by Maren Smith
Oh, sure. Stay here with the handsome stranger and let him take care of my every need, and cater to my very personal desires. Yeah, that’s not crazy it all…
It was so crazy, and yet, it sounded so good.
“What’s the catch?” I asked, narrowing my gaze on him. “Do I have to pimp myself out every night? Run numbers? Move drugs?”
Kade seemed to hold back a snicker and rolled his eyes. “No, none of those things. I’m part of the largest law firm in the entire country. I don’t have to resort to illegal activities to make ends meet.” Kade chuckled, in spite of our odd topic of conversation. “Just what sort of people have you been hanging around?”
“Not a good group, apparently.” I scanned his face as if searching for some sort of tell, but came up short. “Are you, like, a lawyer?”
“No, but I help represent other lawyers. I’ve got a lot of knowledge under my belt, but law school wasn’t my cup of tea.”
My eyes shifted down to his pants, wondering what else he had under his belt, but his eyes followed mine, and he smirked.
“You’re annoying as fuck.”
“What unit of measurement is that?”
“Ugh. Never mind. It’s a good thing you’re handsome or I would have been gone by now,” I fibbed. We both knew I couldn’t have gone anywhere yet.
“You think I’m handsome, Caity-bug?”
“Don’t call me that.” Deciding I had had enough of this circular conversation, I retreated to the living room. I plopped myself down on his couch and curled my legs up underneath me. He followed me, of course. I bit my lip, and glanced in his direction. “I can’t stay here, Kade.”
I wanted to. I really did. This tiny part of my heart wanted to lie and tell me that Kade was different than everyone else in my life thus far, that his concern was genuine, and that he wouldn’t let me down. My brain told me I was crazy to believe such wistful nonsense.
“Why not?”
Expelling a deep breath, I tried to pull the thoughts swirling around into my head into some sort of comprehensible explanation. “I’ve been let down by everyone starting with my parents. Those lousy good-for-nothing fucks who couldn’t even stick around to raise the baby they made together. My mother was a teen, or so I’ve heard, and my father was a druggie of some sort. I wish that I had never been born.” Tears poured down my cheeks, and it pissed me off. “Stupid, stupid,” I muttered, frustrated as fuck at how freely my emotions flowed around him, after having been kept behind carefully guarded walls for all these years. Huge tears spilled out. The faster they fell the angrier I got, but then something unexpected happened. Kade wrapped an arm around me, pulling me tightly against him, and I cried into his chest.
“Let it out, Caity-bug,” he cooed, rubbing my back. “They should have taken better care of you, but they’re not here. I’ve got you. Let it out,” he soothed.
I sobbed so fucking hard his shirt had several big soaked patches on the front of it by the time the tears subsided. A heavy burden lifted off of my heart, my shoulders, and I pushed out of his arms with a lighter touch than usual. I’d learn to gage my strength at some other point, perhaps we could work on it together.
No. No. Stop it.
You won’t seem him past tonight. This meant nothing.
Kade handed me a box of tissues.
“I’ve never shared that with anyone.” I wiped my eyes, hating how vulnerable I’d become since the minute we’d crossed paths, and his kindness irritated me even more. “I haven’t relied on anyone to help me. I’m not going to start with you.”
“Why not?” Kade cocked an eyebrow as he asked me the same question again. “Give me an actual reason.”
“I-I don’t even know you,” I said, stating the obvious.
“What do you want to know?” He leaned back against the cushions and draped one arm across the back of the couch. His fingers brushed my neck as he situated himself, and I longed for them to touch me in other places.
Goddammit. What was he doing to me? Where had that thought even come from?
“I’m an open book. Go ahead and ask me.”
“Why did you help me the other night? I’m aware of how much worse it could have been, especially if you weren’t there, but it doesn’t make sense. I could have been some crazy fugitive. A drug dealer. A thief, a hardened criminal. You knew nothing about me, and you brought me into your home!”
“You were nearly unconscious in the middle of Devil’s Park. You do know what sort of shit goes down there, right?” Kade pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath before releasing it. “I figured it would be rather obvious to you. I’ve seen bad things go down with my own eyes. It wasn’t safe for you to be there at all, especially not at night. The risk to my personal safety in case you were some nut job was worth it. Had I just left you there, I’d never have got over the guilt if I’d found out something terrible happened.”
“Okay…” I paused and considered his answer. “Well, you’re an admirable guy, but plenty of others would have let fate play out however it was meant to and not taken such a big risk.”
“How do you know it didn’t play out exactly as it was meant to, Caitlyn? Think about the string of events which led to the way the night unfolded. How often do you get deliveries to that neighborhood? How many times have you been placed in a life or death situation?”
“You’re not going to like my answers,” I stared into his gorgeous eyes while I figured out which question to address first. “I’m not sure if things played out the way they were supposed to or not, but I’ve never gotten a delivery over there before. I find myself in life or death situations a few times a year.”
His probing questions revealed a lot more than I had anticipated.
“Jesus,” he looked up at the ceiling and back down again. “You shouldn’t be dealing with those sorts of problems.”
“Tell me about it.” I shifted slightly, wondering what else was on his mind. “So, do you understand now why I can’t just move in and play house?”
“No one is playing.” Kade turned his body toward me and touched my knee. “You can’t even see the tangled mess of what you’ve inserted yourself into. You keep thinking it’s not a big deal, but I’m telling you it is. Can you just humor me and stay here until I can take care of this?”
“I don’t know you. I don’t know your intentions, despite how they might have appeared the other night. I can’t repay you for what you’ve done for me so I really need to go. I’ve got to get back to my life, Kade.”
“I understand what you’re saying, and I understand your hesitation, but you’ve placed yourself in a rather precarious position. It would be so much safer if you let everyone believe you went missing in Devil’s Park.”
“You are twisted.” I laughed, shaking my head. “This guy is just a man, and he isn’t going to waste his time on some nobody waitress from Joe’s Pizzeria.”
There was a moment of pause before Kade spoke, and I could tell he was choosing his words carefully. “Think of how much simpler it is for a man with a ton of power to waste the little blonde waitress from the middle of nowhere town, then it would be to take out a corporate executive or a celebrity of some sort. If you got dropped off the side of Silvermoon Pier tomorrow, who would alert the authorities to find you?”
His words formed ice in my veins. I wanted to believe people would notice, but would they care? Kade was right. “Fuck.” I hit my hands down into my thighs and then cursed several more times. “Ouch! Oh, that hurt.” His mouth quirked up as he realized what I had done, and I shoved his arm. “It’s not funny!”
“It’s a little funny.” He chuckled. “Do you want me to rub your thighs?”
I’d like you to rub something in between my thighs. Oh damn.
Heat pooled into my belly so fast it melted the cold fear away in a flash. I opened my mouth to make a smart-ass comment, and then shut it again. I nodded unable to trust whatever the hell might fall out of my lips. He lifted my legs onto his
lap and pressed all along the top of my left thigh, rubbing, kneading, easing stress and tension out of my body in waves. I moaned softly, when his focus changed to the other side. “You-you were serious about your hands.”
“As long as you listen, you’ll get what you want.”
“What happens if I don’t listen?” I couldn’t resist asking, and my mouth dried as I waited for his answer.
“A naughty brat who doesn’t listen to me will find herself punished,” he responded matter-of-factly. “I doubt you want to cross that particular bridge tonight.”
“For the record, I’m not a brat.” I pouted, looking all the part of said brat and quickly changed up my posture.
What the hell did he mean about getting punished?
I wanted to poke at him, and get the answers to all my questions in whatever form that took, but I was also emotionally wasted and lacking the mental strength. All I wanted was to fall asleep in his arms and not worry about whatever else had happened these past few days.
“Be whatever you want to be, but mark my words: naughty brats find themselves punished.”
“Is that why you’re single?” The question tumbled out of my mouth without a filter. I had no idea if he were single or not, and it wasn’t fair to make such an assumption.
“The reason I’m single has nothing to do with the statement I just made. I hold myself to high standards, and I won’t be made to cower just because a woman thinks her balls are bigger than mine. Any woman I allow into my life is held in high regard, but she will follow the rules I outline. She gets my utter devotion and my complete respect. Still, I set a benchmark.”
“It’s fun to push your buttons, Kade. I’m not entirely sure why I find it so enjoyable. Also, I’m not really used to this type of interaction.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Anyhow, I’m at least one-hundred times stronger than you, at least I think I am, so whatever your idea of punishment is probably wouldn’t work on me.”
“Physical strength has nothing to do with actions and repercussions.” His voice softened. “If you trust me enough to take care of things, and you don’t follow simple rules, then you would submit to a consequence. I don’t want or need to break you in order to keep you safe, Caity-bug. I’m well aware of your newly acquired talent, but if you felt threatened by me, you would have punched a hole in the wall behind me and sauntered right through it by now.”
“I could still do it,” I agreed. His observations were on point. I hadn’t left his care or his company because despite the oddness of the events from the past few days, he had been the first person in a long time who had any interest in my well-being at all.
“It sounds like some part of you trusts me just a little bit. Please stay here until this crap blows over. I’m at a position in my life where having a houseguest isn’t going to throw off my schedule. I’ve got flexible hours at my job and I can work from home if I need to.” He laced his fingers into mine. “Your safety trumps everything else.”
“I know you’re concerned about my safety, but my rent is due. I’m over two-hundred and fifty dollars short. I’d have made it in tips if I hadn’t passed out.”
“Does your landlord come and collect your rent or do you have a drop box somewhere?”
I winced, and my stomach dropped at the answer. The truth was, sometimes the landlord collected more than just money, especially in the past when I hadn’t been able to make ends meet. My expression did not go unnoticed by Kade, but he seemed to read way deeper into my body language then I’d thought he would.
“Oh, Caitlyn.” His voice held a twinge of sadness and concern, but seemed to lack the judgment I expected. “You can’t stay in that sort of environment. Tell me your address and I’ll settle the bill. He won’t ever touch you in an inappropriate way again. Besides, if you leave here, you’ll be placing yourself straight into harm’s way. It isn’t a good plan.”
“Don’t you fucking dare!” I jumped to my feet. “Don’t you dare spout off ridiculous promises you can’t keep. You don’t know me at all. I do what I need to do in order to stay at my apartment. I’m sure lots of people do the same.” Tears pricked behind my eyes again. I’d had enough. I didn’t cry easily. I wasn’t going to reduce myself to a sniveling mess again. Truth be told, I hated the apartment. I hated my landlord. He frequently came to my apartment to collect mid-month money, and when I was short, he’d do whatever he wanted to me. The memory disgusted me, and I sank back into the cushions. “I’m sure I’m not the only one who has to do uncomfortable things just to survive.”
“Please let me help.” Kade touched my cheek. He brushed away a stray tear that had slipped down my face and my heart fluttered. “No one has the right to demand anything from you, short on rent or not. Not even me. I just want you to be safe, and I don’t want anyone to harm you.”
“You-you don’t even know me.” I protested but I’d already stated it more than once and he stared back at me without repeating himself. “Whenever you look at me, I want to open up and share things I’ve never even thought about sharing with someone else. And yet, I feel like you already know some of them. How can that be?”
“I don’t know how.” He sighed. “But I’m sincere in my offer to pay your rent, give you a place to stay and protect you. Stay here, with me.”
I did the stupidest thing I recalled doing in a long ass time. I kissed Kade squarely on the mouth, and damn it felt good. He pulled back, and his eyebrows furrowed. I’d clearly confused the fuck out of him. “I-I’m sorry. I sort of thought—”
My words died on my lips when he crushed his mouth to mine, and claimed me with his tongue.
Holy fucking hell.
His hand tangled in my hair, and I mimicked his actions. He damn near devoured my soul, and I let him. For whatever journey I was about to embark on, it couldn’t top this deliciously wicked moment. Kade pushed me backward until we were laying on the couch with him on top. I wrapped my legs around his waist and arched upward. I wanted him so fucking bad. It didn’t matter that we didn’t know each other, there was a palpable connection between us in this moment.
“Easy, sweetheart.” Kade pushed back slightly, bringing us both crashing back to reality. “If you’re trying to distract me with your body so I forget about your plan to traipse back into your place of employment and apartment without any sort of back-up like nothing has happened, then I won’t fall for it.”
God. That was a brilliant idea. Why hadn’t I thought of it?
I grabbed the bottom of my shirt, but he halted my movement with his hands and placed them over mine. I used my body to get what I wanted from people I never cared about, so why couldn’t I use it for the one I did?
“You’re the first person I’ve ever wanted to kiss,” I said, throwing out the truth for once, but hating how vulnerable it left me. “I’m a bit overwhelmed by the realization, but my first intention wasn’t to distract you. I’ll do what you’ve asked me. I’ll stay here but I can’t lose my apartment. It’s all I’ve got.”
“Fine,” he conceded with a sigh. “I’ll give you the difference so that leech won’t have a reason to touch you, but I’ll bring you there. You’re not going alone.”
“Yeah, okay,” I agreed quickly, but I’d have agreed to almost anything to get back to what we had been doing on the couch. “Did you hear what else I said?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know what the hell to say in response.” He rubbed his thumb across my bottom lip. “It’s getting late though, so we should probably go to bed. Not together. I know you’ve been out of it the past few days, but you need real rest. You can stay in the guest room.”
Kade climbed off of me, and I missed both the warmth from his body and its weight all the same.
Nodding in bereft agreement, I got to my feet. He had a point. As much as I wanted him to just throw me down and fuck me senseless, the reality of the situation poked at me like a bad idea. We were strangers, not old lovers.
“Thank you for saving me. As much as I hate the idea
of being rescued, I’m grateful it was you.”
“You’re welcome, Caitlyn. Sweet dreams.”
I shuffled out of the living room and went upstairs. Kade had placed a new set of sheets and pillowcases on the nightstand, the one which held my clothing, and I quickly fixed the bed. I wasn’t planning on staying through the night, but if he poked his head into the room, I wanted the semblance of normalcy. I didn’t want to be further in his debt. I wouldn’t take money from him, no matter what my landlord would do to me.
With my plan in place, I smoothed my hand over the soft cotton blanket and got into bed. I knew Kade would be pissed at me when he woke up and realized I’d left in the middle of the night like a common criminal, (well not really a criminal), but I had priorities. Heaving a sigh, I snuggled into the mattress, and tried not to entertain the idea of staying here and letting Kade take care of me for real.
Fuck. I’d miss his damn kisses.
Chapter 6
Kade
Damnit. I stared at the empty bed in my guest bedroom, with my spare set of clothing that I had loaned her folded up in a pile at the foot of it, and cursed myself for letting my emotions and other things get in the way of my common sense. I should have known better than to believe that Caitlyn would stay.
Now, she’d run off somewhere and that spelled trouble for both of us. I didn’t even know her address, because with all the kissing, daddy talk and crying, I had forgotten to actually get it from her.
I should have punished her like I’d wanted to and hinted at, but I thought it would have made her run even faster. Too bad she had made the decision on her own. And now, I had to try to find her.
Antonio rarely traveled anywhere without his men close by. I’d gotten lucky the other night, and had I done my job without letting Caitlyn’s plight distract me, she’d have been a whole lot safer right now. Shit. As much as I wanted to track down the sassy blonde, I had to go to work too. Tonight though, I’d set out some feelers and find my way back to her.
