Dare to Kiss (The Maxwell Series Book 1)

by Alexander, S. B.

  “The fifth one is the one beating inside me.”

  My head shot up. Right then, I wanted him more than I wanted a baseball scholarship.

  His fingers circled my wrist, lifting my hand to his mouth. “You set my blood on fire, Lace. I want to be inside you. Feel you losing control around me.” He sucked on one of my fingers, and a stream of fire wormed its way down to my core.

  A strangled whimper barely fell from my lips as he whisked me away to his room. He kicked the door shut and somehow managed to lock it with me in his arms. After setting me on the bed, he flicked on the warm glow of the lamp on the nightstand.

  “I want to memorize every inch of your body tonight. But first, last chance to tell me no, Lace.”

  “Yes,” I said. My body pulsed with the need to feel his naked body against mine.

  Suddenly, he became a madman. My blouse flew over my head. My bra followed. My boots ended up somewhere in the room. I was stripped down to my jeans.

  “Lie back.” The possessiveness in his tone shot arrows of heat through me, and I obeyed.

  He kissed and licked his way up my body, the soft strands of his hair feathering over me, leaving tingles in its wake. His heated mouth was everywhere. My navel. My stomach. Yet nowhere. He tormented me until I was writhing under him, falling into a deep realm of pleasure. Looking down at me, his dimples emerged. He seemed to be enjoying my pleasurable pain.

  My nipples swelled to painful peaks, and a slow, steady ache took root between my thighs. The sensations were too much and not enough.

  Or at least I’d thought so, until he sucked in one swollen nipple, and I thrashed violently. He pressed his body to mine, licking his way over to the other breast.

  “You’re beautiful,” he breathed as he inched his way off me until he was standing. Slowly, methodically his nimble fingers unbuttoned my jeans, peeling them down over my hips. “Fucking incredible,” he murmured as his hand traced the outline of my black thong.

  “K-k-ade?” The word agony flitted through my brain. He was going at a snail’s pace. Patience wasn’t one of my strongest virtues. But—oh, my. It was his. He’d told me so.

  “Shhh.” He peered down at me, his darkened eyes sparking with lust. Then he slipped off my thong. “Unconscious beauty,” he whispered when I was completely naked.

  A shiver washed over me as his eyes swallowed me, shattered me, loved me. I opened my arms. I needed him on me, around me, in me.

  “Not yet.” His tone was low.

  I pouted.

  “Baby, relax. You wanted to know what I would do to you. Right?”

  I barely nodded, holding my breath.

  “Well, I’m going to show you.”

  I swallowed. Was he going to…?

  His callused hands slid up my thighs, the roughness abrading my skin. A wild tap dance suddenly beat inside me. Before I registered another sensation, he yanked me to the end of the bed. Nudging my legs apart, his fingers drifted down my inner thighs. He held my gaze as he knelt on the floor and lowered his head. Then his mouth closed over my bundle of nerves, and I practically flew off the bed. I wasn’t a virgin, but Brad had never… Oh… my… God… My brain fogged.

  His tongue teased, swirled, and circled my clit. He slowed. Sped up. Each time, the muscles in my stomach tightened. I was lost, drunk on him, his heady scent, his touch. A million bright stars flashed before the tightness in my belly exploded. I clutched the blanket as I arched my back. When I did, his tongue plunged into me.

  “Kade!” I cried out as a thousand tingles cascaded over me. He continued to tease with his tongue until the last of the tremors left me.

  “Sweet Jesus,” Kade muttered as he crept up onto the bed, his forehead against mine. “I’m ruined.”

  I licked my dry lips, smiling. He wasn’t the only one. Suddenly, I wanted more. More of him. “I want all of you, Kade,” I whispered.

  His eyes flashed with a hell-yeah look. In one fluid motion he stood and tore off the rest of his clothes. My heart went from fifty to a hundred beats per minute in an instant as I skimmed his naked, jaw-dropping, beautiful body. Every inch of him was ripped and toned—a work of art from head to toe.

  My gaze traveled from him to his nightstand where he snatched a foil packet from the drawer. He rolled the condom onto his length. Excitement welled up. Fear pushed it down.

  My cheeks burned as I thought about how he would fit. Plus it had been well over a year since I was with anyone.

  “I’ll go slow,” he said, as though he knew what I was thinking.

  He lowered himself over me, and I opened to him. We locked eyes as he eased inside.

  I sucked in a breath.

  “Breathe, Lace.” He stilled, bracing his hands on each side of me, biceps straining.

  It hurt, but it wasn’t as bad as I’d anticipated. “I’m okay.” I grasped his shoulders.

  He pushed in a little at a time, and each time my body stretched, molding to him. When he was all the way in he stopped. “You sure you’re okay?” he said, his lips brushing mine.

  “Perfect.” It was the only word to describe how I felt. My mind, body, and soul were his to take, to love.

  With a roll of his hips, he pushed in, then pulled out slowly. I moved with him, flattening my hands on his back. I was here with this man who made my stomach burn, roll, flip-flop, and tingle. His kiss. Oh, God. His kiss shattered all the nightmares, made the bad stuff go away. I loved the way he looked at me, the sureness of what he wanted—me.

  I dragged my nails along his back as we got into a rhythm. Grunting, he clenched his jaw as though he was trying to be gentle. I was past slow and easy. I wrapped my legs around him and pushed down onto him, hard.

  “What the… I’m going to fucking lose it if you—”

  Deviously, I smiled as I rocked into him again. His dimples emerged, and without blinking, he took possession of my body. His mouth closed over mine as he gripped my butt, pushing deeper.

  I sucked on his tongue. He tasted like candy, sinful and sweet. A low rumble crawled up his chest. “Kade,” I breathed. “I’m…in…love with you.”

  He stopped moving, his eyes searching mine.

  No, please don’t shut down.

  “Don’t mess with me, Lace.”

  “The heart knows.” And mine was all his.

  A long excruciating silence squeezed between us as he worked out whatever was going on in his head. Tears suddenly burned my eyes. Did I say the wrong thing? Oh, God. I shouldn’t have brought up something his dead sister had said. My heart was trying to get out of my chest. Say something.

  Finally, he brushed his lips along my jaw to my ear. “You’re mine, Lace. My polar bear.”

  A jolt of electricity kick-started my heart. The sudden unease coiling in me untangled.

  Then we got lost in each other, moving in perfect sync as that familiar sensation roared back to life in my stomach. I dug my nails into his back, rolling my hips forward, wanting everything he had to give me.

  “You feel so fucking good,” he whispered. “Perfect.”

  My body hummed, the pressure building. My core went liquid. Then he pressed his hips up, rubbing against my nerves. I screamed his name as spasm after spasm rocked my body in one glorious wave after another. I shuddered as he drove deeper once, then twice more before his body tensed.

  “Lace,” he groaned as he buried his lips against my ear, thrusting one last time as he came.

  We stayed connected, trying to catch our breath.

  “I love the crap out of you,” he rasped, resting his forehead on mine.

  “Best birthday present ever,” I said. I’d never experienced passion, tenderness, and desire like this until Kade Maxwell.

  On Sunday I didn’t see Kade. His dad finally came home from a lon
g business trip. He and his brothers were catching up with him. Kade and I talked via text messaging. Mostly “I miss you” and “I love you” messages, until he had a chance to call me before he went to bed. I daydreamed about him all of Sunday, replaying how he touched me, softly and tenderly. When I finally heard his voice, husky and smooth, a familiar ache took root inside me. After we talked about his day with his dad, he told me he wouldn’t be in school on Monday. His dad wanted him and his brothers to accompany him to see their mother, who lived in a mental health facility in the Berkshires.

  I’d had a follow-up doctor’s appointment on Monday before school. The attending physician who’d examined me ran a few tests, then gave me a note clearing me to resume activity. When I got to school, I slipped my doctor’s note under Coach Dean’s door, then ran out of the sports complex. I was still reluctant to snitch on Aaron.

  Becca bugged me all day to dish about my night with Kade. A girl shouldn’t kiss and tell. At least, that was what my mom had said. I gave Becca a bland answer about having a good time.

  After two days of not seeing Kade, I was having withdrawals. He’d texted me around nine the night before to let me know he was on his way back home. We agreed to meet before school where he normally parked his truck in the lot of the sports complex…only I forgot to set my phone alarm. I’d been up late studying trig and calculus. Mrs. Flowers had told me on Friday that my tests were scheduled for Wednesday the next week. If Kade hadn’t called me, I’d probably have kept sleeping. Usually Mary would’ve woken me up, but she was missing in action when I ducked into the kitchen to grab a banana. Later she’d explained she’d had a date with Mr. Wiley and didn’t get in until midnight, so she slept in.

  The cafeteria was bustling. Tuesdays were busier since pizza was on the menu. I sat at a table in the far corner, cramming more math. I would’ve gone to the library, but Kade had cornered me between classes and said we needed to talk at lunch. I’d tried to get him to tell me what it was about.

  “I have an English test I’m late for,” he’d said tersely.

  What had I done? He’d been sweet on the phone that morning. I sifted through our conversations and text messages. Nothing jumped out waving a red flag. Had I spilled my feelings too soon? Had I scared him all of a sudden? An ugly thought sprang to mind. Maybe after seeing his mother, he’d decided he didn’t want to handle my PTSD and all the craziness that came with my illness. No matter how strongly I felt about him, doubt still survived in me, and probably would for a long time. Nausea churned my stomach, and I kept trying to tell myself it wasn’t about us.

  “Hey, Lacey,” a familiar male voice said.

  I glanced up from my book.

  Tyler stood over me, his arm in a sling. “You know Coach is looking for you.”

  “Yeah.” I was surprised he hadn’t tracked me down or summoned me to his office.

  “Where’s Becca today?” Tyler asked. “You two have been inseparable.”

  “She’s out sick.” Becca had sent me a text early this morning. Got the flu. Take notes for me.

  He scanned my face. “I know this isn’t the best time, but I’d like to talk. I got football all this week after school. Coach is making me take notes while my arm is in a sling. Can we meet for a shake on Thursday? I can let you know then what time I expect to be done with football practice.” His free hand gripped the back of the metal chair as he studied me.

  “Sure.” It was time to clear the air about our friendship. I didn’t want to lose him as a friend.

  The conversations around me suddenly quieted. Then girls tittered and whispered.

  “Hey, Kade.” A girl’s voice hitched.

  Tyler moved aside just as I was leaning, not to see Kade, but to see the cheerleader who was gushing or foaming at the mouth. Every instinct in me wanted to shut her up or cut her eyes out. Whoa! I hadn’t been jealous in the past. Even when girls had swooned over Brad, it never bothered me. This was a new feeling.

  I almost sprang out of my seat like a jumping bean. The petite cheerleader drooled as she watched Kade swagger over to my table.

  Kade appeared to have one thing on his mind—actually, one person. He homed in on me.

  “He looks pissed,” Tyler said. “The last time I saw that look on his face, he beat the crap out of Sullivan. Do you want me to stay, Lacey?”

  “No. Let me know about Thursday.” Kade wasn’t going to hurt me.

  Tyler hesitated for a minute before he nodded at Kade then faded from my vision.

  Kade pulled out a chair beside me, twirled it, then straddled the seat with his arms on the back, facing me.

  “Hi,” I said hesitantly.

  He glowered at me. The room fell eerily silent. I darted my gaze around. Yep, we definitely had an audience. They waited like vultures to see what happened between Kade and me. Did they expect him to wig out on me like he had with Greg?

  “Are you going to talk or stare?” I asked in a low voice.

  He still didn’t say a word. He shot daggers at me as he glared. Even angry, the guy knew how to twist my insides in a delicious uproar. Oh, heck. I leaned over and smacked my lips to his. If he wasn’t going to talk, then I’d at least get some reaction out of him. Toad face. My tongue traced the outline of his lips. The same ones that had been everywhere on my body just Saturday, and I wanted on me right now. Anger or no anger, I didn’t care. Didn’t they say angry sex was hot?

  He kept his lips glued together, not moving. “People are watching, Lace,” he finally said.

  “So? It didn’t stop you from making love to my ear at the football game in front of hundreds of people. Or what about the picture Greg took of us kissing? Remember?”

  No reaction from him. A faint ringing hummed in my ears. The doubt had awakened. He usually growled or grunted at the mention of his enemy. I pushed my tongue through his lips—at least I tried. The guy still didn’t budge.

  What the heck? Now the ringing turned into a drone as crankiness took root.

  He grinned.

  I plunged my tongue into his mouth.

  “Fuck, Lace. Are you trying to kill me here?” he said, his voice low.

  “Kiss me. Maybe our audience will mind their own damn business.”

  “I’m mad at you,” he said, taking the mechanical pencil out of my hand.

  Did he think I was going to use it as a weapon? “Kiss me, then we can talk.”

  “Goddamn, woman. You know I can’t just kiss you.” He set the pencil down on my open trig book.

  “Buck up, big guy. No one’s going to see your hard-on.”

  “You’re something else.” He nipped my lips before his tongue plunged into my mouth.

  Our tongues tangoed for a few minutes before he broke free. I whimpered. He laughed. Good. At least he was laughing. The buzzing in my head died.

  Conversations around us had resumed.

  “Why didn’t you talk with Coach?” Kade asked.

  “Is that why you’re ornery?”

  “Coach told you to be in his office on Monday to talk. So why weren’t you?”

  My stomach suddenly hurt, killing my mood. “Why are you so set on me talking with Coach? Wait. Did he run to you when I didn’t show?”

  I waited. No response. A completely blank face stared back at me.

  I sighed. “I’m not a snitch. I told you that. And I’m not so sure Aaron isn’t all talk.”

  The skin around his eyes tightened while his lips formed into a thin line. “Did you not hear what we told you the other night about Aaron? You need to tell Coach he threatened you.”

  “Why? Because you told me he’s good at getting into people’s heads, and baseball is his life? Newsflash—baseball is my life, too. Besides, what’s Coach going to do? Yell at Aaron because he told me in so many words he doesn’t want
me on the team? He’ll deny it. Then he’ll only pick on me more.”

  “Coach can help. He knows what went down a couple of years ago. Hell, when we found out you enrolled…” He combed his fingers through his hair and looked past me.

  A large ball of hysteria collected in my chest. “Finish that sentence.” Tiny little pinpricks covered my body as numbness set in.

  “Shit.” His lids slid shut.

  “Kade? Finish the fucking sentence.” My voice rose.

  A male voice from somewhere in the room said, “Oh, shit.”

  I didn’t turn to look. Instead the blood drained from my body.

  He opened his eyes and immediately looked away again. Not good.

  “Talk,” I demanded in a shaky voice, my hands clenching into fists.

  The freaking bell rang, and I flinched. The crowd filed out. Dings, thuds and clangs sounded, I imagined from students dumping their trash and trays.

  “We need to get to class,” he said, about to stand.

  “Oh, fuck no. You’re talking.” The devil invaded my body, or at least his voice did.

  His eyebrows went up. I wasn’t sure if he was shocked I had said the F-word, or the hardness in my tone. Either way, I didn’t care. A fire could break out in the kitchen—Kade was still going to talk.

  “They’ll kick us out of here,” he said.

  The badass guy who’d been in jail was worried about us getting kicked out of the cafeteria. Really?

  “So let them. Until they do, talk.” No emotion in my voice.

  “Fuck.” He ran his hands through his hair again. “We found out”—he met my eyes—“you were coming to this school.”

  My mouth gaped open. “Excuse me? You knew about me before I got here?” The hairs on my arms stood up. I knew Coach had to have done his homework on me. Any coach would’ve. But Kade? Why would he have known who I was? I didn’t want to panic, but the way he was acting scared me. I had the sudden feeling I’d been violated.