“You seem to think we can’t be friends, so maybe your only friends with other women.”
“That’s bullshit,” she shot back. “Most of my friends are guys, and you know it. Tom is my best friend, and Sully is like an older brother to me, and—”
“So, why am I different?”
Lexie took a step back. “Hold on, isn’t that what I just asked you? Why do you want to be,” her fingers made quote marks in the air, “friends.”
“Touché.”
They stood staring at each other; the silence sending his nerves screaming. One of his hands held the car door open and the other one rested on the roof, trapping Lexie. Her fragrance stirred every cell in his body.
“Kade, I think you’re a good guy, but I—”
“Don’t want any complications. So you’ve said.”
What had he expected? She was getting a divorce from his brother, for God’s sake. She’d probably never thought of him in the way he thought of her… or wanted her.
“That’s right. Look, I did have a really good time tonight, and you were right about the food being fantastic. Who knew a food-kitchen staff could cook like that?”
Kade smiled and stepped away from the car, his guilt flaring as usual when he was around her. “Well, it helps when the people running it are former chefs. There’s nothing they can’t make. They like feeding the less fortunate the same meals they made in their restaurant—albeit on a budget.”
Lexie took her keys from her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “You said they saved you. What did you mean?”
He thumped her shoulder. “That’s a story for another time, pal.”
Lexie laughed. “Pal?”
Kade flashed a grin at her before walking around the car. “Yeah. Pal. More than an acquaintance, but not quite a friend. Night, Lex.”
Lexie seemed amused by his evasiveness. “Don’t I even get a hint?”
Kade came back around the car. Something happened as he walked toward Lexie. His strides held athletic grace, and she remembered him saying that he boxed. The image of him half-naked and sweaty made her mouth go dry. He suddenly seemed to move in slow-motion, like the hot hero in an action-movie scene.
Her gaze traveled over him, and she couldn’t help comparing him to his brother. He wasn’t flashy like Jason. He didn’t have that movie star quality, but there was an unmistakably masculine aura about Kade that made women want to fall into bed with him. A quiet strength and dignity about the man.
She used to thread her fingers through Jason’s thick shoulder-length hair, but she suddenly wondered what it would feel like to run them over Kade’s prickly scalp.
Kade’s dark eyes gleamed with amusement as he closed in on Lexie. There was also a warmth to his gaze that she couldn’t recall ever seeing in Jason’s. A smile curved his mouth in a sexy half-smile that made her lips tingle with the desire to kiss him.
She couldn’t lie to herself anymore. She was attracted to Kade.
A tentacle of fear slid around her body, locking her in a strangling grip. This couldn’t be happening, and yet it was. Lexie struggled to keep her composure as Kade stopped two feet from her.
“You want a hint?”
Not trusting her voice right then, she just nodded.
“It’s a pretty boring story, really. It involves youthful stupidity, a bulldog, and an old Buick. And that’s all I can tell you right now.”
His gaze lowered to her mouth, and Lexie saw a small muscle in his jaw flex. When his eyes returned to hers, a spark of heat flared in them before he smiled.
“I know this is wrong for many reasons, but I’m attracted to you. You want to know why I never hung around when you were with Jason? I—I—thought you were so hot, and I’d never wanted one of Jason’s girlfriends before.” He rushed ahead when she opened her mouth to protest. “I would like to spend time with you.”
Lexie needed clarification. “Spend time with me? Exactly what does that mean?”
Kade gave her a half smile. “Casual dating and see where that leads. Have dinner, go to the movies…that kind of stuff. You don’t have to answer right now. Take some time to think about it.”
Kade placed his hand against her neck. Her brain screamed at her to flee, but her body had other ideas. As Kade’s fingers grazed her skin, goose bumps ran down her back. The heat she’d glimpsed in his eyes before returned and intensified. His gaze dropped to her mouth again, and she knew he wanted to kiss her.
Anxiety turned her breathing shallow when she realized that she wanted to kiss Kade, too. It had been so long since she’d kissed a man that she felt starved for just that simple contact.
With a start, she realized she’d never kissed anyone other than Jason since they’d started dating.
Glancing at Kade’s sensual mouth, she wondered what kissing him would feel like.
He inched closer and lowered his head. Lexie’s eyes closed as his lips settled over hers.
Lexie stiffened when she felt Kade’s arm slide around her waist and pull her into contact with his body. Of their own accord, her hands lifted to rest against his chest, and his hard muscles instantly fascinated her. He slanted his mouth over hers and parted his lips, and it was like somewhere inside the dam holding back her emotions blew her to smithereens.
Winding her arms around his neck, Lexie opened to him and met his gently questing tongue with hers. She expected him to deepen the kiss, but he teased her, flicking his tongue against hers while sliding his fingers into her hair. Lexie started spiraling down into desire, and she wanted more.
Leaning harder into him, she raised up on her toes and intensified the kiss, thrilling to the way his hard torso felt against her breasts. A whimper rose in her throat when he wrapped his arms around her and answered her demand.
A large car engine started somewhere near them, startling Lexie. She gasped and broke away from Kade, looking around wildly for the car. A silver Charger backed up, and her heart sank. Zip. He must’ve been heading off to the bar after working late. Maybe he hadn’t seen them kissing.
Lexie pushed against Kade’s chest, and he released her. As Zip headed out of the parking lot, he grinned over at them from behind the wheel, and Lexie’s cheeks burned when he gave them a jaunty little wave and drove off.
Groaning, Lexie put a hand to her forehead. “Oh, God. This is bad. Zip doesn’t have much of a filter and he can’t keep a secret to save his life.”
Kade chuckled at her embarrassment. “Who cares if he saw us? I don’t.” He gathered her close again. “Now, where were we?”
Anger flashed through Lexie. What the hell was she thinking? She extricated herself from his embrace and put distance between them. “I care very much. This could get me fired if Marcus finds out.” Looking at him, Lexie cursed him for being so sexy. It was almost impossible to resist kissing him again. “If he thinks this will interfere with my job, I’m toast.”
A fierce scowl settled on Kade’s face, and he grew even sexier to Lexie. “You let me know if he does and I’ll deal with him.”
His protective attitude touched Lexie, but she didn’t want him getting into a fight with Marcus or Tom. “No, I’ll handle it. I can take care of myself.” Regret settled in her stomach. “Kade, I just can’t do this. What about Jason?”
“I thought you were divorcing him.”
“I am, but he’s going through so much and if either of us are to gain his trust to get him into rehab… It won’t work if he thinks we’ve both betrayed him.”
Taking her hand, he raised it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her knuckles. “I can wait. I can wait until we’ve sorted out the situation with Jason. Just don’t shut me out. And when we find Jason, once he’s out of rehab, I’m going to be honest. I’ll tell him how I feel. I won’t walk away this time.”
She remembered Jason’s warning to stay away from Kade on the phone call. “I think he’s already guessed.”
“I wonder why Jason is so worried about us? Does he think you have feelings for me?” He k
issed her hand again. “No answer to that? Goodnight, Lex. Sweet dreams.”
He moved back from her when everything inside her wanted to pull him close. Forcing herself to walk to her car, she looked up as Kade tossed her a smile before he got behind the wheel and drove off without a backward glance.
What a bloody mess. Why did she feel so guilty when her husband had stolen from her, spent their money on drugs and dicked around on her? All she’d done was crush on his sexy older brother.
She’d go to hell for sure. Jason would want to send her there.
She straightened her shoulders. Jason had lost the right to have a say in anything she did.
She wanted Kade, and she refused to feel guilty about that.
Well, just a bit.
She was about to start her car when the door to the showroom opened, silhouetting two people in the doorway. She watched as a woman reached up and tenderly cupped the man’s face as she leaned in and kissed him. For a moment, she thought Tom must be here with Kendra, but then the woman stepped into the beam from the security light.
Lexie held in a gasp. Stella! Who was she kissing?
But she knew the answer long before he pulled the door closed, and after locking it, he too stepped into the light. Marcus.
Like a stunned mullet, she sat there and watched as they walked hand in hand, kissing and cuddling to Stella’s car parked out on the street.
How long had this been going on and did Kendra know? It looked like more than a causal hook up. They looked like a comfortable couple out for the evening. Besides, if it was a casual hook up, they wouldn’t hide it. Stella would share all the juicy details with her.
Kendra would freak if she knew her best friend, Stella, was having a—what, exactly?—with her brother. Kendra was protective of Marcus after all he’d been through since the crash. But Marcus was a real horn dog, a different woman every night. Maybe he’d met his match in Stella. Stella was Kendra’s best friend, but she was as bad as Marcus. Stella was known as a definite love them and leave them kind of woman. Kendra wouldn’t want her brother hurt.
She missed her two girlfriends. Lexie had been moping over Jason too long. She hadn’t had a girls’ night with Kendra and Stella for ages. Not since little Matti was born.
She slid down in her seat so they wouldn’t see her. She would keep her secret to herself, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t wheedle the truth from Stella over a few drinks. Was this a casual hook up or was this something more?
Chapter Eight
Sitting in the lunchroom the next day, Lexie sketched with one hand and held a ham and swiss sandwich in the other. This was often the way she spent her lunch hour. During the morning, design ideas swirled in her brain, but usually they solidified into concrete concepts by noon and it was imperative to complete a rough draft while the images were fresh in her mind.
Taking a bite of her sandwich, she glanced up to find Tom giving her a speculative glance from where he stood by the refrigerator. “What?” she demanded.
Tom shrugged and opened the fridge. “Nothing.”
Lexie narrowed her eyes as she chewed and returned her attention to her work. In a few moments, Tom sat down next to her. Looking at him, Lexie saw curiosity in her friend’s eyes and knew exactly what was on his mind. With an inward groan, she placed her sandwich on a paper plate and wiped her hands on a napkin.
“Okay. Let’s get this over with,” she said.
If she hadn’t known Tom better, she would’ve bought his look of innocence. “Get what over with?”
“You want to know what happened last night with Kade, right?” Lexie had gotten through the morning with no one mentioning her kiss with Kade. Zip had kept his mouth shut after all, and she felt bad for doubting him.
Tom gave a brief nod. “It had crossed my mind.”
After taking a sip of her iced tea, Lexie simply said, “We had a nice dinner, then he dropped me off here and I went home.” She didn’t feel one iota of guilt over not telling Tom the full story. She wasn’t ready to divulge that information yet because she was still too confused, and she needed time to think about it.
Tom’s dark blond eyebrows drew together. “That’s it?”
Irked, Lexie said, “Yeah. What were you expecting to happen?” She pointed at Tom. “If you say you thought I’d sleep with Kade, I’ll wreck your face.”
“No, of course not. Although it would be no one’s business but your own.”
Lexie played with the button on the right sleeve of her overalls. She knew that Kade’s choice for their meal was odd, but it had shown her a softer side of him, and she loved how he helped out. He’d been right about her needing something else to focus on. Seeing how poor some of those people were, how they’d lost everything, made her grateful for what she had. Especially her job and friends.
“I’m really thankful to you for everything. I might’ve been out on the street if it wasn’t for you.”
Tom laid a hand on her forearm. “You know I’ll always help you, Lex. I’d never let you be homeless.”
“You’ve done so much for me,” she responded. “You hired me against Marcus’ wishes—”
“You kind of hired yourself, as I recall,” Tom interjected.
Lexie smiled sheepishly. “Technically, Sully did that, so it wasn’t all my doing. Thanks for having my back.”
Tom pulled her into a one-armed hug. “No thanks needed.” He released her. “So, how are things going with Kade’s car?”
“Great. I finalized the design and I’m just waiting for Zip to finish all the welding, so I can install the new carpeting that came in this morning,” Lexie replied.
Tom stood and patted her shoulder. “Good work. I can’t wait to see it when you’re done.”
She smiled as he walked away and then returned to her sketching. Kade’s image rose in her mind, and she wondered what he was doing. Was he writing? Lexie couldn’t picture him sitting behind a computer because he didn’t look the part of a journalist. She found the incongruity of Kade’s chosen profession and his appearance fascinating.
Looking down at her sketch pad, she resisted the impulse to draw Kade. She’d be mortified if anyone ever saw it, especially Kade.
Her cellphone alarm went off, meaning lunchtime was over.
Lexie was glad for the interruption because it kept her from doing something stupid, like calling him. She gathered up her things, threw away her garbage, and went to the locker room. Once her belongings were stowed in her locker, she hurried out to the garage.
Entering her bay area, she found Zip hard at work installing the new floor in the Alfa. Sparks flew as he welded the custom-made piece of steel he’d fashioned to the underside of the car. Since she couldn’t work on the Alfa right then, she checked on some part orders she’d placed and tried to put Kade out of her mind.
Just then, Marcus walked past, and she hugged her secret to herself.
“What’s that smile for?” he asked.
“Nothing, just thinking about a joke Zip told me earlier.”
Marcus kept walking, and she reminded herself to ring Stella later.
Queen’s “We Will Rock You” shattered the silence, jerking Lexie from slumber. She fumbled around on her nightstand until she located the offensive device and squinted at the screen which displayed Kade’s number. She caught sight of the time as she hit the answer button.
“Why the hell are you calling me at five-thirty a.m.?”
His slightly hoarse laugh sent a jolt of desire down her spine, and Lexie was suddenly wide awake. “I thought I’d take you to breakfast before I head to the gym.”
The memory of their kiss from the other night was never far from her mind, and his voice brought it into sharp focus. His warm, supple lips on hers, the way he’d tasted, the heat of his muscular body against her palms. Her breathing grew shallower as she recalled how good it had felt to have a man’s arms around her again.
“Did you fall back to sleep?”
At Kade’s question,
Lexie flipped over onto her back with an exasperated sigh. “No. There’s no danger of that now. Once I’m awake, there’s no going back.”
“Sorry. I know a place that has the fluffiest pancakes you’ve ever tasted and nice crispy, salty bacon, and killer coffee. C’mon, Lexie. It’s just breakfast. Besides, I can update you on what my team has found out on Jason.”
Lexie’s stomach growled at the mention of bacon, one of her favorite foods. It didn’t matter what time of day or night it was, Lexie was always eager to consume the artery-clogging meat.
Her ravenous stomach shouted at her to accept his invitation. “Okay, if you’re buying.”
“I am. Meet me at Sunny’s on Bartlett Street in half an hour. See ya.”
Getting out of bed, Lexie felt a little giddy at the thought of a free breakfast. She raced through showering and threw on a pair of jeans shorts and a Joan Jett & the Blackhearts t-shirt. As she pulled her damp hair into a high ponytail to air dry, she caught sight of her reflection in her bathroom mirror and paused.
The woman she saw staring back at her looked different. Instead of the shadow of sadness that seemed to be ever present in her eyes, there was a little sparkle in their dark depths. It confused her because nothing in her life had changed to cause it.
Or had it?
Kade.
Lexie shied away from attributing the lift in her spirits to him, instead giving the credit to time. It was supposed to be the healer of all wounds, right? She told herself that Kade’s appearance in her life right then was nothing more than a coincidence. That decided, she grabbed her backpack and keys on the way out the door.
Chapter Nine
Kade sat in a booth by the window, sipping water and working on an article while he waited for Lexie. From his vantage point, he’d be able to see her as soon as she arrived. Calling Lexie had been a gamble, but he’d hoped she could be enticed with food. He was glad he’d taken the chance.
Three mornings each week, he boxed at the Golden Gloves Gym and always ate a light breakfast at Sunny’s beforehand. Kade never wasted time, and he often worked while he waited for his meals. He’d just started making notes for his weekly blog when Lexie walked in the door and looked around.
Purr For Me: Bad Boy Autos (Drive Me Wild Book 2) Page 7
