“What did you do with them?” he asked.
“What did I do with what?”
“The chips. If you’d handed them to Devon, he wouldn’t have gone to look for Andie.”
“I can’t tell you or it’ll compromise the investigation. Any news on Dick?” She blinked with large, falsely innocent eyes.
“He’s still in critical condition. They operated and are monitoring him. Why do you care?”
Tears swam in his mother’s eyes. “He wasn’t supposed to be there. He should have trusted me.”
Cade bit his tongue and refrained from snide remarks about how thieves and liars could never trust each other. It all reminded him of the ending of a Scooby Doo cartoon where the villains would have all gotten away if it hadn’t been for the nosy kids, in this case, Andie and Owen.
“Well, let me know if you need a ride anywhere,” Cade said. “You going back to rehab?”
“Not right now. Your brother, Donnie, is picking me up. You go take care of Andie. She’s mighty special and you don’t ever want to mess that up.”
He hugged her tight. Despite everything, she was still his mother, even if she had a dodgy past, or was involved in some way in the scam. “Love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, son. Give Bret a kiss from me.” She caressed his cheek. “You are the best thing that ever came out of my life. Take care of yourself.”
“You too.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you back home.”
“Yes, home. There’s no place like it.” She waved as he strode from her room.
* * *
Andie unzipped the carry-on from Cade, and a smile warmed her face. It was filled with shopping bags from clothing and shoe stores. A note sat on top of the bags.
She opened the envelope.
Good morning, beautiful. You know how the saying goes, what goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well, I wanted you to know that everything that goes on with you, stays with you. Today is our day, and I aim to create beautiful and long-lasting memories. Enjoy your gifts, and I’ll see you when you’re ready to start our adventure.
Loving you, always and forever, Cade.
Andie’s heart flushed with joy as she removed the bags from the carry-on. A colorful bouquet of daisies—pink, white, yellow, and ruby red smiled from among a few stunning maroon and rusty orange ones. The flowers were tied with a pink ribbon on which Cade had written: Andie + Cade = LOVE. Dangling from the ribbon was her ruby red slippers charm necklace. He’d remembered, and so did she, finally. Cade had bought the necklace for her to show her he was her home.
Andie attached the necklace and kissed the flowers before setting them on the table. She’d need a vase to keep them blooming. Next, she turned her attention to a bag from a chocolatier and pulled out a box of chocolate truffles. Cade had remembered how much she loved raspberry chocolate crème. She popped one in her mouth and smiled, moaning with delight.
A long necklace box opened to a silver filigree choker with a sunburst gemstone, fiery orange with streaks of deep red and yellow. She dangled it, wondering which one he’d want her to wear. The new necklace matched her hair, fiery strands of red mingled with darker reds and lighter blond strands.
Clothes and shoes followed. A white strapless sundress decorated with orange wildflowers and green vines and white stiletto slip-ons. Cade must really think of her as fresh and innocent, but with a wild side.
Another bag contained makeup—the exact brands she used. How did he know? He must have either observed her or maybe George had given him the bag she’d packed while pretending to go to New York.
In any case, Cade was a real catch, and she couldn’t wait to experience the surprises he had in store for her. Smiling, she went into the bathroom and took a shower, then dried her hair and fixed herself up.
He’d even included her ladybug perfume, Dot. She dabbed on the happy and cheerful fragrance and waited for him to return.
* * *
Cade stood at the door of Andie’s hospital room and blinked once, twice, then three times. Andie was more beautiful and radiant than he’d imagined possible. She came toward him, a goddess in a sexy sundress. Her perfectly complexioned skin was smooth and moist with lotion and she dazzled him when she picked up the daisy bouquet and pressed them to her heart.
“Ready to make memories?” He swept her into his arms for a kiss, although not sloppy, since she’d spent time making up her face.
“Not just that.” Her voice was husky with promise. “I remember everything.”
He did a double-take and stared into her luscious green eyes. “Everything?”
“While I was high on dope. Who would have thought?”
“You remember meeting me in the library?”
Her face reddened. “Yes, and what you caught me doing. Was I such a perv?”
“Oh, no. You were hot. I just knew librarians were the hottest women. That’s why I headed there. You’d melt all the snow in Iceland. What else do you remember?”
“You falling off the mountain, us looking for Gollie, the food trucks, the lobster rolls and the Chinese pork buns.”
“Pork buns? I don’t remember those.”
“Actually I just added that in to see if you’re alert.”
He kissed her, full on the lips, relishing her softness, and inhaling her sweet scent. It felt wonderful to have her safe in his arms again, and best of all, she remembered. Everything. And she still loved him.
“I’m so happy. You’re back. All of you.” Cade whispered into her mouth before finishing the breathtaking kiss.
“Don’t you want to know about the bun I’m baking for you?” Andie winked.
“Sure, but let’s go for our Vegas adventure first. Then, I’m all about buns. Nutty, sticky buns with walnuts are my favorite.” He couldn’t help giving her ass a nice squeeze. “Not that you don’t have nice sticky ones.”
“And you have a huge lobster roll somewhere.” She licked her lips and wiggled in his arms. “Promise me I choose the restaurant, and you choose everything else?”
“Promise. I don’t know why you’re having cravings for buns, but so do I.” He hooked his arm around her back, and together they walked out of the hospital.
Chapter Twenty
Andie couldn’t believe Vegas was so much fun. Unlike the nerves that had made her nauseous while she pretended to be Owen’s honeymooning bride, her time with Cade was magical, and her stomach stayed its course.
He still had no clue what her obsession with buns was about, but he took every opportunity to make another bun pun, and she giggled at how clueless he was.
She’d passed on the bungee jumping off a tower as well as indoor sky diving. Nope, not in her condition, but they’d walked through an aquarium underneath a tunnel of acrylic and had marveled at sharks swimming overhead.
For lunch, Cade had taken her on a gondola ride through a replica of Venice, and the gondolier had serenaded them with Italian love songs while Cade fingered her hair and buttered her lips with kisses, some of them chocolate as they shared bits and pieces from her truffle collection.
A couples spa had been next, and even though Andie was sleepy after lunch, she and Cade had lain side by side through hot stones and a decadent rub of crushed red grape and orange blossom exfoliation followed by a warm wine and honey body wrap and a wine body oil massage which left Andie without any muscle tone, totally and completely spineless and melting to the floor like a blob of formless jelly.
“I think I’m done for the day.” Andie stretched and melded her body against Cade’s as the glow of the massage radiated between them. “Ready for a nap?”
“Not quite.” Cade smoothed his lips over hers and whispered in her mouth. “I’ve got a surprise, including a tour you’re sure to find very stimulating.”
“Stimulating? I’m ready to ooze into bed and sleep until next week.” The bed part was so true, but sleeping wasn’t exactly first on her agenda, not when everything Cade did stoked her passion and made her toes curl—es
pecially now that she had her memory back of all the things he’d done to her—handcuffs included.
“We’ll get that bed part later,” he promised. Deepening the kiss, he sucked on her lips and turned her head for closer contact. Andie’s insides liquefied and desire pooled between her legs. The tips of her sensitive nipples peaked under the thin sundress, making her pant with desperation.
With a loud smacking sound, he broke the kiss and smirked. “To the next location, now.”
He interlaced his fingers with hers and led her to the Porsche he had rented.
Minutes later, Cade drove the car into the center of the University of Las Vegas and parked in a lot. The climate was hot and dry, like a blazing oven, but he lucked out and found the shade of a small tree.
“Sorry, we’ll have to walk a little. You okay with the heels?” Cade leaned over and massaged her thigh, drawing a tingle down to her toes.
Andie swallowed and pretended he didn’t affect her a bit. “I love them. How’d you get my exact size?”
“I’m very observant.” He winked, and tugged her hair gently.
Andie didn’t know how she’d lucked out with Cade, but hey, who was she to argue with the universe? She took his hand when he opened the car door and walked hand in hand with him toward a multi-level modern building with arched glass overlooking the entrance decorated with palm trees.
The interior was open and light with skylights all the way up the multiple layers, including escalators. Andie gasped at the open floor plan. It almost looked like a giant mall, but instead of stores, there were shelves and shelves of books around a central gathering area. Shade structures covered the workstations since the sweeping glass above was open to the sky. It resembled an aircraft hangar with all the windows and support beams going up several stories.
“Like it? This is the university library.” Cade said. “I figure this would be a librarian’s favorite place.”
“Sure, I love libraries, but this one seems quite modern.” A wicked thought crossed her mind. “They don’t happen to have more private stack areas, do they? Everything looks like it’s out in the open.”
“I’m sure there’s some musty corner hidden away in all this glass and concrete.” Cade led her to a directory. “Oh, look, stacks. What the heck is Book and Bean? Quiet Study, Silent Study, I dare you to be silent.”
“Is that a challenge?” Andie tightened her thighs as the thought of boning Cade deep in the middle of stacks and stacks of books picked up her pulse and moistened her dangerously between her legs.
Blood thrummed in her veins when he took her hand and led her to the elevator. As soon as the door closed, he pressed her against him, swept her hair back and burned her with a deep, thrusting kiss. His hot tongue curled around hers, and he pushed her hand down his torso to the large bulge below his waist.
Backing away when the elevator bell chimed their floor, he whispered. “So, I had my large finger in your teeny tiny belly button? Where’d you come up with that story?”
“That was Owen’s corny joke.” Andie poked Cade’s hard abdominals. The kiss and teasing had her revved up. “You know, I’ve always had this fantasy? Shall I tell you?”
“Of course, go ahead.”
She led Cade around the empty tables and found what she was looking for, a library cart. “Come on, let’s shelve these books.”
Using the Dewey decimal system, Andie located the correct shelf, hoping whichever librarian who’d left the cart was on a long and extended break.
She wiggled her butt each time she slid a book slowly between the spines of its neighboring books, then pulled it out slowly before slipping it in again.
“I didn’t know shelving books could be so exciting,” Cade muttered as he placed his large hands around her waist.
“Oh, look, that one’s on a high shelf. Can you lift me?”
It wasn’t as if she was that short, but having Cade’s arms around her and his torso pressed to her back as she slid up and down made her feel like a wild tigress heating up.
“My arms are getting tired,” Cade growled after she’d shelved an entire row of top shelves.
“Why don’t you get me one of those step stools?” She rang her tongue around her lips.
He located one and placed it into position. Andie grabbed another book and stepped onto the stool, and oops, she dropped it.
“I’ll get it,” Cade offered.
“No, let me.” Andie bent from the waist and picked up the book, making sure to point her posterior Cade’s direction.
His sharp sizzling breath was followed by his hand on her ass. “You’re not wearing panties.”
“I’m not? Oh, I didn’t know I needed panties to shelve books.” As innocently as she could, she slowly and sensuously slipped the book in place. “There, that’s where you belong.”
“And this is where I belong.” He rubbed himself along her back, his hands cupping her breasts and fondling her, drawing trails of heat over her engorged and sensitive nipples.
“Hand me another book, sir?” She arched her back and held onto the top shelf, pushing her butt up as a silent offering.
“I’ll hand you a book all right, you minx.” He lifted her skirt and slapped a book against her bare behind.
Yow. The mixture of pain and heat drove her almost to a frenzy. She grabbed the book from him, barely able to read the call numbers. Her fingers wobbled as she tried to slide it in its place, to move the sliding dividers out to allow the book in.
“Having trouble slipping it in?” Cade teased. “I’ve got it.”
Instead of taking the book, he slid one long finger between her gushing folds, shooting a sensation of pure pleasure up her spine.
She yelped and he covered her mouth with his. “Silence in the library.”
His finger glided back and forth and back and forth, hooking her with delicious sensations. Her chest heaved and she leaned back against him, her feet barely stable on the step stool. The book fell, thumping to the floor.
Andie was too far gone to worry if anyone had heard the book drop. “Please, Cade, please.”
“Please what?” He trailed one glistening finger out of her folds. “You’re so, so wet and ready, aren’t you? What do you want?”
“You, please, show me how you shelve your book, your thick tome, put it in the right slot.”
Cade bunched Andie’s sundress higher up her waist until she felt the coolness of the air. She heard his pants unzip and the rip of a condom wrapper. “Shall I plug it in? Is this the right place?”
He tickled her belly and swirled his finger in her belly button as Andie jiggled and squirmed, trying hard not to giggle out loud.
“Silly boy, you need to go lower.” Andie moved her hand back and rubbed the giant erection Cade was sporting. She needed him to hurry. They couldn’t count on the librarian being absent. He was probably looking for the cart at this moment, wondering why it wasn’t where he’d left it.
“Wait, you need another book, in case anyone comes by.” Cade shoved a book into her hand. “There you go. I’m only helping you reach up there.”
Andie white knuckled the book and flopped it on the shelf. She no longer cared where it belonged. Her clit tingled and her pussy clenched with desperate need.
“Help me, Cade. Help me put that book away.” She shoved her channel back at him, catching the tip of his cock against her entrance.
Cade’s hands tightened on her and the scent of him, all masculine, horny, and rough, fired her into a wanton fever.
With one hard thrust, he was inside of her, spreading her swollen love channel and spearing her with pure pleasure. He was so fucking big, and she hadn’t had him for a few days. Yow.
Their combined moans vibrated the shelves in front of them.
“Shit, Cade, you feel so good.” She was almost incoherent. “Just fuck me good.”
His hot breath flurried over her ear, as one hand cupped her breast and flicked her already sensitive nipples while the other one inv
aded her mound, rhythmically stroking her clit.
There was no way Andie could hold back. She knew she had to be quiet, that there were rules in the library, but the passion between them was so intense, so all consuming that all she could do was gasp and push back against him as he ground into her. She felt every inch of him slide in and out, every ridge of his beautiful hard cock.
“Hey, you guys need any help over there?” a male voice said.
Andie froze as Cade lowered her dress, still plugged inside of her.
“We’re good. Just getting that book on the top shelf,” he replied evenly.
How. Could. He. Think. Much. Less. Talk?
Andie held her breath but her chest was bursting, and her pussy clenched and clenched around Cade’s throbbing dick, still held tight to the hilt.
“Okay, let me know. I gotta finish shelving the rest of the books.” Footsteps came toward them.
“Actually we got it, go take a break.” Cade said. His thighs were quivering against Andie, and he rotated his hips, applying pressure as he resumed his fingering of her clit.
A deep orgasm rumbled within Andie. Heat erupted like an under-the-ocean volcano, building in pressure and quaking her core. Andie squeezed Cade’s forearms and tightened her thighs at the same moment Cade pushed against her, thrusting in short quick strokes without pulling back too far.
She didn’t need him slamming and pounding full force. She was to the point of no return, her cup of pleasure overfilling as the most exquisite ecstasy exploded and spread over her entire body. Pulse after pulse of sweet delight rained over her, and best of all, Cade held her tightly in a heated bear hug, possessive and protective. She sighed her satisfaction, snuggly and safe in the arms of his love.
Chapter Twenty-One
Later, much later, after almost getting caught with his pants down at the Gaming Research Center while Andie boned up on casino math, particularly roulette, Cade sat across from Andie in a booth at Bun Bun’s Bar & Grill.
Intercepted by Love: Part Five: A Football Romance (The Quarterback's Heart Book 5) Page 12
