Chapter Thirty Five
Where the Sky Falls
“ A re you sure she’s okay?” I murmur, narrowed eyes flicking over my shoulder in the direction of Honey Bea. “She’s only been with you for a few days. Maybe we shouldn’t leave her yet.”
Kade reaches over the truck’s shifter and grips my hand, squeezing it gently. “Mom has her.”
I bite my lip to stifle a gasp.
Him referring to Bea as Mom instead of my mom , shouldn't have the effect on me it does. Shouldn’t mean a damn thing, but, God, every time he says something like that, all easily and plainly like it's normal, I swear, it rewrites my DNA.
The fingers of my free hand tangle in the thick gray crewneck sweatshirt I borrowed from him.
Paired with my leggings and some thick country-and-mud-approved boots, I feel overdressed for spring, but with the sun going down and the weather so unpredictable, especially not knowing what our plans are, I guess it's for the best.
After he told me tonight was a surprise, he sent me off to his room to change into warm clothes—and to borrow whatever I needed—while he disappeared to get Aurora settled for the evening with his mom, who’s back from Rydell now.
I tried to argue that we really shouldn’t be leaving her so soon, and though I could tell he was reluctant, especially as we were finally loaded up in his truck and driving away, but he said this can’t wait—whatever that means.
Turning back to face the windshield, I take in the dark landscape stretching for miles on every side of us. “Are we still on the farm?”
He nods, flicking on his high beams. “Yeah, we’re not leaving—just driving a couple miles west.”
“How big is Honey Bea?”
“Bit over ten thousand acres.”
I gape. “That’s huge.”
Kade chuckles, pressing a kiss to the back of my hand. “Prefer you said that while staring at my cock, but I’ll take it.”
Scoffing, cheeks red-hot, I tug my hand away and flick his cheek. “You would say that, pervert.”
He barks a laugh that makes his giant shoulders shake, and I get caught up in how big he is. Wide and thick and muscular all over. His eyes flit to me, hands tightening on the wheel as he cocks a brow.
“Who’s the pervert now, darlin’?” he drawls, wetting his lower lip. “Like what you see?”
“No,” I say, deadpan, tossing my hair over my shoulder as I force my gaze to the window. “Just thought I saw a bug in your beard. Don’t worry, it was only your gray’s, old man.”
“Well, geriatric must be your thing, because you were screaming my name a few nights ago and squirting all over this old man’s beard, weren’t you?”
My mouth falls open, a denial already forming on my tongue, but the sight of him smug, eyes glazed and heavy with lust, sends a sharp bolt of need down my spine. Clit pulsing, nipples standing at attention, he’s impossible to deny.
It’s always like this when he’s around. Even when I was swearing up and down I hated him.
“Cat got your tongue?” he taunts, lighter and freer than he was yesterday, weeks ago, months ago. Slowly yet surely, Kade Archer is coming back to life before my eyes.
“Sorry to break it to you,” I say around a laugh, “but age-gaps aren’t really my thing.” Clicking my tongue, I settle into the seat, letting the warmth from the heater coat my skin. “My best friend, Abby, however, loves older men.”
“How old we talkin’?”
I think back to the guys she’s had crushes on over the years.
They were all at least ten years older. Even her ex-husband—and still-boss—Steven is twelve years older than she is.
But the age difference didn’t stop him from being a lying, cheating prick who stole her freedom, her money, and her condo in an ugly divorce.
“Never seen her date or like a man less than ten years older than her,” I finally say with a shrug. “Not that she’s out here actively hunting sugar daddies. It’s just... she’s got a thing for the emotionally unavailable with a hint of salt-and-pepper and trauma.”
Kade laughs. “Sounds like she’d love Griff.”
I snort. “Griffin’s a six-and-a-half-foot-tall teddy bear. Abby would eat him alive.”
“Maybe you’re right,” he mutters. “He hand-raises rescue ponies.”
“She’s more candlelight, tarot cards, and ‘let’s move to Bali to sell macramé’ than barn boots and farm chores.”
“In his defense, the man makes the best damn bourbon-glazed ribs I’ve ever had.”
“One, Abby’s a vegan,” I say, chuckling. “And two, it sounds like you want to date Griffin.” My brows waggle. “Bit of a bromance thing going with your beloved Sarge?”
“He wishes.” Kade smirks, eyes dragging over me like he’s starving. “Fact that your best friend likes older men doesn’t surprise me.”
I arch a brow. “Why not?”
“Because if her type’s anything like yours, she’s probably got a thing for big, capable hands and the kind of experience that ruins a woman for anyone else.”
My mouth drops open. “I didn’t… I never…”
He chuckles low in his throat, all gravel and sin. “You didn’t have to, darlin’. You’ve been starin’ at my hands since we left the house.”
“Only because they were on my thigh,” I shoot back, voice breathy despite myself.
And because they’re perfectly calloused and huge and felt so damn good inside me, I’m literally panting for a repeat.
“Exactly.” He winks, then slows the truck to a quiet, rumbling stop. The headlights stretch out across an open stretch of dark green field, rimmed by trees and swallowed by night. “We’re here.”
My brows pull together in confusion as I glance around. “Already?”
“Yep.” He kills the engine and opens his door with a creak. “Stay put.”
Before I can argue, he’s jogging around the truck. The tailgate squeaks open, followed by the soft bounce of him climbing into the bed. I shift in my seat, trying to get a peek at what he’s doing, but it’s too dark.
After a few minutes, I’ve determined he’s setting something up, but I have no idea what it is. The sound of Fleetwood Mac’s “Chains” fills the silence, and my brows furrow.
What the hell is he doing?
By the time he’s climbing out and rounding to my side of the truck, every nerve ending in my body is buzzing with anticipation.
Because with Kade Archer, the unexpected always turns into unforgettable.
He opens my door with a flourish, tipping his baseball cap like it’s a Stetson, and I blush all over again. “My lady.”
Giggling, I lift my hand to his but squeal when he reaches for my hips instead and…
Throws me over his shoulder again.
“I’m not a ragdoll!” I hiss, fingers clenching his jacket. “Don’t you dare drop me in the mud.”
“Not a doll,” he drawls, “but fun as hell to toss around.”
My teeth clack from how hard I snap my mouth shut, and he laughs, free hand inching up my thigh. A moan slips free when his fingers graze my center and his laugh dies a quick death.
It takes everything in me not to beg for more. To spread my thighs wider and whimper like a wanton hussy.
I’m so damn keyed up after the other night, it’s becoming a serious problem—for my panties.
He sets me gently on the tailgate, and I toss my head back, righting my messy hair. When I meet his gaze, red is spilling out above his beard, tinting his skin in an adorable, nervous flush.
“Are you…” My heart skips a beat, stomach flipping wildly. “Are you blushing?”
“No,” he mutters, lip twitching. “Maybe.”
“But why?”
Stepping forward, he grips my thighs roughly, hands rubbing up and down like he’s trying to warm me up.
Little does he know, I’m already burning alive on the inside.
“I’m really fuckin’ sorry for what happened the other night,” he murmurs, surprising me. My smile falls, and he’s quick to jump in, shaking his head. “No, not that. Definitely not that . But before…” He sighs. “I’m fuckin’ this up.”
“No,” I breathe, tucking his wavy hair behind his ear, thumb ghosting his jaw. “You’re really not.”
He presses a kiss to my palm and sinks into the touch.
I’m quickly realizing, Kade is just as touch starved as I am, maybe more, and I make a mental note to be more physical. It doesn’t come natural to me—or, it didn’t. Not before him.
But now, I’m finding it difficult not to have my hands on this man at any given moment.
“Anyway,” he continues, voice rough. “I’m really fuckin’ sorry you got sick. Know you said it’s not my fault, but fuck, Georgia, seeing you like that—sprawled out and sobbing on the floor, and after… the migraines and pain. Never knew food could do that to a person.”
I tip my shoulders, stomach swooping. “It happens. I’m used to it.”
Pain lances across his features at that. “Well, next time it does, you won’t have to go through it alone.”
And that promise is enough to make me fall infinitely deeper and further into the abyss of him .
“Brought you here to replace that shitty memory with a better one. Was our first night together, and yeah, ended good as hell, but started rough.”
Unable to help myself, I lean forward and kiss him, driven my nothing but instinct and want . He doesn’t miss a beat, kissing me hard and groaning into my mouth. His fingers weave into my hair, tipping me back as his tongue traces my lips. I open, greedy for more.
More.
Always more with him.
When he finally pulls back, we’re both breathless and panting, and I’m seconds from stripping down and asking him to bend me over and fuck me on this tailgate.
Before I can, he’s smiling and stepping back.
“Can’t go losing my head before I tell you what our date is.”
“This is a date?” I ask, butterflies breaking out in wild, chaotic wing beats. “A real one?”
He scoffs, climbing into the truck with ease. “Obviously. Dating is like the official first step in a relationship, is it not?”
“A…” My mouth opens and closes, the butterflies throwing a full blown rager in my gut. “A… what? ”
Kade laughs and tips my jaw shut, kissing my lips once more. “We’re a thing, baby. Get used to it.”
Clearing my throat, I nod dumbly and turn to face him. “Okay, what’s our—”
I freeze mid-sentence and gape at the setup before me.
The truck bed has been transformed.