Chuck reddened. Cade never thought he'd see such a sight. He grinned, and Chuck blurted, "We've gone out few times. She's keeping it under her hat, so don't go telling Lainie."
Cade squinted at his tight-lipped sibling. "Why the secrecy?"
Chuck shrugged and stared at the wall in front of him with interest. "I don't know. Trish doesn't want to get involved. She wants to date, but nothing serious." Chuck took another swig. "Hell, I can't blame her. I don't want to get serious either." He looked at Cade. "But damn, she's hot."
Cade narrowed his gaze. "You're sleeping with her?"
Chuck shook his head. "No."
Cade jumped down from the barstool. "Good, because I imagine Lainie would have your hide if you took advantage of Trish and hurt her."
Chuck slid off his stool and faced Cade. "I have no intention of hurting her, but I wouldn't talk, if I were you, bro. You have your own relationship to deal with, and you know you're gonna hurt Lainie in the end. And you can bet Trish won't be happy about that. Those two are thick as thieves."
Cade ran a hand through his hair. "I know." He glanced up at Chuck and gave a weak grin. "We're both gonna get the shit stomped out of us, aren't we?"
Chuck laughed and patted Cade on the back. "Probably, bro. Probably."
Cade sighed. "Well, might as well make it worth it. I'm going out with Lainie, tonight. Call Trish and have her meet me at Lainie's. I need to make a move and stop dilly-dallying around."
Chuck nodded. "Will do. Make it good."
Cade winked. "Always do, Chuck, my man. Always do."
Chapter Twenty-Two
Trish met Cade outside Lainie's house and shook her finger at him. "I'm only going along with this hare-brained idea of yours and Chuck's because I think Lainie needs a night out. Otherwise, I'd never agree to hanging out and spending an entire evening with that woman. Lord, how did Lainie survive a childhood with that kind of constant agitation, nagging and bickering?"
"Beats me." Cade frowned. His own soiled past would make most people cringe. A person could survive just about anything, but old wounds remained long after the fact, not only inside his heart, but in his brother's as well. They were both letting the past get to them, and Chuck didn't deserve that. Maybe, he, Cade, didn't either, but did either of them have a choice?
Cade used his copy of Lainie's key to open the door to her home, after ringing the bell to warn her that he was there. He hadn't called ahead. Trish, Chuck and Cade had all agreed on that. If Cade gave Lainie a chance, she'd refuse to go along with his plan. Cade had no intention of giving Lainie an option. He slipped into the house, with Trish right behind him. Trish headed for the living room, and Cade aimed straight for Lainie's bedroom. The women's voices and Eli's cooing baby noises, the sweetest sound he'd ever heard, graced his ears.
He stopped and gawked. Eli lay in the middle of the queen-sized bed, kicking her feet, with as close to a smile as possible on her four-week face. His heart turned over, and an identified feeling hit him right in the solar plexus. The most beautiful females he'd ever seen were right there in front of him. He'd have to get Lainie to say yes. No would be unacceptable. She simply had to agree to marry him.
I love my daughter. I want Lainie. Two out of three ain't bad.
Would Lainie see it that way? Probably not, but he had to try.
Lainie looked up, and the broad smile covering her face made his heart take a swan dive and pound even harder. The blood stirred in his veins and plunged straight to his groin. A ferocious rush of lust and need pooled right in his pelvic area and hardened his loins instantly.
His body realized how close Lainie was to being able to do something about his unsatisfied desire. Whether she knew about his future plans for them or not, it'd only be a little while longer before he could seduce her. Soon, Trish would give Lainie her six-week checkup and stamp of approval.
Cade cleared his throat, diverting his torturous thoughts. "Lainie, can I see you for a minute, please?"
"Sure. Go on into the kitchen. I'll be right there." Lainie handed the baby to her mother, who, Cade noted with displeasure, didn't look at all thrilled to see him. He got the distinct impression that Sharon preferred Drayton.
Drayton. What a clown. No way is he getting his gloved hands on my family.
With that, Cade headed for the kitchen. His thoughts turned more to Drayton. Why did he wear those gloves constantly? Why hadn't he been back in two weeks? Had he stayed away because he knew Cade was away, and no longer represented a threat? Or because Lainie's dad had been there, and represented a definite threat? Or had Drayton been there, after all, and no one had thought to tell Cade about a visit from the weirdo? Lainie had said Drayton hadn't been around when Cade had inquired nonchalantly about visitors. Would she have lied, just to keep from arguing with him about Drayton and how strange he was?
Just goes to show, you can't trust women - not even the mother of your child.
Not even a woman Cade wanted so badly that he ached with need of her, lost sleep because of his panting desire for her, and suffered at night from wanting her, dreaming of her - his erotic dreams made worse because he knew just how good it felt to be inside her.
He needed to get a grip, but it was hard to do when Lainie walked into the kitchen, looking beautiful and refreshed, but looking also as if she might jump out of her skin, obviously wondering what Cade wanted. He couldn't blame her for being nervous. He wanted a lot.
"Thanks for taking my dad to the airport this morning." She poured herself some lemonade. "You want some?"
"Yes, please, and no problem. I kind of like the guy." Cade especially liked the fact that Thomas Blanchet had given him his seal of approval, his blessing, and his permission to marry Lainie. He'd told Thomas that he intended to ask his daughter to marry him. Thomas hadn't even blinked an eye. He hadn't even seemed at all surprised. He'd slapped Cade on the back and wished him good luck, which indicated that Thomas knew how stubborn Lainie could be.
Lainie smiled warmly. "I'm glad. I wouldn't want any tension between my father and the father of my baby."
Her mother was another story, but Cade didn't need to say it. Cade chugged his lemonade and stood. "Let's go. We can talk about all this at the restaurant."
Cade linked his fingers with Lainie's, sending a delicious, warm shiver up her spine. She could tell that her body had healed. It reacted almost violently to Cade's aggressive touch. She ached for more than a mere connection. She wanted his talented hands all over her. She blinked at her wayward thoughts, his closeness, and his suggestion. "What restaurant?"
Cade tugged at her hand, a boyish grin on his face. Leading her to the front door, he picked up her purse, which she always kept on a table in the foyer, and he handed it to her. "The one I'm taking you to. You haven't been out of the house in weeks, since before Eli was born. It's time we did something about that."
"But... what about Eli? She might get hungry and... "
"Trish knows how to use a microwave. I told her to warm up a bottle from the fridge. I know you've been storing extra breast milk there. I've used it myself, more than once. Remember all those night feedings? You slept, and I didn't?"
"What about my mother?" She grasped at straws. Any excuse would do. Only a twinge of guilt nagged at her for using her baby as a reason to stay home, but she didn't know if she could be alone, or basically alone, with Cade for an entire evening and not want to attack him and kiss him senseless.
Oh, God. Why does that have to be an issue?
Cade opened the front door and gently shoved her out of it, his hand at the small of her back, spanning the width of her waist. He pulled his keys out of his pocket. "That's why Trish is here."
"Trish is here?" Lainie tried to step back inside to speak with her friend. She hadn't seen her. Cade pulled her the rest of the way out the door, closed it, and locked it.
"Trish is in the living room. Actually, by now, she's probably already in the bedroom, telling your mom what's up for tonight. She'll keep y
our mom occupied and help with Eli. If anything happens, she's been instructed to dial 911 first, then me, and then Chuck. They'll be fine. Don't worry. You need to have some fun." Cade draped his arm around her shoulders.
Fun. She'd forgotten what that was, but she hadn't forgotten what it felt like to be closed in with Cade, in his very small car, or his not-big-enough king-cab truck, in this case. She could already smell him and feel his heat, and they were still out in the open air. His essence reached out, closed around her body, and threatened to suffocate her. It was all she could do to keep her hands to herself and her mind focused on resisting Cade Sheridan.
"Why are you doing this?" Lainie murmured, while Cade opened the door and tossed her up into the passenger seat. He ignored her question and got in on the driver's side. He drove down the street, staring straight ahead.
"I asked you a question, Cade. Why are you doing this?" Lainie tried not to get excited about what amounted to going on a date with Cade.
"Because you deserve a night out." Cade lifted his massive shoulders in what amounted to a stiff shrug.
"Not as long as Eli needs me. Not as long as she's in danger."
"Honey, I hate to tell you this, but Eli's always going to need you. Just as you still need your mother. Odd as she is." Cade grinned at her, his eyes filled with humor. Lainie knew her mother was annoying, but he at least tried to lighten Lainie's dismal mood about her own mother's persistence. She had to appreciate him for that.
Cade grew serious. "We don't know when this guy will get caught. We don't know when he'll send us another threatening message, or when he'll carry through on one of those threats. We don't even know if he'll attack, or when or where he'll strike. So you can't sit at home for the rest of your life, like a hermit, waiting for the worst to happen."
She crossed her arms. "Yes, I can. You'd be surprised at what you can order through the mail these days. As far as food goes, there's always delivery."
"You won't have to order through the mail. You won't have to have food delivered. You're going to get out and live your life." He looked at her while they were stopped at the red light. "I'll be there when you don't feel like going out."
What the hell did he mean by that? He wasn't really planning on staying. Was he? Not... forever. Swallowing hard, Lainie wished she hadn't hoped for the impossible, happily-ever-after, unreachable goal of true love. Cade had said he didn't love her, but could he? Someday? Or did he plan to just live in her spare bedroom for the rest of Eli's life at home, and then move out? What the hell kind of plan was that? Lainie would never survive it, and she'd never be able to date.
Who was she kidding? As if she'd want to date anyone else anyway. All men had lost their minds. Cade, Drayton, even her own father, for putting up with her mother. "You'll only be here temporarily, Cade. You know it, and I know it. Hopefully, the police will soon find the creep that's after Eli, and this will all be over. Maybe the fingerprints on the photos can be identified and... "
"There were no prints," Cade interrupted her rationale.
Lainie blinked at him. "What?"
"There were no prints."
Lainie bristled. "When were you going to tell me that? Don't you think I have a right to know about how the case is going?"
Cade could feel Lainie's eyes drilling him, but he ignored her glare and drove on. Good thing they were almost to the restaurant. He needed a diversion, and he needed to get some distance between them. He could feel his body's primitive reaction to her, and it was powerful. The primal surge of desire hummed through him and heated his entire body. It was going to be a long night. "I'd have told you if there were prints."
Her jaw dropped. "What kind of sense does that make? No evidence is still information. For one thing, why were there no prints? Obviously he wears gloves or something. Is there nothing else they can look at? What about all those wonderful tactics and techniques they use in forensics? Why aren't they doing something more?"
She looked as if she might grow hysterical, so Cade reached over to cover her hand. She jerked it away. He sighed, trying to curb his own escalating frustration. "Look. Just relax. Okay? They don't bring in the big fish for cases like this. Our chump stalker is a small fry compared to the horrific murders the CSI bigwigs try to solve with expensive methods like that."
"Small fry? Small fry? You're calling the man who wants to murder Eli a small fry?" Lainie roared into full-blown pissed.
He sighed. "I didn't mean it that way, Lainie. You're getting yourself all in an uproar for nothing."
Five minutes alone with her, and he'd already screwed up royally. She'd never agree to marry him at this rate, and his patience wore unbelievably thin.
"Nothing," Lainie mumbled and crossed her arms again. "My baby is nothing to her own father."
Lainie talked to herself, but Cade definitely heard her. She wouldn't get away with that obtuse comment. He slammed on his brakes, shoved the truck into park, and stopped in front of the restaurant with a lurch of the vehicle. Lainie grabbed the dash and looked at him as if he'd lost his marbles. "She's not nothing to me, Lainie. She's everything to me. She's family to me, and you'd better get that through your thick skill and get used to it, and stop calling her your baby all the time. She's not your baby. She's our baby."
He cared about their child, and he didn't deserve the tongue lashing she'd given him. He wouldn't take it, not from her, nor from anyone. He gripped the steering wheel to keep from punching it. "Look, I know it's not fair. I'm sorry you have to deal with all this fear and frustration, but you've got to let me and the police and Chuck do our jobs."
"It's ridiculous. I have to sit on my rear end, while the cops take their sweet time solving this case and catching this guy before it's too late." Lainie's eyes glistened. Cade knew she was close to tears. "I just feel empty. My arms feel empty. I feel... unnecessary, without Eli. She needs me. You don't. You've made that all too clear. Eli needs you though, and she always will."
Cade tucked a finger under her chin. She shivered and recoiled from his touch. She squirmed, but he refused to break their connection. "We've got to work this out, Lainie. We've got to get along. For Eli's sake. Fighting about things we actually agree on isn't going to help matters."
She smiled suddenly, and the glow on her face devastated him. She squirmed again, and her breast brushed against his arm as he continued to hold her chin in his light grip. Heat drove blood between his legs and hardened him like a rock. Moisture seeped from his shaft. Heaven help him, he practically came right then and there. God, how he wanted her. He'd never wanted any other woman the way he wanted Lainie.
He brushed a stray hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear, the contact with her soft skin sending rivulets of sweat down his spine. She licked her full lips, and Cade followed the motion of her tongue with his tongue on his own lips, mimicking her. Lainie held her breath. He held his.
He wanted to kiss her, badly. She'd probably shove him away and tell him no, if he tried, but he still he wanted to kiss her. Hell, he wanted to devour her, possibility of rejection or not. He didn't have the willpower to resist her. Her temptation was worse than a cocaine addition, and he needed to taste her just as he needed his next breath. Good Lord, he'd pass out if he didn't breathe soon, and he'd starve to death if she refused him a taste.
Lainie inhaled a shaky breath, and the movement of her slightly-parted, oh-so-kissable, moist lips - lips meant for kissing a man - glued his eyes to her face. Her chest heaved. She sucked in a halting breath, and Cade did the same, gulping in life-sustaining air. He kissed her, his lips hovering for an instant, and then covering hers. And she kissed him back, softly, tentatively, at first, her mouth sliding under his, slanting, giving him access, and granting permission. She sighed and opened for him, and he was lost, drowning in her essence and her fresh, minty taste.
It was all he could do not to ravish her mouth and her body, right there in the parking lot of a very expensive Italian ristorante. If he didn't pull away now, they
might not make it out of his truck without his doing just that. Even when they did make it out of his truck, he'd have to take a minute and walk off the rock-solid hard-on he was sure was quite noticeable through his casual Khakis.
How could he have forgotten the devastating effect this woman had on him when he kissed her and she gave herself to him willingly? He hadn't forgotten. Not really. He hadn't forgotten at all. Memories of his overwhelming, animalistic desire for Lainie were why he'd stayed away from her so long. Memories, and the prominence of them in his mind, were why he needed to stop kissing her right now, and back off, before he took her, with or without Trish's doctoral permission.
He broke off the kiss abruptly, tearing his mouth from hers. Lainie looked both disappointed and relieved. What was she thinking? She'd let him kiss her, and she'd kissed him back. God, he was in trouble here.
"Wait. I'll come around," Cade rasped, his voice barely recognizable to his own ears. He got out, jogged around to her door, took her hand, and helped her out of his truck. He led her into the restaurant, his hand at her back. He breathed heavily, and she did the same. He was glad he'd parked in back. At least the jaunt around to the front door of the restaurant gave him time to calm down and allowed his body time to ease back to normal.
His body and mind in turmoil, he entered a perfectly normal setting - an all too romantic setting - consisting of a charming little dining area, which made him feel anything but normal, all over again. The meal was delicious, he was sure, but he tasted little of it. He didn't care about it at all. He could only think about Lainie, how she'd responded to his kiss and how she might respond to his upcoming request, if he ever got up the nerve to propose.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Two hours later, dinner ended, and Cade found himself sitting outside Lainie's home. The so-called date was over, and the meal was behind them. Time wasted away, and he still hadn't proposed.
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