by Ava Riley
Nothing went as he planned and his anger with the situation made the thought of taking a cab less appealing to him. Cade found himself heading back to the bar for Rowan. His first thought to prove Tessa right. If she wanted to accuse him of being drunk and doing God only knows what, he would do it. He certainly didn’t want to make a liar out of her. He had every intention of going right back in to the bar and participating in all those wicked vile things. Once he stepped back in the building, however, he found that he couldn’t do it. He didn’t want to get drunk. He didn’t want to be with someone else. He wanted and needed Tessa in his arms. He wanted to get drunk off her kisses and her taste, nothing else would quench the desires that found their way into his heart and body. Pushing through his frustration, Cade turned around, found a cab and headed back to Rowan’s house to retrieve his car.
Chapter 6
Eight o’ clock in the morning came entirely too early for Tessa. Getting up this early was completely against everything she held sacred. Today, however, was the first day of her scheduled photo shoots. Thankfully, none of those doctors would be Cade. Susan had scheduled all the doctors as planned and Cade’s shoot wasn’t until next week. She wasn’t ready to see him yet, that was a small plus in the win column for her this week. Tessa slowly dragged herself out of bed and got moving. She took a quick shower and grabbed a cup of coffee and headed for the door. Just as she reached for the knob, her cell phone started ringing. She pulled it from her purse, glanced at it to see if it was worth the time to answer and came to an abrupt stop. Cade’s number came up on the screen. For a split second, her chest tightened and her heart stopped beating. She had an internal argument with herself over whether she should answer or not. God, she wanted to hear his voice, but then again didn’t. Maybe she should apologize for being so rude to him the other night when he’d called her from the bar. Then again, maybe not, that really was something that she hated. She decided that the pros outweighed the cons on talking to him. The ringing stopped just as she answered a second too late. The call went to her voicemail, or so she thought. Standing there, staring at the phone, she waited for the flashing light to alert her that she had a voice message. And she waited. He hadn’t left a message and all of a sudden she felt like her heart had been ripped from her chest. Tessa started to wonder if she was avoiding him too much. Had she pushed him away too many times? Was he getting tired of chasing her? He had called several times last week after his call from the bar and had left messages, but she hadn’t returned any of those calls. She wanted to make him pay for making her wait and then calling at the most inopportune time. Enough was enough. She would call him when she had a break today, but now she had to get going to make her first appointment on time. She had three weeks to get all the doctors photographed and all the editing completed, so she had not time to sit around and dwell on all that was Cade. Tessa drove down to the beach where the photo shoots were taking place. There were several beautiful places along the shore that would work out well for the photos, so they had chosen a particular spot that showcased the ocean perfectly as a backdrop. When she pulled into the parking lot, she saw Susan leaning against her car. The look on her face revealing her eagerness to interview, as she called it, the doctors. Tessa, certain that the interviews were more for Susan’s benefit than they were for those who would be buying the calendars, felt a little sorry for those who would encounter Susan during this assignment.
“Are you ready for this?” Susan asked as she walked up to Tessa, excitement lacing her voice.
“Of course, why would I not be ready?”
“Only because there is going to be a lot of skin to look at. Thank God Dominick wasn’t politically correct on this project.”
Tessa was a bit confused by that statement, which had become common with her encounters with Susan. She had no idea what Dominick’s lack of political correctness had to do with their photo shoot.
“How do you figure?” she asked.
“Well, he picked only the hottest doctors. Thankfully, we don’t have to deal with some scrawny, nerdy doctors. Only the most ripped, tanned men for this project. I can’t even tell you how much I have been looking forward to this.”
“Oh, I’ve heard it enough to know that you are. Susan, we really need to get you laid. You’re like a teenage girl who just realized what the male species is for.”
“Tess! Are you making a joke? Geez, after the last few weeks, I thought for sure your sense of humor was buried, never to be seen again.”
“Ha! Ha! Let’s get set up. Andrew Balen is scheduled first and, if what Rowan says is true, he’s never late and hates when others are. I just have a few things to set up, but you might want to find a good spot to do your questioning. And Susan, let’s keep the questions to what the readers want to hear, not you grilling them to try to get a date.”
Susan gasped. “I’m shocked that you would question my professional integrity. Besides, if what you say is true about Andrew Balen, I cannot even consider him as a potential candidate for dating because I am often late.”
Tessa couldn’t help but laugh with Susan. She was incorrigible. Tessa finished setting up all her reflectors and umbrellas that she would need during the shoot just as Andrew walked up. He wore a white polo shirt that clung to his muscled chest with faded blue jeans that hung just slightly off his hips. His dark hair was cut short and accentuated the most beautiful hazel eyes. The photo shoots were starting off just right.
Andrew stretched out his hand. “You must be Tessa.”
“Tess, you can just call me Tess.” She felt like a giddy school girl standing next to her junior high crush. Andrew certainly didn’t compare to Cade when it came to looks, but he wasn’t a slouch either.
“So, where do we want to do this?” Andrew asked.
Tessa pointed to the spot she had set up and as Andrew walked to the rock she indicated, he pulled off his shirt. She heard Susan gasp and swore she heard her say holy shit. Or maybe those were just the words playing over and over in high definition in Tessa’s mind. Dominick did choose well. Andrew may have an issue with other’s lack of time management, but he was beautiful. Beautiful in the manly sense and he was definitely all male. Tessa shook her head quickly to bring herself into focus. She was here to photograph the doctors, not stand there gaping at them.
“It shouldn’t take too long, just a few pictures should do,” Tessa quickly said trying to sound as professional as she could.
“No problem. Is there a certain pose or anything you want me to do?”
Susan came running up to Tessa and Andrew; she was quick to add her opinion.
“You should probably unbutton your jeans. You know, show just a little bit more, but not too much. Keep us guessing.” She winked at him.
“Susan! I am so sorry Andrew.”
“That’s okay,” Andrew said laughing. “Dominick already told us we’d have to show a little skin for the calendar.”
Just as he said it he un-buttoned his jeans but thankfully left several buttons intact. Susan protested that fact with her eyes. Tessa felt her face flush when she noticed the patch of dark hair that continued from his navel down past his waistband. She was a professional and she would damn well act like it, but she felt like falling to her knees and thanking the gods for such a fine specimen. Pulling herself together she got on with the shoot. It went quickly and Andrew was actually quite pleasant. She had expected some hard ass from Rowan’s assessment of him, but he was very polite and relaxed. The second doctor walked up just as the shoot was complete and Susan pulled Andrew to the side for her questioning. Tessa finished quickly with all the doctors that morning, not wanting to take more time than really needed. She knew Susan would be keeping them as long as she possibly could. She decided to give Cade a call, once she completed the last shoot.. She really couldn’t keep putting him off. Pulling her cell phone from her purse, she saw that she had a message. She quickly retrieved it, hearing Cade’s voice.
Hey Tess, I know you have photo shoots
scheduled today, but I was hoping that maybe we could meet for lunch in-between your morning and afternoon appointments. Susan let me know what your schedule was. So, well, just give me a call when you get a chance. I am seeing patients this morning, but will be done by noon. Just give me a call at the office.
Tessa hung up quickly and dialed Cade’s office. She paced back and forth waiting for someone to answer. Kicking at the sand beneath her feet, she glanced over to Susan who sat questioning Robert Adams, a young doctor right out of school. Apparently, Susan had no concerns with his age. She leaned in towards him as if trying to inhale him and he looked absolutely petrified. Poor kid didn’t realize what he had gotten himself in to until it was too late. It made Tessa laugh. Susan definitely could not be accused of being a shy person. Tessa realized at that moment, that even with all her quirky ways, that she really did enjoy Susan’s company and that she had a good heart. She just needed to get laid.
Chapter 7
Tessa let the phone ring several times before giving up on anyone answering at Cade’s office. Apparently, they were either busy or out of the office already. She hung up and started packing up her equipment, deciding she’d swing through a drive thru to grab lunch and head on over to the next site for her afternoon shoots. Susan had finally finished with Robert and was heading over in her direction.
“Well, that was interesting,” Susan said.
“Yeah, I’m glad it went so quickly. I’m very happy with the shots I got.”
“And I got two phone numbers. I love my job!”
“As a friend of mine used to say a long time ago, you are too much. You definitely keep me on my toes. Well, I was thinking I would grab something to eat on the way to our next location. Do you want me to pick you up something and meet you over there?”
“Nah, that’s okay. Robert and I are going to go grab lunch,” Susan said, signaling with her head towards the young doctor leaning against a navy blue Nissan Sentra.
“Alright then, I’ll just meet you over there.”
Susan helped Tessa carry her things to the car and headed out with Robert. Tessa couldn’t help but think how that would be an interesting relationship, especially since Robert was so much younger than Susan. Not only was there the age difference, but Susan would definitely be the one to wear the pants in that sexual relationship. The boy didn’t realize what he was getting himself into. Maybe it was true though, maybe opposites did attract. Tessa and Cade were complete opposites. He planned everything out, where she just let things happen the way they happened. She said what was on her mind; he was very careful with his words. He spent years in school to become a doctor and she dropped out from the community college after only two semesters to become a freelance photographer. The more she thought about them the more she convinced herself that she and Cade wouldn’t work. Opposites may attract, but there was no way that Cade and her would survive an intimate relationship and still have their friendship come out intact. How could they? Tessa pulled out her phone once more and began to dial Cade’s cell, then decided against it. She admired him for all that he had accomplished so far in his life. And he certainly made her body heat up with just a glance from those blue eyes. She did want to be with him sexually and she just knew if they were ever to have sex that he would be an amazing lover. She enjoyed his company and no one had ever made her body ache the way he did. Just a thought of him sent heat pooling to her very core. It was dangerous that one person had that much of an affect on her and it scared the hell out of her. As much as she wanted Cade to be a part of her life, she wasn’t sure that she could give that much control to someone when she was such a free spirit. She couldn’t right? But how could she walk away from something that could potentially be the best thing that ever happened to her?
Just as she got into her car and started to shut the door, a hand stopped it from closing. Startled, Tessa looked up to see Cade standing there.
“Cade…”
“Shh, don’t say anything,” he said, gently pressing a finger to her lips. “Just listen to me, Tess.”
Completely ignoring him, she asked, “What are you doing here?” Her words muffled by the finger still pressed to her mouth.
“Damn it, Tess, just for once, let me talk without you interrupting me. “
Tessa sat there dumbfounded. In the whole time that she had known Cade, he had never spoken to her this way. Even when they were kids and Rowan would boss her around, Cade always sided with her and wouldn’t let Rowan or anyone else treat her badly. What he just said did three things to her; one, it pissed her off that he had the balls to speak to her that way. Two, it made her want to body slam him on the ground. And three, her heart did a little flip inside her chest. He was making himself vulnerable by showing up here to speak to her, knowing that she had been putting him off. She could at least sit quietly and listen to what he had to say since he was making an effort above and beyond what she thought any guy would.
“Go ahead,” Tessa said.
Shaking his head, he kneeled down next to her open door.
“Look, Tess. First of all when I called you from the bar, I wasn’t drunk. It really bothers me that you would think so little of me to question whether I would call you when I was not myself. I’m not going to lie to you. When Rowan called me to go out with him, I had every intention of doing just that and,honestly, I had planned on getting laid.”
Tessa winced. She really didn’t like the idea of him being intimate with someone else. She wanted it to be her and her alone. Damn it, Cade was supposed to be with her, not some woman who wouldn’t appreciate who he really was.
“Cade, you don’t have to explain anything to me.”
“I know I don’t, but I want to and I need you to hear what I have to say… without any interruptions,“ he said with a crooked grin.
A wave of her hand signaled for him to go on.
“As I was saying, I went to that bar wanting to get you out of my head, but I couldn’t. Every woman I came across just didn’t compare to you, Tess. They didn’t take my breath away the way you do just from a simple look. You, Tess, you are the one that makes my heart skip every time I’m near you or from just a thought of you.” Taking a deep breath, “I’m sorry I didn’t call you after what happened at your house. Honestly, I didn’t know what to say to you. I thought, hell, I don’t know what I thought. All I know is that I want to give this a go; you and me. I don’t know if it will work out, but I can’t just walk away without trying.”
“Shut up Cade,” Tessa said softly. She wanted him to shut up and kiss her no matter that he was on his knees confessing his feelings for her.
“What?”
Cade was shocked. Tessa had just blurted out the last thing he expected. He’d planned out perfectly what he wanted to say, but it wasn’t unfolding the way he envisioned it. He would tell her how he really felt and she would throw herself at him. That’s how it was supposed to happen. Not with Tessa though, nothing ever came that easy where she was concerned. Here he was pouring out his heart and soul and she tells him to shut up. That was so typical Tessa he thought. Cade slowly started to get up off his knees. Nothing had prepared him for this, he felt as if he’d just been sucker punched in the gonads and left at a loss as to how he should even react to her words.
With more conviction than anything she had ever said in her life, Tessa asked, “Are you going to kiss me or just keep talking?”
Cade grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the car quickly as he stood before she changed her mind. He hooked his fingers into her front belt loops and pulled her into his hard body. He needed her as close as possible.
Tessa’s body trembled with anticipation as he bent ever so slowly to kiss her. She had dreamed of this, of Cade’s mouth on hers. She was finally going to feel those lips against hers; she was going to taste that delicious mouth on her tongue. He gently pressed his lips to hers, tracing the seam of her mouth with his tongue. Tessa let out a small gasp and as she did, Cade’s tongue slipped into her mout
h. He explored her mouth with such gentleness it made her knees weak. She felt completely weightless as she leaned into Cade, not wanting a single wisp of air between them. Her hands, of their own accord, made a caressing sweep from his abdomen up to wrap around his neck. Cade’s own hands began to move, one wrapping around her waist and pulling her even closer, the other cupping the side of her face. As he continued to kiss her, his lips against hers became more bruising while his thumb gently stroked her cheek. She took all that he was giving her and wanted more. Tessa hadn’t realized that her hands had slid up and cupped the back of Cade’s head pulling him deeper into her mouth until he slowly pulled away from her laughing. Both were trying to pull air into their lungs as Cade leaned his forehead against Tessa’s. Placing his lips to her mouth once more, he kissed his way from her lips to her neck.
