I smiled at him as he pulled away. Damn. Taking my hand in his, he entwined our fingers together, and we walked out the door.
In the car, we were both pretty quiet, except for Kade singing along to some songs on the radio, which I didn’t mind at all. I asked him where we were going, but he just smiled at me and told me it was a surprise. I wanted to tell him that I didn’t really like surprises, but I doubted that would make him tell me.
After about twenty minutes, we got off the interstate. He took some winding roads, and then I saw a sign that said we were at a lake.
“You’re taking me to a lake?”
He turned and smiled at me. “Yeah, I am.”
A big smile spread across my face. “I’ve never been to a lake before.” I was giddy with excitement.
He pulled into a parking spot, shut the car off, and then turned to me. “Well, I’m glad that I’m the one that’s taking you. Although, you won’t be able to really admire its beauty in the dark. But it’s a clear night and there’s a full moon, so it should be nice.” I smiled at him. “Come on. Let’s go.”
I got out of the car and walked to the back where Kade was getting things out of the trunk. He pulled out a huge basket, a blanket that he handed to me, and then a guitar case.
I tried to contain the smile that was trying to break out on my face. “Kade?”
He shut the trunk and looked up at me.
“Are you giving me a picnic?” I couldn’t contain it anymore. I had a huge smile on my face.
He smirked, and without saying a word, he turned and started walking toward the lake.
We walked in the grass past what looked like a little campground. It was so beautiful there. I looked out over the lake and just smiled. The way the moon shone off the water was almost magical. It was as if we were the only two people in the world and nothing else mattered—not my job, not Kade’s problems, nothing. It was just him and me.
“I found the perfect spot earlier that’s close to the water, but has some privacy. It’s not too much further.”
We walked past some trees that were surrounding the lake, and there was a little cut out in the shape of a ‘U’ in the trees. So you got some privacy from both sides, but still had a great view of the lake.
Kade set the basket and guitar case down and reached for the blanket, stepping closer to me. Leaning down, he brushed his lips against mine. I closed my eyes and enjoyed his sweet soft kiss.
“Are you hungry?”
I smiled. “Hmm, yes.” I opened my eyes and looked him.
He was smiling at me as he pulled away to spread the blanket out on the grass. “Okay, we’re all set. Come have a seat so I can feed you.”
I let out a laugh as I sat with my leg out to the side. “You want to feed me?”
He sat down next to me and looked into my eyes before his eyes wandered down to my lips. “Of course, I do. I love anything that has to do with your mouth.”
My face flamed. I bit my lip to suppress my smile and lowered my head. He so just went there. Just having him think about what I had done with my mouth had me ready to go.
I looked up at Kade as he started to move around the blanket. He was pulling out all his goodies from the basket. I’d never had a picnic before, so I didn’t know what to expect. He pulled out what looked like little sandwiches, veggies, crackers and cheese, chocolate-covered strawberries, and beer. Beer?
I looked up at him curiously and he laughed. “I know you don’t drink wine, so I figured I’d get you beer. I brought some waters too, just in case you didn’t want the beer.”
I smiled at him. “Thanks, the beer’s fine.”
He took a can and popped the top for me. I took it from him and took a healthy sip.
“I have a confession to make,” I said.
He looked up at me, giving me his full attention.
“I’ve never been on a date before or a picnic for that matter.” I gestured to the feast that he laid out before me.
He looked at me, baffled. “I thought you—”
“Yeah.” I looked down and started picking at the blanket. “But we never went anywhere. He was a lawyer, and I was still in school getting ready to graduate. We were always busy. Now I know that it was just a great way for him to hide his relationship with me.”
Looking back up at him, I could see the sadness in his eyes for me. “Yeah, well, he’s an asshole. If you tell me his last name, I could go beat his ass.”
I let out a loud laugh. “That won’t be necessary. I’m over it.” I leaned over and grabbed his hand that was resting on his thigh. “I just wanted you to know that this is special for me. I’ll never forget this.”
Getting up on my knees, I grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss. Pulling back, I looked into his eyes. Just looking at him could bring tears to my eyes. He was such a beautiful person. I didn’t understand the feelings I had. I didn’t know how I could feel so strongly for someone I had just met. But the feelings were definitely there.
“Let’s eat,” he said, placing another soft kiss on my lips. “I have a surprise for you, but you need to eat first.”
Sitting back down, he passed me a chicken salad Panini, which he said he got from a local deli. It was delicious and I ate every bit. We talked a little bit about our day as we nibbled on the other treats.
Then I asked him to tell me a little bit about his childhood. “What do you want to know?”
“Just what you were like growing up, before foster care.”
It took him a minute to speak. I imagined it was hard for him to talk about, but I wanted to know all of him. Then he let out a little chuckle.
“I was a hellion. I was always getting in trouble. Not trouble in a bad way. I was just a daredevil, doing things I wasn’t supposed to be doing—like jumping out of trees and climbing walls I wasn’t supposed to climb—things like that.”
He was quiet for a minute as he looked out at the water. “I remember my dad used to always repeat this lecture to me about responsibility and having a good head on my shoulders. He’d tell me I needed to know right from wrong in order to make the important decisions I had to make when I got older.”
When he stopped talking, I could see he was clenching his jaw. I shouldn’t have brought this up. I didn’t want to ruin the night.
“Well, I was probably known for being a nerd,” I said, trying to change the subject. “All I ever did was study. I don’t think I ever really got in trouble. I’ve really always been a quiet person. That’s why I love Jules so much. She brings out a different person in me: someone that’s wanted to come out for a long time, but I just had hidden away.” I looked at him and smiled.
“Well, I’m glad she got that person to come out.” He smiled at me then looked away to start packing up the uneaten food.
“Kade?”
“Hmm.” He finished putting up the food and looked up at me.
“What’s going to happen when filming is over? When you go back to LA?” I looked down and started picking at my dress. I was nervous about what he would say. I thought about all the things he’d been telling me about being his and this strong connection that we had with each other. But he didn’t live here and I did. How could this work? My heart was already in it, and I couldn’t bear the thought of us not being together.
He looked at me and frowned, as if he hadn’t really even thought that far ahead. “We’ll figure it out, Scarlett,” he said as he leaned toward me, bringing his hand up to my face and placing a soft kiss on my lips. “We belong together, so we’ll make this work.” He pulled back and looked deeply into my eyes.
I lifted a hand up to grab the back of his neck and brought his mouth back to mine. I knew he meant every word. I felt it too. We did belong together.
Kade pulled back from the kiss, and we smiled at each other.
“I think it’s time for your surprise,” he said as he reached for his guitar.
I watched as he placed it on his lap and started strumming. As he started playing the melody,
he looked up at me and said, “I told you the other day that I’d gotten inspiration for a song. I want to sing it to you and see what you think.”
Shock registered on my face. Wasn’t this every girl’s dream? To have not just a guy but a rock god sing a song to them, in the dark, at a lake, with the stars and moon shining above? I was in awe and completely giddy.
“Okay, let’s hear it.” I beamed.
Closing his eyes, he started a new melody. It was slow and beautiful. I watched as he hummed along for a few minutes before he finally started to sing the words.
The night I first saw her
My world stood still.
Mesmerized by her beauty
she was dressed to kill.
I should turn away
And never look back
’Cause she’s full of light
And I’m nothing but black.
She’s my angel in this darkness
No matter how hard they pull.
One look in her eyes, and I know
Ooh, she’s my beautiful.
Her skin cools the heat
Running through my veins.
Her mouth leaves me breathless
So I can’t remember the pain
Our bodies fit together
Like nothing I’ve felt before.
I don’t go a day
Without wanting more.
She’s my angel in this darkness
No matter how hard they pull.
One touch of her body, and I know
Ooh, she’s my beautiful.
The blood in my veins is tainted and black
But she’s pulled me under, so I could never go back.
She’s shown me the way; I’ve seen the light.
Being with her now feels so right.
’Cause she’s my angel in this darkness
No matter how hard they pull.
One touch from her lips, and I know
Ooh, she’s my beautiful.
Ooh, she’s my beautiful.
Ooh, you’re my beautiful.
When he strummed the last note, he finally opened his eyes and looked at me. I had tears running down my face. It was the most beautiful song I’d ever heard. Never in a million years did I think someone would write a song for me. But this song wasn’t just a song for me. He was pouring his heart out to me.
He moved the guitar from his lap, keeping his eyes on me.
“That was beautiful,” was all I could say.
He moved closer to me without saying a word. Slowly lifting a hand up to my face, he wiped away a tear that had fallen.
“You’re beautiful.”
I closed my eyes as his lips connected with mine. He kissed me softly and slowly as his other hand came up and slid through my hair. He pulled me closer to him, making me straddle his legs. My dress rode up my thighs and exposed the thong I was wearing. I knew where this was headed, and I wanted it just as badly as he did.
Pulling away, he tilted my head so our foreheads rested against each other’s, keeping his hands on the sides of my head. “You’re all I think about, Scarlett.”
Pulling back, he looked into my eyes. “You make me want to be a better person. You make me feel when I’m with you, and I haven’t felt in such long time.”
A tear escaped my eye. I knew exactly what he was talking about. This feeling was unknown to both of us. I knew without a doubt that I was falling in love with him.
He wiped away the tear running down my cheek as he brought his lips back down to mine. He devoured me slowly, and I moaned in approval. Nothing else existed except right then and there.
Lifting my arms over my head, he grabbed the hem of my dress and slowly stripped it from my body. Without taking his eyes off mine, he reached behind me and gently unhooked my bra, removing it and tossing it over by my dress. His eyes wandered down to my breasts. I watched his facial expression as his jaw clenched and his nose flared. It was as if he were fully looking at me for the first time.
Lifting his eyes back to mine, he gave me a sexy grin as I lifted my arms up to the buttons on his shirt. I slowly unbuttoned each one as he leaned in and started trailing kisses from my neck to my collar bone.
Pushing his shirt off his shoulders, he let it fall from his arms and then set it over by my dress. Leaning down, he captured my mouth. I opened up for him, and his tongue met mine. With his hands on either side of my face, he held me close to him and tasted every corner of my mouth. My emotions were all over the place with this man. Feelings I’d never felt before were surfacing, and there was no way for me to stop them. I didn’t want to stop them.
Lowering me slowly to the blanket, Kade took his time trailing kisses down my neck. He savored every part of my body, and I moaned and gasped in approval at every gentle touch: the feeling of his mouth on me, his tongue on my skin, his fingers caressing my body. I felt every touch and every caress deep down in my soul.
His fingers trailed down to the thin material that I called panties and ripped them off with one hard tug. I gasped, and he growled against my skin. Slowly, he pressed two fingers inside of me and brought his mouth up to my nipple and sucked it into his mouth. The sensation it caused made me buck against his hand and push further into his mouth.
“You’re so beautiful when you’re turned on. Did you know that?” he asked as he moved his fingers in and out. My only reply was to moan. “I’d love to record the sounds you make just to listen to them throughout the day.” He flicked my other nipple with his tongue. “I’d get off just listening to you.” He brought his thumb up to my clit and started making circular motions. I cried out and pushed against his hand, wanting more friction. I was so close. My body tensed, and my fists gripped the blanket.
“You like the thought of that, don’t you, beautiful?” he said as he thrust his fingers in faster.
“Oh my God, yes!” I cried as I grabbed on to his arm to keep his hand still. I rocked against his hand until I came down from the high of my orgasm.
Without saying a word, Kade stood up and removed his jeans. I lay there and looked at his beautiful naked body in the moonlight as he knelt down between my legs. I reached up and ran my fingers down his chest as he slowly pushed into me. He brought his mouth to mine in a deep kiss and slowly rocked against me.
This felt so different than what we’d shared before. It was as if he were putting all his feelings out there. He was making love to me. I never wanted this to end. This moment . . . These feelings were so powerful. It felt as if I were falling into a deep hole that nobody could ever get me out of. I knew I would cherish this night forever.
I loved him. I had been battling with myself about it, but I knew then that I did. I was so in love with him, and there was no way out of it.
He pulled back from our kiss, and we gazed into each other’s eyes as he started to pick up tempo. I watched every expression he made, and he did the same with me. It almost became too much, too intense, but I couldn’t look away. This was so intimate. There was so much feeling in his eyes that I almost blurted out that I loved him right there.
I could feel another orgasm approach, so I ran my hands down his back and grabbed his ass. I pushed him closer to my body and started rocking my hips to his thrusts. I came with a cry as he leaned his face into my neck and grunted out his own release.
We’d made love right there on the side of the lake, and it didn’t matter that we lived in two different worlds. I loved him, and I was going to do whatever it took to be with him.
Chapter 15
The next day, nothing could take the smile off my face, not even stubbing my pinky toe on the corner of my bed and yelling, “Motherfucker,” at the top of my lungs. I sat down on my bed, rubbing my poor little toe and thought about last night. The smile appeared again.
On the way to the studio, anticipation grew in the pit of my stomach. It was as if a switch had been flipped on. I couldn’t get enough of Kade, so when I got there only to find out that Kade was in a meeting with the producer, my
anxiety kicked in. I started wondering what the hell he could be having a meeting with him about.
I knew I was overreacting, but all the things I had been thinking about the day before came crashing back into my head. I was no longer on Kade cloud nine. Reality was setting in, and my mind anticipated Kade getting kicked off the set or worse. If the producer had found out about Kade using again or saw any of the signs, he’d call Matt and my ass would get fired on the spot. All I could do was pace in his trailer as I waited for him.
About fifteen minutes had passed when the door opened and Kade walked in.
“Hey, beautiful.” He smiled at me as he walked toward me, but his smile faded when he saw the look on my face. “What’s wrong?” he asked concerned.
I lifted my arms around his neck and hugged him. “I’m fine, is everything okay with you? What was the meeting about?”
He pulled back from the hug and looked at me confused. “The producer needed to go over some changes we’re doing on Friday since we aren’t filming tomorrow. Why? What would make you think something was wrong?”
I moved away from him so I could start pacing again. The producer didn’t know he was doing drugs again. That was a good thing, but how did I tell him I knew? I had a feeling this was going to ruin what we shared last night, but he needed to know that I knew. I couldn’t put it off. I wasn’t looking forward to his reaction, but I cared about him too much for him to keep doing this to himself.
I stopped pacing and looked at him with my hands on my hips. “I know what you’ve been doing, Kade.” I flailed my arms up at him and exhaled loudly.
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