He left shortly after, leaving me amazed at how thorough he was. I quickly called Cade, filling him in, and he joined in my excitement. He promised to come over as soon as he packed, and I rushed to find my luggage and fill my bags. I decided Hammy would be best just going with us, so I packed his stuff as well. I was counting the checks Zander left when Cade arrived.
He walked right in, like he owned the place, and I imagined him greeting me after work every day. It was a nice thought.
“Hey, baby,” he called, swooping in for a kiss.
“He gave us ten grand for the week,” I said, still shocked at what I’d discovered in the envelope.
“What?” he said, his blue eyes dancing with delight, but wide with awe.
I nodded, a few tears escaping. I would never be able to repay him for this gift. I’d never had a vacation, but one where I had Cade all to myself was a dream come true.
“Well, let’s get going. We owe him big.”
I agreed. We hurriedly filled the vehicle with our baggage and were ready to be on our way. Considering the cash we were in care of, we imagined we could just purchase whatever we didn’t have or we happened to forget in our haste. I loaded Hamlet into his cat carrier, much to his dismay judging by the hisses I received. I planned to let him out in the car if he could be good, but he tended to try to chase feet as they pushed the pedals.
This was going to be an interesting week.
Chapter Eleven-Cade
The cabin Zander rented for us was beautiful. It sat back in the snowy mountains, close enough to civilization that we could get help if needed, but far away that we had all the privacy we could ever want. The best part? There was no cell phone reception. Only a landline for making emergency calls.
Could this get any better?
Francesca ran up the stairs to set up Hamlet’s litter box, freaking out because he hadn’t been in so long. I tried to walk him and get him to go on the side of the road, but I had no idea how difficult it was to try to get a cat to go potty. Cats are stubborn, much like women.
I stashed our things in the front room, wanting to explore and see if there was food here. It looked like it would snow any second and I didn’t want to get caught in it. I searched each cabinet, my eyes settling on the bottle under the sink. It was the first time I’d been this close to alcohol since I started my recovery. I was terrified as I stretched a shaky hand and took it out.
The glass was cold as my fingers circled around the exterior. It was about half full, but the weight of it felt so heavy in my hand. I lifted it closer, and twisted the lid. The vapors expelled out, swirling all around me, seeping to my pores.
It gagged me.
“Cade?” Francesca’s voice said shakily behind me.
I turned, bottle still in hand, and looked at her wide eyed. “I didn’t drink it.”
“Then what are you doing?” she asked, stepping forward slowly.
I held out my hand to halt her. “I won’t drink, Francesca. No matter how badly I want it, I won’t do it. I promise.” With those words, I held it over the sink and turned it upside down. The liquid poured out, sliding down the drain. I even rinsed the container out three times to make sure no residue was left over.
She watched me closely, then held her arms open for me. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispered when I stepped into her waiting embrace. She held me closely, then kissed me passionately.
We spent the next few hours exploring each other’s body in every room the cabin contained. The search for food was quickly forgotten as our desires took hold and overcame our senses. We were delirious with hunger that only the other could satisfy.
We lay spent and breathless on the luscious rug upstairs. We hadn’t quite made it to the bed for that round. Her soft skin was slick with sweat, her scent strong all around me. We kissed and touched, seemingly catching up for lost time, but we both knew we would never get enough. We fell asleep at some point, feeling comfortable and safe in each other’s cuddle.
###
The morning consisted of a delicious shower together, followed by shopping for food and supplies. The snow was falling heavily by the time we arrived back. I loaded the groceries in my arms and as I stepped on the porch, I was pelted with snow.
I turned, seeing Francesca watching me mischievously with another snowball armed and ready. “You really wanna do this?” I called, setting one set of groceries down on the porch.
She replied with throwing it at my chest, splattering snow all over my shirt and spraying it up on my face. I shook it off calmly, then set the rest of the grocery bags down.
I bent down, gathering as much snow as I could, and began balling it up. I heard her squeal as I stood, and she ran toward the back of the cabin. I followed, the snowball taking up most of my arms. I snuck around, seeing her slip behind the biggest tree the yard held.
I tiptoed over, quietly settling on the other side. I waited for her to move, and when she didn’t, I jumped around, throwing the snow forward. It covered her body and she screamed. Grabbing her body, I pulled her to the ground with me and smothered the cold flakes all over her. She fought me but all it did was arouse me. We played in the freezing wet fluff; squealing like children and enjoying every second.
When we finally made it inside, she demanded we strip down at the door, claiming she refused to clean on vacation. I happily complied, stepping in front of her and slowly unbuttoning her jacket.
“What are you doing?” she grinned.
“Undressing like you told me to,” I explained seriously.
“Cade…we have groceries to put away.”
“Here, I’ll set them back outside. It’s cold enough they’ll be alright,” I chuckled, hefting the bags back out the door.
She rolled her eyes at me, but didn’t complain. I slowly peeled her clothing away, revealing her shivering, naked body. I undressed myself much quicker, pressing her close to me and throwing a blanket over us on the couch. I allowed my lips to explore every inch of her, causing her to moan, gasp, and squirm underneath me. Each sound she made drove me deeper into the desire, every move causing me to want her more.
Her delicate fingers trailed over my body, leaving fiery, heated tingles across my skin. Her lips devoured mine, her tongue eager and aggressive against my own. We played until we were both panting and flushed, our bodies desperately aching for intimacy.
We became one. We moved and breathed together, our connection more intense than ever. She arched and moaned beneath me, spurring my own release. We lay entangled on the sofa, her fingers sprawled across my back.
“I have an idea,” I finally said, lifting my face from her warm chest.
“What?”
“Let’s get married in September,” I suggested. “September twenty first.”
Her eyes widened, a few tears springing to the surface. “You know what day that is?”
“The day I asked you if you wanted a cracker,” I chuckled. “You always sat on that damn bench, looking all sad and lonely. I couldn’t help myself…I’m so glad I had no self-control.”
She laughed, wiping the tears from her face. “That’s less than a year away. Can we plan a wedding that fast?”
I raised a brow. “Really? Daphne is your best friend. I think she could plan it for next weekend if we told her that’s when we wanted to get married.”
She laughed loudly, the sound trickling through my ears and reaching my heart. I loved making her laugh, making her happy. I hoped I could always bring that sound to my life.
“Ok,” she agreed. Her smile was wide, reaching all the way to her lit up eyes. She was beautiful when she was glowing with ecstasy. “I have a condition, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Will you move in with me? I hate not having you around, and if we’re getting married in such a short amount of time…well, why wait?”
She was right. There wasn’t a reason to wait. “Anything for you, Francesca.”
The rest of the vacation was filled wi
th love, laughter, and joy. Zander truly had given us a priceless gift when he allowed us this time together. We still had obstacles ahead of us, who didn’t, but we both knew as long as we trusted in and loved each other, we would get through anything life threw at us. We spent our days in each other’s arms, or exploring the area. We even planned a few wedding details, but I honestly didn’t care where it was or what we had to eat. I only cared that Francesca showed up, and we would become husband and wife. I meant what I said. I would do anything for Francesca Taymon.
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Scarred Hearts Series
Mangled Hearts-#1Francesca and Cade
Entangled Souls-#1.5Cade and Francesca
Anxious Hearts-#2Daphne and Zander
Bound Souls-#2.5Zander and Daphne
Demolished Hearts-#3 Bree and Cason
Fated Souls-#3.5 Cason and Bree
Severed Hearts-#4Kylie and Reid
Enslaved Souls-#4.5Reid and Kylie
Ruptured Hearts-#5Ava and Jay
Indentured Souls-#5.5 Jay and Ava
Continue reading for the first chapter of my NA novelette, Masked Encounters, the first installment in the Intoxicating Passion series.
Available in ebook format only until April 2014.
Chapter One- Korah Daniels
He slurped his drink entirely too loudly, making me want to rip the glass from his hands and throw the ice cold Coke in his face. I didn’t, of course, but I imagined. A few times, actually. The liquid spraying as it impacted his small, weasel-like expression. His eyes bulging as he realized what happened. Yeah…I’d thought about it. Tonight was the worst date of my life. I glanced at the clock, once again, hopeful enough time had passed for it to be acceptable to leave.
This is why I hated being set up on blind-dates, especially from the neighboring frat house. I got creepy men who obviously never spoke to a girl before, or slimy losers who saw me as another lay. It got old. My friend, Leela, insisted on setting me up, and who could resist her adorable pout? Not me, obviously. So here I sat, poking the food around on my plate, head sunk in hand not caring it squished my cheek in an unflattering manner, while this weirdo droned on and on about who knows what. I quit listening at least fifteen minutes ago.
The sudden silence from Mr. Talker caught my attention, only to be skewered by his eager eyes. “I’m sorry, what?” I asked, hoping I sounded as bored as I was. In all honesty, I didn’t even remember his name. John? Josh? Or maybe it was Jacob. It was a J name. I think.
He leaned closer, giving my slight cleavage a hungry gaze. “I said, The way you look in that dress makes me want to do things to you only Prince would sing about,” he repeated, in what I supposed was his seductive voice. It sounded more like a snake hissing, or a balloon deflating…as I hoped his ego would be doing soon.
The urge to vomit was fairly strong at this point. I pushed my plate away, took a pointed look at the clock, and pulled my purse from the chair back. “Thank you, for that, I think. It’s time for me to go. I have a bedtime, you know. I assume you’ll be paying?” I asked rhetorically, not really interested in his answer. I stood, straightened my dress, and sauntered out. The weight of his beady eyes followed me, no doubt imagining my body beneath his, but I didn’t care. Perverse fantasy would be as far as he ever got with me.
###
Slipping quietly into the apartment I shared with Leela and Windi, I slid my shoes off hoping they wouldn’t hear me enter. I turned the knob, closing the door silently, before tiptoeing across the living area to my bedroom. I was almost there, seconds from being free of interrogation, when I heard my name.
“Korah!” Leela exclaimed sharply. She reminded me of a stern school teacher in 1950.
I turned, seeing her with hands on hips, staring me down. Her long blond locks fell in curls around her shoulders, while deep blue eyes quietly assessed me. She was in her last year, while I was only in my second, so she embraced the big sister role with fervor. Holding my hair while I threw up, helping me treat hangovers, giving me boy advice, etc. I loved her immensely, but the jerk she set me up with tonight was not her best choice. Judging from her stance and, blazing eyes, she’d already heard how I left. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first bad blind-date I’d gone on, and they always seemed to call her before I got home. It was pathetically annoying how immature some boys were.
“Well?” she challenged.
I shrugged, smiling at her. “Well?” I mocked back.
“You just left him there! He was so embarrassed. Poor, Zane,” she sympathized, trying to guilt me.
Zane…that was it. I was all kinds of wrong about his name. “Yeah…he said something that made me uncomfortable. So, I left.” Shifting my weight to the right, I bent my left leg up to lightly scratch the back of my calf. Finally starting to unwind from my difficult evening, I folded my arm across my chest, standing with my purse dangling from my hand.
“Korah…I just want you to be happy. Ever since Christopher…” she started, her expression torn and sad. Leela captured her bottom lip in her teeth, clenching her hands together before she hooked them behind her back. She knew she’d gone too far.
I didn’t want her pity, nor did I need it.. “I don’t want to talk about him,” my exasperation coming through more clearly than I intended. Catching myself and knowing her concern waswell-meant, I sighed crossing my arms. “I don’t need a man to be happy. You don’t have to keep setting me up. I’ll be fine. Now, please, can we be done? I’m going to study.” For the second time in less than an hour, I didn’t wait for an answer. Turning, I hurried to my bedroom, ignoring her calling my name. My misery didn’t like company
Dating had never been kind to me, but recently, my disastrous love life was on a completely different level of crazy. Abusive relationships, level five stalkers, and desperate types who proposed after two dates. I refused to deal with it anymore, not even wanting to bother with romance because of all the torment which inevitably resulted. At nineteen years old, I knew it was not normal to have this much drama.
I had friends who were married, some with children already. I wasn’t ready for either of those responsibilities, but…why couldn’t I find a decent guy? What was so wrong with me that I attracted all the whacky ones?
I flopped on my oversized bed, sinking deep into cotton covers and feathery pillows. Darkness settled in around me, the only light a half-moon peeking through the curtains. Looking guiltily at my desk, strewn with papers for my speech assignment, I groaned inwardly. Turning to my side, I found Elle under the abundance of covers. Worn oversized ears, trunk now bent at an awkward angle, she had been a source of comfort since I was a little girl. Snuggling her to my chest, I drew my knees to my stomach. My eyelids fluttered against the pillow before I fell into a restless sleep.
###
“Korah….Korah….” a sing-song voice called.
The world shook as I bounced around. Complete dark surrounded me, the only sound a voice calling me by name. I slowly came to consciousness. Peeling one eye open, I saw Leela’s ginormous face smiling down on me. “Good grief,” I groaned, burying my head under the pillow, tucking Elle deep enough to avoid detection.
“Wake up, Korah! I need to tell you some exciting news,” she exclaimed. The bed continued to move under her weight as she thrashed about, jostling me to and fro.
“Go away,” I mumbled. The nightmares continued to haunt me, causing sleepless nights and the unattractive dark circles under my brown eyes. Thank goodness for make-up.
“Korah, we need to go shopping,” she lured, teasing me with one of my favorite past-times.
I lifted the pillow cautiously exposing the side of my face. Peering at her with one squinted eye, I raised a brow and clarified, “Shopping?”
She nodded eagerly, finally standing and relieving me of her weight.“ Yep. We have lots to get.”
I eyed her suspiciously. “Such as…?” Leela despised shopping with me. I took too long, or I tried on everything, or some other nonsense. She seemed miserable every time we went together. Which meant she was up to something. Probably something I wouldn’t like.
“A Halloween costume,” she shrugged in feigned nonchalance before escaping out my door.
And there it was. I propped on my elbows, staring at the spot where she had been standing. There was only one reason Leela would want me to have a Halloween costume and that would be for a party. I’m no math major, but: Me + Parties = Disaster. I propelled my body upward, still drowsy from sleep. Rubbing the crust from my eyes, I turned, putting reluctant feet on the floor. Finally, I staggered upright and shuffled into the common room. “Lee?”
“Yes, sleepyhead?” she sounded way too chipper, her eyes twinkling in delight as she glanced up from her books strewn over the coffee table.
“You have a party for us, don’t you?” I accused, yawning.
“Did you not sleep enough?” She always avoided questions I desperately wanted answers for.
“Don’t do that, Lee. Don’t tell me it’s more frat guys?” I scoffed, rolling my eyes.
“Maybe,” she shrugged, picking up the pink highlighter and fake studying.
I flopped down on the couch she leaned against from her seat in the floor, rubbing my face vigorously with my hand. “Come on, I told you I’m not interested in dating.” I was practically begging at this point. After six months of her nagging, enough was enough.
“I’m not setting you up, Korah,” she stated, dropping the marker and angling her body to face me. Her shiny blue eyes implored in a loving by determined way. “You don’t get out enough. I feel like you’re stuck in this hole…I worry about you. You’re basically my little sister, and it hurts me to see you like this. You mope around, refusing to give any guys a chance…”
Entangled Souls: Cade and Francesca (Scarred Hearts #1.5) Page 9