by Jane Anthony
His caramel-colored eyes soften and crinkle in the corners. They are pretty and kind, but they don’t hold any heat. There’s no fire, no longing. Nothing in them that stirs me up and renders me paralyzed. “Is this a bloke I need to be worried about?”
Sand fills my throat and turns my tongue to cotton. Ending things was my decision, and it’s still the right one, but my body has a mind of its own. Especially around Kade. “No.” My response is as hollow as the woman’s singing. “I just thought you should know.”
The car pulls up, and the valet opens the door for me. Lights dot the hardscape, casting a soft glow along the rows of evergreen shrubs that line the walkway. A red-vested attendant holds open the heavy door to the hall as I pass through. The floor is an endless ocean of marble that leads to a set of winding staircases on either side. My eyes follow them and land directly on the dazzling display of glimmering crystal that hangs from the ceiling. The place is simply breathtaking.
“Shall I check your wrap?” I unwrap the shawl from my shoulders, and Eric lays it over his forearm.
“Ainsley! Up here!” Jenny’s shrill voice echoes through the lobby from the top of the stairs. She leans against the railing and looks down at me standing next to a centerpiece of twigs and brightly colored fall leaves, waving to catch my eye. The chandelier creates a halo effect around her platinum hair, making her even more striking than she normally is.
I wave up as Banger materializes next to her. “Get your ass up here, girl!”
He makes me smile. Jenny is dressed to the nines in a white Dolce & Gabbana lace sheath dress, while Banger is rocking a tuxedo T-shirt and black Dockers. Hey, at least he took his beanie off. It’s progress.
Catching Eric’s eye at coat check, I point at the overhang. He gives me a supportive thumbs-up, and I ascend the massive staircase to meet my friends. I’m assaulted by chin scruff as Banger grabs me in a bear hug that lifts my feet off the floor. “Hey, you!” I say as my shoes clink against the marble. “I see you dressed for the occasion.”
Vibrant fingers slide his long hair out of his face. Whenever I imagined Jenny settling down, it was always with someone super professional like her. I envisioned lawyers, bankers, or CEOs. Never in a million years would I have expected her to be standing at the altar next to a guy like Banger.
It isn’t that he’s not good looking; he is just the opposite of her in every way. A kaleidoscope of colors strategically covers both sinewy arms right down to his fingers. The swirling patterns continue onto his lean chest and back as well. He has the same long, white-blond hair she does, but his ghostly eyes are what you notice first. His light aqua irises are so pale; you’d think they were fake.
“Psh, I make this look good.” He drapes a colorful arm over Jenny’s shoulders, and her fingers immediately lace with his. It’s a simple move, but one that shows their level of intimacy. They can’t help but touch. It’s second nature.
“Don’t worry, Ains. Tomorrow, he’ll be clean-shaven and dressed to impress.” She looks up at him, the adoration as obvious as the button nose on her face. “Right, baby?”
Banger scrunches up his nose and makes a face, and Jenny makes one right back. These two are so in love, it’s sickening. “Come on, let’s get started. The rest of the guys are here already.”
She untangles from Banger and takes my hand in hers. As I’m led into the room, a thrill waves through my body like spectators in a stadium. It starts in my stomach and ripples up through my chest and down my arms. I pretend not to notice, but he’s impossible to miss. Standing at the bar, larger than life and burning a hole clear through me, fuck-me eyes and all, is Kade Black.
CHAPTER 21
Kade
AINSLEY FLOATS INTO the room like the angel of death coming to collect what’s left of my heart. Fuck, she’s beautiful. I can’t tear my eyes away. I watch her from across the room as she greets everyone with smiles and hugs. She pretends she doesn’t see me standing here, but her gaze drifts in my direction more than once.
Her hair is different, but I’m struck by the feeling of déjà vû. It’s almost identical to the day we first met. She was standing with Vic and the boys, decked out in black dominatrix leather like a sultry sex kitten. That purple thing she was wearing as a shirt barely covered her, but she didn’t need to try so hard. She was gorgeous anyway. I was a moth, and Ainsley was the flame. She drew me to her without so much as a look. She owned me before either of us even realized it.
I’ve waited for this moment for over year, and now that it’s here, I’m rooted to this floor, unable to propel myself forward. I just watch like a fucking stalker and drink in every inch of her from head to leopard-printed toe.
She turns toward the doorway and smiles. Some scrawny bastard with a beard sidles up next to her. He extends his hand as she introduces him to everyone. My heart is jackhammering like a quarterback on prom night. My hand squeezes my glass so tight, I’m afraid it might shatter. I can actually feel the veins bulging out of my neck.
Finally, my feet decide to move, and my long strides put me in front of her in an instant. The smell of her perfume floats around me. She wore the same heady fragrance the last time we were together. There’s no eloquent way to describe the scent. It’s like angels dancing in an enchanted forest full of sweet shit. Everything about this woman is sweet—her skin, her lips, and that little slice of pie hidden between her legs.
Her eyes drift up my body and stop at my mouth, same as they did the day she first saw me. When my tongue slides along my dry lips, her eyes flare with hunger. I know what she’s thinking. Any man can fuck, but oral is an art. Licking isn’t enough. You have to get intimate. Nibble, slurp, suck, and eat it like it’s the last meal you’ll ever have. Kiss it like you love it. Which I do. Saliva builds on my tongue just thinking about all the times I buried my face between her creamy thighs. Ainsley would tremble with orgasms like a leaf in the wind, begging me to stop before I’d even come up for air.
“Been a long time, sweets.”
“Kade.” Her weight shifts from foot to foot. “Good to see you.” She blinks her long lashes as her eyes study my face. I recognize the look in them right away. It’s the same one she had when I came after her. That rebellious desire she can’t hide, even when she tries.
“Eric Struthers. Nice to meet you, mate.” Her boyfriend extends his puny hand, and my first instinct is to crush it. His other hand reaches across her back and clamps around her side, a desperate attempt to mark his territory.
Fuck that. He’s trespassing on my territory.
I play nice and shake the guy’s hand. He has to look up at me, way up, and I like that. “Kade Black. Likewise.”
The guy looks nervous. He should be. Her gaze penetrates my flesh, but I don’t look her way. Squirm for me, baby. You know how much I love it.
“Okay, since everyone is here, let’s do this!” Jenny’s sharp voice cuts through the moment and draws Ainsley’s attention from me to her. I don’t doubt she did it on purpose. These girls all stick together.
After spending the next forty-five minutes learning how to friggin’ walk, we meet in the hotel’s restaurant for dinner. I watch and wait to get her alone, but the boyfriend never leaves her side. When he leans in to talk to her, she listens and smiles, but I can tell she’s not all that enthralled by him. Her body language screams it. There’s too much space between them. Her hands hang at her sides, and her brown eyes don’t flare with excitement when she looks at him the way they do when they fall on me. I’m her tightrope, but he’s her safety net.
Her eye catches mine just before she walks alone toward the exit. I give her a two-second head start then I make my move, following her down the hall toward the ladies’ room. “Ainsley!”
She stops and spins on her giant fuck-me heels as I saunter over to where she’s standing. She inches backward as I invade her personal space and rest my hands beside her head on the wall. The pulse in her neck begins to throb. “Why so cagey, sweets? Do I make you nervou
s?”
“No.” She swallows and chucks a brief glance down the hall. “But I’d appreciate it if you backed up a skosh, big man.”
I call her bluff and lean in closer. “Is that really what you want? Because that dress tells me otherwise.”
She’s wearing the exact dress she wore on our first and only date. I can only assume that she did it on purpose to torture me. It’s not overly revealing, but it hugs her hourglass figure, accentuating every appetizing curve.
Back then, my hands roamed every inch of that fabric before peeling it off and owning her. I can see that memory in her eyes, flashing hot and bright. She remembers it just as clearly as I do.
“It’s just a dress, Kade.” The breathy way my name rolls off her tongue makes all the blood in my body rush to my lower half. Her trembling lips beg to be kissed, but I hold back. We’re not there yet.
My fingertip traces the crooked neckline, testing the waters to gauge her reaction. Her chest rises as I graze over the exposed swell of her breasts. Her sparkling eyes dance and her fingers twitch. This is the most alive I’ve seen her all night, and I love that I still have this kind of effect on her.
“You can act coy all you want, sweets, but I know you still want me.”
“Awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Her eyes challenge me, but the quiver in her voice gives her away.
“Mmmhmm.” I nod and the corner of my mouth quirks up into a cocky grin. The shallowness of her panting breath becomes more apparent as I come in close to her ear. “I know my way around your body, Ainsley, and I can smell your arousal from here.”
Her eyes go wide. She parts her burgundy lips to say something, but only a breathless hitch in her throat comes out. “And it is sweeter than ever,” I add, taking a step back. Her palms splay flat against the wall, and her knees press together.
I shove my hands in my pockets and walk toward the exit, whistling as I go. My need for her is intense. The woman brings out a beast in me that’s hard to control. I don’t just want to fuck her; I want to possess her. Hurl her over my shoulder, drag her ass to the hotel with me, and claim every inch of her in my bed, but I came on too strong last time and she ran away from me. It won’t happen a second time. This time, I will do everything in my power to make her mine. I’m not walking away from her again.
CHAPTER 22
Ainsley
ERIC LIGHTLY SNORES next to me as I lie in my bed looking up at the ceiling. I made love to one man while thinking about another. I’m no better than Bob was. Eric and I haven’t been together that long, and we’ve never discussed the possibility of a future, but I’m still doing wrong by him. The hold Kade continues to have over me is so much stronger than I thought.
My run-in with him in the hallway left me shameless with need. His lips singed my ear as he leaned in close, and his clean masculine scent scrambled my brain, sending bolts of lightning to all of my erogenous zones. Once the feeling in my knees returned, I stalked into the restaurant and told Eric it was time to go. My tongue was in his ear before he even pulled out of the parking lot, but the relief I was hoping for wasn’t found. I don’t know what makes Kade so special that he can pull orgasms out of me with the snap of his fingers, but as of now, I’m one for three.
Kade was able to read my body, and being with him was exhilarating. He was the perfect mix of savage and sweet, looking into my eyes, seeing what I needed, and giving me everything. He sent me to the edge of madness over and over until I’d beg for mercy, only to laugh at my pleas and go harder. It was raw. It was primal. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced.
I look over at Eric sleeping in my bed. His slender back peeks out from the covers, and his wiry arm disappears under the pillow. Seeing Kade couldn’t have been easy for him. Kade Black is an intimidating man. He’s big and brawny and sexy as hell. He carries himself like a panther, full of confidence and grace.
I was amazed at how well he acted around Eric. He said hello, shook his hand, and maintained his distance, but I saw the lethal look in his eyes. The Kade I knew last summer would have ripped through that restaurant like a freight train destroying everything in its path. But last night, he laid in wait, stalking his prey only to pounce the moment I was alone.
Light breaks over the horizon, and it’s time for me to get up. I have to meet Jenny and the other girls at the hotel to get ready for the big day. I push myself out of bed and into the shower, drained from lack of sleep, but thrumming with unresolved sexual energy. The hot shower spray cascades down my body. The room fills with steam, and I stay there, allowing the scalding water to beat down on my weary muscles.
Eric is still asleep as I quietly dress in yoga pants and a tee shirt. I kiss him goodbye and let myself out. Tomorrow morning, he’s leaving for New Zealand to film a documentary. He has so much work to do, but he’s still going to try his best to meet me later at the hall. If only he wasn’t so damned nice.
My mind races with heavy thoughts as I drive back to the hotel. One more day and they all go back to California. I need to put as much space between Kade and me as possible. My body aches for him, but I won’t act on it. I’ve been down that road before.
I maneuver through the hotel to Jenny’s room and knock. Her cousin opens the door and waves me in. “Hey, Kelly. What’s up?” I’ve known Kelly for years. She and Jenny were always close growing up, so I spent a lot of time with her as a kid. It’s been years since I’ve heard a word from her, and I’m actually happy to see her.
“Oh good, you’re here.” She hugs me hello and closes the door behind me. “The bride has been asking for you. She’s in the bathroom.”
The massive bridal suite has been converted to a salon, with separate sections for hair and makeup. I meander to the bathroom, waving hello to bridesmaids and guests on the way. “Jen? You all right in there?”
The bathroom door whooshes open. A slender hand pulls me inside, and the door clicks behind me. Vanity lights catch on the bedazzled word ‘Bride’ on Jenny’s shorty robe as she stands with her back to the door. “I need your underpants.”
“My what?” My brows furrow together.
“Ains. You’re the only one I know who wears white panties. Give ’em.” She extends her upturned palm. “I forgot to pack them, and I need my undies to be white.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s gross. No one is going to see your underwear, Jen, just wear what you have.”
“No! Everything needs to be perfect. Banger and I haven’t had sex in weeks. When he takes my dress off later, I need everything to be white underneath. We’re going for this whole fake virgin thing.”
“Ew. Spare me the details.”
I sigh. Jenny knows me all too well. I wish I could say she was wrong, but my panties are most definitely white. This is one of those details they leave off the maid of honor duties checklist. “Turn around.” She turns her back to me while I lose both my undies and a little piece of my dignity. I pull my yoga pants back up and hand her the white bikinis. “You owe me big time for this one.”
“You are the greatest! I’ll be sure to give you a shout out while Banger’s eating them off me.” She plucks the underwear from my hand and slides them up her slim legs.
“A simple thank you is enough, really.” I laugh. “You can keep them.”
Jenny turns to leave the bathroom, and I follow her out. “You left in quite a hurry last night,” she says as I park myself in the hairdresser’s seat.
“Did I?” I wince as the stylist begins to tame the curly rat’s nest that sits atop my head. I always envied people like Jenny with their poker-straight locks. When left to its own devices, my hair could rival most clown wigs. It’s no wonder I’ve adapted the messy bun as my go-to hairstyle.
Jenny sits on the edge of the bed, crossing her long tan legs. “You did.” She examines her nails as if they are the most interesting thing she’s seen in days. “You and Kade have a nice chat in the hallway?”
I look down, absentmindedly picking at the hem of my tank top w
ith my thumbnail. “You saw us?”
“Honey, I could practically smell the smoke from the fire between your legs in the banquet room.” She runs her hand through her smooth hair and re-crosses her legs. “You guys eye-fucked each other throughout the entire rehearsal. Bet Eric got some extra dirty last night.”
My eyes widen and my mouth drops open. The stylist remains professional, but I can only imagine what she’s thinking. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but nothing happened between Kade and me, and nothing will happen.”
Jenny stands up from the bed and snorts. “Yeah. Sure it won’t.” The makeup artist waves her over, and she walks away. I should know by now that hiding anything from Jenny is futile. She just knows me too damn well.
CHAPTER 23
Kade
I FEEL LIKE a gorilla in this tuxedo. The shirt is stretched so tight across my chest that the buttons are threatening to pop. At least my pants are long enough. Silver linings.
The rest of the band is lined up next me in matching monkey suits, sweating like we’re preparing to face a firing squad. Konner’s hair is purple today. He changes the color every few weeks or so, and chose this particular shade to match his tie. JJ compulsively tongues the rings in his lip. It’s his tell. He must have found a chick in the crowd that he likes. We are a motley crew of misfits for sure.
I glance at Banger standing to my right. He’s fidgeting. His hair’s all combed back nice and neat, and his face is shaved clean. Jen definitely has this dude wrapped around her bony finger. It’s crazy to think of one of us having a wife. We may be in our thirties, but we’re still a bunch of immature idiots. I’m happy for him, though. Jen’s a pain in the ass, but she’s a great girl.
The music starts, and a line of bridesmaids start filing in. I should love this. I should be cataloging which broad I’m going to bang first, rather than pining for the one who crumpled my heart in her tiny fist like tissue paper. My life was like an all-you-can-eat buffet. I’d get my fill of one woman then move on to the next just as quick. There was always one waiting, sometimes two, but it wasn’t until I met Ainsley that I realized how awesome it is waking up next to the woman you love. Reaching out with closed eyes, pulling her against me in those early morning hours . . . the scent of her hair, the softness of her body. It’s Utopia. The sex was molten, but I keep coming back to those moments.