by Bliss Carter
At that moment, a knock at Cade's office door brought in their Captain, Gunnar Phillips. Gunnar was an upstanding man, a good cop and a young captain. Gunnar was only a few years older than Cade. So far Cade was enjoying his boss and how he handled his station.
"Hey Cade, Boomer. Are y'all discussing the Drake Harris murder?" Gunnar asked, leaning against the door jam with his muscled arms crossed over his chest.
"Hey Captain Phillips. Yes sir, Cade and I were talking over the points of the case so far. We both feel something is off with this one, but we can't put a finger on it, sir," Boomer stated, making room for Gunnar to come fully into the office.
"Yeah, Gunnar, there are many knowns at this point about people and their alibis, but there are so many missing pieces that it's hard to make an informed theory about what happened," Cade said to his boss, noting that Gunnar was quiet, seeming to mull things over.
Cade began again, stating, "We know Drake was killed at 7:53 PM, give or take a few minutes. He died of blunt force trauma to the head with a heavy object. More than likely a metal pipe of some kind. There were no finger prints on his vehicle except his own. No prints on the back door or surfaces around it. We didn’t find the weapon at the scene, nor any other forensic evidence. What else do we know?”, Cade summarized while looking at Boomer.
“Well, we know where Drake’s brother was at the time of the murder. Braxton was working an evening shift at the fire house and can be accounted for. We know Kresley was inside the building, but the alarm company records show the alarm wasn’t disarmed until after 8:00 PM for her to go outside. That was after Drake was killed. Drake’s parents were at home, having a small get together with friends and those friends vouch for them. His fiancé Claudia was out of town at her sister’s house in Atlanta. As for anyone else who might have had a motive, we haven’t found them yet. The thing that gets me is that this seems personal. There was emotion behind the hit in the head. But why leave that note for Kresley? What does she have to do with Drake Harris?”, Boomer stated while rubbing his fingers together.
"Who's to say that this is just about Kresley. And what would make her a target to do with Drake Harris. Something is pulling me towards the conclusion that Mr. Harris was an innocent bystander who got jumped when he wasn't aware. But if it was about Kresley only, the guy would have waited for her outside, to either take her somewhere else or abuse her there," Gunnar stated, effectively pulling both men's thoughts together to think of both sides of the coin.
“I don’t know, but you're definitely on to someting Captain. I intend to find out the reasons. Kresley and I talked earlier and she brought up that she is getting hang up phone calls at the office. Around ten or so now since Drake’s death. Can you make contact and get a print out of her office’s phone logs for the past 15 to 30 days? If we need a court order, that’s fine. You know, just in case, go ahead with a court order from the judge so we can make sure everything is solid with the case. Leave nothing to chance.”
“You got it. Oh, I was going to ask if you wanted to go out with Gunnar, me and a couple of other guys tomorrow night. Just a few friends from the FD. We get together about once a month, shoot the shit at a bar or club, drink a little and eat a great steak dinner. Braxton Harris usually goes, too, but I’m not going to bug him right now. I didn’t know if you could get away, but it would give you a chance to meet more upstanding men from Mercy Springs.”
"I'm not going to make it, Boomer. Sorry man. I had something pop up and it can't be avoided," Gunnar stated apologetically. Boomer just waved in dismissal
Cade looked at Boomer, then Gunnar, paused for a minute and held up his finger. He sent a quick text to Kresley and waited for a response. Boomer looked on with amusement, but Cade ignored him.
Cade: Baby, Boomer wants to take me out tomorrow night to get to know some of the men folk here. I know you mentioned Grace doing something with you for your day of remembering your parents. Just wanted to make sure with you first.
Kresley: Hey. Yes, Grace and I are going out. Probably the sisters, too. Not sure where, but I’ll be safe. Birdie knows ninja skills. You don’t need my permission to go have fun, but thank you for thinking of me first. Kisses!
“Let me know where to meet up with y’all and we’ll have an eating competition to see who can eat the biggest steak”, Cade stated with a grin to Boomer.
“Dude, you have it so bad it’s not even funny. Did you just text Kresley to ask permission? What the hell?”, Boomer laughingly asked. “Where’s your man card?”
“Well, I could say something like my man card was left in your mama’s panties last night, but seeing as I now have a girlfriend, that would be really shitty of me to say. So, I’ll just give you the finger and tell you to mind your business”, Cade fired back with a huge smile on his face, and a middle finger high up in the air at Boomer.
Gunnar's body shook with laughter, but he was silent, almost as if he thought him laughing out loud was against the rules.
Boomer and Gunner walked out of Cade’s office laughing hysterically, drawing the eyes of those standing in the center of the station. Officer Sloan Smith walked by and gave Cade a wave and a grimace before continuing on. He was a hard one to get to know around here. Cade just waved back and went back to work. An email popped up from Boomer, stating that he and the guys would meet Cade at Club Vue tomorrow night at 7:00 PM. Cade looked up the club online and saw it was a newer club a little outside Mercy Springs. He replied back to Boomer with a simple “got it” and moved on with his day.
∞∞∞
Kresley sat for a few minutes after Cade’s text, thinking of what tomorrow would bring. Emptiness. Grief. Loss of her parents. But the guilt is what would be the worst. She hadn’t expected to see Cade tomorrow and now she knew she probably wouldn’t. But it was for the best. She didn’t want him to see her if her emotions got the best of her. Grace knew how to handle her that way. Cade did not. But she would miss him. And that scared the crap out of Kresley. Who knew she would wind up needing a man to help her feel whole? But her heart was telling her that she did. And it was bat-shit crazy how fast it had happened. Was Cade the one for her? She shouldn’t be thinking this, but honestly, yes. Cade Grantham was her beginning and end to finding love. Holy shit!
Chapter Eleven
Cade was late arriving to Kresley’s place later that evening. After texting her a change in plans, he had picked her up and wouldn’t tell her where they were going. Kresley sat in Cade’s black Ford F250 truck, after being boosted into it with Cade’s hands on her waist. She was looking out the windows curiously as they drove through the pecan tree lined streets. Her hand was firmly snuggled inside of Cade’s larger one. Every so often he would bring it to his mouth and give it soft kisses. Shivers ran up her arms and attacked her insides, making her jittery and on edge.
“We’re almost there baby.”
“Where is there, Cade?”
“My house Kres. I wanted you to see my place and get a better introduction to your boyfriend.”
“So that’s why you were late, huh? You needed to come home and clean up”, Kresley stated with a grin.
“Not even close smartass. I came home to set everything up for a beautiful, delicious dinner for us, followed by some musical entertainment in my backyard.”
Kresley was definitely intrigued now and sat on the edge of the seat, as much as the seat belt allowed. She was almost bouncing with excitement. Cade just grinned over at her and chuckled, not caring one bit that he was enjoying the view of her tits as they bounced up and down within her bra. He inwardly groaned and tried to mentally calm the portion of his body that was physically reacting. To distract himself, Cade brought up the phone hang ups she had been receiving.
“I’ve put in a request for a court order to get your phone records. That way I can look at any phone numbers being used to place calls to your office. If I find anything strange or need to ask you something, I’ll let you know. Okay? I want to make sure you feel better knowin
g that I’m on top of the situation”, Cade stated seriously.
“I appreciate it Cade. It does make me feel better, but I truly don’t think those hang ups have anything to do with Drake’s death.” They arrived at Cade’s house at that moment, so the phone calls were forgotten.
Kresley’s opinion of Cade’s home was one of delight as they drove up to his two-story brick house. It was grey brick with black trim and shutters. A front porch ran across the front and followed along the side of the house. White painted rocking chairs and a white comfy looking porch swing with pillows completed the look. Cade took her by the hand as he helped her down from the truck and as they walked inside from the two-car garage, Kresley immediately felt at home. It was decorated in warm woods, mountain stone and shades of gray with splashes of color and neutrals throughout. His kitchen was a large, inviting space where she could picture herself cooking for them one day. The living room area was open and had a central staircase that led to the second level and an open bridge that connected one side of the upstairs to the other. The upstairs had 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. The master bedroom and bathroom were private on one side of the bridge, with a sliding barn door. The other side had two guest bedrooms and a full bath in-between.
Cade slid the door to the master bedroom to the side with one hand and held out his other as if to say for Kresley to enter first. A large king size sleigh bed decorated in all-white linens stood out against the gray walls. A stone fireplace was a focal point on one side of the room with a large TV mounted above the mantel on the wall. A sitting area with comfy recliners and inset book shelves took up the other part of the bedroom, the chairs pointed towards the TV for viewing. There was a door that Kresley wandered to next and found that it led into a large bathroom. It included a walk-in closet off to the side, a large jacuzzi tub and a shower big enough for several people. Kresley was in love. Cade walked around with her quietly, watching her reaction. Finally, Kresley looked closely at him and asked if anything was wrong.
Cade answered, “No. I just like to look at you while you see my home. What do you think?”
“Honestly it feels like home. I don’t have a simpler way of saying that. I walked in and it was as if it was telling me welcome home. Sounds silly, right?”
“It doesn’t sound silly at all. It’s exactly how I felt when I bought it and how I want others to see it when they visit. And now, with you, I want it to feel like that the most.” Cade looked at Kresley intently as he made that last statement.
Kresley swallowed hard and put some space between she and Cade as she wandered the master bedroom. She felt completely at ease with Cade. That wasn’t the issue. It was her own emotions she couldn’t handle right now. Everything that Cade was feeling was always front and center in his eyes and in what he said. He didn’t play games with women. Kresley was sure of that. And she wasn’t used to that level of honesty. Even with herself. So, for her to stand in his bedroom and feel as if she had just walked into her home, well, it made her long for it so deeply and be so fearful of it, all at once. Her eyes darted around for the door leading to the living room when she felt Cade’s strong arms wrap around her from behind.
“Baby, what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours? You look like a deer caught in headlights.” One of Cade’s arms wrapped around Kresley’s waist while the other caught her chest diagonally with his arm between her breasts and his hand anchored firmly on her shoulder. Light kisses were gently brushed against her temple. She could feel Cade’s words as much as she could hear them, the vibrations instantly calming her.
Cade stood with her for several minutes, murmuring words into her temple that Kresley couldn’t understand, his hand at her waist gently stroking and the hand at her shoulder solidly holding her to him. She could feel his back against her, his hips pushed into her lower back and rear. She should have felt smothered. She should have felt trapped. But Kresley didn’t. She felt grounded, like she was being introduced to the one thing that she needed most in her life, a rock foundation. Cade was her rock. Kresley let out a sigh and relaxed totally in his embrace, leaning back against his chest and hips, hugging his arms to her and pushing her head into the notch of his neck and shoulder. She turned her head to the side and pushed her nose into the collar of his shirt, smelling the potency that was Cade. He didn’t use cologne. All she could smell was deodorant, sweat and man. It was a heady experience and was lethal to her hormones.
Cade turned Kresley in his arms and took her face into his hands, turning her head up to his. Their eyes met, blue clashing with green and Cade silently spoke to her, asking her if she was okay. When Kresley gently nodded, Cade lowered his mouth to hers and devoured her. Standing there in his bedroom, Kresley enjoyed his mouth on hers, grinding into her lips, his tongue soft and wet, lushness being pushed in and out of her mouth. Her hands came up to wrap around Cade’s neck and pushed her fingers into his hair, guiding his mouth in where she wanted it most as he continued to kiss her. The kiss felt like it lasted just moments, but it was more like long, potent minutes of mouths, teeth and tongues battling against each other for dominance.
Finally, Kresley pulled herself away from Cade, using her thumbs to wipe away wetness from his mouth, snorting as she saw how red and swollen his mouth was, knowing that she had done that to him. She loved marking him. “Honestly, after that kiss, I can’t remember what I had been thinking about earlier”, Kresley stated, going back to his earlier question.
Cade took a long, deep breath, tucked hair behind Kresley’s ears and stepped back a few. He decided to drop whatever had been going on in her head before and led her downstairs to the kitchen, holding her hand as they walked together. He squeezed it before letting go so he could walk over towards the butler’s pantry. Kresley took the opportunity to visually caress his hard, tight ass as it sauntered across the room.
“What can I do to help?”, Kresley asked, clearing her throat and trying to clear her mind from naughty thoughts.
“If you don’t mind, look in the fridge for two to-go containers from The Blue Café and a glass pitcher of lemonade. I’ll get down the mason jars, plates and utensils. Want to eat in here or outside? I was going to let you choose and then set up our dinner wherever you wanted. Oh, and there’s a cheesecake in there as well if you want to take it out and let it be sitting on the counter for later.”
“You had me at cheesecake”, Kresley jokingly stated as she did what he asked. She raised her head up out of the fridge when she didn’t hear a reply from Cade and found him watching her intently. She tried to smile jokingly, but Cade’s heated gaze held her captive, as it wandered from her hair, down her lips, caressing her breasts and all the way down to her feet.
Cade gruffly stated, “Don’t make promises unless you mean them baby. Because the idea of being able to say that you’re mine makes me want to go all primal on your ass and with any other man who dares look at you.”
In that moment, Kresley chose not to beat around the bush or play coy with her answers. She wasn’t going to play it safe any longer when it came to what she wanted. And she wanted Cade. All of him. Only for herself. “Fine, here it goes then. You’re mine. Only mine. If you want a relationship, to be boyfriend and girlfriend, hold hands in public, kiss, make out to annoy my sisters, grope each other in the movie theater, sit snuggled up in a booth at the diner, feeding each other between kisses…well…I’m all for that. But that means you’re mine. And we’re exclusive. I don’t share. And I sure as hell am not going to share you. So, if there are any other females texting you, emailing you, stopping by here or the police department and wanting anything other than police help, then that shit needs to stop as of right this moment. Because I know I seem docile and gentle, but I can beat a bitch if she even looks at my man with anything more than disinterest. So, decide right now if that’s what you want and I’ll be the best girlfriend you’ve ever had. I’ll ruin you for anyone else.” Kresley ended her speech, breathing deeply, heart in her throat and looking at Cade to see how he w
ould react to such possessiveness.
The deep, gruff, almost growling voice that came from Cade sounded like a smooth shot of whiskey to Kresley. “Hell yeah, baby. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear coming out of your mouth. I just thought it was going to take longer to hear it. Kresley Anderson, you’ve been mine from the moment that you got knocked on your ass on the street outside the post office. I know this doesn’t mean we’re in love with each other yet, but I’m not running baby. I’m sitting beside you, ready to ride this roller coaster ride. And no worries about other women. I only have eyes for you. And just so you know, there is no one after you. You’re the end of the search. You have my permission to check my phone any time you like, my emails, have a key to my house so you can come and go as you please. I have nothing to hide and no one else that even compares to you. You’re mine and I’m yours. Life couldn’t be better right now even if we tried.” Cade stated this as he slowly advanced on Kresley across the kitchen, until she was backed up to the kitchen counter. He easily grabbed her waist and hoisted her onto the smooth granite surface.
Kresley soon found herself on the receiving end of one hell of a kiss, with Cade wedged between Kresley’s jean clad legs. His hands gripped her knees and then slowly caressed up her thighs until he was holding on to her hips. He roughly pulled her flush against him as his lips slid wetly down her throat. Kresley tilted her head to the side, giving Cade better access to her flesh. “Mine” was growled into her throat, then gentled with kisses and long licks of his tongue and it had Kresley’s sex clinching tight. She felt those licks deep inside her. “Cade, honey. We need to slow this down. I’m not ready for anything heavier. That’s not how I do relationships. I’m sorry.” Kresley let out a slow breath and looked up at Cade, waiting.
Cade took half a step back and a deep, cleansing breath. He had lost his head there for a few minutes with Kresley. He looked down into her dewy, green eyes, seeing the want, the need there, but he also saw the shyness and the pleading to understand what she just said. “Okay Red, I get it. And I’m fine with that. We’ll go at your pace with all of this. I’m a grown man, not some randy teenager that can’t control himself. You, my sweet, beautiful Kresley, are very much worth the wait. Come on baby, let’s get the food and other stuff and make a picnic outside at my outdoor table. We have a concert that starts in a while that I think you’re going to enjoy. But we need to hurry.”