At his questioning glance, Reyna smiled and flushed. “It is a shop. Someone could walk in.”
“At this hour on a Sunday?” Kade smiled. “I had no idea the demand for cupcakes was so high.”
She laughed. “You’d be surprised.”
“I am surprised.” He put the mug down on the counter. “But more that you worry about what the neighbors think.”
Reyna winced and cast a glance across the street to the Foster residence. “Not really, but some. It is a really small town. In the city, I don’t care.”
“Should I go?” he asked, hoping she didn’t say he should.
“God, no,” she replied with a vehemence that reassured him. “I just don’t want to be interrupted.” She paused to consider him, as if a possibility had just occurred to her. “Do you want to go?”
Kade shook his head. “No, but I didn’t want to go Friday night either.”
“It was Saturday morning.”
“You know what I mean. I was looking forward to waking you up.”
She caught her breath and looked away, then folded her arms across her chest and eyed him. “This isn’t a thing, you know.”
“What kind of thing isn’t it?”
“A relationship. The kind of thing that has more of a future than just sex.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Aren’t you?”
“No. I think things sometimes don’t reveal themselves as things right away.”
Reyna shook her head. “No. This isn’t a thing.”
“Then what is it?”
“A fling.” She nodded. “Definitely a fling.”
Kade wondered who she was trying to convince and decided to push his luck. “Then there shouldn’t be a second time at all.” He reached for the zipper on his jacket. “And I should go now.”
He found a very determined Reyna right in front of him, her hands braced on his shoulders and her lips set. “You think you can kiss me like that and then just walk away?”
“When I kissed you like that, it wasn’t my plan to walk away.”
She smiled, a seductive gleam lighting her eyes. “Then let me kiss you again and convince you to finish what you started.”
“Doesn’t that make it a thing?”
“A double feature fling,” she corrected. “Let me show you.”
Kade knew that would be an easy victory for Reyna, but he let her take the lead again, knowing it would reassure her. She certainly seemed to have no doubts. She backed him into the counter that was against the wall. She framed his face in her hands and brought his head down for a kiss that shook his universe completely. Kade thought she was going to devour him, and he loved it. He caught her butt in his hands and lifted her against him, gripping her so that she wriggled against him.
“I’m wet,” she whispered, then licked his ear. “I’m ready.” She rolled her hips against him in demand. “And so are you.”
“Are you surprised?”
“Maybe I’m more persuasive than I realized.”
“Maybe I’ve got a thing for you and what you do,” Kade murmured and captured her mouth again before she could argue. Reyna’s hand was locked in his hair and her tongue was between his teeth, her raw need leaving him breathless. Their kiss was hot and potent, and he wanted to possess her immediately, if not sooner.
Reyna pulled herself up, gripping Kade’s shoulders and almost climbing up his length. She kneeled on the counter, straddling him and trapping him exactly where he wanted to be. She unzipped his jacket and pushed it over his shoulders, running her hands over him with open admiration, then kissed him again. She rubbed herself against him, the sweet softness of her just two layers of denim away. Kade could smell her arousal, but mostly he could feel it in her impatience.
“Here,” she demanded in a throaty whisper. “Now.”
Kade didn’t need a second invitation. He pivoted, lifting her and placing her on the counter, then kicked off his boots. His jeans and briefs followed, and Reyna’s hands beneath his shirt tempted him to tear it off as well. He spun around to find that she’d removed her own jeans and her shirt. She was wearing a plain white cotton bra and panties, which was no less sexy for being simple.
“Sorry,” she said with a mischievous smile. “I wasn’t expecting this or I’d have dressed for success.”
“Don’t apologize,” Kade managed to say and his words came out in a growl of need. He was easing on the condom, unwilling to tear his gaze away from her. “It’s all good.”
“No music this time,” she whispered. “It takes too long.” She unfastened her bra and removed it, flinging it over the display case with a grand gesture, then wriggled out of her panties and sent them after it. She eyed Kade’s erection and smiled the seductive smile that got him right where he lived. Then she winked and beckoned to him with one finger.
He took the step between them and she spread her legs wide, her confidence stealing his breath away. He raised one hand to cup her breast, then bent to kiss the nipple. It tightened immediately and he flicked the tip of his tongue across it, liking how she shivered.
“Fast this time,” she urged, her fingernails digging into his shoulders as she drew him closer. “Fast and hard and deep.”
“Lady’s choice,” Kade whispered and eased into her slick heat, not stopping until he was completely buried within her. He felt himself shake deep down inside and raised his gaze to hers. Reyna’s eyes were wide but she was smiling. “Perfect fit,” he whispered and she smiled.
Then she locked her legs around his waist, drawing him closer, then rolled her hips. “Ba dum ba dum dum,” she whispered. She didn’t have the opportunity to sing any more, because Kade kissed her to silence.
Reyna could get addicted to sex with Kade.
It was a serious possibility.
A dangerous one.
One she had to avoid.
But not just yet. One last time might satisfy her need for him.
When exactly did a multiple-event fling become a thing? Reyna didn’t want to know.
Kade teased her on the counter in the shop, driving her almost to the summit, then pulling back. He made her wild with desire, even though she knew it was costing him to hold back. He was taut and hard, every bit of him, and the way he moved against her was absolutely perfect. She didn’t know how he did it, but he managed to rub his erection against her clitoris in the most divine way, the way that would drive her insane if he never finished what he’d started. It was as if he knew that she was planning to break it off for good as soon as they were done, as if he were determined to change her mind or at least delay the discussion.
He made a compelling argument, that was for sure. Just when Reyna was incoherent with need and thought she might actually have to beg, Kade whispered in her ear.
“I think you’re ready now,” he murmured, his voice rough and rumbling.
“Too bad you’re not,” she managed to say.
“Oh, I’m ready,” he purred. “I was ready before I left Portland.” He moved again and Reyna heard herself moan, just a little.
“You planned this then.”
“No way. But I hoped we might get together again.” His fingers pushed into her hair, the breadth of his hand making her feel delicate and fragile in a way that was unexpectedly okay. He looked into her eyes, his own dark and hot. “You might not think this is a thing, Reyna, but it’s too magic to be anything else.”
She opened her mouth to protest but Kade kissed her. He overwhelmed her with his touch so surely that Reyna just held on and enjoyed. If she hadn’t been losing control, she might have argued with him, made sure he saw the truth, but his hand was in her hair, the other arm locked around her, and he was moving so that she couldn’t think straight. She certainly couldn’t worry about being carried away by passion—not until it was satisfied.
“Now!” she demanded, knowing she couldn’t stand any more.
“Together,” he growled and there was no chance to argue that it was unlikely—b
ecause he kissed her ear and lifted himself against her and the tide rolled through her with relentless force. Reyna heard herself cry out as she found her release, then she felt the vibration build to a crescendo in Kade. He tipped back his head, bared his teeth, and roared as he came, driving deep inside her so that the pressure made Reyna’s orgasm go on and on and on.
They clung to each other, their breath coming hot and fast, and she halfway thought they must have steamed up the windows.
Or melted the icing on the cupcakes. She ran her hands over his shoulders, savoring the feel of him, and sighed.
“I thought that didn’t happen in real life,” she whispered.
“It happens in things, maybe not in flings,” Kade replied, picking her up as if she weighed nothing at all. She was still wrapped around him but he strode into the kitchen, then toward the stairs, as if he knew the way to her bedroom. Reyna felt a moment’s panic, then realized the bathroom could only be upstairs. He was making an educated guess and it was a good one. He didn’t know her secrets.
Yet.
That made her remember her resolve. “You can put me down,” she said when they reached the second floor.
“I could.” Kade smiled down at her and tightened his grip. “I like this, though.”
“Not me,” Reyna lied, and struggled a bit.
He released her immediately, setting her on her feet on the threshold of the bathroom, and she wondered how much he understood of her reaction. He couldn’t know, could he? “You don’t like to cuddle afterward?”
“I don’t like to cuddle ever,” she said flatly, seeing his skepticism.
“Another rule.” He leaned against the doorframe, watching her. “Are we at the part where you throw me out?”
“Out of the bathroom, definitely.”
“Really? Why?”
Reyna felt herself blush and in her discomfort, she said more than she should have done. “In every story, it’s forbidden for the mortal lover to see the goddess in her bath. There’s a reason why. Women get to have some secrets.”
“The goddess in her bath,” Kade echoed and smiled. “I like that. It’s exactly right.” He touched her cheek with a fingertip, and Reyna felt her own desire flare to his touch. Again. She wasn’t doing a very good job of getting this man out of her system.
She took a step back and spoke firmly. “I don’t do bathroom sex. I don’t share bathrooms either. So, you first, then me.” She seized her robe from the back of the door and covered up, knowing that she wasn’t hiding much from Kade.
He studied her for a long moment, then nodded agreement. “Two more rules for the list,” he said, half under his breath. He washed up quickly, leaving the door open while he did so. He claimed a clean towel and wrapped it around his waist, then stepped out, gesturing to the small room. “The bath awaits the goddess.”
Reyna smiled.
“Is it okay if I make coffee before I go?” he asked and there wasn’t a hint of accusation in his tone. Reyna turned to meet his gaze, wondering why he was giving her space. “I remember where everything is and I won’t make a mess.” He held up two fingers in a Boy Scout salute and smiled. “Promise.”
Reyna found herself smiling. “Of course.” She winced. “Sorry, I just have boundaries...”
Kade silenced her with the weight of his fingertip against her lips. “Everyone does, Reyna,” he said softly, then kissed her forehead before leaving the bathroom. “Thanks for letting me know what they are.”
She was startled to silence by that. Could he actually appreciate her telling him what was too much? Reyna bit her lip as she watched him go down the stairs and felt an unfamiliar uncertainty. Kade was giving her exactly what she wanted, exactly what she’d demanded, but instead of being satisfied, Reyna found herself wanting more.
More than she knew she really wanted.
More than she’d ever request.
More than she knew she could ever have.
She was losing her mind over this man, which was one thing. She had to send him away before she lost her heart.
Warm and cold all over again.
It was almost completely predictable. As soon as she came, she was done with him. The second time of being treated like a stud wasn’t any easier for Kade.
Because he didn’t really believe Reyna didn’t want to cuddle. He didn’t really believe she wanted just a fling, but he knew that challenging her would be exactly the wrong move.
Maybe Chris was right and Reyna had been in an abusive relationship. She certainly wanted to keep their relationship purely physical. The problem was that Kade didn’t. His original attraction had moved beyond the physical to an interest in Reyna’s secrets, her past—and admittedly—her future. He felt a connection with her and he found her resolve inspiring. He admired her strength. He was pretty sure that Reyna could conquer any obstacle, if she put her mind to it.
He wanted to learn how to do that himself.
And then he wanted to convince her to abandon her objections to their being together.
He had that weird conviction, the one he’d never thought he would have, that she was the One.
Too bad she didn’t share it.
Or did she? Was that why she was in such a hurry to push him away?
Kade recognized the rationalization of a man who put his desires before those of his partner, the kind of man who might have given Reyna her rules.
He heard the bathroom door close and lock before he reached the bottom of the stairs, and wasn’t surprised. He picked up Reyna’s clothes from the shop counter and floor, smiling to find her bra hanging from a drawer pull, and carried them upstairs for her. He wasn’t much good at folding even T-shirts, never mind Reyna’s curvy clothes, but he guessed that she wouldn’t want to come down in her robe to get them.
That would look like vulnerability, or even an invitation, and he knew her well enough to expect her to avoid both.
The water was running in the bathroom when he reached the top of the stairs. He smiled again at the notion of the goddess in her bath, keeping her secrets. What did Reyna look like without her make-up? He had no doubt she was just as beautiful.
There were three other doors on the second floor, all of them closed. He listened, then dared to peek. The first proved to be a small bedroom converted to a closet. It was meticulously organized, the garments arranged by color and the shoes in pairs on shelves evidently made for that purpose. Purses had their own shelves, too. There was a long mirror on one wall and a stool in the middle of the room.
Opening the next door revealed a bedroom, decorated in leopard print and black. The sight made him grin because it was so perfectly Reyna. There was a long dresser and the bed, as well as a puffy chair and a fireplace. He noticed that there were no pictures. He put the clothes on the neatly made bed, and left the door open to show Reyna where he’d been.
The third door intrigued him. Did she have a spare bedroom? Who stayed with her? Who was allowed to?
The water was still running so he opened the door for a quick peek. To his surprise, it was a library. Bookshelves filled the longest wall completely and even had glass doors to protect their contents. It was the room that looked over the street at the front of the house. There was a leather chair—with a red plush cushion shaped like a woman’s lips puckered for a kiss—and a reading lamp beside it. On the wall opposite the bookcase, there was a fireplace and Kade could smell that it had been used. It looked like a room where a person could comfortably spend a lot of time.
Kade couldn’t resist temptation. He crossed the room quickly to look at the books, only to be surprised again. They were fairy tales, folk tales, myths and legends from all over the world and all across time. He thought of Reyna’s comment about the goddess in her bath and figured it was a mirror of her reading choices. He left the room as he’d found it and went back downstairs to start the coffee.
He felt grumpy, as maybe every other mortal man who had tried to see the goddess in her bath had felt when he failed.
He needed a coffee, badly, then he’d get dressed, talk to Reyna and try to find a solution other than her throwing him out for good. Again.
Arguing with his touch hadn’t worked, at least not in the long term.
He had to find another way to appeal to her.
Kade was behind the counter, grinding the beans, when there was a quick rap on the door of the shop. He had time to pivot before Mrs. Foster opened the door. “Yoo hoo, Reyna!” she called, not yet looking around. “I’ve come for...”
Mrs. Foster’s mouth fell open when she saw Kade and her gaze dropped. He was behind the display case of cupcakes and still wearing the towel, but she wouldn’t be able to see that from her vantage point. She would only see his bare chest.
He realized she probably thought he was nude in the same moment that she cleared her throat and lifted her glasses a little higher. The back of his neck was hot and he didn’t know quite what to say.
“Kade, you are up early.”
“Coffee,” he said, lifting the grinder. “Reyna has the best in town.”
Mrs. Foster lifted her brows. “Yes, you look like you stopped in for coffee.” She cleared her throat primly. “I stopped in for the cupcakes for the reception after church.”
Kade scanned the counter, not seeing anything prepared for a delivery.
“I was just going to bring them over, Mrs. Foster,” Reyna said as she came down the stairs. She ignored Kade completely, smiling at the older woman. “I’m sorry I was delayed.”
“Are you?” Mrs. Foster murmured but Reyna ignored her.
She went toward the kitchen. “It’s such a big box that I left it in here.” She returned with the pink box and presented it to Mrs. Foster. When the older lady was holding it, Reyna opened the lid to show her the contents.
Mrs. Foster gasped in delight. “They’re lovely, dear. How generous of you to donate so many!”
“Well, I thought some people might want to try more than one kind. There’s a little card here explaining the flavors.”
“Just like a box of chocolates!”
“Exactly.” Reyna tucked in the lid of the box carefully. “Here, let me get the door for you since you have your hands full.”
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