I stepped in. He followed and pushed the ground-floor button.
He glanced up, staring at something over the numbers, then looked at me. His eyebrows pushed together; he glanced up again.
I followed his gaze. The security camera?
Suddenly I lurched forward as he grabbed my hand, tugged me into the corner of the elevator and pressed his mouth to mine.
My fingers slid over his neck and into his hair as the warmth of his mouth blanketed mine.
His tongue slipped between my lips, dancing along mine. And, fuck, could he kiss. He tilted his head and pushed into me, while I ran my tongue over his. The hand on my hip, skimmed upward, heating my skin along the way. The elevator bounced and he jerked away just as the doors opened.
What the hell? I stared at him.
His hand brushed past me and pushed the door-open button. “I think this is your stop.”
But words wouldn’t come. He’d just kissed me. Hard. And now I was just supposed to be all, see ya, as if nothing happened? “Weren’t you getting a drink?” Really? That was the question my brain decided to ask?
He tilted his head, still smiling. “What do you think?”
And I was back to speechless.
“See you tonight.”
I nodded. “Yeah,” I mumbled and practically stumbled out of the elevator. As the doors shut, I glanced back inside.
Cade looked down at Scout, who stared up at him, and shrugged.
Un. Real.
My feet moved, carrying me to my car but my mind swirled with questions and a hint of excitement laced with regret. The kiss thrilled me physically, but confused the hell out of me emotionally. I couldn’t do this. But, I hadn’t done it. He did it. Completely unrelated to anything I’d done. Normally, I sent the message loud and clear before a guy kissed me like that. And Cade didn’t know anything about my history with guys. He had no reason to go in for a kiss, unless he simply…liked me?
Chapter 8
At six, I made my way downstairs. The white shorts I’d worn were really short, and I’d considered changing them. But it was volleyball. The shorter the shorts, the easier the movement. Hell, most people played in bikinis.
Shit, who was I kidding? I’d worn them for Cade in hopes of pushing him to the brink of sexual delirium. Not because I could have him, of course, but because I needed to know I could. It was dumb and really a sick game I played. But it was kind of his fault too. He’d taken the cards out of my hand with that kiss, and I needed to regain some ground. My straightforward style of flirting typically intimidated nice guys like him, but the thing was I’d tamed all that around him. Somehow that misled him into thinking we could have something real. I’d regain the upper hand by giving him a taste of the real Fallon. That was safe, the kiss reckless. Hot, sensual and a peek into things to come¸ but stupid. Misguided. Torturous.
Cade’s Jeep was already directly out front. I couldn’t miss it. Not with someone like him sitting inside. The shirt he wore fit snug to his chest and biceps as he moved something from the front seat to the back. He didn’t see me until I stood next to the passenger side.
Thanks to the doorless Jeep’s unobstructed view, his gaze fell to my shorts, lingered on my thighs then made its way up to my face.
He snapped out of his momentary distraction. “Hey.”
“Hi.” I grabbed a little handle for the extra boost and hopped in.
With a click of the seat belt, I looked over at Cade whose eyes were locked on my lap. My shorts had crept higher, making my legs look long for my short stature.
“All set?” he asked.
“Yep.”
The ride to Spike’s was quiet. Not necessarily awkward. We made small talk, but it almost felt like a step back in our friendship. And the less he spoke, the more I realized something.
I’d pushed it too far. With the shorts. I’d wanted to dispel his notions that we could be more than friends by proving to him I was a fantasy not a forever, but it had worked too well. I’d dropped the good-girl act with this outfit and he’d lost interest. Maybe even found me appalling. He had to. I mean, he’d barely looked at me since I got in his Jeep. In fact, he looked sort of irritated as he kept his eyes trained on the road.
My stomach rolled into a ball of regret, the hurt of losing Cade’s admiration more than I’d anticipated. I didn’t want to be a disappointment. In fact, I’d hoped we’d stay friends. The kind who occasionally flirted, but never became something more.
When we pulled into the parking lot, he shut off the Jeep and forced a smile. “Here we are.”
We both hopped out and I followed him in while fighting back stupid emotions. This was why I didn’t do relationships and all that crap. Cade had never been mine and I already missed his attention. Fuck. I wanted to scream. Whatever. Screw Cade and his stuck-up-good-boy bullshit act.
By the time we’d arrived, our friends were already on the court, tossing the ball around, warming up for our game.
“Want a beer or anything?” Cade asked. He glanced briefly at me then stared at the table as he set his phone and keys atop it.
“I’m good.” My whole body was tense, and my hurt morphed to anger. Partly at myself, mostly at him. In reality, this outfit was who I was. If he didn’t like me dressed like this, what would he think if he saw what I wore out on a Saturday night? Speaking of, would he even want me at his nieces’ party now?
With a slow blink, I shook those thoughts away. Who cared? I came here to have fun and, judging by the look he was giving me, Tyler was at least enjoying the view. Not that I’d ever flirt with him, but it reaffirmed what I already knew. Guys liked this. Cade was the exception.
Someone asked about teams and, to my surprise, Cade still asked that we be on the same one. In fact, he remembered my dream team perfectly. And delivered.
After the first round of beers were finished, we were ready to start our game. My mind wasn’t in the right place though and I missed a few easy passes and one direct block. Thankfully my dream team pulled my weight. But I’d only joked when I said that, and I’d be damned if I actually let them carry me all night. I had to pull my shit together.
I couldn’t shove the thoughts away, so instead they were channeled into my game. There was nothing like slamming a ball over the net to get out some pent-up frustration. With my head finally in the game, our team kicked ass.
The ball arced over the net, aiming right at me. I took a step back, aligning myself to bump it back over but instead slammed into something hard. The ball passed me just as Cade’s arms went up to set the ball.
There was a grunt as someone else spiked it over the net, but I was locked into place with Cade pressed against me. His hand slid across my stomach.
“You okay?”
The ball hit the sand on our opponents’ side. I took a deep breath and glanced over my shoulder.
Cade’s blue eyes were always intense because of their darkness, but right now they were something fierce.
My breath whooshed from me as I stood locked in that gaze. He was competitive—I’d discovered that at last week’s game—so I knew that was what I saw in his eyes. But seeing all that raw and up close, while being pressed against his solid frame, was too much.
His eyebrows pushed together then he looked up. “Hey,” he called out. “Let’s take a quick water break.”
“If by ‘water’ you mean ‘beer,’ I’m in,” someone replied.
But I was still lost in the moment.
He guided me off the court and handed me a glass of water from the table. “You look pale or something. I think you need water.”
I couldn’t admit it was his fault all the blood had rushed from my face and now heated a very different part of me. So I just took the glass and chugged half the water. It made my stomach feel all sloshy, but it bought me time to gather my thoughts and suppress my stupid desires.
“Thanks.” I stared at the beads of water rolling down the sides of my cup, which only reminded me of the ones running
down Cade’s bare chest. Dammit.
I set the cup on the table and readjusted my ponytail.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.” I pulled my hair through the band and dropped my hands to my sides, not really sure what to do with myself as Cade examined me.
He pulled me further to the side, out of earshot. “It’s a pretty hot day. Maybe we should take off early.”
My head jerked up. “What? No. I don’t want to make you leave. I’m fine really.”
He glanced around. “The game is already won, and really everyone is drinking now. They don’t care how the next few minutes of it play out.” He shrugged. “Let me get you home.”
He wanted to take me home. He wanted away from me. This was his out. “I could probably call my roommate to swing by and get me. She’s out with her boyfriend tonight anyway, and you wouldn’t have to leave the game.”
He was quiet for a second, probably thinking it over. Then he shook his head. “I’m taking you home. Hang on.”
Cade pulled his shirt on and walked over to where everyone else had gathered to drink beer. He said something, clapped one of the guys on the shoulder and then with a wave set off back in my direction. He grabbed his phone and keys along the way.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Once in his Jeep, I said, “I’m really sorry you had to leave early.”
“It’s way too hot to be out anyway. I don’t mind.”
It grew quiet again and I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Apparently neither could he.
This time of day the parking situation sucked at my complex so he was forced to park pretty far away.
“Thanks for the ri—”
“I’ll walk you to your door.”
I turned to him, ready to object.
“It’s getting late, and…you said your roommate is out. I’d feel better knowing you got home safe.”
Sweet. And always the gentleman. And way too honorable for my taste.
We both slipped out of his Jeep. He fell behind me as we ascended the stairs and walked the narrow path to my front door.
I stuck the key in the lock, gave the knob a twist and opened the door so he could see I was safe.
“Well, thanks again.” I flipped on the living room light in my pitch-black apartment, and leaned against the frame of my door.
“You sure you’re okay? You’ve seemed…off.”
He was the one who was off. “I’m fine. Really.”
“Okay.” He slipped one hand in his cargo shorts pocket. “So I’ll see you tomorrow after class?”
“You still want me to go shopping with you?”
“Do you not want to go?” His mouth slipped into a slight frown then instantly rebounded. “I mean, it’s okay if you don’t or can’t or whatever. I just…”
“I didn’t think you’d want me to go,” I admitted.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
How did I nicely say: You think I’m a slut. “You’ve just been quiet. You look upset, or mad or something. Like you’re ignoring me. It’s okay if you don’t want to hang out this weekend. I understand. Don’t feel obligated—”
He tugged me forward and pressed his mouth to mine. His tongue slashed across my lips, opening them. With my body pressed flush to his, he slid his other hand to my ass and took several steps forward, backing me into my apartment. “The only thing I’ve ignored is the desire to give in to this.” His mouth brushed over mine as the door shut behind him. In seconds, his tongue was back, twirling with mine.
The kiss was intoxicating. My hands glided up his chest and over his shoulders, then around the back of his neck while his tongue explored my mouth and his hands wandered over my body.
My breathing had picked up, so when I spoke, my words came out in little gasps. “Why were you so quiet tonight then?” His lips ran down my jaw and to my neck, causing my head to loll back.
He braced my head with his hand and answered, “Since the moment I saw you, this was all I could think about. These shorts.” He grabbed at my ass and nipped at my neck. “I felt like such an asshole for wanting to get you out of them. Watching you on that court…” His lips pressed under my jaw and the heat of his tongue glided over me. “I couldn’t think straight. And when you backed into me…I was done.”
Oh, shit. That was hot. My hips tilted forward on their own volition, wanting to rub against his rising bulge.
Cade groaned. His body pushed forward for only a moment before he placed both hands on my hips and nudged me gently back.
My hands slipped from his neck.
He scrubbed his face then sighed. “I’m sorry.” He dropped his hands and finally met my gaze. “You’re a really attractive girl, and I got all caught up in that.”
And that was a bad thing? Why was he stopping?
“And sometimes, the way you look at me…” He shook his head. “You’re too much. Too hard to resist. I’m sorry. I’m really not like this.”
But I was…which, of course, was the very reason we shouldn’t be doing this. Dammit.
“You’re right.” I adjusted my shirt, which at some point he’d tugged up on one side. “This isn’t a good idea.”
He frowned and looked down. When he looked back up, his expression was unreadable. “I should get going.” He walked toward the door. “But I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. I’ll meet you at your place.”
He nodded, his gaze making one last perusal of my body. He sighed and opened the front door. “See you.”
I closed it behind him then leaned against it for a second.
Un-fucking-believable.
—
After class the next day, I drove to Cade’s apartment. Considering how close we lived it was pretty ridiculous to even do, but at least this way when it was time to go he wouldn’t feel obligated to walk me home.
My stomach was a mess as I stood in front of his door. How was I supposed to act after he’d kissed me? Twice. And last night he’d said some pretty interesting things. But I couldn’t encourage it. I had to get us back to the friends’ zone.
With a deep breath, I knocked and the door swung open. Cade held his phone to his ear and smiled at me. He motioned me in and mouthed, “Sorry.”
I closed the door behind me.
“Yes,” he said. “I’ve got it. Size two. Nothing matching.” He gestured for me to sit on the couch.
Scout, who was lying on an overstuffed pillow, wagged his tail and stood to greet me. He stretched out his front paws, dipped his body down then trotted over.
“Matching but only if different colors.” Cade rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Yes. Okay. I’ve got help. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
I sat down and Scout placed his head on my knee. My fingers glided over his silky golden ears as I took in Cade’s place.
Typically male. Minimal decorations but a really nice TV mounted to the wall. The couches were comfy, the espresso-colored coffee table matched the small kitchen table which sat off to the right near the attached kitchen. But other than that, it was pretty uneventful. You couldn’t really tell who he and his roommate were by the sparse furnishings.
“Okay. See you tomorrow. ʼBye.” He hung up and sighed. “Sorry. My sister is such a control freak sometimes. She still treats me like a kid.”
I couldn’t picture a young Cade, considering the person in front of me was all man.
“That’s okay. I’m the oldest, so I get it. We can be a bit bossy.” I offered a smile, glad he didn’t seem weird about the kiss.
“Uh-oh. An oldest child, huh?” He grinned as he grabbed some shoes. “So you like to be in control?”
Scout nudged me with his nose when my hand paused too long.
I shrugged. “Sometimes.”
Cade’s gaze flashed up.
“Like with important things. That I don’t want screwed up,” I clarified, feeling the heat rise up my neck.
He grinned and finished tying his shoes. “Crate up, Scout.”
Cade stood and the dog immediately followed him down the hall and they disappeared into a bedroom.
Cade returned, shut the door and said, “We went for a run and this heat takes it out of him. I think I’m going to have to start doing early morning runs. But there’s no way I’ll convince Sean to get up with the sun.”
I stared at Cade’s body. Figured.
“I haven’t run since high school cross-country.”
“You run?” Cade’s face brightened.
“Um, not in over a year.”
“But you did run, so you like to run, so you’d maybe want to run with me someday?” He smiled, looking hopeful.
Cade running, preferably shirtless, was a tempting offer. Me heaving my out-of-shape ass alongside him, not happening. “It’s been way too long. I’d slow you two down.”
“We don’t mind.”
He was so freaking hard to say no to. “Maybe.” I shrugged.
Cade smiled like he’d already won a victory. “Ready to go?”
“Sure.”
We climbed in his Jeep. He turned down the radio and backed out of his parking space.
“Okay, so my sister gave me specific stores to shop at. I’m picking the one that’s closest.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Plus there’s a good Mexican restaurant right there we can hit up for dinner.”
Dinner? That seemed awfully date-like.
“They have good drinks too.” He glanced at me. “Do you drink?”
I tried not to laugh. That was like asking if I breathed. “Yeah.”
“But not at Spike’s?”
So there was the root of the question. Observant.
“Too young?”
I smiled. “I am too young. Technically. But that’s never stopped me. I don’t drink at Spike’s because it’s with coworkers whom I hardly know. I don’t want to make a bad impression. There’s a part-time position opening up in the fall.”
He lifted his eyebrow. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah, but all the interns want it. So, you know…”
“How old are you?”
My usual response was “legal,” but Cade probably deserved a classier answer since he likely wasn’t asking for the same reason most guys did.
Just a Little Flirt Page 8
