head, her thumbs already flying across the screen of her phone.

  Kresley: Hey Big Sexy. Just wanted to say what an amazing time I had last night. Oh, and Grace wanted me to bug you with something. Call me when you can on my cell. XOXO, Kres

  Cade: Sure thing. Will call in a few. And you are very welcome. My pleasure baby

  Kresley grinned at his reply and went back to work. Cade called her phone a few minutes later. She greeted him with a soft, “Hi Cade. Thanks for calling so quickly.”

  “No worries sweetie. I always have time for you. So, what’s up with Grace?”, Cade asked warmly. Kresley could picture him sitting at his desk, chair tilted back and his feet propped up.

  “I hadn’t really thought about it until she just said something to me, but I’ve gotten around ten or so hang up calls since Drake’s murder the other day. It’s just a coincidence, right?”

  Cade was quiet on his end of the line for several moments. Kresley waited patiently for him to answer, but inside she began to have a sick feeling in her stomach.

  “Kresley, are the phone calls transferred from Grace to your office, and then the hang up happens? Or are people hanging up on Grace at the front desk?”

  “The hang ups don’t happen until I pick up my line in my office. Grace said that she hasn’t had any hang ups with her”, Kresley answered.

  “Okay, baby, it’s probably nothing, but just to be sure, I’m going to put in a request for them to pull your phone records at the office for the last month or so. Don’t sit there and worry, okay? I’ve got this. You know I’ll protect you, right? I’m not going to let anything happen to you sweetheart”, Cade stated quietly, but with enough hardness that it caused shivers up Kresley’s spine.

  “I know that and believe it, Cade. I trust you.” Kresley could hear Cade sigh heavily over the phone. “What’s that sigh for honey?”

  “Well first, you saying you trust me just hits me hard in the chest. Every time. Damn near takes my breath away. Second, you just called me honey. And now I have the biggest smile on my face. Kresley Anderson, hot wedding planner, called me her honey. I guess that makes me your boyfriend, doesn’t it?”, Cade asked. Kresley could hear the smugness in his voice, but he also sounded really happy.

  “So, we’re back in high school again?”, Kresley asked with a smirk. Her giggle gave her away and she could hear Cade grin through the phone.

  “I guess we are baby. So, what do you say? Wanna go steady? Be my girlfriend?”, Cade asked.

  “I can’t think of anything that makes me happier. Honey.”

  “Oh, baby, you have no idea what you’ve gone and done. I can’t wait to see you tonight.
And we can talk more about the phone calls. Does that work for you?”

  “Works for me. I’ll see you around six?”

  Cade answered, “Time can’t go fast enough baby. I’ll see you at six, definitely. And I’m taking you out to eat tonight, so be ready, however you want to dress, because I’m hungry.”

  Kresley saluted to the room and ended her call with a “Yes sir, Cade sir.” She could hear his sexy laugh as she hung up. Life was damn good.

  Cade hung up the phone with Kresley and sat staring at his office wall for a few moments, thinking back on the conversation. He was such a goner. He left his heart at Kresley’s place last night and didn’t even want it back. It was hers now. He kept thinking back to the moment when she admitted she had never slow danced before. Cade couldn’t help but be surprised. What was wrong with the men in Mercy Springs? Why hadn’t any of them been able to wrap Kresley Anderson up tight in their arms and slow dance with her? It honestly floored him that Kresley wasn’t married yet with babies surrounding her. But their loss was Cade’s gain because he wasn’t going to let her go now, not for anyone or anything. A voice clearing at his doorway had Cade looking up.

  “Boomer! Dude, where have you been today? Haven’t seen you in the office yet”, Cade stated as he held out his hand to his friend. Boomer and he were getting pretty tight as buddies since he arrived. Boomer was funny, had an outgoing personality, but wasn’t afraid to talk about deep shit when he needed to.

  “You know how it goes Cade, I got stopped a lot this morning while I was out patrolling. People are curious to know about the Drake Harris murder and don’t seem to mind asking nosy questions.” Boomer sat down across from Cade in one of his guest chairs and stretched out his long, muscular legs. “I wish we had more leads on this case, though. Something just doesn’t add up to me.”

  “How do you figure? Tell me what you’re thinking and let’s go over timelines and motives."