The Rules (17 page)

He opened his mouth, shock making his eyes go wide. “Amelia. I’m not a jerk. I don’t give a fuck about those people inside. I don’t even know most of them. I came here because my best friend is getting married. If his guests can’t extend common courtesy to my date, fuck them.”

How did he know?

“Someone said shit to you, didn’t they?”

I nodded, biting my lower lip before I released it. “It’s done. Leave it alone.”

“Are you crazy?”

I shrugged. “Are you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I rolled my eyes. “What are you doing with me, Cade?”

“Enjoying a weekend away?”

I cleared my throat and rolled my eyes again. “No. I mean in general. I’m a twenty-four-year-old, middle-class girl from the first floor. I don’t fit into your world, Cade.”

Cade released me and ran his hands through his hair. “Seriously?” He was mad. “You think I care about that shit?”

The car pulled to a stop, but Arthur didn’t leave his seat in the front. I could see him through the glass barrier and wondered how much he could hear.

Cade glared at me hard and then yanked the door open and climbed out. He reached back inside for my hand, and I followed him to avoid a scene on the front sidewalk of the most expensive hotel in downtown Nashville.

Neither of us spoke a word as we made our way to the elevators and then stepped inside.

Cade’s fury was evident in the way his nostrils flared every time he breathed. He actually scared me for the first time. If he would spank me for wearing panties, what would he do for leaving his friend’s party to cry in the limo?

When the door opened, Cade squeezed my hand tighter and pulled me inside the suite.

I winced as the doors shut behind me, and he released me to stomp across the room. I stood rooted to my spot, waiting for who knew what while Cade headed straight for the bar. He poured himself a tumbler of something brown over ice, probably whatever he’d also been drinking the first night we’d spoken last Friday.

He surprised me by pouring a glass of wine next and carrying both drinks to the coffee table. “Come here, Amelia.”

I moved. I admitted to myself I was nervous about his reaction, but I convinced myself he wouldn’t hurt me. Nobody poured a woman a glass of wine so thoughtfully and then slapped her across the room. Right? It would be incongruent.

Cade handed me my wine as I sat on the edge of the couch, back straight, feet together. I held the glass, not having any desire to consume it. He slumped onto the couch next to me, not quite touching me. A long silence ensued, during which Cade consumed most of his drink. When he set the glass on the coffee table, he turned toward me.

“First of all, I don’t give a fuck how much money you have or don’t have. Period. Do not insinuate otherwise ever again. Are we clear?”

I nodded.
Oh shit
.

“Good. Second of all, some of those bitches with piles of money think they run the universe, and they’re wrong. They can go straight to hell with their hoity attitudes. I don’t need any of them, and I’d rather be alone than endure a moment of their fake faces and lies. Are we clear on that?”

I nodded again.

He took my chin and held it. “I like you for who you are, Amelia. Nothing else. I was attracted to you from the moment I saw you for the way you held yourself. Of course your looks were in play that first day also. That’s human nature. When I saw that thick, brown wavy hair swaying down the hall, those fantastic legs extending beyond the bottom of your straight skirt, and those fuck-me heels you wore to work with your head held high, I swallowed my tongue.

“But then I got to know you, and I found out I liked what was inside even better. You’re a gem, Amelia. A perfect diamond in the rough. And the fact that you also happen to have a truly submissive side that suits my personal tastes is icing on the cake. Are we clear on that point?”

I nodded again, swallowing back another tear. And then my mouth moved. I couldn’t stop it. “How many women in that room have you slept with?”

Cade’s eyes went huge. He dropped my chin. He watched my face. He didn’t speak for so long, I wasn’t sure he’d heard me. And then he bit out, “That bitch.” His jaw twitched, and he stood and began to pace the room across from me. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

I had no idea how I revealed so much with that simple question. Apparently a lot.

Cade stomped around the room. He grabbed his tumbler from the coffee table and made his way to the bar. At the last second, he hesitated and launched it at the wall instead of pouring another drink. The glass shattered, and I glanced back and forth between him and the wall.

And then he stomped back to me. He took a deep breath and put his hands on his hips. I had to tip back to see his face. “There was only one woman in that room I’ve ever had my dick in. I’ll regret that action until the day I die. It was thirteen years ago. We were drunk at a frat party, and she lured me into her nest. I’ve never told anyone that, especially not Riley.”

He heaved for breaths. “Whatever venom she spewed came from her diamondback mouth, and you need to wipe her skanky ass from your mind. The only reason I’ve ever spoken to her again was for Riley’s sake. I have no idea what he sees in her, but he’s my best friend, and I’ve tried to smile and adjust my face for years whenever I’ve been around that bitch.”

I gasped. “The woman I spoke to was his fiancée?”

“Tall, model, black hair pulled back in a tight bun that makes her face look like it got stretched to pull out her early wrinkles?”

I nodded.

“Yep. That’s the one.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. And now I have to tell my best friend since childhood that his fiancée is a complete fraud.”

“Oh God.” I stood. “You can’t do that.”

“Why the hell not? I can’t not do it. I’ve been giving her the benefit of the doubt for years. I knew in my gut she was bad news, but she managed to keep herself from dribbling her shit in my lap for a long time. If she thinks she can treat my date like she did, she’s wrong.”

I opened my mouth.

He held up a hand. “I don’t even want to know what she said. I’ve never hit a woman in anger, and I don’t want to start tonight. If you mention a word she spewed, I’m liable to head back to that party and slap the grin off her fucking face.”

I pursed my lips, deciding it would be best to keep our chat to myself after all.

“If that bitch implied she slept with me and that she was better than you, that’s all I need to know. Is that what happened?”

“Yes.”

He nodded. He tore his phone from his pocket and stared at it. And then he walked from the room and shut the door to his bedroom.

I sat back down on the couch, shaking at the amount of power I yielded. I both hated it and wanted to grin at the same time.

Cade Alexander was really into me. He wasn’t messing around. And no bitch was going to ruin it. He would see to it.

I picked up my wine, wincing at the thought of what Cade was saying to Riley. I’d barely met his friend when we’d arrived—too distracted by my own man to pay much attention to another. There had been so many people at the party, I never saw him again in my short attempt to fit in with the wealthy.

I hoped Riley didn’t blame me for his fiancée’s actions.

I took a long sip of yet another delicious Chardonnay and tried to relax.

Chapter Thirteen

When Cade materialized from his bedroom, he was completely calm. His brow was still furrowed, but he didn’t show any signs of imminent implosion. He’d removed his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons on his shirt.

I stood and smoothed my hands down the front of my dress.

He didn’t say a word about his talk with Riley, and I didn’t want to bring it up either. Whatever happened between Cade and his friend was between them.

Cade met my gaze. “Why are you still wearing that dress, baby?”

I wasn’t sure what he meant. “Uh, Sir?”

He chuckled. “It’s sexy as hell. I’ll give you that, but I’m over it.” He rounded behind me and turned my back to his front. Then he released the clasp at the top behind my neck. The fabric shimmied to the floor to pool around my feet.

I leaned down to step away from the dress and pick it up. Cade might not have wanted it on me anymore, but I didn’t want anything to happen to it.

Cade chuckled.

“What?”

“Suddenly you decide to clean up after yourself?”

I glanced at the dress. “That dress is amazing. It must have cost a fortune. I don’t want to step on it.”

He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. The kiss lingered, deepening. He held me tighter. I could feel his erection against my belly through his dress pants.

My nipples rubbed against the front of his shirt, stiffening. I wanted him badly. I said a silent prayer that he wouldn’t make me wait any longer.

When he broke the kiss, his eyes were heavy. Sexy. He was aroused. He stepped back and unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, never losing my gaze. Slowly he removed the starched material until he stood bare-chested in front of me.

I had learned to love this man’s chest. I stepped forward and set my palms flat on the smooth surface, leaning toward him. I still wore my heels, bracelet, and earrings, but nothing else. “Cade,” I whispered. “Please.” I wasn’t too proud to beg.

He took my shoulders in his hands and stared at me. Then he shocked me by swinging me up to cradle me in his arms and marching from the room straight into his bedroom.
His
bedroom. Not mine.

Cade tossed me onto his bed.

I scampered back a few inches from the edge, my high heels digging into the mattress. I reached to remove them but halted when Cade spoke. “Don’t, baby. I like them. I want to take you for the first time while you’re wearing those sexy heels.” He grinned and shrugged. “I’m a guy.”

I relented. If his fantasy involved me wearing the most expensive silver heels I’d ever worn, so be it.

He removed his belt and then unbuttoned and unzipped his pants.

I held my breath. For as many times as he’d seen me naked and made me writhe beneath him, I had not yet seen his body below the hips.

When he lowered his dress pants, taking his underwear with them, I inhaled slowly.
Jesus. Shit
.

I wasn’t a prude, I thought not for the first time. But God almighty, were they all like that one?

“You okay, baby?”

I lifted my gaze to his smirking face, realizing I had scooted away from him subconsciously. I stopped moving, but my legs were pressed tightly together. I looked at him over my knees. “Of course.” I licked my lips. I understood the concept. And people said it always fit, but Cade’s thick length was a far cry larger than even his three fingers together, and he’d thrust those into me several times.

Cade reached down to pick up his pants. He pulled a condom from the pocket and then draped the slacks over the end of the bed. Next, he tugged the comforter down. “Lift your ass, baby.”

I wiggled several directions until he had the top few layers removed and I sat on the silk sheets.

Cade put one knee on the bed and then hesitated. He reached for his bobbing shaft and stroked it from the base to the tip while I watched, mesmerized.

“Baby, look at me.”

I yanked my gaze to his, a bit embarrassed to have been caught staring.

His brow was furrowed. “How long has it been?”

I swallowed. “How long has what been?” I knew what he meant. I was stalling, and a bit sorry we were having this conversation. I’d hoped to avoid it altogether. I really didn’t want Cade to treat me with kid gloves. That just flew out the window with his question, which I inadvertently caused with my weird reactions.

Cade climbed onto the bed. He grabbed my ankles and tugged until I fell flat onto my back. Then he straddled me, circled my wrists, and pulled my arms over my head. His face was inches from mine when he cleared his throat.

I met his gaze. I needed to at least own up to my lack of experience.

“Amelia?”

I couldn’t find the words.

“Fuck me.” He leaned in farther. I could see his eye start to twitch. I hoped he wasn’t angry.

I waited.

He waited longer. And then his face dipped so that all I could see was the top of his head. “Oh my God. Why didn’t you tell me?” He lifted his gaze.

I said nothing. I was slightly mortified. Not for the first time. He acted like I’d committed a crime. I squirmed in his clutches, trying to dislodge myself from his grip. I needed space.

He held me tighter. “No you don’t. You don’t get to drop that bomb on me at the eleventh hour without an explanation.”

He was right. I owed him that much. Even if he chose not to have sex with me in the end, I wasn’t being fair. “I’m sorry, Sir,” I mumbled. “I should have told you. I… I just thought it would be easier.”

“Easier for whom, Amelia?” His voice was gentle. His face was hard.

“Both of us?” I gathered more words. “I didn’t want you to look at me like—” I swallowed and continued, my voice barely audible this time. “Like you are right now.”

Cade flinched. “How am I looking at you?”

“Like you’re disappointed.”

His eyes widened.

I continued before he could respond. “Look, I’m sorry. I understand if you don’t want to, um, you know. I have no experience at all. It was totally selfish of me to keep this from you.”

I couldn’t read his expression.

“Will you let me go? Please. Cade.” I struggled against his grip on my wrists and squirmed my ass, trying to free myself.

“Stop moving, baby. I’m going to come on your stomach if you don’t.”

I froze.

He smiled. “And stop fretting so hard. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

What the hell?

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m going to spank your ass until you can’t sit down after I fuck you. But first I’m going to make love to you until the only thing you know is my face and my cock buried inside you. When I’m finished taking your virginity, an honor I’m humbled to have bestowed on me, I’m going to fuck you hard. When I’m finished with that, you’ll never doubt you’re mine again. Are we clear?”

I gasped. I couldn’t begin to process all he’d said. He wanted me anyway?