Kade's Rescue (Detroit Heat Book 1) (6 page)

Maybe Layne saw the look on my face. “I can act more impressed, if you want.” She winked at me from behind her vodka cran.

I shook my head. “I don’t need hero worship. That’s not why I do it.”

She cocked her head to the side. Her curls fell and bounced elegantly.

“Do tell.”

I sighed and leaned back against our booth. “People think of us in this certain way when they find out what I do. They think we’re these great humanitarians, trying to save the world and fix people. Here’s a secret: most of us are broken, looking to fix ourselves.”

She leaned in, “Are you looking to fix yourself?”

“I wasn’t, at first.” It was deceptively easy to open up to her. It wasn’t like talking to the shrink, or even my coworkers. “I was looking for the rush, to be honest.”

She nodded, and I went on. “I romanticized it, for sure. I run into the mouth of a fire-breathing dragon for a living. It’s about beating down a living enemy bigger and stronger and more eternal than any man alive. That’s what I do. And I love it. Or I did.”

“What happened?”

Her eyes were still trained on me. God, I couldn’t say no to her. Layne found some secret key that unlocked doors I had tried so hard to barricade myself behind. I was about to tell her about Marco and LaTonya, but she cut me off.

“No, don’t.”

“No?”

She smiled. “It’s not my business. Work is work. It’s not something we need to talk about.”

“So I can’t ask you about peeling potatoes?” I wanted to thank her for stopping me. In that moment, I would have told her everything, but that would have ruined the best part of our date. Talking about my job usually went one of two ways: either the person I was talking to started in on the worship or threw me a nice, big pity party. Layne was different, and I wanted her to stay that way.

After drinks, we went out to dinner. Dinner was… something magical. Layne was easy to talk to, and I found that everything else around us slipped away. It wasn’t long before we talked about our siblings, parents, and what it was like growing up.

Not talking about firefighting was a nice change of pace. At work it was all I was allowed to think about, and the shrink loved to bring up firefighting again and again. I got the feeling he was living vicariously through me and he wanted every action-packed detail.

“If you couldn’t be a firefighter, what would you do?”

It was the first time she’d brought up my job, but she did it in a way that didn’t make me nervous.

I thought about the question. It had never occurred to me before. “Wow.” I smiled at her as the waiter brought our dessert. “Great question.”
 

Layne must have seen that I was stalling. “Take your time. I’ve got all night.” There was a light, flirty tone in her voice, and my heart jumped in my chest. She
did
have all night for me. Every man worries on a date if he’s in. I was worried up until that moment, despite everything feeling so warm and familiar. Layne wanted me to know that I was in.

“If I wasn’t a firefighter, I’d probably remodel houses.” I had taken long enough to answer, and I knew she’d want an explanation. “There’s something so satisfying about seeing your work in front of you. My old man and grandpa worked the Ford assembly line for their entire careers. I just can’t imagine.”

One of the corners of her mouth crept upwards. “What do you mean?”

“When you grew up in Detroit—or at least, when my dad and his dad did—that was where you worked. Thousands and thousands of people worked the assembly lines, and all they’d do was screw in one bolt or attach one gasket, then the part would move on to the next person. They’d never see the completed car, or even the engine. Maybe they’d see them waiting in the holding lot when they got off shift, but all they’d see all day was one thing. My dad worked on brake components. For twenty-eight years.”

“Are you serious? Twenty-eight years of doing the exact same thing?”

I nodded. “The model of car changed, but his job stayed the same, for the most part. Remodeling houses, though… You can stand back at the end of a few hard months and look at something completely reborn.”

Layne smiled and leaned forward as I spoke. Part of me wanted to reach out and lay my hand on top of hers, but I had to play it cool.

“What about you?” I asked her. “If you weren’t working at Helping Hands, what would you be doing?”

It didn’t take her any time at all to come up with an answer, “I’d open up my own place.”

“Your own place doing what?”

“Exactly the same thing. I just can’t imagine doing anything else. Helping Hands runs so well, otherwise I would have already started my own kitchen. Leslie has connections with so many local restaurants and people at the farmer’s market. I could go on about it all night, so I won’t.” She smiled and sipped at her wine.

I wasn’t usually this bold, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t go for it. “What
do
you want to go on about all night?” I hoped that my smile said it all.

I bit my bottom lip, knowing that we both wanted it. My heart raced and the ache that had been growing inside of me was burning out of control. I grinned devilishly. “My place or yours?”

Kade shook his head. “I don’t care, whichever is closest.” I was dying for him to take me. My desire had only grown hotter over dinner, and it took root deep inside me as we paid and rushed from the restaurant. He pulled out of the parking lot and made a right. Since he didn’t ask, I guessed he was probably heading for his place.
Fine by me,
I thought.
The sooner, the better.

We hadn't even made it a half mile when I loosened his belt and reached under his briefs. His manhood was waiting for me. When I touched the head, I heard him grunt and felt the SUV jerk to one side.

“Concentrate on the road, buster.” Teasing him was so much fun. I wrapped a finger around him as he tried to focus on the road ahead. He moaned and kept his eyes forward, even as I did my best to slide those jeans down his legs. He helped me what little he could, lifting his ass up as I pulled them down his legs. I unbuckled my seatbelt, trusting that Kade would keep me safe.

“Oh, God, Layne.” Kade moaned and tensed up. I didn't feel the SUV weave from side to side, so I figured he had himself under some control. I wondered for how long, though. I swirled my finger over the head of his cock, feeling the wetness growing as he throbbed beneath his underwear.

I had no idea how long it was to his place, but I was enjoying myself too much to think about anything but Kade’s big cock. He was rock hard, and I was dying to taste him, to feel him fill me up. My pussy was throbbing and I knew I was soaking my black thong right through.

That thought made me yearn for his hands on me; his strong arms lifting my body to him; his fingers twisting my nipples, spreading my pussy, and slipping inside me. I moaned as his stiff cock pulsed and throbbed against my palm. His hand was on my thigh, sliding higher and higher as we drove to his place.

I barely noticed the streets. All I could think about was how much I wanted him. I wanted so badly to see him naked before me. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait much longer.

“Nearly there, baby.”
 

Thank God,
I thought. I moaned in acknowledgement and kept stroking.

Kade turned the wheel hard and we stopped in front of a small house. The street looked ordinary enough. We were in one of the few well-kept Detroit neighborhoods. Kade’s house was red brick, simple, and clean. It was only missing the white picket fence. I smirked and reached for the handle.

“Kade McCaffery, living the American dream.”

After stepping down from the SUV, he looked back at me. “What can I say? I’m nothing but a stereotype.”

I laughed and slipped out of his car. By the time I slammed the door shut, he was there, waiting for me. His strong, corded arms were around my waist, lifting me. I was level with his face, and we kissed for the first time, our tongues exploring each other’s mouths. I felt weightless as Kade pressed me against his ride. My heart was pounding at the kiss, pounding at the prospect of what was before us.

I was giddy as his lips pressed against mine. He even let go of me with one hand to slide it down to my ass and the other soon followed. I looked down at his gorgeous, rugged face.

“Layne, you drive me absolutely crazy.”

“God, you’re amazing.” The words fell from my tongue like champagne. He was making me crazy with desire.

He smiled up at me and gave my ass a squeeze, “Dinner was impossible. I couldn’t think about anything but your lips.”

Kade turned, and I watched the SUV and garage fade into the distance as he carried me toward his house. With my arms around his neck, I felt safe and secure. I knew he was going to ravage me and I couldn’t wait. I sucked the cool night air into my lungs and closed my eyes. When I opened them, we were in his kitchen. It was small, cramped almost, but I’d think about his design aesthetics in the morning.

He carried me down a hallway. I laid kisses across his cheeks and down to his neck. I was about to pull his turtleneck down to kiss down to his chest, but he pushed me through an open door before I could. There was light pouring in from the hallway, but before I could take in the bedroom I felt him lean forward. I tightened my grip until I felt the soft bed below me.

He left me there and found the lights. They slowly dipped to something barely bathing the room in cool yellow. Kade’s features were gone, but I could still see his chiseled figure before me. The throbbing between my legs was intense, and watching him stalk toward me was enough to make me moan.

I bit my bottom lip as he climbed on top of me. His body was warm, and I could feel all of his muscles pressing against me. Letting go of his manhood, I reached for Kade’s turtleneck. I began to pull it up his body, but he stopped. I couldn’t see any expression on his face, and it was only for a split second. Then he lifted the shirt over his head.

Before I could think about it, Kade was grinding his hips into me and I was doing my best to push up to meet him as he slowly ran his hands down my arms. While keeping me occupied with his lips, he’d ensured I hadn’t noticed that he had worked my hands over my head until he was holding them firmly there.

The juxtaposition of his rough hands and the softness of the bed on my skin made my eyes roll back. Kade cinched my wrists together with just one of his hands, and I tried to struggle free just to feel his muscles. He held me tightly, but it didn’t hurt; it was magnificent. I moaned for him.

His hips continued to grind into me and I wanted to touch his cock again. I would have, but I was trapped beneath the big man, completely under his control. I was helpless, and it made my heart race. Not only had I seen his power and strength, but now I could actually feel it too.

Kade’s free hand trailed down my body. He briefly held it at my neck. He didn’t press, but it was there long enough for me to realize he could have easily pushed down on my throat. The thought and the tease only made me hotter. Kade brought his fingers down from my vulnerable neck, slowly dragging them along my chest. At work, my blouse looked professional and classy, but for our date I’d undone two of the buttons, showing off my breasts. His finger was in the canyon between them now and I was taking fast and shallow breaths.

My desire to touch him was growing, but I was still unable to move. Kade skillfully unbuttoned my blouse with one hand, his eyes on my breasts as he slowly exposed them more and more. Each deep breath pressed my breasts against the bra, and I yearned for his fingertips to touch that sensitive skin. There were only two buttons left. I lifted my head to try and peer down my body as he finished opening my shirt. With my hands held firmly in place I could barely raise my head, and I gave up.

Kade could feel that I was trying to struggle against him and his alpha male persona came out. “Oh, no, no, no. You aren’t going anywhere, little girl.” His voice was low and gruff, authoritative and heart-stopping. Another shiver shook my body and I closed my eyes.

He looked down my body and his gaze snagged on something. I knew what it was already. A smile grew on his face as he discovered the birthmark near my navel. He dragged a finger to it, tracing the heart shape.