“Thank you,” she finally said, not pressing him any further for information. Those big glasses masked her fascinating eyes, but were great at accentuating the heart shape of her exquisite face. He hoped he’d bought those for her yesterday too. He liked the idea of providing these simple little things for her.
“You’re welcome.” His heart fluttered in his chest as she wrapped an arm through his and turned to the circle drive. He placed a hand on top of hers in the crook of his arm. They stood there side by side waiting for Wills. No doubt about it, Lara Hunter fascinated him.
She’s just the woman you want bang—one in a long line. His bad side issued that monumental reminder.
A trickle of fear raced down his spine as the usually much quieter good side called him a massive liar. He liked Lara. If he hadn’t become the man standing there that day—the one who solely focused on old vendettas in order to get ahead—he’d have called her a friend, but he ignored that thought. He didn’t need any more friends. They always turned into collateral damage.
All he wanted was Lara on her knees, swallowing him whole. Once done, he wanted her wrapped around his waist, with his dick buried deep.
His hand automatically tightened on hers. It was pure instinctual reflex that drove him. He didn’t want her stepping away.
“Come on. You don’t want to be late,” he said after a minute, letting Wills get her door this time. He didn’t scoot in beside her like before, too much panic at his off the charts conflicting emotions had him needing at least that little bit of distance.
Chapter 8
Lara stifled a yawn as she ran the vacuum cleaner over the carpet in her living room. It was late and difficult to believe how exhausting this week had already been. She hadn’t even hit hump day yet. For a first, Kade had gotten off on time tonight and was on his way home. Her goal was to try and stay awake long enough to see him before she went to bed. At the current rate, she might make about fifteen minutes. This time, she didn’t hold back. She let the yawn out in one long exhale. Man, she was tired.
She tried to remember exactly when Kade started second shift to try and figure out how much longer he’d be on that schedule. She hated when he got assigned this detail, but Kade was so good at his job. He thrived in that atmosphere, loved the police department, and he truly believed he was providing a service to the world. Ever since they were young kids, Kade had always wanted to contribute in making the world a better place. He hated needless suffering. If things were different for him, she could’ve seen him joining the Peace Corps instead of the Marine Corps fresh out of high school.
Tucking the vacuum inside the front entryway closet, the door pushed in on her, knocking the back of the head and shoving her forward farther inside. Their two bedroom apartment was incredibly compact. When Kade barreled through the front door, he’d closed her inside the entryway closet.
“What smells so good?” he called out. She was usually asleep by now. It was close to midnight, but with her nervous energy, she’d done all their Saturday morning cleaning chores. Even cooked him his baked chicken and roasted vegetables he ate just about every day of his life. Kade was a bodybuilder. He ate to fuel his body where she ate for the sheer enjoyment of the food.
“You knocked me in the head,” she said from behind him, coming out of the closet. He wheeled around, surprised.
“What’re you doing in there?” he asked as she rubbed the back of her head.
“I wanted to wait up and talk, so I cleaned and cooked,” she said, walking around him toward the strip in the apartment that held a refrigerator, sink, cooktop, oven, and small counter. She was certain in some circles they called this a kitchen. She went for one of the two cabinets and pulled out the ibuprofen.
“You’re looking hot,” he said, squeezing in behind her to open the oven door.
“What? I was cleaning,” she said defensively about her old ratty sweatpants that had seen far better days and her tank top that had a few holes at the seams.
“Should that half pony-tail thing be hanging on the side of your head like that?” he asked, looking up enough to smirk before he reached for the oven mitts and pulled his warming food out. “I’m starving.”
“No time to eat tonight? Plano streets full of thugs?” she teased him as she reached up and pulled the rubber band free. She bent quickly and gathered her hair back on top of her head in a messy knot. Back when they first moved there, Kade had taken the first job offered which happened to be with the Plano, Texas police department. The high-end community wasn’t known for its high crime rate or tough nightlife.
“Touchy, touchy,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Since you went to all this trouble, how about you make me a plate while I go change?”
“How about not since you knocked me in the head and have done nothing but make fun of me since you came inside,” she said, speaking louder as he left her standing there to go to his room. “Besides, I totally did your chores. You should be thanking me.”
“Thank you,” he yelled out. The next sound they heard was the stomping from upstairs. She could hear Kade chuckling. Their upstairs neighbor was an old cranky man who complained about everything. She knew he lived to give them a hard time about the minimal noise they made.
She took a plate from the cabinet to make Kade his dinner. It was never the burden she pretended because she could pick and nibble at the food as she worked. By the time she placed his plate and a bottle of water on the small table for two, Kade was back out, wearing about the same style she had on, yet he made those old cut-up sweatpants and tank top a whole lot sexier than she did.
“You’re getting bigger,” she said, judging the sheer volume of bulked-up muscle underneath the thin strip of material.
“Not really, you just did the laundry last time.” He used his forefinger and bopped her on the end of the nose as he walked past. “It smells delicious.”
“One time! And I’ll never live it down,” she said, plopping down in the vacant seat across from Kade’s dinner.
“One time you shrunk every bit of clothing I own. I’m not even sure how you accomplished that.” He gave her a wink, taking a seat opposite of her. He didn’t hesitate to cut straight into his chicken and take a huge bite. “Mmmm. This is why I keep you around. You can cook.”
“Whatever. It’s my winning personality that keeps me around. I keep telling you that,” she shot back just like every time they had this conversation.
“So why’d you stay up tonight?” he asked between bites.
“I wanted to tell you about my day and what I’m doing tomorrow night,” she said, drawing one leg up, wrapping an arm around it as her foot rested on the seat.
“I’ve got stuff to tell you, too,” he said.
“Who first?” she asked.
“You, so I can eat,” he said.
“Okay, I had lunch with Reed today. You know, Mr. Prescott from yesterday.” She waited a heartbeat before she continued. “No, I see that look on your face, listen to me. We talked about you. He knows I want you two to meet. I think he’s game, Kade,” she explained.
“Princess, he’s not into me. He’s into you.”
“He’s gay, Kade, I know it.” Kade just kept shaking his head no the whole time she spoke.
“I know gay, and he’s not,” he said with a full mouth.
“I disagree because today, when I casually laid it all out to him, he didn’t say he wasn’t.” She nodded even as he still shook his head no.
“Then he’s a player like I suspected. Stay away from him.” He waved his fork in front of her face, giving her that stern look that always made her giggle.
“It’s gonna be hard to stay away from him since the two of you are getting married.” Kade choked on his water, coughing roughly at her suggestion. She paused until he got himself a little better under control. “Listen, though. I don’t want to fight about it. I got invited to an office party tomorrow night. It’s a formal deal, but I need to go. I’ve got to meet more people f
rom the office. The only person there that even talks to me is Jonathon, the guy that’s supposed to assist me. I need to make some friends there.”
“I think you need to introduce me to Jonathon,” Kade suggested. She let that go without comment to get to the point she wanted to make.
“Reed’s sending over a dress. Do you think I should take it?” she asked, biting her lip. Her eyes stayed glued on him. He’d be honest with her and tell her what to do. She crossed her fingers that he’d say keep the dress because she had no idea what to wear to an event like that.
“Lara, baby, you’re in over your head. What do you even know about him except he almost ran you over?” Okay, that didn’t answer her question. Kade needed to feel more comfortable with Reed. He’d been her protector since they were little. It had only gotten worse after that one terrible summer. She hadn’t properly eased him into Reed, especially if he truly believed Reed was into her, not him.
“Well, I found out today that he’s part of the administration of Press International’s parent company. Apparently he works between the different companies, stepping in when he’s needed. He’s younger than I thought. He’s thirty, and when I told him I wanted him to date you—”
“Listen to me. He’s not gay!” Kade said, wiping a napkin over his mouth.
“He went with it, so clearly you’re wrong. And he’s rich. He has an expensive car that looks like something that cost a lot of money, and when you marry him, I’m moving in wherever you live with him,” she said, making her point with a joke. Except she wasn’t joking. She had missed Kade terribly when he went into the military. They talked all the time—as much as possible whenever he’d been in the service, but it was going to be incredibly tough when he met someone and tried to move out without her.
“So he’s taking you to this party tomorrow?” Kade asked after a few moments of silence. He hadn’t laughed at her joke and his food looked all but forgotten. Which was just weird. He ate healthy, but all the time.
“We’re talking about the dress. Should I take it? Maybe I could borrow and return it. Is that terrible? Would I have bad karma over that? I just don’t know what to wear and I don’t have a lot of formal clothing.” She bit her lip again, trying to decide the right move. She couldn’t take anything more from Reed, but she needed to look the part if she was going with him. Maybe she should cancel, but this was her first time in front of her corporate peers. Once she started getting paid, she could spend a little each paycheck updating her wardrobe.
“How much do you need to buy something yourself?” Kade asked.
“I don’t know, because I don’t know what to wear. All those clothes Margaret kept putting in front of me didn’t have prices on them, but I think they’re expensive.” Her thumbnail replaced her lip.
“Then when you get the dress, find out how much it cost, and I’ll call and pay for it. You can pay me back,” Kade offered.
“You don’t have any money.” She completely resisted that idea.
“I can put it on my credit card, that way you don’t owe him anything. As much as you don’t wanna believe this, he’s not into me. And he’s only into you for sex—I promise.”
“Guys like him aren’t into me for any reason, Kade,” she said defensively.
“You’ve never seen yourself clearly, especially over the last few days. You’re hot. That’s one thing I’m thankful he did for you. Your old clothes made you look frumpy.” Kade picked up his fork and finished off his plate.
“I didn’t look frumpy. I looked like a professional. Business suit, collared shirt, pearls. That’s what every book said I should wear. I still think I should, except these North Dallas women look like fashion models every single day.” Frustrated because this conversation hadn’t gotten her any closer to an answer than before she’d started, she dropped her foot to the floor, defeated. Kade wasn’t helping at all and she was tired.
“You’re prettier than them,” he said, placing everything on his plate as he finished off his water. He rose, taking his plate to the sink. She stayed in her seat and swiveled around. Since the kitchen, dining room, and living room were practically the same room, it wasn’t challenging to continue the conversation.
“Kade, focus. What do I do about the dress?” she asked again.
“Wear it and send it back,” he said, turning on the faucet to wash his dish.
“You think that’s okay,” she asked, coming to stand beside him at the sink.
“Or use my credit card,” he offered.
“You’re not helping!” Her thumbnail was back at her mouth.
“It’s all I got. Whichever one you decide, I’m good with. Do you want any of this chicken?” he asked, pulling the aluminum foil from the cabinet.
“I’m done,” she said and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to keep from destroying the professional manicure she’d gotten. “So what’s your news?”
“I got a call from Dallas. They offered me a job,” he said, tucking the foil over the pan.
“No way!” Excited, she started jumping up and down.
“It’s entry level,” he said, smiling at her happiness.
“I knew they would hire you. I knew it!” She was jumping on him now as he placed the chicken in the refrigerator. He turned, wrapping his arms around her, taking her hug. “You’re gonna be a Dallas police officer like you always wanted!” He laughed harder when she held him tighter. She didn’t care. It was contagious. Kade hauled her up, squeezing her. They were finally reaching their goals. Nothing in the world was better than that!
~~~
Reed sat kicked back in his office chair, the only light came from the two side table lamps. He stared out over the Dallas skyscrapers that shone brightly though his windows. This seemed to be his new favorite pastime. All the work piling from two days of his inability to concentrate lay just at his fingertips—he didn’t care at all. He’d even closed down his laptop and email over an hour ago because the dinging of new messages messed with the mellow feelings he’d hung on to since lunch.
He lifted one foot and plopped it on the desk, before crossing his ankle with the other. He had a double Grey Goose swirling in a tumbler, letting the couple of pieces of ice clank against the glass. The only real noise in the room.
He never looked out this window, yet now, the thing held all his attention. He should be working. As much time as he’d taken off, he needed to work all night to catch up; he just didn’t have it in him. He let out a deep sigh and took another long gulp, draining the glass. He’d gotten smart about an hour ago and brought the bottle to his desk. He reached over and poured himself a refresher, swirling that around the ice cubes to chill.
He finally manned up and admitted Lara was to blame for his lack of attention, though that admission took a while. He most definitely considered the attraction he felt as an utter weakness on his part. A couple of hours after lunch, he’d forced himself to press on. It was only when he’d stopped crunching numbers to look at email about every two minutes to see if the buyer at Neimans had found something for her to wear the next night that he realized he had entered dangerous territory. He couldn’t get Lara out of his mind and he’d never considered a female this much before in his life. That confused him even further.
What about her had him all tied up like this? Was he falling victim to his own game? Should he have engaged less and pushed them into sex sooner? Probably, because now, every minute he spent with her was another minute he learned he really liked her as a person.
When they stood on that front step outside the grill with her just casually holding his arm, he’d felt ten feet tall, like the king of the world. Actually, he felt as though he’d conquered the world in having someone of her caliber willing to spend any time with him at all. He hadn’t ever experienced that level of pride in his entire life. Not even after landing the Asian deal, ripping it right out from underneath his grandfather’s clutches—a calculated, planned maneuver.
Where had that sense of possessiv
eness come from? The women he dated were a dime a dozen. Except Lara Hunter; she was a rare gem. Something his gut told him to hold on to, and at the very least, leave unspoiled if he didn’t intend to put a ring on it. Possessiveness was a state of mind, something he did regularly with his material items, but women were never factored into that plan.
“Fuck,” he whispered out loud, his voice breaking the quiet, and he lifted the glass. In one big swallow, he drained the contents. This time he didn’t refill. He could feel the alcohol’s effects settling in, and he needed to be up early in the morning.
One thing for certain, Lara was better than him. He’d set his sights too high this time. He never did that. He settled for the trash because he was trash. He fit well with his women. Like mother, like son. Shit, he should have stopped drinking earlier. He’d have to be drunk to sit there in the dark, thinking about his mom. He hated that bitch. Hated her with everything inside him. The only person he hated more than her was his biological grandfather. His gut twisted at the thought.
Yeah, he was completely fucked up and not just from the alcohol.
Reed dropped his feet to the floor and ran his finger over the mouse pad of his computer. He typed in his password to check email one last time. As suspected, after several rounds of communication, his clothing buyer worked her magic and had everything ready to send to Lara tomorrow morning. He was certain she’d look beautiful—regal and sophisticated—on his arm. She fit all his requirements as a date to this particular event. It was why he hadn’t filled that spot already. He always went solo to affairs where the media attended, but then she’d tumbled into his life. That caused a coarse bark of laughter. She’d literally fallen straight down from the heavens.
He ignored what it would mean to the world to have her on his arm. If he were a gentleman, he’d prepare her for the inevitable media backlash. But like he’d said before, he wasn’t a good person, and to tell Lara would mean he had to come clean as to who he was. He wasn’t ready for that. She’d run away before he had a chance to win her over.
Chasing Happy (Texas Desires #1) Page 10