The Rules (12 page)

I loved his space. It was clean and perfect, but inviting. As I sat on his couch, I felt the urge to lean into the soft leather cushions and relax. Relax wasn’t in my vocabulary for the evening, though. Instead, I sat with my spine straight and my legs pressed together.

I glanced at him to see if he would reprimand me.

He chuckled. “You’re so uptight.”

“I never know what to expect with you.”

He reached for a lock of my hair and twisted it around his fingers. “Let’s straighten that out, shall we?”

I took another fortifying sip of wine. It really was delicious.

It occurred to me I hadn’t eaten. If I wasn’t careful, I would get light-headed fast. I wondered if he intended to feed me. I didn’t mean that literally, although the thought made me shiver.

“Sometimes when we’re together, we’ll just be normal people.”

I lifted both brows at him. We had never yet been normal.

He laughed. I loved it when he laughed. I loved those dimples on his cheeks and the way his eyes scrunched up when he relaxed. He was so fine to look at normally, but when he laughed, he was a work of art.

“Okay, I take total blame for not addressing much of anything with you before I stripped you and took control. That was rude. I apologize.”

Cade Alexander apologized? Huh.

“We can’t always be in the role. We’d be exhausted. Sometimes we need to just kick back and be normal.”

“You can do that?” I teased.

He laughed again and grabbed me around the neck to pull my face in. He laid a long, delicious kiss on me that fed me the flavor of the wine from his mouth. And then he released me. “I can, baby. I’ll be a perfect gentleman for the next two hours. Promise.”

And then what?

The doorbell rang, startling me.

Cade didn’t flinch. He jumped up and padded to the door, bare feet, red T-shirt stretching across his back.

I couldn’t see the entrance from my seat, so I was shocked when he came back into my line of view carrying a pizza. “Dinner.” He lifted it in the air to indicate the obvious.

“Cade Alexander eats pizza?” I asked. This was so much more the real me. Feisty. Joking.

Cade set the box on the coffee table and shocked me by bending to pull my shoes off. When he rose, he met my gaze. “I can be a regular guy. I love pizza. Now relax. Get comfortable. You look like you’re about to face an interrogation for a crime you know you committed.”

I slid back on the couch, lifted my legs, and tucked them under me.

“Good.” Cade opened the pizza box and grabbed a slice. “I didn’t know what you’d like, so I got supreme. Figured that way I could surely please you, and you could pick off what you don’t eat.” He handed me the first slice on a napkin.

It smelled fantastic, and I was starving.

I took a bite and then moaned at the flavor.

“I do have one rule, though.”

My eyes shot to his.

“If you insist on moaning while you eat, I’ll insist on stripping you naked and having my way with you.” He looked at me pointedly. He wasn’t kidding.

I managed to swallow that bite, but half of me wished he would do as he said. It would be difficult not to tempt him. So far, in my experience, being naked with him had not been a hardship.

I watched as Cade took his own slice and devoured it in about three bites. “Eat, baby.” He nodded at my hands.

I lifted my pizza to my mouth and took another bite. After I swallowed, I spoke. “Supreme is my favorite, by the way.”

“Excellent. See? We have something in common.”

I rolled my eyes.

When we finished eating, Cade cleared away the mess, refilled our glasses, and leaned back against the couch. “Tell me about yourself.”

“Not much to tell. You know most of it. I’m from LaGrange, about two hours south of here. I’m an only child. I had a normal childhood, went to college, then grad school, and here I am.”

“How many boyfriends have you had?”

“Not many. Been too busy.”

He let that line of questioning go. Thank God.

“You?”

“I’m from the suburbs north of here. Three sisters—Kirsten, Callie, and Katrina. All older.” He scrunched up his face. “They all think they’re my mother, even today. Six nieces and nephews, two apiece. My parents still live in the same house I grew up in.”

How normal.

“How many girlfriends have you had?”

He laughed. “Touché.”

“That’s what I thought. Good answer.”

He leaned forward. “None that made me feel the way you did in about two seconds last Friday.” He reached for my head, wrapped his hand around my neck, and dragged me closer.

I lost my balance and put out both hands to brace myself against his lap as he kissed me a third time. And just as quick, he let go, and I bounced back, putting that small distance between us again. My face flamed at his announcement.
None that made me feel the way you did in about two seconds last Friday
. I would never forget that as long as I lived.

A phone rang, and Cade leaned back to pull his cell from his jeans pocket. He looked at me. “Sorry, baby. I need to take this.”

“Okay.”

Surprisingly he didn’t move. He leaned into the couch farther and lifted the cell to his ear. “Give me good news, Riley.” He listened for a few seconds. “Uh-huh… Okay… Well, stay on it… Thanks for the update.” He didn’t say goodbye. He just ended the call and turned back to me. “Sorry.”

“No problem.”

“I work all hours. You should know. Some of my people are on the west coast. Some are in other countries.”

“Right. Of course.” I couldn’t imagine the stress. Although Cade did not seem stressed. When he worked, he worked, even if that work was a two-minute phone call. When he was done, he was done. Every bit of his attention reverted back to me.

He watched my face for a few minutes, seeming to think about something. “I have to go away this weekend.”

“Okay.”

“Come with me?”

I was shocked. Go with him? Away for the weekend?

“A friend of mine is getting married. It’s his engagement party. I’d intended to go alone. But now, I have you.” He reached for my hair again. “Say yes.”

“Yes.” I let that slip out without thinking. Probably too impulsive, but there it was.

And it was worth it to see his face beam. “Good. Great. I’ll pick you up at about seven Friday night. We’ll be back Sunday night. Does that work for you?”

“I think so.” I nodded. I couldn’t think of anything pressing I had to do. I needed to remember to let Cheyenne know. She’d mentioned shopping on Saturday. Plus, no one should go away for the weekend with a man they barely knew without telling someone. “What should I bring?”

“Nothing.” He grinned huge.

“I mean clothes, dork. What kind of party is it? How formal?”

“Did you just call me a dork?” He leaped into my space in an instant, mirth dancing in his eyes as his body leaned forward inch by inch until I had to flatten myself against the arm of the couch at my back.

He didn’t stop. He kept coming until his entire frame covered me, his hard body pressing into mine. With his lips inches from my own, he spoke again. “Listen, you minx. I meant exactly what I said. If you have some special makeup you need or some hair thingies, fine. I’ll cover the rest.”

I stared at him. “You’ll cover the rest?” I finally repeated.

“That’s what I said.”

“You’re going to buy me clothes?”

“Yep.” He trailed a finger down my cheek and then my neck until it rested on my throat above the collar of my dress.

“You don’t know my sizes.”

“I’m good.” His gaze wandered to the spot where his finger lay. “You won’t need much. I don’t intend to let you leave the hotel for much more than the party.”

I swallowed. Was I ready for this?

I’d never in my life been away for a weekend with a man. And I’d been dating this one for about three days, if I could even consider what we were doing dating.

What we had going tonight was nice. Very nice. I liked it. A lot. And from the look in Cade’s eyes, it was about to get nicer.

Cade stroked his finger lower over my dress, between my breasts, watching as he went. He kept going, lifting his body off mine as he leaned to one side to let his finger continue, dipping into the hollow of my belly where it sunk and then down one leg to my thigh. He brushed his pointer over the skin of my inner thigh under the hem of my dress, shifting his gaze to mine.

I willed him to reach farther. Touch me. Anything.

“Are you wet for me, baby?” His voice was lower, gravelly.

I nodded. I always was, but it intensified every time he flat out asked me.

“Good. See, I can do normal.” He smiled, his finger still drawing leisurely circles on my thigh.

I spread my legs wider for him.

Cade suddenly released me and sat up, hauling me to sitting also. He kissed my forehead. “You’re so fucking tempting.”

I was?

“I’m not going to play with you tonight. I don’t think I can without fucking you. And you aren’t ready for that.”

I wasn’t? I couldn’t keep up. I opened my mouth to question him, but he stopped me with a finger. “Don’t. Just trust me.”

I nodded.

“Arthur’s going to drive you home. I need to make a few calls. I want to make sure I’m totally free for forty-eight hours to enjoy you this weekend.”

I liked that idea. Especially after the sweet way he’d managed to spend the evening with me without stripping me both literally and figuratively.

“I’m not going to see you tomorrow, but I’ll be there at seven on Friday. Be ready.”

“Okay.”

He shook his head and then kissed me again, slower, sweeter, longer. Not with the same urgency as before, but just as amazing.

Chapter Eight

I was running through my apartment grabbing things to stick in my bag when I heard the knock at my door. I wasn’t ready. I dashed from my bedroom to the front of my apartment and opened the door, breathing heavily.

Cade stood there, casually leaning against the frame, grinning. “Hey, baby.” His usual greeting made my knees almost buckle. His gaze roamed up and down my body as his face fell and his brow furrowed. He righted himself and stepped inside, pushing me back with a hand to my chest until he could shut the door. “What are you wearing?”

I glanced down, wondering what his beef was. I thought I looked fine. Comfy jeans. Tank top. Flip flops. “What?” Lord the man was intense.

He shook his head. “No way. Change.” He pointed behind me toward the hall.

“Cade. What the hell?” Now I was nervous. “Aren’t we just driving to Nashville tonight? That will take like four hours. It’ll be almost midnight before we get there. Who cares what I’m wearing? This is comfortable.” I plucked at my shirt, miffed with him. How dare he judge my clothes?

I straightened my spine. “Look, I’m not made of money. I don’t own a shitload of fancy clothes like you do. This is me. Take it or leave it. If you’re going to be an asshole about it, go without me.” I stepped back.

Cade followed, taking two strides, grabbing me around the waist and lifting me off the ground to spin me around. He pinned me against the door before I knew what was happening. His hands wormed their way under my tank top until they were splayed on my bare skin.

I tried to wiggle free of his clutch, anger still eating at me, when he lifted his face. Laughter lined the edges of his eyes. He was fighting it. He’d tucked his top lip between his teeth. His hands roamed higher until he cupped my breasts through my bra.

“Cade. Let me go.” I pushed against his chest, but he didn’t budge. And I had no idea what he suddenly found funny, but I suspected I wasn’t going to agree.

“You’re so fucking sexy when you wig out, baby.” He leaned in and kissed the side of my neck, infuriating me further.

I pushed on his hands, trying to dislodge his grip around my breasts, pissed as hell that my nipples had immediately responded to his touch. “I’m not trying to be sexy. Just realistic.”

“Baby…” He reached under my bra and pinched my nipples. I stopped squirming. “Look at me.”

Damn him. I met his gaze.

“Love the outfit. Tight shirt. Sexy as hell.” He released my nipples as he spoke and tugged my shirt over my head to toss it on the floor. “And this bra. Cute.” He reached for the front clasp, popped it open, and wiggled it down my body to join my shirt.

Cool air hit my hardened nipples, and I gasped at his audacity. I shouldn’t have been shocked.

His hands roamed down to my jeans where he popped the button and lowered the zipper. He spoke as he tugged them over my hips. “These also look fantastic on you, baby. Perfect for running around town when you aren’t with me.” He kneeled at my feet and tugged them free.

When he stood back up, his smile had faded. “Panties? Really?”

I flinched. “I can’t go without under jeans.”

“Why the hell not?”

“I would rub. It would…hurt.”

Cade narrowed his gaze. He seemed to be thinking. “Okay, here’s the deal, baby. When you’re with me, skirts, dresses, anything I can reach under and touch your pussy. When you’re with your girls or out running errands, you can wear the jeans. And because I’m so good at compromise, I’ll even concede to the panties.” He grinned big, melting my resolve to be angry.

“Now, as much as I wish we could stay here and I could admire your naked body all night, we have to get going.” He cupped my breasts again as he finished speaking. “How about I help you find something more appropriate to wear between here and the car, and we get on the road.”

Between here and the car?

“Cade…” I warned.

He ignored me and took my hand to pull me down the hall. When we hit the bedroom, he stopped and I ran into the back of him in the doorway. “Holy shit. Did a cyclone hit in here?”

I glanced around. “Did I mention I’m not as tidy as you?”

“Nope.” He stepped over clothes and headed for my closet. “Why in God’s name do you have everything you own on the floor?”

I shrugged to his back. “Couldn’t decide what to pack. I was trying things on.”

He paused at the entrance to my closet, toeing some shoes out of his way. He looked over his shoulder at me. “I told you not to pack a thing.”