by Pru Schuyler
A full smile stretches over his face, his perfect white teeth glowing in the moonlight. “There’s something I want to ask you.” A playfulness tugs at his lips.
“Okay,” I murmur back, still finding my voice.
He steps a little closer. “Is it okay if I kiss you right now?” His voice is low.
My eyes burn with my feelings for him. This … this is what it’s supposed to be like.
“Yes,” I whisper.
He lifts his hand up and slowly slides his fingers around my cheek. His thumb strokes gently, sending shivers down my body. He tilts my chin up. His eyes fill with lust and adoration, and I want all of it. I close my eyes, and his breath warms my lips. My heart jumps out of my chest.
His lips tickle mine, teasing me. They slowly press in, deepening the kiss. This is a world away from our first kiss. I can feel his desire, his need, but his control makes it soft as a feather, caressing my heart and soul. I part my lips, pushing myself flush against his chest, letting him know I’m okay. His tongue grazes my bottom lip, and a soft moan escapes me. I need him as much as he needs me.
We get lost in each other, forgetting time. The world fades away. Cade and I find everything we’ve been searching for in each other’s embrace.
When we pull away, our foreheads roll together, our breathing heavy.
He chuckles and presses a kiss to my forehead. “You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that.” He pushes another soft kiss against my lips. “Do you want to head back inside or go home?”
My voice, thick with emotion, responds, “How would we get home? What time is the limo coming?”
Cade glances to the parking lot. “Brady and I dropped our cars off earlier in case we wanted to leave at different times. The limo was only for the ride here,” he fills me in, digging for the keys in his pocket.
He never fails to impress me. He always thinks of everything.
I bite my lip. “In that case, would you care if we just went back to your house? Watch a movie or something? I’m not really up for dancing now.”
His eyes flash a hint of deep desire. “Sounds perfect to me.”
I quickly go to find Brooke inside to get my phone and keys. On our way outside, Cade threads his fingers through mine, and we walk over to his Camaro.
I find myself looking up into the stars, astounded at how something so far away could shine so brightly.
FOURTEEN
The whole ride home from the dance, we listen to the radio, back-to-back love songs. Cade holds my hand the whole way, bringing it up to his lips, placing small kisses each time.
We pull into his driveway, the last verse of “Dusk Till Dawn” by Madilyn Bailey playing.
“What movie do you want to watch?” I ask him, butterflies jumping in my stomach.
He shakes his head lightly, smiling, and gets out of the car. He walks all the way around to my side. Opening the door, he offers his hand to me. I take it without hesitation.
We amble across the lawn to my front door.
Pulling me to a stop, he holds my gaze. “Stella, I like you so much, and I don’t want to rush this. I want this to last. So, I’m going to say good night, maybe give you a kiss if you’re up for it, and then I’m going to walk back to my house, drag myself upstairs, and do my best not to show up on your doorstep tonight.” He cuts himself off and opens my front door for me. “Then, tomorrow, I’m going to walk back over with breakfast and coffee and kiss you good morning. How does that sound?”
That sexy half-smile wrecks my heart. It feels like it’s going to burst.
“Perfect,” I say, breathless.
He grabs my hand, spinning me under his arm. My emerald dress twirls, sparkling in the moonlight. I can’t help the giggles that escape me.
He bites his lip. “You look beautiful, Stels. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”
My eyes flutter up to him. “Me too.”
The air between us thickens. Cars move slower, the wind freezes, and my entire body comes alive. He slowly leans toward me, head tilted slightly.
Rolling up onto the balls of my feet, I need to feel his kiss. When his lips graze mine, I want more, so much more. I slide my hands around his cheeks and pull him against me, deepening our kiss. He moans in approval. I run my tongue over his bottom lip, and he pulls away sharply.
Oh God. What did I do? My eyes fly open.
He can barely contain the smile on his lips, spreading ear to ear.
He chuckles, and he sucks his bottom lip between his teeth. “I have to go now, or I’ll change my mind about leaving.”
I bite down over my bottom lip and blow him a little kiss as he walks backward to his house. My body is still humming from his kiss. He catches my air kiss and smacks it onto his lips as he walks inside for the night.
I head upstairs and change into my PJs—an oversize shirt that just grazes the top of my thighs.
How can so much change in the course of an hour?
I told Cade what Austin did. He’s the first person I’ve ever told that to. It felt empowering.
Then, we kissed, like really kissed. Now, Cade and I are dating, which sounds absolutely insane.
Images of Cade and me together flash through my mind, burning a deep crimson in my skin. When he kissed me, I didn’t want it to ever end. It’s both exciting and terrifying at the same time. I thought it would have been a long time until I was ready to even try kissing someone. But with Cade, it’s easy, and it feels right.
I promised my mom that I would go shopping with her in the morning. She needs new candles and a couple things for the house. It’s been a while since we spent some time together, so I’m really looking forward to it. I want us to be close again. I want to try to let her in too.
The stars shine down on me through my skylight. I love looking up into the night sky. It’s grounding. It makes me feel like I’m a part of the world, and it reminds me how small we really are.
I wonder how Brooke and Brady are doing, if they’re still dancing the night away. I hope they are having just as good of a night as Cade and I. I hope she is opening up to Brady like I finally did with Cade. She deserves it. She deserves to be happy and find someone worth sharing herself with. She deserves to learn to love and trust again.
My night replays over and over in my head as I drift off. Hopefully, the nightmares keep their distance tonight; I finally have something powerful enough to maybe take their place.
I wake up, feeling as if I had been hit by a train. Austin ran through my nightmares, waking me up about five times. Each time, I was drenched in sweat, and his name echoed in my ears. I’d thought the nightmares would be better last night because of Cade. Maybe that sounds insane, but I thought that since I have an emotional distraction now that it might reroute my dreams.
I was very wrong. Austin haunted my mind all night.
I drag myself into the bathroom and splash some cold water onto my face. Stumbling backward, I catch my reflection. Deep purple bags underline my eyes. My auburn hair is tangled together into a bird’s nest. Normally, I would fix my hair and makeup. But I shrug and head back to my bed. Reading sounds like a perfect way to start today.
However, a knock on my door says otherwise. My mom should be at work, so that doesn’t make any sense. She had to go in to wrap up paperwork this morning.
Maybe she’s home early?
But she would have already barged in by now.
Who else could that even be? How did they get in my house?
Logically, it wouldn’t be a murderer or burglar because they wouldn’t knock. The only person besides my mom who has a key to my house is Brooke.
Brooke! That makes sense. She probably wants to share all of our details from last night.
I throw my comforter off of me and stalk to my door, shouting at her, “Brooke, you’d better have coffee. I’m exhausted.”
I throw the door open, and a wave of embarrassment washes over me. My cheeks immediately heat up. Standing outside my door is not
Brooke.
It’s Cade.
His gaze drops straight to my bare thighs. A smile tries to break free from his lips, but he bites down on his bottom lip, deepening my already-burning complexion.
Remembering my reflection and suddenly aware of my lack of clothes, I slam the door in his face.
Shit.
I immediately look down to check the damage. And it’s worse than I imagined. Tucked up in the waistband of my black lace panties is my T-shirt. Which leaves little to the imagination. My entire underwear and legs were in complete view when I opened the door.
Oh God. How did I forget he was coming over with breakfast? Although I hadn’t quite expected him to be knocking at my bedroom door. Oh yeah, and it’s only seven thirty in the frickin’ morning! Does this boy even sleep?
I scan my floor and spot Brooke’s black sweats piled in the corner, the ones from the night we met. I wiggle my way into them and untuck my shirt from my underwear. Taking a deep breath, I walk back over to the door I just slammed in Cade’s face.
I turn the knob and open it once again, saying nothing.
He laughs. “Good morning to you too, gorgeous.” He hands me a coffee and a brown paper bag.
I gain the nerve to finally look up. “Um, sorry. I was kind of expecting that to be Brooke.”
Deep green eyes full of amusement peer down to me.
His brow furrows. “Wait, why would Brooke be here at seven thirty in the morning? You know she’s never up before, like, ten on the weekends.” He laughs.
“Well, you know, when you said breakfast, I didn’t really expect you to be knocking on my door with it. The only person who has a key is Brooke, so you know, put two and two together, and here we are.”
I open the brown bag. A cloud of cinnamon and sugar fills my nostrils. “Well, come in.” My attention stays honed in on the little brown bag of heaven.
Cade’s playful voice teases me. “So, do you always sleep in just a shirt?”
I reach in for my doughnut. “Well, yes, but I don’t normally open doors to everyone in just a shirt.”
Cade snatches the doughnut right out of my hand. I glare at him, and then I grab another one and sink my teeth into the pillow of cinnamon-sugar heaven.
After swallowing a bite of his, he says, “Well, I sure hope not. Because I think that might be an issue if my girlfriend was opening doors, pantless, all the time.”
My chest flutters at the way he said girlfriend so casually.
He cuts back in, “But you can always open doors for me like that. I don’t mind in the slightest.”
He winks at me, and a new primal hunger swirls in my stomach.
His eyes drop to my sugarcoated lips, and other kinds of sweet thoughts fill my mind.
“What are your plans for the day, Stels?” he asks, interrupting the inappropriate images in my mind.
“My mom and I are going shopping this morning. Then, later, I don’t know. I think I’m going to read some. Maybe watch a movie?” I shrug my shoulders.
He saunters over to my bed, making himself right at home.
“Orrrrr,” he says, dragging the word out, “you could come with me on a little surprise date.” His lips tip up.
I walk toward him. “What are we doing on this little surprise date?” I ask while my heart does laps in my chest.
He glares at me. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, obviously.” He swipes his finger on my bottom lip, sweeping off the excess sugar. He brings it to his mouth and licks it off.
More inappropriate thoughts dance through my mind. Yes, a date sounds amazing right now.
“Okay, when? What should I wear?” My words fumble out with excitement.
He hops off the bed. “More like, what should you pack?” He winks.
Pack? “Where are we going?” Anxiety begins creeping into the shadows of my mind.
“A surprise, remember?” He plays back.
But where are we going? What do I need to bring? Are there expectations with this date? Who else will be there? Questions and what-ifs flood my mind.
Cade picks up on my hesitation and steps close to me. He lifts my chin up with his hand until I look in his eyes.
“Hey, what is it? What’s wrong?” Concern is etched on his face.
Be honest. That’s the only healthy response to this situation. He already knows what you’re dealing with.
I clear my throat. I force the words out fast, before I can throw a wall up. “Okay, so I kind of have an unnecessary need to know things, so I can be mentally prepared for what I’m about to face. It helps keep my anxiety at bay.”
I take a deep breath, and he strokes his fingers up and down my arm, showing his support.
I continue on, “The longer we’re together, the less I will need to know the details, but right now, the idea of having to pack a bag and get in a car to go to an unknown place is freaking me the hell out. You are absolutely amazing for planning this, but I’m going to need you to ruin the surprise factor.” My face sags because I know I just crushed his surprise-date idea. I drop my gaze to my messy bed.
“Hey.” His voice is soft, calling to my heart.
I look back up at him, and I don’t see an ounce of disappointment in sight.
His voice is smooth and calm. “If you need that, then I’m giving it to you. We have plenty of time down the road for surprises.”
My heart rate rises up, threatening to push the tears building in my eyes over the edge.
“I rented out a cabin at the ski lodge at Helen’s Resort. I thought we could go tubing and then stay the night. I invited Brady and Brooke too. They will have their own room,” he fills me in on his perfect idea.
Helen’s Resort is a huge winter park in the mountains. They cater to any possible winter hobby you could want to do. And they have these stunning private cabins that you rent out. We haven’t had a chance to go since we got here. But a lot of the employees at the Carvers’ firm stay up there off and on throughout the season.
All my anxiety fades, leaving excitement and anticipation in its wake.
“That’s”—my heart shoves the tears off the edge—“perfect. What about my mom?” My voice cracks, and I blink through the tears.
“Stels, those had better be happy tears, and don’t worry; I already asked her, and she is okay with it. You just have to check in when we get there.” He takes his thumbs and wipes away the wetness on my cheeks.
“Okay. No one’s ever planned something like this for me.” I pull him into a hug. My head lays flat against his firm chest. I breathe him in. “You’re kind of amazing—you know that, right?”
He laughs. “Oh, yeah, I already knew that.” He drops a small kiss on my forehead.
A knock on the door pulls us apart.
“Stella, honey, are you about ready?” My mom shouts.
Panic floods my chest. Cade’s in my bedroom at seven thirty in the morning with the door closed.
“Um, not quite,” I push the words out.
She opens the door and sees Cade in my room. She has no reaction at all, like he is supposed to be here. “Oh, Cade, good to see you got in okay,” my mom tells him sweetly.
Wait, what? Got in okay?
He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Yes, Mrs. Sullivan. Here is your key.” Cade hands a copy of my house key over to my mom.
Well, that answers that question. How he managed to convince my mom of that, I will never know. But one smile from Cade normally makes any woman do what he wants.
Cade leans down and places one more tender kiss against my head, and then he walks to the door. “Have a good day with your mom. I will see you tonight.” He winks at me. “Melinda.” He nods his head to her on his way through the door.
The sparkle in her eyes tells me all I need to know. She is one hundred percent on Team Cade.
“We’re leaving in five.” She smiles at me as she closes the door behind her.
I quickly change, throwing on black jeans and a white USA hoodie. I run
into my bathroom, and my jaw falls open. I forgot how bad I looked.
Cade saw me like this. Well, no going back from that. I laugh to myself as I run a brush through my hair. Then, I apply light mascara and thick concealer to hide these bags.
I sing to her, running down the stairs, “Mom, I’m readyyyyy.”
“Okay, honey, let’s go.” She grabs her keys off the table, and we head to Target.
Once we get our cart and make it to the candle aisle, I finally ask her what’s been on my mind since Cade got here this morning.
“Hey, Mom, when did Cade ask you if it was okay that I go with them tonight?” I ask her.
She pushes the cart farther down the aisle, loading up on warm-apple-pie candles—her favorite. “This morning, he called me at about five thirty. He is the only teenage boy I have ever met who is up before nine on a Saturday.”
“He called you at five this morning?” I reiterate her words. “What exactly did he say?”
“Well, first, he asked if it was okay that he asked you to be his girlfriend.” She shoots me a look with hearts in her eyes. “Second, he told me how he planned this trip for all of you tonight and would love it if you could join. I told him as long as you were okay with it, then I was. He has been very respectful, and I like him for you, Stels. Much better than that last one.”
My heart drops at the mention of Austin. Oh, Mom, you have no idea.
But soon after, my heart warms at her telling of their conversation. I can’t believe he was up in time to catch my mom before work and that he even asked her if it was okay that he asked me to be his girlfriend. My admiration for him continues to grow.
Honestly, he always thinks of everything. He always makes sure my mom is in the loop and that I am comfortable. My eyes tear up before I know it, and I wipe the one that broke away. We head down one of the medicine aisles. I can never keep track of how they’re set up. My mom returns from one side of it and throws a shimmery gold box in the cart.
What is that?
Oh my God.
My mom just threw a box of condoms in the cart. I bravely look up to meet her eyes.
