Defy Fate: Fated Duet: Book One

by Davies, Abigail

  * * *

  ARIA

  The cookout was different from all the others I’d attended. Usually, I helped Lola and Mom make the food. I’d set the table with Belle and then play with Asher, but today was different. Today Cade was here, and every little look was making me more and more on edge about what would come when the sun set and the darkness took over.

  Mom and Sal had left an hour ago to close up the diner. Lola had put Asher and Belle to bed, leaving me in the backyard with Uncle Brody and all his friends.

  I’d spoken to all of them, but it was always Ford who I had real conversations with. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was younger than the rest by more than a decade. He’d just turned thirty, which meant he was closer in age to Cade and me than his teammates.

  “So, senior year, huh?” Ford asked, not looking at me but at Cade as he helped Uncle Brody clean the grill. “You decided if you’re going to college yet?”

  I glanced over his face. His nose was straight apart from a small crook in it. I shrugged. “Probably. Mom said I should try and get a track scholarship but…I don’t know.”

  “You run track?” Ford swiveled in his seat, giving me his full attention. His hazel eyes focused on me.

  “Yeah.” I tilted my head to the side. “I thought I told you that last time I saw you?”

  Ford shook his head. “I would have remembered that.” He shuffled forward on his seat, balancing on the edge. “Cade your coach?”

  “I…” I could feel the burning of my cheeks at the mention of his name and what we’d done the last day I’d had practice. The memory of how he’d made me feel was etched into my mind, and I squirmed at the thought of it. “Yeah.” My voice was small, almost a breath, and from the way Ford’s brows rose, he definitely noticed.

  His gaze tracked over me. He drank in my face and then moved down to the hands I had clutched in my lap. I felt like I was being interrogated silently. He was taking in every bit of my body language, and I had no idea what conclusion he was coming to.

  “Aria?” Cade’s voice broke through our stare-off. “You need a ride home?”

  I blinked. “Yes, please.”

  Ford stood, the top of his head only a couple of inches shorter than Cade’s. “I’m heading that way, I can give her a ride.”

  Cade tilted his head and looked between the two of us, but there was nothing I could say. I wasn’t good in situations like these, especially not surrounded by five alpha-male DEA agents. I was out of my depth, so I stayed silent.

  “I got it. I take her home after practice anyway, so I know the way,” Cade told Ford and positioned his body so he was partly in front of me. The move was an obvious one, and I felt like I needed to tell him to stop, but that would make it all the more obvious.

  “You do?” Ford asked, but his voice wasn’t light and airy like it had been all night. It was calculating, and he wasn’t only assessing my reaction to Cade now, but Cade’s reaction to me.

  “Yeah, I—”

  “Aria? What are you still doing here?” Lola asked, and my breath whooshed out of me. The tension was building, but with Lola as a buffer, it would be sure to dissipate—I hoped. “I thought Cade was taking you home?” Lola stood at the edge of the semicircle we’d made, glancing between Cade and Ford.

  “I’m gonna take her home,” Ford told her.

  Lola snorted. “I don’t think so. You’ve drunk way too many beers.”

  “Yeah!” Kyle shouted, inserting himself into the conversation. “You can’t break the law when you are the law, bro.” He ran his hand through his hair and winked at me.

  “What he said,” Lola told him, pointing at Kyle. “Cade can take her.” Lola moved between Cade and me and flung her arm over my shoulders. “You’re good with that, right, sweetheart?”

  I tried to keep my face straight, but it was a hard task to do because I was more than okay with Cade taking me home—to his home. “Yeah.”

  “Okay.” She pulled me away from Cade and Ford. “Go say g’night to Uncle Brody. I’ll get Cade to meet you out front.”

  I did as she said and walked over to Uncle Brody, who was watching the scene with interest, but as soon as I moved up the steps, he opened his arms to me. “You heading out, baby girl?” his gruff voice asked.

  “Yeah.” I laid my head on his chest and pulled in a deep breath. I’d never doubted whether I could trust Brody. From the first time I met him, I could sense he’d keep me safe. I’d only ever felt like that with a handful of people in my life, and they were all standing in this backyard.

  There’d been a time I was sure Mom would keep me safe, but she’d ignored so many signs, so many red flags she should have battled through. I didn’t doubt Mom loved and cared for me, she just…didn’t pay attention.

  Uncle Brody planted a kiss on the top of my head and pulled back. “Love ya, baby girl.”

  “Love you too, Uncle Brody.” I took one last look on the lawn where Ford and Lola were arguing over something, but Cade was watching me. His dark-blue eyes pierced mine in the dim light, and as soon as I backed away a step, he took one closer to me.

  He stalked toward me like a lion who had his prey in sight, and as soon as I was back in the house, I spun around and headed for the front door. He caught up with me and his hands grasped my waist as I pulled it open. “Let’s get out of here.”

  I couldn’t agree more, so I nodded and let him lead me toward his car where he opened up the passenger door for me. He shut the door behind me and rushed around to his side, started the engine, and pulled out of the drive. He halted when he was on the road and looked back at the house. I frowned, seeing Ford in the front doorway staring at us.

  “What’s going on?” I asked. Ford had insisted he take me home, and now he was watching us with his head tilted to the side like he was trying to figure out a puzzle.

  Cade didn’t answer me. Instead, he revved the engine, and Ford stepped forward. His brows were pulled down, the expression on his face moving from inquisitive to furious. I flicked my gaze between Cade and Ford, wondering what the hell was going on. I opened my mouth, about to repeat my earlier question, but Cade sped off.

  I clutched on to my belt and held my breath at how fast he took the corner. “Cade, slow down.” He ignored me, mumbling something under his breath, so I clasped on to his arm. “Please, slow down.”

  “Fuck!” He slowed right down and shook his head, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were turning white. His chest heaved on a breath, and I stared at a bead of sweat as it trailed down his temple. He was on edge, more on edge than I’d ever seen him. Was this because of what we planned to do tonight? Or was it the way Ford had acted?

  “Cade?” I whispered, trying to gain his attention.

  He didn’t say anything to me as he took the turn for his street, only now he was much slower than he had been moments ago.

  “I’m sorry, baby,” he croaked out.

  “Sorry?” I squeezed my hand on his arm, trying to understand what was going on, but I was more confused than ever. “What’s going on?”

  “I…” Cade blinked several times and pulled into his own driveway. He turned the engine off, but he didn’t make to move out of his car. “There’s something I need to tell you.” He kept his gaze focused on the windshield. “I…fuck, I don’t even know where to start.”

  I leaned back in my seat and unclipped the belt, giving him time to get himself together. My stomach churned with what he was about to say, nerves flowing through me at the speed of light. His features were screwed up, his gaze flicking all over the place. “Start at the beginning,” I told him.

  I wasn’t sure what I thought he was going to say, but it definitely wasn’t, “It was my senior year at college.” I swallowed at the roughness of his voice but didn’t take my gaze off him. “We were all heading to a party on the other side of town.” He paused and scrubbed his hand through his hair. “My girlfriend at the time was in the passenger seat, my two best friend
s and roommates in the back.” Cade shook his head, and I couldn’t bear the agony etched onto his features.

  “Cade—”

  “I forgot my wallet, so I went back inside for it.” He slammed his palm on the steering wheel. “If I wouldn’t have forgotten it, they’d still be here.” Still be here? “I still don’t understand…I just…I remember the light being green and driving over the intersection and then…” Cade winced and rubbed his shoulder. “Something hit us. The metal crunched as we flipped, tires squealed, and then the smell of gas when we finally stopped.”

  “Cade,” I whispered, and it took everything in me not to climb over to him.

  “It’s my fault. If we were ten seconds earlier or ten seconds later—”

  “You can’t think like that, you—”

  Cade’s abrupt laugh cut me off, and he turned his head to face me. “I can think like that because I was fuckin’ driving. I woke up with a cut on my head, a dislocated shoulder, and three dead bodies surrounding me.”

  I leaned up on my knees and placed my hands on either side of his face. “That doesn’t make it your fault.” I clenched my fingers, trying to push my point home. “You said something else hit you?”

  “Yeah.” His voice had lost all the hatred and was now tired. “A truck.”

  “Then it’s not your fault.”

  “But if I’d have—”

  “No.” I brought my leg over the center console and pushed between Cade’s chest and the steering wheel, not letting go of his face. “You can’t control the actions of people around you. You can only control yours.” I shook my head. “The what-ifs will kill you, Cade. The what-ifs will destroy your soul.”

  I knew better than anyone about the what-ifs. I’d mulled over them for nearly ten years, but not once had they made a bit of difference.

  “Ford helped me,” Cade said. “He was in town visiting his cousin and came to the hospital. He helped me…he…he was there when no one else was.”

  “You’re close with Ford then?” Cade wrapped his arms around me and buried his head in my chest, mumbling something I couldn’t understand. “Cade?”

  He shook his head and held me tighter, finally moving his face. “I don’t want to talk about Ford.” His stare met mine. “I don’t want to talk about what happened that night.”

  “Okay…”

  “I just need you, Aria. I need you more than I’ve needed anything in my entire life.”

  I stuttered a breath and placed my hand on his face. “You have me, Cade. You’ve always had me.”

  * * *

  CADE

  “You have me, Cade. You’ve always had me.”

  Her words flowed through me, and there was nothing I could do but slam my lips onto hers. I forgot all about what we’d been talking about. I forgot about the scene in my head of the crash. I forgot about what Ford had done for me afterward. All I concentrated on was the feel of Aria’s body pressed against me and the way her lips meshed with mine.

  I pushed open the driver’s side door and grabbed my keys from the ignition, all the while not letting go of her.

  “You can put me down,” she whispered as her hands gripped my shoulders tighter.

  “No.” I stopped at my front door and pushed the key in the lock. “I don’t intend to put you down unless it’s on my bed.” I was being forward, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. I needed her more than anything else at that moment, and I wasn’t going to shy away from it.

  Her small smile became bigger as I stepped inside and locked the door behind us. I didn’t bother to turn any of the lights on. I headed up the stairs and toward my room.

  Aria rocked her hips against me, and I stumbled. “Fuck, baby.” She didn’t let up, not even when I placed her on the bed. “You’re a goddamn siren,” I told her, sucking against her neck and then licking to soothe the pain.

  “Cade,” she groaned, and I pulled back to stare at her. Her dark-red hair was fanned out around her, and she looked like a fuckin’ angel. Her chest heaved with each breath, and the dip in her dress pulled down just enough so I could see her cleavage.

  I reached for the bottom of my T-shirt and pulled it over my head, loving the way her eyes drank me in. Her small hand reached for me as she sat up, and the pads of her fingers ran down the contours of my abs.

  “You like that?” I asked her, backing away a little so I could stand.

  She shuffled down the bed so she was right on the edge. “I do.” She flattened her palm and whispered it up to my chest, standing as she did. Her hand stopped over my fast-beating heart as she looked up at me. “Show me, Cade.” She pressed her lips to my chest, and my nostrils flared. “Show me how much you want me right now.”

  She didn’t need to ask me twice. I wanted her more than anything I’d ever had, and I was going to show her just how much.

  I drifted the pad of my finger across her collarbone, down between her breasts, and gripped the zipper that held her dress onto her body. My fingers shook as I started to pull it down, exposing more of her creamy skin. I’d never been nervous, but she was making my emotions go haywire.

  My other hand pushed her hair aside, and once the zipper was completely undone, I pushed the straps off her shoulders and relished in the way the material fell off her body.

  “Fuck. Me.” I pulled in a breath as I stared down at her, enthralled with the way her waist dipped in and the curve of her hips. But it was her bare chest that had my full attention.

  I dipped down and placed a kiss to each of her nipples, then licked from her breastbone, all the way to her belly button, and kneeled down in front of her. The edge of her light-pink panties called to me, and I closed my teeth over the edge.

  “Cade.” Her voice was nothing but a breathy moan, and when I looked up at her and placed my hands on either side of her hips, I knew I’d never be the same after this. She was burrowing her way into my heart, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

  I pulled her panties down with my teeth, exposing her fully to me. They dropped to the floor, and I pushed her back so she’d land on the bed.

  She laughed as she bounced back up, her hands coming out to help her fall. My gaze landed on her thighs, and the scars marring her skin. They started just above her knees and went right up to the edge of her pussy. I hated them. I hated them because they showed her inner turmoil. But I loved them because they were part of her. I was at war with them, but I needed to put them aside and concentrate on her, and only her.

  I flicked my gaze up to her, and she was watching me carefully. “You’re so fuckin’ beautiful, Aria.” Her cheeks tinted red, and I grinned at the blush. I trailed my finger from her ankle, over her knee, and up to her pussy, dipping inside her folds and groaning at her wetness.

  “God, Cade,” she groaned, her hands gripping on to the comforter of my bed. “Don’t stop.”

  I had no intention of stopping. None whatsoever. I leaned forward and placed each hand over her inner thighs. My palms felt the scars on them as I pushed my face between her legs and licked her pussy.

  Her hand pushed through my hair and gripped so tightly my scalp burned, but I grinned at it. It turned me the hell on when she did that, so I licked her again, this time pulling her clit into my mouth and sucking on it.

  “Ahhhh.” Her legs locked around my head, but I didn’t let up. I lapped at her like she was the last thing I was ever going to eat, and didn’t stop until her legs were shaking, and she was screaming, “It’s too much!”

  My hand drifted to her chest, and I tweaked one of her nipples then sucked her clit one last time, knowing it was exactly what she needed to fall off the edge of the cliff and let go.

  Her back bowed off the bed, and I moved with her, let her clit go, and did one final lick to eek her orgasm out even more. Her hand slowly let go of my hair, her body crashing as she rode the high and aftereffects, but I wasn’t done with her yet. I needed to show her exactly how I felt about her, and there was only one way to do that.

>   I stood, started to pull the zipper down on my jeans, and kept my gaze locked with her face. Her light-brown eyes opened, sleepy and satisfied, but as soon as they connected with mine, they sparked.

  “No.” She shook her head, and I stopped pulling my zipper down, frowning at her as she sat up and shuffled to the edge of the bed. “That’s my job.”

  Her small hand covered mine over my zipper then pushed it aside. She dipped her head back, staring up at me, the only sound in the room our heavy breathing and the metal of my zipper as she tugged it all the way down.

  I lifted my hand and placed it on the side of her face, my thumb rubbing back and forth. My stomach dipped, and I couldn’t believe I was standing here, watching her undress me. How the hell had that happened?

  “Aria,” I whispered. I didn’t know what else to say. I wasn’t sure there was anything I could say.

  She grasped each side of my jeans over my hips and pulled, revealing my boxer briefs. Her fingers whispered over my erection covered by the black material, and I closed my eyes at the sensation.

  “Cade? Look at me.”

  I did as she commanded, and heaved in a sharp breath at the way she stared up at me. There was nothing but confidence in the way her shoulders pulled back and the way her stare stayed on mine.

  Slowly—oh so goddamn slowly—she pulled my boxer briefs down, and my erection sprang free. Her hand curled around the base, and I wasn’t sure I could take much of her touch before I’d blow my load.

  “Baby.” I leaned forward and placed my hands on either side of her, but she didn’t let go of my cock. Her grip was firm and demanding. “I need you so bad right now.”

  She groaned, her eyes closing. “Yessss.”

  My lips connected with her neck as I wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her back down to the bed. My body covered hers fully, but I fuckin’ loved it. I loved how small she was. I loved how I could encompass her and keep her safe.

  Her hands gripped my back, keeping me glued to her, and I readjusted my position so the head of my cock was at her entrance. There was no going back once we eradicated this line. We’d always have this, no matter what.