Chapter Four
Kade
I lean against the cold metal door, watching her as a shiver rolls through her body.
And for a second - just a second - I feel bad.
The mechanism to unlock the door is simple. Alex had shown me the trick to get out on one of our drunken nights in case of emergencies. This isn”t an emergency, not really; or not yet. But Emma, in that oversized jacket of mine that swallows her whole, makes the silence between us crackle with something electric.
Maybe it’s time to put an end to this whole ordeal.
“Are you just going to stand there?” Her voice has an edge, but her lip quivers - I”m not sure if it”s terror, sadness, or frustration.
One thing I am learning is that she hates the cold, hates being trapped, and most of all hates needing help - especially from me.
“I mean, you could rescue us,” I say.
Her sky-blue eyes narrow as if she’s aware I’m calling her out for expecting me to solve our problem. Big, strong Em doesn’t need a man - especially me - to save her, right?
I can’t tell if it’s the cold or her growing irritation causing the red color staining her high cheekbones. But I want more than her annoyance; I realize, I want her attention, all of it, on me. How much longer can I keep these feelings of mine locked up? How long can I keep her at a distance, hating me?
At least a little bit longer.
Because she’s about to be way more angry with me.
“Come here.” I reach out and take her hand before she can protest. A spark shoots through me at the contact.
Her eyes widen and meet mine. “Kade, what—”
“Shh.” I cut her words short and pull her closer. Her body is rigid and tight against mine, but I start to sway, then take a step back, watching her match my steps with knitted eyebrows. I can’t help but smirk as her resistance falters, replaced by focus on our impromptu waltz.
“Idiot,” she says under her breath, but she follows my lead, her movements syncing with mine like she was made for this, for us dancing together in the chilly atmosphere of the walk-in.
Her curls swish around her waist as we move, and I marvel at how she turns uncertainty into grace. For someone who’s never danced like this, Emma Riley is a natural. I thought I’d embarrass her while warming her up, but I’m the one looking like a fool.
“Where’d you learn to dance?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes at me, one hand on my shoulder and the other in mine. “Just because I can dance doesn”t mean I can’t kick your ass.”
“I wouldn”t want you any other way,” I say, spinning her gently. There is truth in the playful statement, and I can’t deny the way her feistiness draws me in like a moth to flame.
“Kade, this is fun, but we need to find a way out.” Her amusement seems to have dried up and I can’t help but push her a little more.
“Should we?” I ask in an innocent voice, holding her gaze and hoping she can’t see the heat in mine.
Her quick retreat breaks our dance. Her hand slips from mine as if I’m suddenly scalding to the touch. I watch her eyes narrow with suspicion, a defiance flickering in the light blue depths.
“Kade, what are you doing?” I can hear her exasperation and a hint of curiosity.
“Helping you stay warm. I thought it was obvious,” I say, lifting both shoulders. The close quarters of the walk-in feel intimate and warmth floods my being as goosebumps race across her skin.
“By dancing?” She sounds like she honestly thinks I’m an idiot, but the blush spreading like wildfire across her face tells a different story.
“Body heat and exertion work wonderfully.” I step closer again, watching as she instinctively braces to dance right out of my reach again, but she hesitates and stays in place instead.
“Ugh, you”re impossible.” She crosses her arms, but there is less bite in her comments now. A reluctant smile tugs at the corners of her mouth, and it is all I can do not to pull her back into my arms.
Would she let me? Or push me away?
She folds her arms across her chest, the leather of my jacket creaking softly. “I”m going to kill Alex for this,” she says, more to herself than to me. “And then I”ll have a crew tear this place apart. We”ll make sure this kind of ”accident” doesn”t happen again.” Despite her frustration, she sounds dangerously close to tears and something in me tugs.
“You’re going to kill your brother over a harmless lock-in?” I say, leaning against the chilly metal door again. “Seems a bit extreme.”
Her fiery gaze meets mine. “Extreme is being stuck in a freezer with the most infuriating guy on the planet.” Yet, even as she says the words, the fire in her eyes is playful, and as challenging as ever.
“Come on, admit it,” I say, loving the way she prepares to verbally spar with me. “You”re enjoying this just a tiny bit.”
“Enjoying it?” Emma lets out a short, sharp sigh that almost sounds like incredulous laughter. “You must be delusional.”
“Maybe.” We both know the truth, and I want her to know I’m onto her. Of course, this doesn’t bode well for my plan to keep her hating me, but I already have multiple ways of stoking that fire.
Her gaze meets mine again, lingering longer than necessary, before scanning the room and tracing the door as if she’ll see a way out. “You”re lucky I don”t have frostbite, Kade Lawson, or else you”d be in so much trouble right now.”
“Trouble”s my middle name.”
She lets out an annoyed groan. “How original.”
I watch a shiver run through her despite the bravado in her voice.
“But, for the record, I”d never let you get frostbite.”
She glares at me. “Can you please just find a way out of here?”
“Thought you”d never ask.” I push away from the door and stand up tall.
Her gaze tracks every move I make, an air of frustration filling the space around her.
I reach out, fingers deftly sliding along the cold metal until they find the hidden latch. A simple flick of the wrist, and the click echoes through the frigid air.
We both watch as the door swings open with ease.
Her silence is almost unnerving.
“Alex told me how to release it in case I ever got stuck down here,” I say nonchalantly, shrugging as if it it’s nothing. But her eyes... they flare with fury, and I watch her fists ball up at her sides.
“And you didn”t tell me... why?” The words slice through the space between us, her heated tone warning me of danger.
She’s mad.
But there is something about the spark in her eyes that makes my heart pound harder. It is... cute, her anger. Dangerous, but cute. Like a rabid trash panda, or a tiny kitten hissing, claws out.
“You never asked, technically.” Even as I point this fact out in an even tone, careful to keep my features innocent, I sense her going nuclear and prepare for the fallout.
Her brows knit together, her lips pinched tight. “I asked you to help make a plan.”
“True.” I nod my head, as if I’m agreeing with her. “But making a plan and getting out of here aren”t the same thing.” The corners of my mouth fight to lift, but I force my expression to stay neutral.
The air around us isn’t just cold anymore. There is heat there, anger, yes, but something more—something I can”t quite place.
Emma”s sigh of frustration cuts through the chill, leaving a plume of mist in the air as she storms out of the walk-in.
Her strides are purposeful, each step punctuated with annoyance that seems to radiate off her like mist over a lake. I can”t help but follow, my gaze involuntarily dropping to the sway of her hips, the gentle curve of her backside, accentuated by the lighting in the club.
“Kade,” she says, whirling around so fast I’m caught off guard.
And that’s not all she caught. As I lift my gaze to her, I realize I’m busted. She knew my eyes were glued where they shouldn”t have been.
The corner of her mouth twitches, and I know I’m skating on thin ice. But damn if she doesn”t look good when she is fired up and angry.
“Enjoying the view?” Her short, sarcastic words leave no doubt she caught me and knew exactly what I was up to, and her sky-blue eyes seem almost angry. Sheesh. Can’t a guy even enjoy a nice ass in peace?
“I wouldn”t miss it for the world,” I say, letting a roguish smile cross my lips as my unapologetic tone makes it clear I don’t feel bad for checking her out. Let her think I’m a pig. That’ll make it easier for her to keep hating me. Because I’m slipping.
She’s glaring at me still, and I keep smiling. Her feistiness has always been a draw for me, even when it is directed at me and posing a clear and obvious danger to my health and wellbeing.
“You’re disgusting,” she says, though the heat behind her words loses all power as I see the hungry look in her eyes. And for the first time, my heart sinks. Oh, no. She’s not feeling it, this spark between us, is she?
I don’t know how to fix that. “I’m adorable,” I say, taking a deliberate step closer to her. Her brows tighten and I know I’m putting myself in danger - but it’s fun. The threat is thrilling.
“Stop it, Kade,” she says, her voice a warning ringing out between us. But I hear something else, too. A slight tremble in her voice that betrays her stern tone. And her eyes... they’re like liquid pools of super-heated steel.
“Make me.” I dare her as I lean in close until our breaths mingle, until I can see the way her pupils dilate just so. The hollow at the base of her throat deepens, and she inhales a deep breath as if trying to ground herself.
“You’re a dick,” she mutters, looking away from me.
“Why are you thinking about my dick?” I whisper.
Her eyes widen, then anger floods back in. “And you”re arrogant. And disgusting.”
“You said that already. Maybe you need to widen your vocabulary?” I’m so close I could move a few inches and press my lips to hers. I want to kiss her so damn bad, but if I did that, there’d be no coming back.
“Shut up, Kade,” she says, then lets out an annoyed grunt before spinning away from me. But this time, there’s less anger in her movements and more confusion, as if she was feeling the urge to kiss just like I was.
And I take the opportunity to keep admiring the view. She looks even more incredible when she’s angry, damn.
“Where do you think you”re going?” I say loudly enough for her to hear me across the distance she’s putting between us. She stops, her shoulders squaring up as if she’s mentally preparing for a fight. This ought to be interesting.
I carefully keep my distance to give her the illusion of control as she turns slowly around, her expression betraying that she has no will or energy to deal with my bs anymore. Good. That’s a win for both of us.
“Anywhere but here.” We stare one another down, the tension between us growing. I watch her ribs inflate and deflate as she takes deep breaths, her gaze daring me to make one more challenging, rude comment.
“Well, in that case, off you go,” I say, lifting my index finger and rotating it in a gesture for her to turn around. Rage fills her expression, but she turns and leaves without another word.
I think that went well.