“Wait… They pulled her off your case?” I can feel both the anger and relief building up in me. Anger because she got in trouble and relief at knowing she’s okay. Mr. Zimmer gives a wary glance in Sloan’s direction, and my eyes follow his gaze over to my brother, who speaks for the first time since I got here.
“Um, actually, Mr. Zimmer had me call Samantha and find out exactly why Nora had been pulled. She told me that after she caught the two of you together, she spoke with Nora and told her she’d have to report the indiscretion to her superiors. Since she’s always been a model employee, they gave her two options. She either had to resign immediately or they would move to terminate.”
I’m out of my chair, yelling, before Sloan even gets the last word all the way out of his mouth. “Terminate! They fucking fired her?! What the fuck?” Sloan tries to jump in with further explanation, but I’m already pacing the small area of the office, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. My anger grows by the second. I’m so pissed off, I actually see red.
“Her firm had strict policies in place for that, Cade. She signed ethics documents when she started working there, stating she wouldn’t have inappropriate relationships with clients from either side of the table. They didn’t have a choice. She’s lucky Samantha was able to convince them to let her resign.”
Mr. Zimmer just sits quietly, watching me pace around the carpet, trying to calm myself down. I’m probably screwing myself out of a contract with him because of my behavior, but right now, I don’t care. This is all my fault. I talked this woman into being with me when she knew from the beginning it was a bad idea, and now she’d lost her job for it.
“I have to fix this.” I look between Mr. Zimmer and Sloan. “This is all my fault. Fuck. What can I do to fix this?”
The pair is quiet for a while before Mr. Zimmer lets out a long sigh. “I’ll tell you exactly what you do Cade.” I look up at him, lost. I have no idea what to do, so I’ll take any idea into consideration. “You go get your girl.”
I’m not entirely put off by his suggestion.
“What do you mean?”
Mr. Zimmer lets out a hearty chuckle this time, no doubt at my dense stupidity. “I mean…Get your ass on a plane to Dallas, get your girl, and bring her home with you. Don’t take no for an answer.”
“There’s no way in hell she’s just gonna up and leave everything to come back here with me. She doesn’t even know how I feel about her because I was a chicken shit and didn’t tell her. Hell, I don’t even know how she feels about me. This was supposed to just be a fling while she was here. It was one fucking week. Besides, she’s not gonna up and move for another guy.”
“Another guy?” Sloan asks.
“Yeah. She’s done that before. The asshole she followed to Dallas. Dumped her right after they got settled in. She told me about it the first night we talked over dinner. She’s not gonna want to risk the same thing happening again.”
“You’ll never know until you try. Yeah, she might turn you down. But what if she doesn’t?” Mr. Zimmer has a point. It’s entirely possible I’ll get rejected if I go up there, but if I don’t go, I’ll always wonder what could have been.
That’s it then. I’ve made up my mind. I head to the office door, turning back to the two men with my hand on the doorknob. “Sloan, call Samantha back and get Nora’s address and text it to me.” I smile probably the biggest smile I’ve managed in the past four days. “I’ve got a flight to book.”
Chapter Eighteen
Nora
I know I need to start looking for a job, but my couch and a Netflix marathon sound too good right now. I worked on my resume yesterday, and I’ll start my online job search tomorrow. Samantha did her best to give me as many contacts as she could. I have a few potential leads, and thankfully enough money in my bank account to hold me over for a few months in case the search doesn’t go so well.
I thought I’d have longer to prepare for this than I did. I figured they would at least wait until the following week to hold my disciplinary hearing at the firm, but no, they called me in early the day after we got back. They quickly informed me that they would, indeed, terminate my employment. Samantha somehow worked her magic and they let me resign immediately, although I still couldn’t help being a little upset at her for telling them about it in the first place. I know I put her in a bad position, and she is my boss more than my friend, but it still hurt. I don’t fault her for looking out for herself. I was a little bitter about it at first, but now that I’ve had a few days to let it all sink in, I’m not that angry anymore. It is what it is.
I’ve thought a lot about what I should do, aside from looking for a job. Working at Maddox & Lockhardt was really the only thing keeping me here in Dallas. Aside from Samantha and a few work colleagues, I don’t really have many friends here, and I definitely don’t have any family. I could always move back to Denver, but I left on bad terms with my parents and I’m sure to never hear the end of it if I run back home when I’ve failed at adulting for the second time. Maybe I just need a change. There’s nothing holding me here, I could relocate anywhere and start over.
The prospect of leaving Texas brings Cade front and center in my mind. I can’t help but think how amazing it would be to move to Miami and see him every day, assuming he would even want to see me. I’m probably long forgotten by now, though. I should have texted him when I found out my punishment like he asked me to. But I was scared maybe he was only being polite in his request to keep in touch, so in an idiotic move, I ignored what he asked of me. It’s something I’ve regretted since the very moment I made the decision. The thought of not being with him was too much to deal with, and as hard as it was, I decided to make a clean break. I keep telling myself it’s for the best, but then I remember his blue eyes and his gorgeous smile, and all I want to do is wrap myself up in his arms and never let go.
A clean break doesn’t exist. I can’t just pretend what we had didn’t happen, or that I didn’t have feelings for him that went beyond what’s normal after only knowing someone for a week. I can’t pretend that I didn’t shatter the minute I walked out his front door. He worked his way into my heart, and though I know it’s too complicated for him to be there, it’s where I want him most.
I cried the night we came home from the airport. Well, that might be putting it mildly. I hated myself for leaving the way I did—for not getting a chance to tell him how much he truly meant to me; how a fling turned into so much in such a short amount of time. I stared at the picture of us on my phone for too long and hovered my fingers over the call button more times than I’d like to admit, but in the end never had the guts to press it.
I do my best to put my memories of Cade out of my mind and flop back on the sofa to start on my binge-watching marathon. I’m still scrolling through my choices when the buzzer for downstairs goes off by the door, which is strange because I’m not expecting anyone. Samantha has been trying to get me to leave the apartment for a few days now, but I haven’t been in the mood.
At the door, I press the intercom button and speak into the speaker. “Yes?”
“Hey Nora, it’s Sam. Sorry to drop by unannounced, but I have a surprise for you and I think it just might cheer you up.”
“Sure, come on up.” I buzz her up, leaving the door ajar so she can just walk in, and go back to my perch on the sofa. I look up and over my shoulder when she knocks on the door and pushes it open, but she doesn’t come in farther than a foot or two from the door.
“Hey, I can’t stay, but I found something I know will make your day better and I wanted to rush over here and deliver it.” I put down the remote and stand up hesitantly, curious now what she’s talking about. She smiles and peeks around the door back out into the hallway.
A second later, my jaw drops open, one hand flying up to cover my mouth, the other clutching my stomach. It’s a struggle to catch my breath.
Cade.
He’s here. Standing in my doorway. His smile as sexy
and as welcoming as it was the first day I met him. My heart is beating triple-time and I’m left speechless for probably the first time in my life. I just stand there and stare at him as he stares back at me. Samantha clears her throat, and we both look over at her.
“I’ll just be on my way.” She winks at me and pulls the door closed behind her, shutting us in silence.
I finally compose myself enough to ask, “What are you doing here?” The shocked expression never leaves my face when I ask him. I want to run and jump into his arms, but I’m not sure that would be well received, especially since I never called or texted like he asked. Geez, he looks delicious. Dressed in soft-looking, well-worn jeans and a faded concert tee, he’s even sexier than I remember.
“I came to apologize.”
“What do you mean? You don’t have anything to apologize for.”
“I do. I know you lost your job because of me, and for that I’m truly sorry. I wasn’t thinking with my head. I was only thinking with my cock. You even told me that night on the beach this whole thing was a bad idea, and I made you believe it wasn’t. I cost you everything you’ve worked so hard for.”
“Cade, it’s not your fault.” He holds his hand up to stop me.
“It is, and you won’t be able to convince me otherwise, so you may as well stop arguing. Besides, I came here to make things right. I’m not listening to my cock anymore. Well, I’m not only listening to my cock now.” He smirks. “Now, I’m listening to my heart too. The truth is, I should never have let you leave Florida in the first place, especially without telling you how I felt.”
I gulp, and ask hesitantly around the lump in my throat. “What do you mean?”
He walks over to me, slowly, lifting his hands to my face and cupping my cheeks. He looks longingly into my eyes, focusing on one and then the other. “I should have told you I couldn’t stop thinking about you. That I thought you were unbelievably special from the moment I saw you. That the idea of you leaving felt like a kick to the stomach.” He takes in a deep breath, still looking deeply into my eyes. “I should have told you that after only one week, I think I’m falling in love with you.”
I close my eyes briefly, letting this man’s words wash over me, trying to gather my thoughts and not burst into tears with the happiness overflowing inside. I open my eyes again and look into his as I speak, his honesty allowing mine to flow freely. “I should have told you I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to tell you so many times that I didn’t want to go, but I thought I was crazy. We’d only known each other for a week, Cade. But the idea of being without you made me feel awful. So much so, it made me realize I’m…falling in love with you too.”
His smile stretches across his face and mine copies his. He bends down, taking my lips with his in a tender kiss, his tongue flicking across mine. He pulls away, his thumb tracing over the wetness of my bottom lip, his eyes focused on the plump flesh. He leans in for another quick kiss and when he pulls away, his eyes turn back up to mine. “Come home with me.”
My heart skips at his words, and the only response I can muster is “What?”
“Come home with me. There’s nothing keeping you here now. You aren’t working at the law firm. You told me yourself that was the only reason you stayed here. Come back to Florida. I’ve already talked to Sloan and my grandfather. They said there’s plenty of room for you at the law firm because they’re expanding Sloan’s caseload soon. This baseball team, the Florida Thrillers I think, signed on to have the firm represent them, and Sloan’s gonna need all the help he can get with that.”
I step away from him, putting a little distance between us. “It sounds like you have everything figured out.” Nervously, I ask him my next question. “Where will I live?”
“Well,” he starts, “If I had my way, you would stay with me. In my house and in my bed. But if that’s not what you want, I can help you find a place.” He closes the distance between us, circling his hands around my waist, and looking down on me. “I know you’re scared to do this, but I’m not like that asshole. I’m not going to walk away from you. I let you go once, and I won’t make that mistake again.”
Hearing his words overwhelms me, and I feel the tears start to well up. “This is a huge deal, not just for me, but for you too. Are you sure this is what you really want? I’m not trying to talk you out of it or anything, but we’ve only known each other one week. You asked me earlier if I was willing to take a risk. Are you?”
He wraps his arms tighter around my waist and hugs me into his chest. I can feel his heart pounding. His voice is low, but steady. “Nora, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life.”
That’s all I need to hear. “Okay.”
“Okay? Does that mean yes?”
I smile into his chest, my heart so full of love for this man.
“Take me home, Cade.”
I pull back and look up into his handsome face. He smiles down at me. “I think I lied to you earlier, when I said I was falling in love with you. Truth is, I think I already am.” I take a deep breath, and let the words out. “I love you, Cade.”
“Thank fuck because I lied to you too. I’m so in love with you, beautiful.”
Epilogue
Cade
Four Months Later
“Knock, knock.” I rap lightly on the door and announce my entrance. “There’s my beautiful girl.”
A smile lights her face when she sees me, and Nora stands up behind her desk, walking around it to greet me, her bare feet making no sound as they pad across the carpet. “Hey sweetie,” she says as she wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down for a kiss. “What are you doing here?”
I raise my arms, showing off the bags of takeout from the restaurant I’m carrying in each hand. “I knew you’d be too busy to come to the bar for lunch, so I thought I would bring the food to you.”
Her stomach growls long and low, and she laughs. “Mmmm, you read my mind. I’m starving. Are you joining me?”
I walk to the side of her desk and start taking the containers out of the bags, arranging them on the empty spaces. My eye catches the shimmering silver frame, sitting on the corner, facing her chair. Inside it are the pictures I took of us on the beach, all those months ago. The memory makes me smile. It’s only been four months since she left her apartment back in Dallas and moved in with me. Things have been fantastic. Asking her to move here was the best decision I ever made.
“No, I wish I could, though. I’ve got to get back. But I’ll see you tonight after work. I should be home before you.”
She pulls me down for another deep, slow kiss and hums her appreciation. Then she tells me in a low, sensual voice, “I look forward to it.”
My cock twitches at the sound of her sinful voice. Her eyes go wide, and I know she can feel my erection growing against her hip. She always has this effect on me. “As much as I hate to leave,” I say, giving her lip a playful little nip, “I really do have things I need to get done today.”
She runs her hand down my side, sliding it to the front of my jeans, rubbing my cock through the denim. I smile, and shake my head, because I know what she’s doing. Ever since that day in Sloan’s office, my girl has a thing for office sex, and urges me to participate in it almost every time I make a trip up here. I’ve never been able to turn her down.
Today will not be an exception.
“Are you sure I can’t persuade you to stay?”
I give her a smile, instantly telling her she’s won. She walks around me and locks her office door, then walks back, her hands going straight to my button and zipper. She has my pants and boxer briefs down around my knees within seconds. Lifting her skirt as I kiss her, I notice my hands never brush across her panties. I look down, catching her eye. “No panties?”
She shakes her head, a naughty smile playing across her face.
“Fuck me, that’s hot.”
I lift her up and perch her on the side of her desk, leaning down to take a taste of her sweet pussy. She
moans as my tongue explores, but I don’t linger long. I stand back up, stroking my cock before sliding it around her clit, and plunging inside. Her warm, wet pussy closes around me, the feeling insanely tight and hot because there’s no longer a barrier between us. She’s the first woman I’ve ever fucked bare, and she will unquestionably be the last.
She grips the edge of the desk as I pump into her, stroking her clit along my shaft every time I move. The angle is perfect, and I have her coming within minutes. She cries out as the orgasm hits her. I cover her mouth with mine, drowning out her noises until they morph into a dull moan. A few strokes later, I’m coming right along with her, her body milking my cock of everything I have.
I slow down, finally coming to a stop and we stay there, letting our breathing return to normal. Nora smiles at me. “You should deliver lunch to me more often.”
I laugh, my love for this woman growing more every day. “With payment like that, I think I can be convinced.”
I give her another kiss, wrapping her up in my embrace as my cock softens inside her. There’s no greater feeling in the world for me than to have her in my arms. When I’m with her, I’m home, and it’s a feeling I never want to lose. I will make this woman my wife someday.
She was the greatest thing I never knew I wanted.
The End
Thank you for reading!
When I sat down to plot out my thoughts for this book, little did I know it would start an avalanche of ideas. Now it seems like there is a story waiting to be told around every corner.
I am having so much fun writing about these sexy brothers. But they aren’t the only voices begging to be heard. Keep your eyes peeled for more! Sloan, Cade, Asher, and Nikolas are just the beginning!
Please, if you feel so inclined, take a minute to post a review for Cade. I’d love to hear your feedback.
Cade (A Wesley Brothers Novel Book 1) Page 14
