by Kaci Rose
"Yeah, we were walking on the beach, and he was there. Said he was visiting family. It was before...the rumors in town started about him." I'm careful not to say too much while being recorded. I don't want to be accused of spreading gossip. It's never been my style.
"The rumors I haven't been able to verify one way or another," he says, and I get what he means. If he can't verify it, he won't print it.
"Kade, how are you liking our small town?" Ned asks.
"It's night and day different from Hollywood. In LA the only time you get a break from the noise, is during rainstorms when the rain drowns it out. Here once the sun goes down, everything stills. Everyone is welcoming, well, for the most part, and it's the first time in years I can say I actually feel relaxed. It's beautiful too."
"How long are you in town for?" Ned asks.
"Well, until the bridge is fixed at least, but I'd say until my manager gets another movie lined up, I don't have a reason to leave but every reason to stay." Kade smiles at me, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. It's the front cover smile I'm learning. It's the one he puts on for the world, but isn't real.
"Do you two plans to do the long-distance thing when you get back to Hollywood?" Ned asks, his eyes still on the paper in front of him, so I know he doesn't see Kade stiffen.
"We've talked about it, but we'll see where it goes when the time comes." I hear myself answering but don't realize I've said the words because my mind is racing.
The last questions make me choke up. I know all this has to come to an end, but the thought of him leaving and going back to California is almost more than I can take right now. Thankfully, the interview ended after that.
As I step out into the fresh air and with the warm sun on my face, I start to feel a bit better. Kade takes my hand and smiles.
"Why don't we go get a donut? I could use some sugar after that," he says.
We have a few hours before the video interview, so I agree. The moment we round the corner to Main Street, the buzz picks up, and everyone is looking at us.
"Smile." Kade leans over and whispers in my ear before kissing my forehead.
I look up at him, and then I do smile because the smile on his face is contagious. Several church ladies walk by us and pat my arm, telling me how cute he is or congratulating me for landing such a “big whale in a small town." That last one I know is a veiled Southern insult, but it's okay. I know it's from a place of jealousy.
Before we even make it to the bakery, Jessica steps in front of us with a catty smile on her face.
"Great," I mumble under my breath but plaster on that smile.
"Kade, this is Jessica. Brynn and I went to school with her," I tell him.
Kade squeezes my hand like he catches on to my less than enthusiastic greeting. He doesn't let go of my hand to shake hers, but just pulls me in closer.
"I loved your last movie," Jessica purrs, placing a hand on Kade's arm and not missing a beat.
Kade steps back just enough so her hand falls from his arm. She gives him a little pout. The kind you know she's stood in front of a mirror for hours practicing.
"I can show you around town if you'd like. I know all the hidden local places." She tries to rest her hand on Kade's arm again, which he expertly avoids.
I try not to snicker, but I whisper his way. "It's not her fault she wasn't raised right." I guess I was a bit too loud because her eyes narrow on me.
"Well, I think we should leave that to my girlfriend, don't you? Besides, Lin has done an amazing job showing me around so far." He turns his blinding front cover, panty-dropping smile on me, and my insides turn to goo, and I couldn't form a full sentence if I tried.
Jessica turns and eyes me up and down.
"I hope you kept the receipt for that top." She smirks.
I know this game. I learned it well growing up in the South. When the mean girls can't get what they want, they attack you in any way possible, starting with trying to steal your boyfriend. And when that doesn't work, they attack your appearance. It should bother me, but then I just remind myself Kade is giving me orgasms and not her, and I don't care. But I have a few of my own retorts tucked away.
"Honey, I just hope you don't catch pneumonia in those shorts. They sure look... breezy." I purse my lips and shake my head in fake concern over her shorts that are so short the bottom of her butt cheeks are hanging out, and you can see the bottom of her pockets. Which really, why is that a trend?
Her eyes snap up to me, and Kade bites his lip, trying not to laugh.
When Jessica sees this, she stomps her foot. "Grrr." She growls, then stalks away.
A few people within hearing distance of us have big smiles on their faces, and I just shake my head. When I look at Kade, we both bust out laughing.
"I'll take a shot of whiskey with my donut now." I sigh.
"If we didn't have another interview this afternoon, I'd make that happen," Kade says.
He wraps an arm around my waist and leans in, giving me a chaste kiss before leading me into the bakery. They are already talking about Jessica's failed flirting attempt, and they don't try to hide it from us. We just get our donuts and slowly make our way back to my car in the newspaper parking lot.
"One more interview. Are you ready?" Kade asks.
"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."
Chapter 26
Kade
The video interview yesterday went great. My gut was right that the reporter would be respectful and a good one for Lin to get her feet wet with because even after the breakup, she will have quite a few chances for interviews, and I hope she takes them all and gets her name and the inns' names out there. Knowing I can give her and Brynn that makes it all worth it.
Today, I'm helping Lin around the inn again. I know these are mundane everyday things for her, but they are actually interesting to me. Like pulling reports and the data, setting website prices. Answering questions on social media.
I'd answer the phone, but people would recognize my voice, and that could cause more problems than it's worth. As it is, Lin is using an answering service to filter fan calls out. That was Wren's idea, and it's worked like a charm. It's one less thing we have to worry about.
I come out of the office in search of Lin but find her ex Travis in the lobby. His eyes go wide when he sees me. I remember what Lin said about him being a fan, but I still turn to Dale.
"What's he doing here?" I ask Dale instead of Travis.
"He said he needs to talk to Lin, and it's important. I know Travis. They dated, and he was here all the time. I told him he wasn't to leave the lobby so I could keep an eye on him," Dale says, and his eyes narrow at Travis.
My guess is he also knows how they broke up. So, I nod just as Lin walks in. She offers me a huge smile but stops in her track when she sees Travis.
"What are you doing here?" she asks.
His eyes shoot over to me. "Can we talk?" he asks.
Lin looks at me, and I nod. "I'll go check on the work being done in the banquet room," I say and head down the hall but stop out of sight.
I want to be close if Lin needs me, but out of sight in case she doesn't. I know I shouldn't eavesdrop, but I have to know what is so important.
"What do you want, Travis?" Lin asks.
"I know by now you have heard the rumors in town," he starts.
"That you got fired, the SEC, and all that? Yeah, you should know stories don't stay hidden here long," Lin says.
"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you. It's true I am being investigated by the SEC," he says, and I wish I could see his face at this moment.
"Did you do what they are accusing you of?" she asks.
There is a moment of silence before Travis answers, "Yeah, I did."
"Well, then I'm disappointed. You were raised better than that," Lin says, making me smile.
"The thing is, I did it for you," he says, and my entire body goes stiff.
We aren't really together, and what if she wants to give him another chance? Nothing
is stopping her from ending things with us to try again with him. Well, nothing other than the fact that I won't allow it.
"That such bullshit," Lin says, and I'm pretty sure she's shaking her head if I know her like I think I do. She takes the words right out of my mouth.
"I realized what an idiot I'd been the last time I was visiting my parents, and I saw how happy you were and how the inns have flourished. So, I thought if I could prove myself and build a nice nest egg for us to start a life together, I could start to win you back," he says.
"There is no scenario when you would have been given another chance, Travis. You dumped me at my parents' funeral when I needed you most. I'd never be able to trust you again," she grits out.
This should calm me and put me at ease, but it doesn't.
"Come on, Lin. We have a history together, and we grew up together. What can he offer you? Are you going to move to Hollywood and be some actor's trophy wife?" he says.
My jealousy and anger overtake me, and I step out of the hallway.
"You think I'd let her stoop so low as to be a trophy wife, then you don't know me very well. In fact, you don't know me at all. I think it's time you leave." I spit out.
Lin places her hand on my arm but doesn't say a word. I cover her hand with mine and glare at Travis. Travis's eyes bounce from mine to hers before his body sags, and he turns toward the door. Thankfully, he leaves without another word.
That does nothing to tamper my jealousy, though; as I pull Lin down the hall and into the first empty event room we come to. I close the door behind us and lock us in.
"Kade?" she asks once I turn to face her. Her eyes run over me, lighting a fire on every inch of skin they glance over.
"I don't like him," I say, barely above a whisper.
"Me either," she whispers as I take a step toward her.
"Good." Then my lips crash into hers.
The slide of her lips against mine has my cock hard and straining to get to her. To claim her and mark her as mine. I lean back just a bit and nibble on her lower lip as she wraps her arms around my neck. I ghost kisses down her neck while my hands go to her ass, kneading the soft flesh there before pulling her against me. She instinctively wraps her legs around my waist, and I press her to the wall.
I run my hand up her side, pushing her arms above her head and using one hand to pin her wrists to the wall.
"I don't think I can be gentle." I groan as she wiggles against my cock.
"I don't want gentle," she says, throwing her head back and giving me full access to her neck.
"Thank Christ," I say as I set her back on her feet.
With my hands shaking, I slowly unbutton her shorts, never taking my eyes off her, watching for any sign she's changed her mind. She impatiently shimmies her shorts and her panties to the ground and starts working on unbuttoning my pants as I pull the condom from my wallet and slip it on.
I waste no time and grab her ass again and pull her up, so her legs go back around my waist and her arms around my neck like they were before. With a punishing kiss, I rub my cock over her clit but don't enter her. I want her nice and wet, but I know I won't last if I get my mouth on her. I'm too on edge.
Her hands are running through my hair before coming down to frame my face. Our eyes lock, and this time, I slowly slide into her. She's so wet and tight it feels like heaven with her pussy squeezing my length. Why did we wait so long to do this? Nothing has felt this right.
She grips my shoulders, and her nails dig into my skin through my shirt. It spurs me on, and I thrust all the way, filling her and causing us both to moan. I rest my forehead on hers and try to let her adjust.
"You're mine now, Lin. No more games." I thrust in again, hard. The momentum pushes her up the wall before she slides back down on my cock.
"Yours." She moans.
"Pull your shirt down. Let me see those perfect tits," I say, not wanting to let go of her and risk her falling. She does as I ask, and I start rocking my cock in and out of her as I suck on each nipple, nipping it and teasing them the way I know drives her crazy.
She hisses at the slight pain and digs her heels into my ass, which spurs me on to grind her even harder into the wall.
"You feel so damn good. I'm not going to last," I tell her as I feel my climax building and the tension building in my muscles. "You need to cum with me, baby. I'm not going without you."
I reach around with one hand and put pressure on her clit. She doesn't even get a word in before I feel her start to clamp down on me. Her nails dig into my shoulders, and she screams my name as she comes. It's the most beautiful sight I've ever seen with her head thrown back and her eyes closed in ecstasy.
The sight and her clamping down on me pulls my orgasm from me. I bury my head in her neck as I moan out her name. I lock my knees to keep us both standing, but the force of it is like nothing I've ever felt, and we both slide to the ground in a sweaty pile of limbs.
I pull the hair from Lin's face to make sure she's okay. I find her laughing and then she throws her head back against the wall to look at me.
Somehow on the way to the ground, I managed to stay inside her, and I don't want to leave her warmth.
I rub my thumb over her bottom lip that's a bit swollen before leaning in to give her a soft kiss.
"I meant it, Lin. You're mine." I want to make sure she knows it wasn't just an in the heat of the moment thing.
She nods and sighs. "I don't think I can walk."
"Good thing I rented the whole inn out, and we can sleep in whatever room we want."
I get her to the closest guest room and into the bed and barely get cleaned up before she is pulling me down, ready for round two.
Chapter 27
Linly
Tonight is girls' night. We are locked in Brynn's room with wine, chocolate cake, pie, lasagna, and assorted chocolates. The DVDs for the night include Magic Mike and Fifty Shades of Grey, and we have no plans to leave this room until morning.
We decide to do the adult thing and start with the lasagna as we sit on her private porch, and I tell her all about the last twenty-four hours that started with Travis showing up and led to jealous sex against the wall with Kade. That led to being holed up in Kade's room naked as we had sex all over it. In bed, the shower, the bathtub, and even on the balcony at midnight with the lights off, of course. We had no clothes on the whole time, and it was amazing.
I explain it all in detail to Brynn as she sits there shoveling lasagna in her mouth.
"See, I told you he'd be good for up against the wall sex." She points her fork at me. "He has that alpha look sort of like that sexy werewolf from True Blood."
I laugh. "He's been spending some time with me helping around the inn, doing the day-to-day things. He says he enjoys it."
She shrugs. "It's a novelty for him. He can be normal and step out of Hollywood, but he will get bored. He craves the attention only Hollywood can give him. They all do when they move out there."
"He told me I'm his. No more games," I whisper.
She sets her fork down. "When?"
"During sex."
She shakes her head. "Nothing said during sex counts," she says. "In the height of passion, people don't even remember what they say."