Risky Business: (Taboo Romance Series) (Forbidden Fruit Book 3) (13 page)

Chapter 24

Olivia

I needed a jog after the long night we'd had together. Never in a million years had I imagined someone capable of taking me to such a high place, and yet Caden had done it too many times to count. My body ached for more of him, but I wasn't about to bring up sex again. He'd seen me for the whore half the school believed me to be. Just because we'd cleared up the fact that it wasn't our fault that everything went to shit, I still couldn't shake the stigma around him. I wasn't sure I would ever be able to.

"Caden?" I walked into the kitchen and poured me a glass of water.

"You back?" He walked out into the living room as I turned. His black slacks were low on his hips, leaving his upper body on display for me. My body tightened, and I stifled a growl.

"Yeah. Just needed to clear my head." I drank deeply of the water as he moved to stand in front of me. "No touching me. I'm gross."

"Matter of opinion." He slid his hands over my sides and down to cup my butt before leaning toward me. "How are you? You still reeling over the shit with Luke?"

"No. I'm good there. He's an asshole, and I was tired of placating myself to think that I could live without love." I reached up and brushed his hair back before pressing my lips to his. "Are we seeing Jake and his wife tonight?"

"They aren't married yet." He kissed me one more time, stealing my breath with the delicious press of his body against mine. "Come take a shower with me. Let me wash you off."

"That'll only lead to more sex. We were kinda taking our chances last night as it was." I laughed and moved out from in front of him. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted something more between us than a friendship, but I needed to take it slow. My young adult life was a fucking mess thanks to all the shit between us in the past.

"I don't mind. Having a baby with you would be a fine by me. I feel like I’m running late on life’s plans as it is."

His words stopped me. He was hurting. But why?

I glanced over my shoulder. "I don't mind either, but it would be nice to ease into this relationship, wouldn't it?"

"I'll do what you want to do, but I'd rather dive head first and pray like hell it’s everything we know it could be. I'm a romantic, remember?" He shrugged and pursed his lips.

"And by far the sexiest, most loving man I've ever known." I turned and walked back to him to pull him into a tight hug.

He sniffed the air and smiled. "You need a shower, woman. You smell like sex and candy."

"I thought you liked both." I leaned in and kissed him a few times as his strong arms locked around me.

"I love them." He brushed his nose by mine. "You didn't sleep much last night. How about breakfast and a nap?"

"Shower, then breakfast, and then yes, a nap would be good." I kissed him again and moved out of his arms. "You coming?"

"No, you go wash up and I'll get breakfast up here." He popped my butt and growled as I shrugged and walked off.

Could I do this new life with him? Could I not?

"Where are you staying tonight?" I called over my shoulder.

"At my mom's house. You staying with your mom or you want to sleep over with me?"

"I don't know. Let me think about it." I closed the door behind me and stripped as I tried to think through the best plan of action for the evening. I wanted to see my mom, but I knew without a doubt that she wouldn't want to see Caden. I had a lot of explaining to do, and to be honest, I had no clue what I would tell her. We weren't together. Not yet at least.

After a quick shower, I walked out to find a plate of fruit and muffins with a note that Caden was running out to get the Parkmounts to sign the final papers that Annie had faxed to the hotel lobby.

"Annie." I shook my head, sickened by how sweet the bitch had seemed, and all the while, she was screwing my boyfriend. Did she not have one of her own? People were disgusting.

I grabbed my phone and sat down at the kitchen table before dialing Luke.

"Hey, baby. There you are. I was going to call to see if-"

"Stop. Just shut up and listen to me clearly. I know about you and Annie, and you can take your job and your fucked up offer for a relationship and shove it up the crack of your ass. I hope your dick falls off. No! I hope some piranha of a bitch bites it off."

"Olivia. Wait a minute, now. Nothing is going on with me and Annie. I have you, baby, why would-"

"No, you don't. We're done, so honestly, enjoy yourself. Knock yourself out." I hung up and laid the phone down as tears burned my eyes. I wasn't sad about losing Luke as much as I was sickened over being taken a fool. It had been a constant story in my life. One asshole after the next.

I reached out and picked up the note from Caden and took a deep breath. "Who are you? Are you the guy I think you are, or another asshole?"

After getting myself to calm down, I hate half the plate of fruit and a muffin and walked back to his bedroom. It would have been more couth to sleep in my clean sheets, but I wanted the smell of him all around me. It was a comfort I couldn't explain.

I crawled up into the bed and drifted off to sleep with the thoughts of what our children might look like. I was jumping ahead, but I couldn't help it. We'd been waiting far too long to find each other, and we had. Nothing could take that away, right?

*

"Baby. Time to get up." Caden was leaning over the top of me as I woke up from my nap.

"What? Where are we?" I sat up and moved to the edge of the bed as I pushed my hair from my face.

"We're in Houston. We need to get going if we're going to see Jake and Kari." He helped me up and pulled me into a hug. "God, you're so damn cute when you sleep. Did you know that?"

"Stop." I laughed and brushed my hands up his chest and up to his handsome face. His five o'clock shadow only made him more attractive. "We need to check out?"

"Yeah, but I paid for another night for us so we didn’t have to rush today." He leaned down and kissed me a few times. "Let's go see Jake, and then we can figure out the rest later."

"Sounds good." I kissed him once more and moved away to walk toward my bedroom. "I really didn't bring anything too summery. I wish I had-"

"I got you something. Go check it out. Don't wear it if you don't like it."

"What?" I glanced over my shoulder. “You got me something to wear?"

"Yeah, it's just one of those dresses you like." He shrugged, breaking my heart with how good of a man he was.

"How do you know what I like? You sneaking through my closet?" I laughed and walked back to my room, trying hard not to sprint. The soft cotton dress hanging up in my room was blue and yellow, simple, but beautiful.

"You like it?" He moved up behind me and pulled me into his arms. "It just looks like you to me. Beautiful and innocent."

"Innocent? I rode your cock for six hours last night." I laughed and turned my face toward him.

"Making love to me doesn't cause you to lose your innocence. It's just who you are." He kissed my neck a few times. "Put it on for me."

I nodded and moved out of his arms as I pulled my t-shirt over my head. "What size did you get?"

"Your size." He tugged my shorts over my hips and moved to a squatting position as he pressed kisses around the curve of my panties on my ass.

"I'm not going to dinner if you keep it up." He tugged at my hips to force me to turn toward him as I lifted my arms and let the dress fall down to cover me up. It barely hit the tops of my knees and left me feeling beautiful. "I love it."

He slid his hands up my thighs, taking the dress with him, and leaned in to press his mouth to my center in a long string of kisses that made my knees weak.

"And I love you." He kissed me once more and stood up. "Don't even think for a minute that you’re going to your mother’s without me. I'm spending the night in your arms. Period."

"She hates you." I tugged the dress back down and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I love a good challenge." He kissed me and brushed his hand down my hair. "Let me change my shirt and let's go. I can't wait to see Jake, and I know he can't wait to see you."

"He doesn't hate me?" I asked and followed him out into the living room.

"Hell no. He's always been on your side, like a fucking cheerleader in my ear for the last six years." He laughed and warmth engulfed me. We belonged together. I had no doubt.

"Then I owe him a debt of gratitude."

"Just a smile will work. No one gets anything from you but me from here on out." He winked and turned to walk back into his bedroom.

"So bossy." I dropped down on the couch and let out a content sigh.

"You like it."

"That I do."

Chapter 25

Caden

"Well, look at what the cat dragged in!" Jake walked toward us as we entered the old Catfish Barn at the edge of the city. His dark hair and Italian looks had half the room turning to look his way. He was the only man I knew that had a heart of gold. I couldn't have had a better mentor in life.

"Hey buddy." I shook his hand and moved over to pull Kari into a side hug. "I'm Caden. It's nice to finally meet you. This guy hasn't shut up about you in the last year."

"It's not been that long, has it?" Kari moved over to talk with Olivia after Jake stopped hugging the poor girl.

"How are you buddy?" He pulled me into a brotherly hug and patted my back. "You doing better?"

"Yeah, lots better. I went over to mom’s today and picked this old thing up." I pulled the little black box from my jeans pocket. "Remember this shit?"

He smirked and took it before turning his back on the girls as if to block our secret. "Are you giving her this?"

"Yeah, as a promise ring or something. I know she's not ready for much more than that." I shrugged. I would've asked her to marry me in a heartbeat, but she needed time to heal from Luke.

"I think that's a great idea." He handed me the ring back and shook his head. "Who would have thought this would be the ending?"

"Ending? Fuck that. This is only the beginning." I glanced around him to find Kari and Olivia laughing together. "I wanna enjoy each day with her."

"You got a lot of clean up to do thanks to Luke, my man." He patted me on the back and nodded toward the bar. "Let's get some beers and catch up. Dinner is on me."

"Naw, it's on me. I make ten times what you do, but one day - one day, you'll be buying because I'll be a poor ranch boy with ten kids and a simple life."

"If that's what you want, then go get it." He walked with me to the bar, filling me in on his parents and the talk of the town as of late, which was nothing new.

Football, drama and scandal. Sounded like life to me.

*

"Where are we going?" Olivia glanced over at me as I turned down a long dirt road and smiled. She must not have been home in the last year or so. They'd built up a new back road system from the city to the country, and at the end of it was our old football stadium where we played all our games.

"You'll see. Stop being so inquisitive. What are you, an investment advisor?" I smirked and reached for her hand as her face fell.

"I was." She shrugged. "I broke up with Luke this morning."

"Good. You don't need him." I squeezed her hand as elation ran through me. Step one in having her forever was over. "Now we need to either find you a new job, or get your old job back at Tangling. You tell me what you want to do and I'll pull every string I can. I have lots of connections."

"I'm not sure what I want to do just yet. I told Luke I was quitting, but I might stick around at your firm just to put the emotional pressure on him." She shrugged and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Why do I find that incredibly sexy?"

"Because you're a horny guy with a cute cheerleader on your arm? A blonde cheerleader that’s just
trying
to play with the big boys..."

"Hush. You bad thing. You knew I was just baiting you that night at Kadia. I needed to reel you in, and I knew slapping your pride would win me at least another round of fighting if nothing else." I smiled and lifted her fingers to my mouth to suck on the tip of one.

She moaned softly and reached over to brush her fingers down my leg. "Maybe we will break into the old locker room? Make love on one of those weight benches."

"I thought you didn't know where-" I glanced over at her and grumbled. "You're such a cheeky thing."

"That I am." She moved back to her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't believe how badly I let all that shit from our senior year get so blown out of proportion. It ruined everything inside of me over the last six years."

"I did too, but maybe we needed this time to grow into two people that could really appreciate each other. Maybe it wouldn't have worked any other way." I pulled into the parking lot and turned off the lights. "Let's just talk about the really great times we had back then. Not the one moment in all of it that fucked us over."

"Deal." She got out of the car and walked around to the front before reaching up and pulling her hair into some type of ponytail.

I wrapped my arm around her back and moved her with me to the edge of the field.

"You know what one of my favorite memories of high school was?" I pulled her closer and slipped off my shoes as she did the same.

"What, baby?" She wrapped her arm around my back and glanced up at me.

"That cheer competition you guys had and Danny hurt his back." I started to laugh. I couldn't help myself. "So you needed someone to fill in."

"And you said you would, but only if I didn't wear my bloomers?" She popped me in the chest and walked out on the field ahead of me.

I laughed a little more and jogged to catch up with her. "But you were a good girl."

"Was, past tense." She turned toward me and slid her hands up my chest. "I wanted to tease the hell out of you that day, but I figured I would end up in the air above someone else, and no one deserved to see the goods."

"No one but me?" I brushed my fingers down the side of her cheek, memorizing how incredibly beautiful she was. My heart was sealed as hers no matter what happened from that moment on. I couldn't pull it back again if I had to.

"No one but you." She lifted to her toes and kissed me a few times. "Not much has changed."

"I like it." I pulled the box out of my pocket and took a step back as her hands slid down my chest. "This is what I was talking about. It wasn't much back then, and it certainly isn't now, but maybe it could be a promise between us."

She nodded and reached for the box as I popped it open and extended it to her. "I love it."

"Maybe it can be that we promise each other that we'll see where this thing between us can lead. That while we're together we'll be one hundred percent true to each other." I ran my hand up her arm, over her shoulder to hold the base of her head softly in my hand.

She slipped the ring on and smiled up at me. "I like this a lot. Let's just take things slow and see what happens. No promises other than the ones you've mentioned and this one... that even if we don't end up together that I'll love you forever."

I nodded, wanting to correct her and knowing that there was no point. I didn't need a solid commitment just yet. Love would bind us together. It had for the last six years while we were apart and the entirety of my childhood. It would persevere and hold on tight when we weren't capable of doing it ourselves.

"I'll love you forever too, baby." I pulled her close to me and smiled. "Even if it is risky business to do it."

She pulled me down for a long slow kiss before we dropped down into the wet grass beneath us and laughed until our sides hurt from old stories.

She was mine for the moment, and honestly... that's all that mattered.