by Laurie Roma
His home was in Ever After…with Elle.
Small town life suited him. Actually, Ever After wasn’t that much different from where he’d grown up. It was a close community, and the people truly cared about one another. To be fair, he’d had some reservations about settling down in Texas in the beginning, but now, he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
He was currently building his dream home right by the water, digging his roots down deep. Elle had been part of every phase of its construction, from going with him to select the property to the helping with the design of the blueprints. He had also left most of the decorating decisions in her capable hands. It only made sense since he hoped to convince her to move in with him as soon as the house was finished.
Meeting her gaze, he said, “Never.”
Her answering smile warmed his heart.
When they arrived on campus, he pulled into the parking lot close to the building where she had both of her classes. She had just finished shoving her notecards back into her bag when he opened her door for her.
Elle felt her pulse quicken as he stood in front of her with his hand out. She knew he wanted her to give him her bag, but she wasn’t ready to hand it over yet. Clutching it to her chest, she swiveled around on the seat until she was facing him, and swallowing hard, she made herself take the leap.
“Since we’re a little early, I have another question to ask you. And if I don’t ask it now, I’ll be distracted during my exam and that wouldn’t be good.”
He nodded slowly. “Okay.”
“Are you taking a date to the wedding?”
Dear god, why had she asked it like an accusation? He was staring at her like she was crazy, and maybe she was. Needing to get on with the rest of it before her courage failed her, her words came out in a rush.
“I asked because I wanted to know if you wanted to go. I mean, of course, you’re going to go to the wedding, but I thought it would be fun if we went together. Like a date. If you don’t think of me that way, it’s better if you just tell me now before—”
Her words were cut off when he jerked her toward him and slammed his mouth down on hers. Kade Kapono was kissing her. Literally kissing the breath right out of her. No, what he did couldn’t be classified as something as simple as a kiss.
This was what it felt like to be devoured.
Completely overtaken.
And she loved every second of it.
Need detonated inside of her, making her desperate to be closer to him. On a moan, she wound her arms around his neck. When her bag got in the way, she shoved it to the side and hooked her legs around his hips. She needed to feel his hard body pressed against hers. Finally, she thought. She finally knew what it felt like to be kissed by him, and the reality of it was better than any fantasy she’d ever had.
She wanted more.
When he gripped her hair tight and tugged her head back, she gasped. As soon as her lips parted, his tongue stroked deep. She lost herself in the taste of him, in the feeling of being surrounded by him. She shivered as pleasure consumed her. She completely forgot where they were until the sound of wolf whistles and applause brought reality back into clear focus.
Breathing hard, Kade rested his forehead against hers, not bothering to look over at the group of people making the noise. Christ, he could barely think when he was touching her. He’d always known that kissing her would be amazing, but he hadn’t realized he’d lose himself so completely.
“Fuck,” he growled softly. “You fried my brain.”
She let out a shaky laugh. “You’re not the one who has a test to take now. Maybe I should just—”
“No.”
“But I could probably reschedule it.”
“No.”
He took a step back, trying to clear his head a little. As much as he wanted to kiss her again, it was not the time or the place. It was dangerous to lose awareness of what was going on around them. He had to protect Elle, and he couldn’t do that unless he paid attention to their surroundings.
Still mentally berating himself, he grabbed her bag and took another step back. He noticed her expression change, and his jaw clenched as he wondered if she was upset about the kiss. To be fair, he hadn’t really given her much of a choice at first, but she had kissed him back, damn it. Or was she embarrassed that he had practically ravished her in front of her classmates?
“Do you regret it?” she whispered.
Regret showing all the frat boys who lusted after Elle that she was taken? Fuck no, never. To accentuate that fact, he shot a glare at the students who continued to hang around the parking lot watching them. His dark expression was enough to make most of them scurry off to find somewhere else to be.
When he glanced back and saw Elle’s lower lip quiver, he realized he’d upset her. He clearly hadn’t understood her question. Was she asking if he regretted kissing her? Was she fucking crazy?
“Hell, no. I don’t regret kissing you.”
“Then, why are you acting like you can’t get away from me fast enough? Did I do something wrong?”
Kade heard the uncertainty in her voice and wanted to kick his own ass. He was a fucking idiot. He had taken it for granted how she usually knew what he was thinking without him having to say a word. But this was a whole new dynamic between them.
Completely uncharted territory.
He had hurt her without meaning to, and he had to make it right. He couldn’t stand seeing her sad or upset. It literally made his chest hurt.
“One kiss, and I forgot where we were. I almost took you right here in the parking lot with all of these damn people watching. As much as I want you, I need to think of your safety first.”
“I forgot, too,” she confessed.
Stepping close to her again, he cupped the side of her face. He loved how she nuzzled her cheek against his palm, and it made him want to stroke his hands over her entire body. Fuck, that kind of thinking was going to get him into trouble. He had to stop touching her if he was going to find the strength to let her go take her test.
Clearing his throat, he said, “We have a lot to talk about, but that can wait until after your exam is over. Now, I’m going to walk you to your class, and I would prefer not to do that with my cock trying to bust out of my jeans. That’s why I have to stop touching you.”
Well, damn. He’d wanted to be honest so there were no misunderstandings between them, but he hadn’t meant to say that so bluntly. And by her shocked expression, he had definitely surprised her.
“Oh.”
She was silent as she got out of the truck, but he noticed the little temptress’ gaze shift down to check out the bulge in his jeans. Her lips quirked up in a secretive smile as if she were pleased with herself…or by what she saw.
Either way, he was fucked.
When he adjusted himself, her small, pink tongue darted out to lick her lower lip, he growled in warning. “You staring at my dick is not helping.”
Her head jerked up, and her wide eyes met his. “Sorry.”
He sighed. “I should be used to it, considering I’m always in this condition when I’m around you.”
“You are? How did I miss that? I mean, it’s kind of hard not to notice.”
In response, he let out another low growl and shot her a hot look that made a blush stain her cheeks. He might not be a talkative guy, but she was turning him into a freaking legit caveman. Soon all he would be capable of were growls and grunts.
After locking the truck, he took her arm and steered her toward the building where she had her classes. Since he was practically dragging her, she struggled to keep up with his longer strides.
“You are trouble.”
“So, you always tell me.” She huffed out a breath, then said, “The test should take me about an hour, hopefully. Then, I have to drop off my paper. You don’t have to wait around for me.”
“I’ll be here.”
“If you want to go get coffee or something, I can meet you somewhere—”
“I don’t know how you expect me to think after you kissed my brains out.”
She pouted as she took her bag from him, and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning down and brushing his lips against hers. “Think of the reward I’ll give you when you’re done.”
That seemed to perk her up. “What kind of reward?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Tease.” She sent him a cheeky smirk with a salute. “Wish me luck!”
“Good luck, ku’uipo.”
She tilted her head to the side as she studied him. “What does that mean?”
“I’ll tell you after your test. Aloha.”
“Aloha,” she called back.
Kade realized he was grinning like a fool as she flounced away, but he couldn’t help it. She just made him so fucking happy.
His smile changed to a fierce scowl when he realized just how many other men were watching Elle hurry into the building. He could see the longing in their eyes, and while he couldn’t blame them for admiring her, he didn’t like that they were coveting what was his.
She belonged to him now, and he was never letting her go.
CHAPTER TEN
Kade sat in his truck checking his texts and emails as he waited for Elle to emerge from the building. After she had gone inside to take her exam, he’d briefly left to run a few errands, but he had hurried back in case her test hadn’t taken as long as she’d thought it would.
It was taking all his willpower not to stalk into the building and snatch her out of whatever classroom she was in. After the mind-blowing kiss they shared, it was even more difficult to be parted from her. It was like lighting a fire, then immediately dousing it with water. He kept reminding himself that she would be completely done with school in the matter of a few minutes.
Then, he would take great pleasure fanning those embers into flames again.
He got out of his vehicle when he noticed a familiar face in the mass of students walking around. He crossed his arms and leaned against the front grill of his truck as he waited for the man with the black backpack slung over one shoulder to head his way. Daniel Walker might have tried to look the part of a student, but he blended into the crowd about as well as Kade did.
Though Elle always allowed one of them to come with her for security reasons, Kade had also arranged to have bodyguards on hand whenever she was on campus. Actually, he had convinced Daniel and Libby Walker, the heads of her security team, to move to Ever After to protect Elle full-time. He knew it was a little over the top, but he needed to make sure she stayed safe.
“Kade.”
“Dan. You must be happy it’s the last day of class.”
“It hasn’t been that bad since Elle only had two classes this semester.” He leaned back against Kade’s truck. “I’m glad we won’t have to be here when most of these kids have their finals. It’s harder to spot a potential threat when everyone is running around acting crazy.”
“How many do you have on site today?”
“I’ve got a guy in the building with her and Libby, and another walking the perimeter. Since Elle arranged to take this final earlier than the rest of her class, we didn’t need to worry about everyone knowing her schedule. However, that doesn’t stop people from recognizing her.”
Kade was well aware Elle stood out in any crowd. He sighed before saying, “Sometimes this place feels like another world.”
“I agree.” Dan paused as he scanned the crowd, then said, “Since we supplement our additional guards from the security company you’re using for the event this weekend, I touched base with them to include us into the plan. Since we’re a couple, we’ll blend in with the guests. We’ll be close by if you or Elle need anything.” He paused and shot him a speculative glance. “Is she taking a date?”
“She’ll be with me,” Kade snapped.
“Right,” Dan said, not bothering to hide his grin. “We need to talk about what happens after graduation.”
“You’re not thinking about leaving, are you?”
“Libby and I weren’t sure at first, but Ever After is our home now. We’re just feeling a little guilty. As it is, we only really have to work a few days a week, but now that Elle’s done with school, we’ll be needed even less.”
“You saying you want me to cut your salary?”
“Hell, no. But you might want to after I tell you that she knows about us. Has for a while,” Dan confessed, shooting him an apologetic look. “She said she would have to be blind not to notice us trailing after her. I don’t think she’s caught on to the other guys on our team since we switch them out on the regular, but she definitely knows about me and Lib.”
He was proud of her for catching on. “I’m not surprised.”
“She thinks her brothers hired us, and she made us promise not to tell them she knows until she was finished with school. In exchange, she stopped trying to ditch us.”
That made Kade chuckle.
“She and Libby have gotten quite close. Actually, we’ve both gotten to be very fond of her, which is why we’d like to accept Elle’s offer to work with her at the Foundation.”
Leave it to his clever woman to try and steal away her own protection detail. Well, she could have them, but he’d continue to pay their salaries. Since Kade also planned to work with her at the Foundation, he didn’t see a problem with the arrangement.
“Your first priority would still be to protect her.”
“Of course,” Dan agreed quickly. “But we would also like to help out with the other work she’s doing.”
Kade left Dan behind the moment Elle walked out of the building with Libby following after her. Two of her male classmates tried to engage her in conversation, but she barely paid attention to them as she searched the crowd.
“We’re going for drinks now. Want to join us?”
“Sorry, can’t.”
The other guy asked, “You coming to my party this weekend, Giselle?”
“Thanks, but my brother is having a party I can’t miss.”
Kade wanted to shove his fists into the pretty boys’ faces for daring to ask his Elle out, but he pushed aside his anger. She was his, so there was no point in getting jealous. When his gaze locked with Elle’s, he saw the smile bloom on her face, and he couldn’t help mirroring her expression.
God, he really did have it bad.
One smile from her, and his heart practically fell at her feet.
“I’m officially done!”
She ran down the walkway and leapt into his arms. Laughing, he caught her and spun her around in a circle. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he crushed his mouth down on hers in a kiss that warned everyone watching that she belonged to him. He wanted to take the kiss deeper, but he knew they were surrounded by too many people for that. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her classmates slink away, both of them wearing disappointed expressions.
Kade pulled back to grin down at Elle. “How’d you do?”
“Aced it.” She smiled proudly. “Where’s my reward?”
Kade gave her ass a squeeze. “In the truck.”
Elle was acutely aware that she was wrapped around him like a baby koala, but she wasn’t in any hurry to get down. He didn’t seem to mind since he continued carrying her as he started walking toward the parking lot.
“Hi, Dan!” She waved to him over Kade’s shoulder. “I bet you’re glad you won’t have to hang around on campus anymore after today.”
“Can’t say I’ll miss it,” he said with a laugh.
“Neither will I. Libby, we’ll talk more after you read over the stuff I sent you.”
“You got it. See you later, Elle!”
As Elle waved goodbye to the couple, she noticed several thirsty bitches staring at Kade and glaring at her with envy in their eyes. It was petty, but she couldn�
�t help sending them a smug smile. It usually drove her crazy when women drooled over him, but everything was different now.
Her dreams had come true, and they were finally together.
She had publicly claimed him, and in return, he was proudly carrying her across campus like a real boyfriend. Enjoying the ride, she leaned her head on Kade’s shoulder and pressed her lips against his throat. His grip on her ass tightened, then he ran one hand up her back in a soothing gesture that made her want to purr in contentment.
“So, you knew about Dan and Libby?”
“It was kind of hard not to notice them stalking me around Ever After and here on campus. My brothers are so over the top.”
He was quiet while he unlocked the truck and gently placed her in the passenger’s seat, but one look at his face told her that she’d been wrong. Her brothers weren’t behind her protection detail.
“It was you.”
He answered with a grunt before kissing her hard, then shutting the door in her face. Huffing out an irritated breath, she shoved her bag in the back seat as she waited for him to get in the other side of the vehicle.
“Kade, why didn’t you tell me? I wouldn’t have tried to ditch them if I knew you had hired them.” She sighed when he turned to stare at her with an incredulous expression. “Okay, maybe I would have. I can’t exactly be mad at you for wanting to keep me safe, but it would have been nice if you had told me.”
After a long beat of silence, he said, “You wanted to finish school.”
“Well, yes but—”
“You told your brothers you didn’t want bodyguards, but you never really understood why you needed them. And you needed them to finish school.” Before she could argue, he continued. “There were three situations since you’ve been here.”
Her eyes went wide. “What kind of situations?”
“Two kidnapping attempts, one professional while the other was a few students who thought they could make some quick money. Then, there was a professor who had tried to set up a situation that would have put you in a compromising position. He planned on blackmailing you into investing in his bullshit company.”
