She arched her back as Kayden carefully slid every inch of himself inside her slowly and repeatedly. She dropped her head back as he sucked her neck in unison while she held onto his muscular arms as he moved faster and faster, a low and hungry moan escaping his mouth. When she could almost take no more, she pushed him slightly.
“Stop. Lay down,” she breathed and he obliged, rolling onto his back.
Lana straddled him and slowly eased herself down on him. With her hands on his broad and perfect chest, she rolled her hips in a slow circular motion never moving her eyes from his. She had never felt so free and natural before in her life. She leaned forward and kissed him again as she bounced and rolled on him faster and faster until he groaned and she cried out as he lifted his hips while grabbing her derriere and pulling her down. She collapsed forward as they both reached that peaceful bliss, her wild hair hanging in his face. He smoothed it away and tilted her face, kissing her softly and sweetly.
Lana lay her head on him still trembling from the euphoria as he kissed her forehead, and rubbed her back lightly. She felt like she belonged to someone again. Something she knew better than to feel, but she would allow herself to enjoy for the moment. Right then, she was his and he was hers. They lived in a beautiful mansion, near a lake and spent their days making love and restoring buildings. Lana drifted off to sleep with a slight grin on her face at how ridiculous that sounded, but allowed herself to believe in the fantasy if only for a night.
***
Have mercy, Kayden thought as he lay in bed as Lana snored softly. This sweet, soft, loving woman wanted him as bad as he wanted her. She’s going to leave eventually. This thought made him sigh and he understood she lived a state away, but being a Nurse she could find work anywhere—although she wouldn’t need to, not if she was his. Lana was a handful, but it was a challenge he would gladly accept if he could convince her to stay.
As he gazed up at the ceiling now, he thought of all he had left to do to get his life in order if he was to be of use to anyone. He still didn’t understand their connection; he just knew he couldn’t lose her. He was itching to tell her about his new company but that could wait until later. He didn’t want to wake her or let this feeling end. He rubbed the smooth velvety skin of her back, she stirred a little and clutched him tighter and he smiled.
As long as Lana was by his side, there was nothing he felt he couldn’t do. His eyes slowly closed and he drifted off to sleep, for the first time hopeful about what opening them up again would bring.
8
Kayden awoke, his face pointed toward the huge window in the darkened room as the sun was setting in the sky. He rolled over to an empty bed—Lana was gone. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. How long have I been asleep, he thought as he removed the comforter from his naked body? He searched the floor for his boxers and didn’t see them. Standing from the bed, he stretched out the sore muscles from earlier and looked around the room. He saw them folded along with the rest of his clothes on the recliner next to the closet.
Picking them up, he slipped the boxer briefs on and walked out of the room and down the hall. Music was coming from downstairs, and he hurried down to see what she was up to. He stood on the landing and leaned against the wall smiling as he watched her dancing around the kitchen. She was cooking something that smelled heavenly and looked so sexy in his shirt, which was too big yet short enough that it barely covered her perfect thighs. Her hair was an insane mess of curls but it was gorgeous, much like herself, bouncing around to the beat of the music.
She swayed and spun her hips turning around and caught him admiring her and smiled. Kayden walked down the last step and into the kitchen, then grabbed her around the waist, using both hands to grab two handfuls of her rear. He bent down as she stood on her tip toes and they shared her a lingering kiss.
“What are you making?” he asked her between kisses and walked her toward the stove. Lana had the cooking spoon in her hand and was holding it up, the white sauce oozing down her arm.
“Chicken Alfredo. You hungry?” she asked in between his never ending kisses. He reached for the spoon and put it down on the counter, then held her arm up and licked the sauce off. She couldn’t help her fit of giggles as he tickled her with his mouth.
“Stop it,” she protested in between fits of laughter. He pulled her close, and pressed his forehead to hers rubbing his nose lightly on hers.
“That was yummy,” he said, licking his lips.
“Thanks, I wanted to cook for you this time.”
“No, not the food,” he replied, that wicked grin returning along with a sexy wink.
“Oh,” she whispered shyly and planted a sweet kiss on his mouth, “you were quite yummy yourself.”
He released his hold on her and she turned to the stove and flipped the switch off. He eyed the creamy Alfredo in the simmering pot and his stomach growled. He was audibly famished. Kayden sat down at the granite counter top and watched her, admiring how she moved in the kitchen.
“I have something to tell you,” he said.
Lana turned to him and gave him a smile, then returned her attention back to the stove. The smile disappeared slowly as she remembered she had something to tell him too—something that was going to break his heart.
“Oh yeah, what is it?” she asked reaching into the cupboard for the plates.
He got up and walked over to her.
“Well, I’ve decided to start my own company, and the first order of business, is to restore the diner, free of charge.”
She stopped plating and smiled. He took the spoon from her hand and continued plating the dinner.
“That’s amazing Kayden!” she exclaimed hardly believing her ears.
“I’m so excited, it’s going to be awesome. I was also wondering, since I know you love Aunt Mae’s, if you would like to be part of helping me with the redesign?”
He handed her the plate of pasta, and looked down at her sweet and eagerly. She wanted to die inside thinking of wiping that look from his face with her news about Rachel.
“I don’t know what to say. I’d love to,” she replied and he beamed that beautiful smile again.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
He took both their plates over to the counter and set them down and she followed behind him.
“I think this is what I need to finally get my life on track,” he said wrapping his arms around her once again.
Lana was genuinely happy for him, but as happy as she was, she couldn’t help feeling guilty. How the hell was she supposed to tell him now? She couldn’t think of a way she could without disrupting the delicate balance they’d just formed. It could wait another night, she thought as they sat down, ate dinner and talked about his plans for the diner.
***
After dinner Kayden loaded the dishwasher and Lana went upstairs to take a bath. He stood in the living room and watched as the snowfall drenched the mountains of Hamby. For the first time in a long time he felt like he was home and he didn’t want to leave it behind again. He also knew he was falling in love with Lana. He hoped she knew it too. Finally, things were going good again and he vowed not to screw it up this time. Maybe the accident was a blessing in disguise, and this was what he needed to snap him out of his self-destruction.
He walked up the stairs intent on joining Lana and heard his cell phone ringing in the next room. He hesitated about whether to go in and check it, but it might have been Taylor, his lawyer, calling about the diner. He rushed into the room and picked up the phone from the bedside table. When he looked at the screen however, “MOM” was flashing across it and he let out an exasperated sigh. He was not in the mood. Kayden hit “Ignore” and pressed the power button, not wanting anymore distractions for the rest of the night. Not today mother, you’re not going to ruin this today, he thought, and walked out of the room and down the hall to Lana.
***
Maureen and Kim were standing in the elevator of Spence Hotel on Patterson Court across from the
farmer’s market. They weren’t far from Paula’s house but had checked in anyway against Maureen’s will. She couldn't convince anyone to drive through the snow storm to get her up on the hill, so she and Kim would have to make do with the hotel during their short stay. The establishment wasn’t up to her regular Four Season’s standards and she didn’t intend on spending a moment longer there than she needed to. The elevator chimed and they both stepped off, and headed to their respective rooms.
As she stepped into the room, it was neat and tidy with antique furniture and a dainty comforter covered in floral prints. It smelled stale but the hotel wasn’t regularly packed so it was to be expected. It wasn’t the four seasons in any form, she thought. Placing her bag down on the floor by the bed, she sat and took her cell phone out of her purse. She had called Kayden earlier knowing she could convince him to fetch her, but he didn’t answer, and there were no missed calls to indicate he’d tried to call her back.
Perhaps the signal was bad up on the hill or he simply ignored the call. Either way they had some serious business to discuss. First she needed to tell him that his restoration project was dead in the water. She’d already called Taylor and Associates from New York and killed the contracts. She understood it would piss him off, but he’d get over it when he realized what was at stake. Kim was in a room down the hall and Maureen was relieved to finally have some space from her. She kicked her Chanel pumps off and rubbed her toes into the light blue shag carpet.
Kim would make a perfect trophy wife for Kayden. She was beautiful and envied by other women, so it made men envious of him and that would gain him respect among the titans of the field. “People have to want what you’ve got, to buy what you’re selling,” was her motto. Kim wasn’t a business woman or particularly smart, but she was loyal and cared for her son. She also had full knowledge about what this life entailed and could guide Kayden in better understanding of the social logistics of it.
Maureen hit redial again, put the phone to her ear, but only got his recorded voice. A bit of worry flashed through her mind as she wondered if he'd heard about that Rachel woman and done anything drastic? Of course not, she thought. He hadn’t visited the last few days so he couldn’t know. She ensured that anyone who wasn’t family wasn’t given any information. Another task she checked off her to-do list before she left New York. The only person who visited Rachel was some nurse who stepped in during the crash and she wasn’t family at all.
Maureen had everything under control and she intended it to stay that way. Come morning, she would get Captain Jackson to take her up to the house, straighten out her son once and for all, and get out of this frozen hell and back to New York where her comforts awaited her.
***
Kimberly was under the blankets on her bed, in her room quite content with herself. She was with her guy’s mom whom she adored and she was just hours away from seeing him again. Kayden was her first love and the hottest guy in their circle of friends and everyone envied them. Flipping through her worn bridal magazine, she circled a dress by Vivian Westward. It was perfect! She planned on wearing Swarovski crystals in her hair that matched his eye color and had even picked out her engagement ring already. The wedding was going to be fabulous! Although they hadn’t been together, or even seen each other for a while, she wasn’t worried about him fighting the marriage.
Kayden did what his mom wanted anyway, even though she admittedly didn’t always like the way Maureen played him at times. This time though, it benefited them all. Their family dynamic had been strained since Joel and his dad died and Kayden still wasn’t handling it well at all. He partied way too much and not the fun stuff either, just drinking and street racing at every hole in the wall he could find. It’s like he wanted something bad to happen.
It didn’t matter, because all that was going to be behind him, and pretty soon they’d be the royalty of real estate. She knew he loved restoring old stinky buildings, but she would help usher him into the twenty first century and design high-rise condominiums, and hotels like Maureen wanted—it was going to be fantastic! I’m so lucky, she thought as she circled another dress by Gucci in the book. Their wedding was going to be the talk of the town! Kim rolled over on her back on the bed with a huge smile on her face as she clutched the magazine to her chest.
9
The sun was up but the sky was dull and grey through the overcast sky. Kayden’s revelation about his new plan yesterday shocked her to say the least. Lana was embarrassed by how wrong she had pre-judged him and knew it had a lot to do with her own past. Maybe all men weren’t alike after all. Her cellphone vibrated and she picked it up from the bedside table and swiped the screen:
CARMEN: Guess who got DUMPED?! Hint…Dragon in heels
She rolled her eyes but proceeded to respond to her friend finally.
LANA: Don’t even care. Have so much to tell you.
CARMEN: So you don’t care that he dumped her when he saw the pic she posted of u on FB?
LANA: Nope!
CARMEN: Damn girl, what’s going on up there? You need to call me ASAP!
She placed the phone back down, climbed out of bed and walked into Kayden’s bathroom where she turned the deep whirlpool tub on. Adding her vanilla scented body wash, she removed what little she had on and slipped into the steaming water.
They had made love three times since yesterday and her muscles ached in all the right places. He was insatiable, she thought as she bathed away the night’s adventures. Lana woke up alone, but knew he wasn’t far. He was probably cooking breakfast or chopping wood since the roads were closed. He couldn’t go to the hospital to see Rachel even if he wanted to.
How was she going to break that to him? She lay back and rested her head against the cold porcelain of the tub. Perhaps if I did it now it wouldn’t be so bad. The longer she dragged it out, the worse it would be and his heart being broken was inevitable either way. Either it would come from her, or the police and she couldn’t let them catch him off guard that way.
Once she was finished in the bathroom she put on a thick soft and fluffy terry cloth robe and slipped on Kayden’s bedroom shoes. They were huge and she could hardly walk in them, but she didn’t have any of her own as she was unprepared for the snow storm. Walking slowly down the stairs to avoid slipping, there weren’t any aromas of a breakfast being made, just freshly brewed coffee. He was sitting at the dining room table and was intently drawing something on the large sheet of paper spread across it. His back was turned to her and she didn’t want to startle him, so she went into the kitchen, grabbed a mug and poured herself a cup of his way too strong coffee.
“Morning beautiful,” he called over his shoulder. That made her smile.
“Morning,” she replied, walking towards him now, mug in hand.
He reached his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him as he drew ruler-straight lines with his free hand. It was a masterpiece, she thought looking at it.
“That’s amazing Kayden,” she said.
She could hardly believe her eyes. He had sketched the exterior of the building with stained glass, and made it look like a home rather than a diner entrance.
“You like it?” he asked while he pulled her on his lap and looked up at her.
“I love it, and I know Aunt Mae will too,” she said and kissed him on the nose.
“I love it too, but it’s not for the restaurant,” he replied returning her gesture of a kiss but on her lips instead. He tasted the coffee on her mouth and licked his lips.
“Oh yeah? Then what’s it for?” she asked perplexed.
“It’s a house I want to build here in Hamby. I’ve been working on it for a while but I’m inspired to finish it now.”
“Wow, that’s awesome. It’s huge,” she said as he flipped the plans so she could see more. The house was three stories with a covered lanai, and six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a media room, formal dining and private tennis court. It was beyond anything she had ever seen for sure.
“You�
��re really talented you know that,” she said looking at him.
“If only my mother agreed.”
“Well, show her. You can’t let this stay a secret. Build it and show her you’ve got what it takes.”
He smiled at her.
“I plan to build it and move back here to live in it,” he said waiting for her response.
He searched her eyes and she could tell that he wanted to say more.
“I think you should go for it,” she kissed him and stood off his lap, but he took her coffee, placed it on the table and held her hands in his.
“I was hoping I’d have a roommate,” he replied and kissed her hand, looking up at her with eyes as deep and beautiful as the sea. Lana froze like a statue although panic coursed through her body. Was he serious? Could she really move here and leave her life behind?
For the first time in a long time she was lost for words. They had so much more to learn about each other still. She took a deep breath and smiled weakly at him.
“That’s a big question Kayden. How do you know you want to live with me?”
She removed her hand and grabbed the coffee mug taking a huge gulp that seared her esophagus.
“Don’t husbands live with their wives?” he asked pausing for her response.
The question stunned her and she began choking on her coffee and he stood.
“Are you OK?” He asked again, taking the mug from her and placing it back on the table.
“I’m fine,” she choked out tapping her chest, as a small bit of coffee was now in her lungs.
She wasn’t sure she heard him right and if she did, he had to be crazy. Pulling her hand from him slowly and backing away, the light in his face dimmed.
Crashing Into Me (Crashing Into Me #1) Page 9