“I was dropping some of my crew home out here, and I saw your car,” he said as his eyes cruised up and down her body in the terry-cloth strapless dress she wore.
Garcelle made an irritated face. “And?”
He flung his head back and laughed before he fixed his eyes on her. “Garcelle, why you always bustin’ my balls?”
“Because you wanted to play with your balls in other chicas’ playgrounds.”
He pressed his hand to the door. “For real, Garcelle. Can’t we start over? Can’t we even be friends? Yo, we been through a lot, and I miss your ass, baby.”
Garcelle saw the sincerity in his eyes. She motioned with her hands for him to back up; then she opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. “Sometimes I miss you, too, but I don’t trust you no more.”
“All I’m saying is give me another chance, Garcelle. Let me spend some time with you. I f’ed up, but I never cheated on you, and you know that.”
“Joaquin . . .”
He reached out and took her hands in his. “Nothing serious then. Just a date. Let me take you to dinner or something.”
Garcelle released a heavy breath. Joaquin was the only man she knew. He did hurt her when he ended their relationship, but only people you cared about had the power to hurt you. Maybe a few nights out on the town wouldn’t be so bad. Joaquin might be just what she needed to get over Kade.
And get over him was exactly what she needed to do, because there was no way she could win a battle against the spirit of his dead wife.
The phone rang, and she slipped her hands out of his to walk into the house and answer it. “Hello.”
“Garcelle, hey. This is Bianca. You busy?”
“What’s up?” Garcelle turned her back to Joaquin.
“My dad’s throwing a big cookout tomorrow, and I wanted to invite you and your family.”
“You want me to bring something?” Garcelle offered.
“Nothing but those big old legs if you feel like dancing,” Bianca joked.
Garcelle laughed. “I always feel like dancing, so I’ll be there.”
“I’m glad you’re coming because we haven’t seen each other in a minute.”
Garcelle nodded as she turned back to eye Joaquin through the glass door. “Listen . . . Can I bring a date?”
Kade glanced at the time on his cell phone as he climbed the steps of his home. He and his crew had worked double time to finish up their work so that they would be able to attend the big cookout over at King Ranch. He was dusty and tired. His ribs had a dull ache, and he was starving.
He kicked off his boots at the front door and stripped as he made his way up the stairs and into his bedroom. Zorrie and Kadina were already at the cookout, so he had the house to himself. He walked through his open bedroom door.
“Kade!”
He looked up to find Zorrie walking out of his bathroom. He quickly covered his privates with his hands—as best he could—as she whirled around. “Zorrie, what the hell are you doing here?” he roared as he snatched the comforter from the bed and wrapped it around his waist.
“I thought it would be nice if I ran you a hot bath and got an outfit ready for you to wear to the cookout,” she explained.
“Where’s Kadina?” he asked, feeling annoyed.
“I left her at the cookout, with Garcelle,” she said.
“Garcelle’s there?” he asked. His stomach tightened at the thought of her.
“Are you still naked?” Zorrie asked.
“No.”
She turned, holding a pair of his jeans and a shirt against her chest. He frowned when he noticed a pair of his boxers in her arms as well. She must have seen his aggravation, because she immediately set the items on his bed.
“The guy with her sure is good-looking.”
Kade froze on his way to the bathroom. His head whipped around, and he pierced Zorrie with his eyes. “Garcelle brought a dude?” he asked, showing his surprise.
Zorrie nodded before she walked to the door. “She’s an okay-looking girl. You sound surprised that she would have a boyfriend, Kade.”
He thought of another man with Garcelle, and he couldn’t deny that the rumbling in his stomach was nothing but the green-eyed monster . . . jealousy.
“You go ahead and get dressed. I’ll just ride back over with you. No need for two cars,” said Zorrie. She left the room, closing the door behind her.
But Kade barely paid her any mind as he dropped the comforter to the floor and walked into the bathroom. “Man, what the hell?”
The tub was indeed filled with water. He knew Zorrie was just trying to be helpful, but it was irritating to him that she had been in his room and in his clothes.
Not as irritating as seeing Garcelle with another man.
This thought seemed to pop out of nowhere. He had no right to feel so possessive about Garcelle. None at all.
He sat down on the edge of the tub and then reached down to lift the drain.
Podría enamorarme de ti muy, muy facilmente.
Kade’s heart swelled in his chest at the memory of her words. He wished he knew the meaning. Regardless, the words had touched him. Just like the look in her eyes as they stood on that porch.
He’d felt that same intensity that day they first met, on Kahron’s porch . . . and again when she took center stage, dancing at Kahron and Bianca’s wedding reception. That day she had made him feel like she danced just for him.
The long muscle hanging down between his thighs stirred. The thought of Garcelle caused his blood to rush. When he rose to his feet, his penis hung heavily away from his muscled frame. The thought of Garcelle wanting him . . . desiring him . . . made him hard.
Kade massaged the full ten-inch length of it as he stepped into the tub and turned the shower on full blast. He was glad for that first jolt of cool water before it warmed up. His hardness eased, but he knew it would take more than cold water to get Garcelle out of his system.
She had made him feel alive again.
Still . . . he was a man, not an animal. He was in control of his actions. He had no intention of pursuing Garcelle Santos. None at all.
9
The devil made me do it.
That was the only explanation Garcelle could give for why she’d chosen to wear the same crimson red sundress that she’d worn to Kahron and Bianca’s wedding reception. Although she was normally dressed casually in shorts or jeans, she did have plenty of other more formal outfits she could have worn. Nothing but el diablo had made her reach in her closet for that dress.
Over the rim of her cup, Garcelle surveyed the large crowd of people enjoying the festivities on the front lawn and in the backyard of Hank King’s home. She turned as she felt Joaquin’s hand at the small of her back. It was an odd moment to discover that his touch of her bare skin did nothing to her. No shivers. No heat. No chemistry.
“Having fun . . . ?” asked Joaquin.
The rest of his words faded into nothing when she caught sight of Kade’s SUV pulling into the yard. Her hand clutched her cup tighter as she suddenly felt thirsty and hot. Her breath caught in her throat as he parked and climbed out of the vehicle, in a black polo and jeans. The color of his shirt emphasized his silver hair and the deep bronze of his skin.
She fanned herself with her hand as she took a sip of her punch. Her eyes widened as Kade strode around the SUV and opened the passenger door. Those eyes hardened at the sight of him helping Zorrie exit the vehicle. Those eyes pierced the couple as they strode together toward the rest of the partygoers.
When Kade looked in her direction from across the yard, Garcelle held his stare for a long time, before Zorrie said something to draw his attention. Garcelle turned her back to them and reached up to wipe an imaginary crumb from Joaquin’s sculptured cheek.
Joaquin smiled as he slid his hand across her back and pulled her a bit closer. He bent down to whisper in her ear. “We look good together, Mami. We’d make beautiful babies.”
Nothing. Here
she was with a gorgeous man who she knew was great in bed, and she felt absolutely nothing.
Garcelle leaned back to look into his eyes. “Nice and slow. No rush, remember?”
Joaquin smiled and kissed her forehead. “Remember? You won’t let me forget, beautiful.”
“Bingo,” she said, reaching down to entwine his fingers with her own. She pulled him behind her. “Let’s go and get something to eat.”
As they got in line to fix a plate from the buffet-style spread, Garcelle didn’t miss the odd expression her father gave her at seeing her and Joaquin together. She ignored his eyes. If she wanted to spend a little time with her ex-boyfriend, it wasn’t anyone’s business but her own.
She glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes fell right on Kahron and Bianca laughing together. She looked away from them as jealousy gripped her like a vice.
Bianca left the kitchen to carry a platter of deviled eggs to the buffet table. She smiled at folks as she made her way over to the grill, where her father, Kahron, and a few older gentlemen were doing more talking and laughing than anything.
Kahron wrapped his arm around Bianca’s shoulders when she reached his side. “Hey, B,” he said.
Bianca kissed his cheek before she looked over his broad shoulder at the men loudly talking trash as they played whist inside the open garage. A Southern cookout wouldn’t be a Southern cookout without a deck of fifty-two. “You’re not playing?” she asked, knowing how much Kahron loved to play whist.
“Yeah, me and one of them Jamison twins are paired up,” he said, sticking his hand inside the rear pocket of her snug jeans. “We got down behind the other Jamison twin and Kaleb.”
She turned to her father. “Daddy, where’s Mimi?” Bianca asked, looking around for what she was sure would be the loudest outfit ever created.
Hank grunted as he opened the lid of the industrial-sized grill. “I think she’s still getting dressed. Go check on her for me,” he requested as the smoke from the grill rose thickly around him.
“No problem,” said Bianca. She gave Kahron a playful pinch on his buttocks before she went around the side of the house to the front. She smiled and waved at Anika and Chloe, the wives of the Jamison twins, who were walking together toward the rear of the house.
As she walked into the house, Bianca gave a friendly smile to a petite woman sitting alone on the porch.
“Bianca.”
Bianca stepped back through the front door and onto the porch. “Yes?” she said politely as she looked down at the woman.
“It’s me, sweetie.”
Bianca’s eyes widened as Mimi stood up before her. Bianca gasped as she circled Mimi and took it all in—or rather took in the lack of it all. Gone was the French roll, replaced by a more subdued ponytail. Mimi’s face—her naturally pretty face—was free of all the layers of make-up. She wore a white tank and a pair of capris.
“Mi-mi,” Bianca said in astonishment. My God, you’re a foot shorter without that big old hairdo.”
Mimi crossed her arms over her chest. “Stick to being a vet, because comedy isn’t your forte,” she said in a husky voice. “Listen, I need to talk to you—”
Bianca stepped back as her mouth dropped open, and she pointed accusingly at Mimi. “What happened to your voice?”
Mimi grabbed Bianca’s hand. “Can you be any louder, or should I get you a mic and a spotlight?” she snapped sarcastically.
Bianca looked around and saw that a few sets of eyes were indeed on them.
Mimi continued. “Listen. I really like your father, and I want this to work, and . . . I know I can be over the top with the whole Mimi thing. And . . . and . . . to be honest, since your daddy came into my life, I don’t even want to put on any more—”
Bianca was confused, and she knew it showed on her face. “Mimi, are you drunk?”
“No,” Mimi snapped forcibly. “You know what, Bianca? Never mind. To hell with it.”
Mimi brushed past her and walked down the stairs and over to Hank. Bianca was left to wonder what she had done to anger Mimi.
“Aren’t those two a mess?” Lisha Strong asked her sons Kaeden and Kaleb when she walked up to them.
Both of the men nodded without asking for further explanation. There wasn’t a need for any. For the last thirty minutes, they’d watched Kade and Garcelle play the game of staring at each other openly and watching the other without letting the other know what they were doing.
“It’s so obvious they want each other that they’re making me warm under the collar just watching them,” Kaleb drawled before he tilted his head back to empty the can of beer he held.
“Don’t you just love it,” Lisha said, with delight, as she watched Kade and Garcelle share another heated stare.
No matter how much he forced himself to look away from her, his eyes eventually sought and found Garcelle. Kade couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Nothing else held his attention. As the sun set and the skies darkened, he watched her. As the crowd began to thin in numbers, he watched her. In fact, he was glad when his sister came and pulled Zorrie from his side to socialize with the rest of the women in the front yard.
And this desire to look at her was nothing new. Ever since that dance at the wedding reception—if not before—he’d found himself sneaking looks at her. Here she was in that dress. Just the sight of it on her curves made him sweat. When she was in old jeans and a T-shirt, there was no denying her beauty, but in that dress, she took his breath away.
Garcelle smiled up at her date and placed her hand on his chest as he kissed her temple. Kade clenched his jaw. He wished that he could be that man by her side, feeling her touch, receiving her smiles.
Kade saw that when her eyes hit him over her date’s shoulder, her smile disappeared. They were zoned in to each other.
He knew he should look away . . . but he couldn’t. Whenever his eyes locked with hers, it felt like no one else existed. Just he and Garcelle. Even across the twenty yards separating them, he felt the same electricity and fire crackle between them.
He hadn’t felt that way for a woman since Reema.
Her date, Mr. Rico Suave, stepped in their direct line of vision, and Kade released a shaky breath as if he had been held captive by a spell. “Damn,” he swore quietly.
“You two want to get in each other’s pants so bad,” Kaleb said as he walked up to where his brother stood alone. “Funny thing is . . . Everyone here seems to know it except you two.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kade crushed his empty beer can in his hand.
Kaleb laughed. “Okay. Then maybe Mama, Kaeden, Kahron, and Bianca know what they’re talking about, because I’ve had this same conversation with all of them. I drew the short straw to tell your ass to stop staring so hard or make a move, for God’s sake.”
Kade directed his eyes toward everything—anything—but Garcelle and Rico Suave. “Why the hell are you so talkative tonight?”
“Can’t say I blame you for wanting her,” Kaleb said, ignoring Kade’s sarcasm. “I would be more than happy to tap that—”
Kade spun and grabbed Kaleb by the front of his shirt. His eyes were filled with anger . . . until he saw that his younger brother was laughing at him. Kaleb had goaded him right into a trap.
“You’re wearing your heart on your sleeve, big brother,” Kaleb said in a slow Southern drawl as he calmly reached over his brother’s arm to take a deep sip of his beer.
Kade released him just as roughly as he had jacked him up. “Mind your business,” he growled before he walked away from his brother.
From her spot in the front yard, Garcelle watched the scene unfold between Kade and his brother. Kade walked farther in the back and out of her view. When she shifted her eyes to Kaleb, he held up his can of beer in a salute to her before he strolled away, with a smile.
She turned her head again, and she saw Zorrie, Lisha, and Kade’s sister, Kaitlyn, talking as they looked in her direction. Lisha’s and Kaitlyn’s eyes wer
e warm and amused, but if looks could kill, Zorrie would have dropped her in the blink of an eye.
“Something wrong?” Joaquin asked, looking down at her.
“No,” she told him, even though her thoughts were full of Kade.
She was with another man and hadn’t been within five feet of Kade, and he still sent her pulse racing with one look. “I’ll be right back,” she told Joaquin, needing a moment to herself.
Garcelle made her way through the crowd and climbed the stairs to the house. She almost walked into Bianca, who was leaving the house.
“Garcelle . . . Garcelle . . . Garcelle,” Bianca said teasingly.
“What?”
Bianca grabbed her hand. “Well, I need to talk to you, Mamasita,” she said over her shoulder as she pulled Garcelle behind her and into the kitchen.
“Slow down, Bianca,” Garcelle said as she almost tripped over her own feet.
“Okay, so tell me. What kind of spell have you put on my brother-in-law?”
Garcelle walked around the kitchen, pretending she was more interested in the decor than she actually was. “I am so glad your father redecorated in here. It looks much better than that mess your ex-stepmother had in here. Did you help him pick the new colors?”
“Oh no, Garcelle, you’re stalling.”
Garcelle sat at the island and stared at her friend. “Is your daddy dating that loca lady Mimi?” she countered, deliberately changing the subject again.
“Touché,” Bianca said, with a laugh. “I’m not happy about it all. I love my friend, but I don’t think she’s right for my father. I just haven’t worked up the nerve to tell them how I feel. Okay, so I’ve said my peace. Your turn.”
Garcelle shrugged. “Okay, Ms. Nosy. I think Kade Strong is the sexiest man I have ever laid these eyes on. He makes my heart go really fast, you know.”
“I knew it!” Bianca slammed her hand down against the island top.
“But . . . he still loves his wife, and there is no chance for us,” Garcelle said sadly.
Hot Like Fire Page 9