by Tatum Throne
That was the question she couldn’t help but keep asking herself. She could feel the simmering heat in his words and tried to remain calm. “To tell you I’m sorry for leaving this way.”
“Where’s home?”
“Lexington.”
He linked his hands behind his head and leaned way back in his kitchen chair. That natural sneer was twisted into something more dangerous she didn’t want to experience.
“Lexington. I would’ve put my money on Boston.”
She shook her head, blushing. He knew she was still holding things back from him. “I’m sorry, Kade.”
He shrugged a shoulder like it didn’t matter, like she didn’t matter, like what they did together over the last week didn’t matter. “What’s your plan now?”
The thought of leaving Kade this way made her sick inside. “I go home.”
“You make a mess out of my life and then you go home.”
Kade pushed his breakfast aside. “Just go, Wynn.”
“Kade. I’m sorry.”
He shoved back his chair and started clearing the table with forced, jerky movements. Kade scraped his half-eaten pancakes into the trash. He dropped the plate and utensils into the sink with a clatter that could’ve cracked the porcelain sink. She tried to reach for him when he turned back to the table.
She jumped up from the chair she had her ass bolted down to. “Kade...I really want to be friends. I don’t...want things to go like this.”
He slammed his hand down on the table. “Stop it! I don’t want to hear how damn sorry you are.”
She flinched.
He paced away from her to brace his hands on the sink. He stared down, trying to gain control of his anger.
“I know you’re hiding something from me, Wynn. What is it? Are you married?”
“No. I’m not married.”
“Engaged? Is there another guy you’re sleeping with?”
He tossed the pan on the stove into the sink. He reached for the bottle of Vermont maple syrup.
“There’s no one else.”
“Then what is it?” He spun around. “Stop lying to me for thirty seconds!”
Wynn gasped as a line of syrup accidentally hit her across her chest. Both of them froze as she looked down at the V-neck plunge of her T-shirt. A thick line of maple slithered around the curve of her breasts.
“Look, I just came here to apologize for leaving things this way. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt in all of this.”
She turned and was grabbed by the elbow so fast that she spun around, hitting into Kade’s chest. He pushed her up against the wall and braced both of his palms by her head.
“I know. That’s what’s pissing me the fuck off.”
“Maybe that will make things easier when I leave. I’d rather you be angry with me than love me.”
She pushed on his chest, but he stopped her by swaying his body against hers. “Oh, I don’t think so, sweetheart. You care about me. Admit it.”
She ground her back teeth together and set her chin. “I care for the time we spent together.”
His gaze narrowed. “Stop being a coward.”
She gasped. “I’m not being a coward! I can’t stay here with you!”
She knew what was coming, and she couldn’t stop him. His gaze dropped to the plunge of her shirt and the slow drips of syrup now glistening on her breasts. There was a flash in his eye that could catch a woman unaware if they weren’t paying very close attention. Wynn knew there was a fine line between dancing around an issue and dealing with it. They were going to dance until she sashayed right out his front door. She wasn’t about to fall into his lap again.
Her bags were packed. Her hotel room was paid for. There was nothing left for her to do but get in her Wrangler and drive home. The only thing standing in her way was a six-two, muscled complication with an attitude problem.
She was leaving. End of story for the both of them, as far as she was concerned. She ducked under his arms, scooting away. “We’re not doing this.”
“Oh, I think we are.”
Wynn walked backward, keeping a foot between her and Kade. He stopped, allowing her to put the table between them. They were in a standoff. She started to go left around the table. He followed. “Kade...I have to go.”
The warning was ignored. He kept stalking her down. He was positioning her into the corner of the kitchen.
“I don’t think we’re finished here.”
Wynn was desperate to get away from him. She grabbed for the maple syrup and held the long bottle like a weapon between them. The corner of his mouth hitched. Her heart raced. There were promises in his eyes. “We are finished, Kade.”
He scoffed. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Don’t come any closer...”
“Afraid of me?”
She was. The red cap of the syrup was still flipped open. She didn’t want to do this, but she’d do what she had to get out of this situation. She dragged the chair between them as she continued to back away. “Kade...”
“Wynn...”
One chair would be too easy to get around, so she grabbed a second and pushed it between them. The scrape of wood on wood echoed through the kitchen. Still, it wasn’t enough to feel safe from his predatory gaze. She knocked the ladder down between them, too, spilling the paintbrushes across the table.
Kade pressed his hands against the back of the chairs and leaned forward. “It gets a little too hot for you, and you cut and run, don’t you?”
She could hear the heat of sex in his voice. A quiver of anticipation fluttered through her sex. It was then she knew fighting was part of their foreplay. She tried to keep the excitement of the chase in check.
“Are you going to chase me?” She purposely dropped her voice to a husky whisper.
“I am.”
She screamed as Kade shoved the chairs into the table, sending both up against the sink, as if they were nothing. Wynn squeezed the bottle of syrup at his chest. Shock vibrated between them. She turned and ran down the hallway.
She didn’t make it far before Kade grabbed her around the waist with one strong arm and lifted her off her feet. His left hand went for the bottle of syrup, but she clamped down hard on it, sending a stream of syrup up into the air. The syrup came back down, hitting Kade in the shoulder.
“What the hell, woman!”
“I warned you!”
She struggled to get away from him, but he was too strong. He yanked the bottle of syrup from her hands and carried her to the stairs where he dropped her down. Wynn pivoted, trying to get to her feet, but she was blocked by a wall of muscle. Wynn’s gaze went from the man to the syrup as she walked her backside up the stairs away from Kade.
“Give me the syrup,” she said.
“No.”
She moved to back up further, but he reached out and grabbed the waist of her pants, dragging her back. Wynn reached for the bottle but he held it out of reach and held her in place with a firm grip of her pants.
“Kade...hand it over.”
He arched a brow. “Why?”
Slowly, she lifted her gaze up over his body. “I want it.”
“Do you now? Tell me why you want it.”
She leaned forward, dropping her voice to a husky whisper. “You afraid of what I’ll do with it?”
He leaned down. “Remember, turnabout is fair play.”
She gasped as cold syrup was shot over her breasts again. “Kade! That’s mean!”
“You started it, and I’m finishing it.”
Kade stepped back, taking the bottle of syrup with him. He set it on the corner of the banister like a trophy. The light coming in through the window in the door hit it directly, making it glow golden.
Kade reached out with his finger and swiped it over the top of her breast, taking some of the syrup away. His gaze held hers as he licked the sweet confection away. Wynn felt her nipples tighten into hard buds that wanted to be pinched.
She lowered her gaze to his crotch
as his hand went to adjust his erection. A shiver fluttered through her belly at the thought of what could happen. Her mouth watered at the thought of more syrup dripping down his abs. She lunged for the syrup, but he blocked her with his chest.
He kissed her hard, stealing her breath away. She sensed him moving but didn’t care what he was doing. Wynn grabbed his head and kissed him with everything. He wrapped his hands around her wrists, moving them over her head. Kade broke his lips away. Her head was swimming with need as their eyes locked.
“You’re trapped.”
Wynn yanked on her right wrist. It was tied to the banister above her head. What the hell? How had he? She openly fumed at Kade. The man was a master at erotic distraction. The nylon strap of his chalk bag was now wrapped around her wrist and the banister.
“Still want the syrup?” he teased.
She looked away as though she had a bad taste in her mouth. “Not so much.”
His deep chuckle sent a thrill dancing through her body. Kade stood just before the stairs. He grabbed his shirt, whipping it over his head in one quick move, tossing it into the hall. Wynn admired the view of Kade’s hard chest.
“You don’t lie very well.”
“Who says I’m lying?”
He grinned, but his smile faded a bit. “I know you, Browynn.”
He came in close and kissed her sweetly. “What are we doing here?”
“We’re playing.”
She knew it was more than just fooling around, and that scared her. Kade played with the hem of her shirt, teasing her belly with his hands. He rolled her shirt up over her head and dropped it over her hand on the banister. Kade groaned as his gaze dropped to her pink lace bra.
Her breasts shimmered with syrup. He leaned down, pressing both hands against a stair, as he kissed her again. His tongue flicked inside her mouth, dominating her in a way no man had ever dared.
Wynn gasped as he broke away suddenly to lick his way over the exposed flesh of her breasts. He bit over the thin fabric covering her nipples, and Wynn arched into his bite. His eyes came up to meet hers, and his natural, charming smile appeared.
“Take off your pants,” she ordered.
“Very demanding, aren’t you?”
Kade stepped back and took a long time unbuttoning the fly of his jeans. He undid the next four with a slow, confident ease of a man that had something a woman desperately wanted. He kept his thick cock buried off to the side and out of her reach. When he peeled away the corners of his jeans, his cock sprang from the corner. He stepped out of his jeans.
His ruddy, red cock was full and heavy at his hips. Wynn reached out and stroked her hand over him. Kade closed his eyes and stroked himself with his big hand, stilling hers.
With his eyes closed and his hand on his cock, she reached for the syrup.
“Keep your eyes closed,” she whispered.
His eyelids fluttered, so she set the syrup on the stair. “Eyes closed.”
She caressed his cock and warned him by tightening her hold, giving him a warning tug on his cock. Kade growled, and the rumble went deep within his chest to vibrate his sex. She reached for the syrup again. Wynn’s gaze was fixed on his throbbing shaft as she tipped the bottle of syrup up over him. He sucked in air roughly through his teeth as the cool syrup made contact with the searing heat of the pulsing head. It swirled around his shaft, following the rigid lines of his bulging veins. The syrup trailed down over his balls and dripped off.
“Wynn...”
She set the bottle aside and licked out over his cock, sucking the tip of him into her mouth. Wynn dug her nails into his ass as she sucked him deeper into her mouth. She felt his fingers walk around her shoulders to unclasp her bra. He flung it aside. Kade’s hand moved over her breasts, pinching her nipples. He lifted her breasts to rub them over his balls.
She licked her way down and up one time. Kade braced his legs wide with his hands going to the banisters to keep him standing. She released his cock, only to lick her way down to his balls. She took him slow, sucking off all the syrup.
She reached for the syrup again, but his hand locked down on her wrist, stopping her from doing so.
“Your pants are coming off,” he said.
“Kade...”
“Trust me.”
She did trust him. That was what scared her. She could see herself easily jumping off a cliff if he promised he’d catch her at the bottom. Kade helped her shimmy out of her jeans. Kade put his hand behind her back and pressed.
“Arch for me.”
She did, letting her head fall back and her breasts pop up. When she was with Kade, she forgot about her breasts being small like ripe oranges. Most men couldn’t get past how small she was. Men didn’t want to fuck a woman barely over five foot. Her nipples were anything but small when she was with Kade. They were peaked into tight, erotic buds, begging to be played with roughly.
She moaned when she felt the cool contact of the syrup splash over her nipples. It dribbled in a fine stream toward her navel. Kade kneeled down between her legs and ran his tongue up over her belly. He licked inside her navel and kissed his way higher. Wynn felt his thick shaft brush against the inside of her thigh.
He sucked at her nipples, swallowing the syrup. He lapped at her nipples, twirling them between his tongue and teeth. Wynn grabbed his head, pulling him closer, and he sucked harder. His free hand smoothed up, capturing her other breast. His sticky fingers plucked her nipple into a tight peak.
He broke his mouth away from her breast and kissed his way over her to her other one, biting her nipple into his mouth. Wynn groaned as he sucked hard, bucking her hips up against his cock. He groaned as her wet pussy made contact. She rolled her hips up and down his shaft.
Wynn grabbed his hips to plunge his cock into her pussy, but he stopped her by pulling away. Disappointment spiraled through her body. He gave her a quick kiss and grinned. He released her wrist.
“Get on your knees.”
She hated how easy she was, but right then she didn’t care. She wanted one last time with Kade. She flipped around on the stairs. Wynn gasped as he yanked her hips back. She felt the tip of his cock flex over her pussy. She held perfectly still as Kade entered her in a slow stroke. With him behind, Wynn had no control. Kade’s big hands came around, one headed south to her pussy, the other north to her breasts. She arched into his arms as he kissed his way over her neck.
Kade’s fingers flicked over her clitoris, sending her quickly over the edge. Her pussy contracted hard around his shaft as she bucked hard. He stopped moving his cock as she rode the wild waves of her orgasm out.
“That was nice,” he said.
Both of Kade’s hands moved up over her breasts. He tweaked her nipples, rolling them between his fingers. Wynn wrapped her hands around Kade’s thighs as he started to move again. Kade braced his legs wide as he took her faster. His hands held onto her hips as their bodies slapped together. His lips came to her ear where the heat of his breath seared her skin. He licked out, sucking her lobe into his mouth. A chill rocked through her body as his teeth scraped over her lobe.
“You’re mine, Wynn.”
She was. “Kade...”
“I won’t let anyone else have you.” He growled against her ear. “No one.”
She felt Kade’s sex tightening to steel as he plunged deeper into her wet core. His arms came around her in a tight embrace. A shout exploded from both as his sex unloaded deep inside. She was shaking as he held her within his arms.
It was then that she knew how much this man wanted her. He wasn’t going to be happy when he had to let go of her. Kade helped her to her feet and swung her around in his arms as he pressed her back against the wall.
Her emotions felt raw. She knew she couldn’t stay. It was over the moment she walked out the door.
“We should talk,” Wynn said.
“We shouldn’t.” He kissed her fully. “You overthink things.”
Wynn ran her fingers over his jaw, while her t
humb skimmed the cleft in his chin. “Kade...I have to go back to work.”
He frowned. “What happens to us?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “I’ll visit. We can go back to the Upper Gorge sometime.”
Disbelief filtered through his eyes before he shut it down. “Okay, we’ll do it your way.”
He was giving her exactly what she wanted, an out. He stepped back, picking up his jeans. He pulled them on and grabbed his T-shirt. Wynn felt the brush of his cold shoulder.
“I suppose you should get going. It’s a long drive back to Lexington.”
Oh, ouch. She didn’t want to leave things like this between them, but Kade really wasn’t giving them a chance. Wynn dressed quickly, feeling the chill of his attitude strike her like a cold, bitter wind.
Kade stood in the hallway with his hand braced against the doorframe to the living room. She crossed the distance and gave him a soft kiss on his lips.
“Good-bye, Kade. Take care.”
“You, too, Wynn.”
The door shut behind Wynn with a quiet click. She had the urge to run and never look back. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Why am I running from the best thing that ever happened to me?
Chapter Seventeen
Wynn was running late for her meeting at work. It felt good to be back at her branch of the FS in Lexington.
Work wasn’t enough to distract Wynn from the memory of Kade. Deep down, she felt changed inside and a little bit lost. She trusted Kade completely, and she lied to him to do her job. Then when she had the chance to make it right, she couldn’t. There was no hope for her at all.
The elevator mirrors gave her a glimpse of what she didn’t take notice of before she ran out the door that morning. She was a hot mess. She’d tossed her long hair into a ponytail and hadn’t bothered with any sort of makeup. She looked pale and lovesick.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. She needed to snap out of this funk she was in. The elevator dinged, and she stepped out onto the fifth floor. Through the conference room windows, Wynn caught sight of the packed room. She slipped into the back, taking the agenda on the table, and took a spot along the wall next to her coworker, Melissa.
