by Kaci Rose
"The day I told them I wanted to take over the inn, and I had applied to the same business school they went to. I'd never seen them so happy. They never pushed me into working at the inn and always let me pick, but that day, they were so happy." I smile, but movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention.
I look over and find Jasper at his dad's grave.
"Give me a minute?" I ask, and he nods.
I slowly make my way over to Jasper and stand next to him, making sure Kade stays back with my parents.
Jasper looks at me, then back down at his dad.
"I know you hate me, but I know what it's like to lose a parent, especially one you are close to. It's not easy, and it feels like there is a hole that will never be filled. I'm so sorry about your dad," I tell him.
He nods but still doesn't say anything. I just stand there until he sighs.
"I don't hate you," he offers.
"Well, I'm here if you need someone who knows what it's like to talk to. No judgment, no questions, no history between us. Just two people who have lost their dad and need a little support now and then."
He looks at me and nods, then looks over my shoulder at Kade before looking back at me.
"You could do better, you know," he says.
"I have done worse, so I think it evens out," I tell him, and he shakes his head.
"Travis got what he deserved," he says.
"I agree with you there." I smirk.
Travis and Jasper were friends in school, and the four of us hung out a lot. I'm not sure what their relationship was after everything, but hearing him say that is enough.
"Things aren't always what they seem, Jasper, especially in this town. I think you forget that." I wink at him and head back to Kade, who smiles at me.
"Everything good?" Kade asks.
I look back at Jasper, who is still watching me.
"Yeah, it is," I say, and we head back to the car.
We drive down to Main Street and have lunch for everyone to see while we laugh and have a good time.
The moment we enter the inn, Brynn is right there.
"We did it!" She yells so loud I'm thankful the inn is empty.
"Did what?" I ask, drawing a blank.
"The state emailed us with an appointment next month to state our case, and until then, all progress is halted and a notice has been sent to the mayor!"
"Oh my gosh, that was so fast!" I say in shock.
"I know! But we need to prove our case to the board before they will even put their historians on it, so we have to have all sorts of things. They sent the documents over," Brynn tells us.
"Maybe now that the mayor knows, we can get some people from town involved to see what they know, and if they have anything we can use?" Kade says.
"Yep, we have a lot to do in a month!" I say, finally feeling a bit of hope that we have a chance to save the town.
Chapter 23
Linly
I woke up from a dead sleep by a crash of thunder. Great. I know I won't get back to sleep, even if it is after one o'clock in the morning. Brynn can sleep through anything, so I'll be sitting up tonight on my own.
Sitting up on my bed, I stare out at the rain hitting the window and almost don't hear the faint knock on my door. I race across the room, thankful Brynn is up because I really didn't want to be alone.
Only it's not Brynn at my door. It's Kade.
"I know you don't like to be alone during storms, so I thought I'd see if you were awake," he says.
I stand back and let him in, closing the door behind him. I race back to my bed and get under the covers when another burst of thunder hits. Kade sits next to me in bed, and just like the other morning, he puts his arm around me. I rest my head on his shoulder, and we just sit.
I feel safer in his arms, like the bad that the rain always brings can't touch me.
As lightning fills the sky, a memory fills my head.
"The summer Brynn and I were about ten, we watched the movie Sweet Home Alabama over and over. It was our mom's favorite movie and quickly became ours. There is a part about the lightning hitting the sand and making these beautiful sculptures. We got it in our head that we wanted one and waited here at the inn for the perfect thunderstorm. We had these stakes from one of the storage sheds that were metal and were used to rope things off for events. We planted them up and down the beach, then sat on the Sunset back porch in that porch swing and waited." I smile a little at the memory.
"After the storm passed, we spend hours digging up the beach thinking maybe we missed a lighting strike but found nothing. Our parents were so upset about us digging up the beach that not only did we get a lecture on how dangerous it was to use metal in a storm, but we also had to spend the rest of our summer cleaning the beach every day."
Kade kisses the top of my head.
"My mom loves that movie too. I bet the two of you had fun, though."
"We did." I sigh.
"On the ranch, we loved the rain. It helped everything grow. We didn't get a lot of thunderstorms, but when we did, we always had to check on the animals because the thunder and lightning spooked them. So much so it put a cow in labor once, and my dad and I were delivering it out in the rain and mud. When we were done, my mom wouldn't let us in the house because we were caked in mud. She tossed a bar of soap at us and locked the doors. We had to shower using the hose and then run inside buck naked to get dressed. Then we got yelled at for getting water on her clean floors." Kade laughs.
As Kade starts running his hand through my hair, it's so calming I start to yawn.
"Why don't you get some sleep? I promise I’ll stay here," he says.
"Lie down with me?" I ask.
He nods, and we lie down on the bed. Me under the covers and him over them. I rest my head on his shoulder, and he pulls me close so my front is pressed to his side.
Being so close and his being so comforting has me so damn wet and my nipples hard as peaks. I'm in just a thin tank top with no bra, so I know he can see them.
The last thoughts I have before sleep takes over are that I need to start reevaluating what I sleep in while Kade is here.
As the light fills my room, it wakes me up, and I realize I haven't moved all night. I'm plastered to Kade's side, and he still has his arm around me. I could lie here like this all day. I'm thankful he stayed with me last night, but I'm sure he's ready to head back to his room in the light of day.
I start to move away, and he pulls me back to him and wraps his other arm around my shoulders, squeezing me to him. My nipples harden and rub against his T-shirt in a delicious friction that makes me gasp.
Kade rolls to his side, so we are facing each other. He brings his hand up and gently lays it on my cheek.
"Good morning, Goldie," he says with an almost shy smile while running his thumb over my bottom lip.
His eyes are fixated on my mouth, and a moment later, his lips are on mine. It's what my body has been craving all night, and a small moan escapes me, which seems to spur Kade on. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me in and hugging my body against his. He's hard and doesn't try to hide it as he presses his length into my belly.
His hand runs up my back as his mouth trails down my neck. I grip his shirt to hold him to me as the sensations of his lips on mine assault my body.
"Kade," I whisper, and he pulls back just enough to look at me.
His eyes bounce back and forth between mine, searching for what, I'm not sure. Then in one smooth motion, he pulls the cover off and me on top of him. My hips straddle his, and his hard length nestles right against my core.
I brace myself against his chest, and his hands are on my hips. Neither of us moves. We just stare at the other, waiting to see who makes the next move. I break first and lean down to kiss him again. The movement has me grinding against him, and this time, his moan fills the room.
The sensation of his length rubbing against my clit steals my breath. I start moving my hips slowly, seeing if he will s
top me. His grip on my hips tightens, but he doesn't stop me. I slowly pick up the pace and kiss him again. His tongue dances along with mine, and the dual sensations stop me from being able to think about anything but where his body is touching mine, where I want him to touch me, and where I can touch him.
My hands travel down his stomach and back up under his shirt. The hard planes of his abs draw me in, and I slowly explore each one.
"Lin," he says with a small gasp. Not wanting to hear him telling me to stop, I cover his mouth with mine again and kiss him like it's the last time I will be able to because for all I know, it will be.
Then Kade surprises me and starts thrusting up into me and guiding me to go faster. He starts hitting the perfect spot, and I gasp, burying my head in his neck.
"Don't stop," I manage to choke out. I don't think I could take it if he did.
"Not a chance. Now cum for me, baby. Let me see you," he says.
I lift enough for him to see my face, and the slight change in angle is enough to send me flying over the edge fast, screaming out his name. I cum so hard every muscle in my body tightens, and when they relax, I collapse onto Kade's chest just as he finds his own release.
With my name on his lips, I don't think I've ever seen him so sexy, not in all the online photos and not in any movie. Not once since he's been here did he look as sexy as he does at this moment.
Neither of us moves as we regain our breath.
"How did I not notice it's still raining out?" I give a lifeless chuckle.
"I would like to think I was a big part in distracting you," he says and kisses the top of my head.
"Best distraction ever," I mumble and snuggle into him.
"Baby, I want to snuggle with you, but I need to get cleaned up," he says, reminding me I just made him cum in his pants. That puts a smile on my face.
"Okay, if you must." I sigh and roll off him.
He sits up and eyes me over, and I remember I'm in the thin tank top with no bra and the tiny little cotton shorts I love to sleep in. I smile at him, and the heat in his eyes makes me feel so beautiful.
His eyes on me, he reaches up and hooks his finger in the top of my tank top and slowly pulls it down, exposing one breast. He leans in and takes my nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it before pulling back and replacing the tank top where it was.
Then he gets out of bed, leaving me wanting more, and the smirk on his face tells me he knows exactly what he did. He disappears into my bathroom, and it hits me. I just dry-humped Kade Markson. I made Kade Markson cum in his pants.
Only, I have a hard time reconciling my Kade who was just in bed with me as the same Kade in the movies and online. He’s just not the same person, and my mind can't wrap around it.
When Kade steps out of the bathroom, he leans against the doorframe and stares at me. Our eyes lock, and for a long time, we say nothing. Then thunder rumbles, making me jump, and Kade shakes his head.
"Let me run to my room and change and grab my phone, then we can spend the day watching TV?" he asks.
"I'd like that," I say.
He nods and, with one last look, leaves my room. In a mad dash, I grab my phone and run to my walk-in closet, closing the door and changing my clothes as I call Brynn.
She barely answers when I tell her to just listen, and I spill everything that just happened, then head to the bathroom to brush my hair and my teeth.
"Lin, have some fun. You are fake dating him, so you should get some of the benefits. Just don't let your heart get involved." Brynn gives me the same warning I've been giving myself.
"I won't. Anyway, he wants to watch TV and spend the day together, so will you be okay? It's still storming," I say.
"Yeah, I have some work to do. I can take my laptop into the kitchen so I'm not alone," she says. I know there is more to it than that, but I figure I will let it be until we are in person and I can see her face when we talk.
"Call me if you need anything, okay?" I ask.
"I will, and the same goes for you," she says.
We say our goodbyes, but her words keep floating through my head.
Just don't let your heart get involved.
I told her I wouldn't, but a part of me wonders if it already is.
Chapter 24
Kade
As the cold water runs down my skin, it does nothing to calm my dick. Never mind, I just came in my pants like a horny teenager in the back seat of his car. Never mind we just made the sexiest woman on this earth come, and we now know what she looks like in the throes of passion.
That is exactly the problem. I now know what she looks like, and every fantasy with her just became so much more real. There is no going back. We crossed a line from a fake relationship to the start of a real one, and I don't want to go back.
I don't know if Lin can look past my history and give me a real chance. It's a deal breaker for all the nice girls, and I don't blame them one bit. I wasn't thinking about the future in my younger years. Who does, really?
The only chance I have with Lin seems to be to keep up the pretense of this fake relationship, so that's what I’ll do. I will show her what it would be like to be mine, and maybe at the end of it all, she will give me a shot.
I think back to when I woke up last night to the thunderstorm. She was the first thing on my mind. She hates thunderstorms, and I wanted to make sure she was okay, even if it meant looking in to see if Brynn was with her and then going back to bed.
I'm glad I checked. Finding her alone led to me being able to hold her all night, and that led to one of the best mornings of my life.
Knowing I'm going to be relaxing all day with her, I slip on sweatpants and a T-shirt. I check my phone, but there isn't anything important, so I put it on silent and head back to Lin.
She's getting off the phone when I get there.
"Everything okay?" I ask with the sudden thought maybe something came up and she has to go.
"Yeah, just checking in with Brynn. She slept through the storm last night and plans to hang out in the kitchen today, so she's good to go."
Lin's room looks like it used to be a suite. While her bed is in its own room, there isn't a door, just a large archway separating it from the living space with a little mini kitchen and a cozy seating area. I sit on the couch, ready to watch TV as she comes over hesitantly, so I grab her hand and pull her down next to me. I wrap my arm over her shoulders and hand her the remote.
"What do you want to watch?" she asks.
"You pick," I tell her.
"Oh no, I don't need you ruining my favorite movies. Pick something," she says.
"Okay." So instead of a movie, I put on a funny TV show, and we snuggle in.
I love her laughing against me and the way she buries her face in my chest when she's embarrassed for the person on TV. Between episodes, we talk, and I find out she didn't get to do the whole clubbing thing because she took over the inn right before her twenty-first birthday. I tell her how I did the clubbing thing and now am perfectly happy to never step foot inside one again. Something in her eyes, though, makes me think she feels like she missed out but won't ever complain about it.
