Chapter Nine
Emma
I”m holding my breath.
I swear the space between us is electric, charged with a current that pulls me in like a magnet. Kade’s dark eyes are locked on mine, and I feel heat flood my cheeks.
The air around us smells like his cologne, his thick scent, and it’s hard to take a deep breath without inhaling the deliciousness that is him.
“Kade,” I whisper, the single word an invitation, or maybe a plea.
He leans in closer, inch by nerve-wracking inch. “Emma Riley,” he says, a hint of playfulness in his voice as his breath tickles my lips so excitingly my heart pounds impossibly hard.
My chest rises and falls in rapid succession, but I can’t seem to catch my breath. My heart races as if trying to escape the cage of my ribs. He”s so close now, I can almost taste the tang of pizza sauce on his breath.
He’s intoxicating, dizzying, and I want more. I shouldn”t, but I do. More than anything.
And then some voice in my head reminds me that this isn”t just Kade.
This is my brother Alex”s best friend.
The one man who knows exactly how to get under my skin with his cocky grin and relentless teasing.
I need that guy back—the one who drives me crazy in a completely different way. The one I’d been trapped with and wanted to pour grenadine over the head of. The safe one.
“Stop,” I say, placing a hand against his chest. His heart beats steady under my palm, and I want to hate it for not matching the frantic rhythm of my own. He has such an effect on me, he but seems far too calm and relaxed while I’m struggling to think and breathe normally.
“Stop what?” Kade asks, his brows knitting together in confusion... or maybe frustration.
“Stop... whatever we”re doing here.” My voice sounds more desperate than I intend, betraying the confusing mix of emotions he stirs within me.
“Emma, you know I can”t—” He starts, but I cut him off.
“Go back to being annoying,” I whisper, my voice firm even as some part of me begs him to break this rule. “I need your infuriating humor, your rudeness.”
“Rudeness?” The corners of his mouth curve up in that signature smirk that makes me mad and hot all at once. “You mean my charming wit?”
“Whatever you call it,” I say, rolling my eyes to hide the fact that every fiber of my being disagrees with my words. I don’t want him to stop this, I don’t want him to go back to annoying me. I just know that’s safer than whatever this is we’re currently doing. “Just be that guy again, okay?”
He studies me for a moment, head tilted, obviously trying to dissect my words and thoughts. Then he chuckles—a deep sound that fills the room and has me closing my eyes, wishing to hear more of his voice. “You love it,” he says, and he’s not wrong.
But I’d rather die than tell him that. “Love what?” I ask, feigning ignorance.
His eyes narrow, as if he’s on to me. “Me, getting under your skin.”
He’s not wrong, and he’s too close to the truth for comfort. “Keep dreaming, Kade,” I say, even though his proximity makes it hard to breathe.
“Already am, sweetheart. Every night,” he says, reaching out to drag his knuckles down my cheek. His gaze ticks to mine, and the intensity in his expression leaves me breathless.
A shiver runs down my spine. I”m playing with fire, and I know it.
I reach for my glass of water, hoping that some liquid will combat the dryness of my throat. But Kade is quicker. He snatches the water from the table, mischief sparking in his dark eyes.
“Kade, what are you doing?” I ask.
He just arches an eyebrow at me, that all-too-familiar grin playing on his lips.
“I just want a drink,” I say, reaching for my glass as exasperation fills my voice. On some level, I recognize he’s doing exactly what I asked, and I’m annoyed, yet slightly grateful.
“You’re too young to drink,” he says, bringing us right back to that conversation we’d had at the club the night we got stuck together.
“Ha ha,” I say, my tone flat to show I’m not actually amused. “That joke never gets old.” I roll my eyes at him, and his grin widens.
“Thank you for going back to being an insufferable jerk.” At least he’s good at this part. I reach for my glass, but he pulls it back out of my grasp once more.
He chuckles, and the sound sends a tremble through me as if he’d actually touched me. “It”s not my fault you like me,” he says, and I swear my heart stops beating.
“Like you?” The question escapes before I can stop it and a snort bursts out of me.
I see a flash of something like hurt in his eyes, but it’s gone before I can confirm. “Admit it, Emma Riley,” he says in a soft tone, once again closing the distance between us.
“Never.” I won’t give him the satisfaction, but every cell in my body screams the truth. I do like him. And that’s why I need him to be a jerk... so I’ll stop liking him again. Because this isn’t okay.
With a flick of his wrist, he pretends to spill water on me, and I let out a squeak and slap the cup to stop him from splashing me. The cold liquid sloshes over the rim and peppers us both with icy-cold drops.
I jump up, dripping onto the floor. “You deserve that,” I say, defiance - and something else - heating my cheeks.
He doesn”t miss a beat. “If this is how you treat guests, no wonder you”re lonely.”
“Who says I”m lonely?” I’m offended and hurt. Perfect - that’s exactly what I need to stop this weird pull between us. Our soaked shirts cling to our skin, the lines between annoyance and attraction still blurring. I need him to get meaner.
He stands, dripping wet and intense. His humor has disappeared, replaced by something dark and thrilling. As he moves closer to me, I feel the heat radiating off him, even through the chill of my drenched clothes.
“Emma,” he whispers, his voice low and dangerous, “Tell me you’re not lonely. I dare you.”
I freeze. I’m not sure I should lie to him - I am lonely. But that’s not a spot in my life that he can fill.
A moment ticks by, then another, and he pulls back, a triumphant sparkle in his dark eyes.
I become incredibly aware of the wet fabric that hugs my skin, and I can feel Kade”s eyes tracing the outline of my body.
His gaze carries the weight of physical touch and leaves something fluttering in my belly. Excitement spreads through my veins; it”s unnerving, this intensity between us. I can’t imagine what would happen if either one of us actually gave into the pull that drags us in to one another. Surely it’s the thrill of him being off-limits that’s still fanning that flame.
“Emma,” he says, his voice a deep, concerned rumble, “you”re shaking.” He steps closer, the air between us taking on a wild and dangerous charge that crackles almost audibly.
“Am I?” I hear the tremble in my voice. I hate what he does to me, and I wish I could hate him.
“Are you cold?” he asks, before his gaze flicks to mine. “Or is it something else?” His fingers brush against my arm, sending a jolt of electricity through me.
I swallow hard, unable to tear my eyes away from his. “Something else. Rage, probably.” But my voice is barely a whisper, and I know he’s not convinced.
“Let me warm you up.” he says as if I hadn’t said a word. That trademark smirk plays on his lips, but there”s an edge to it now, a promise of something more that makes every drop of saliva in my mouth dry up.
My heart thuds as the thought of his hands on me fills my mind. I think about his powerful hands peeling away soaked layers of my clothing and the excitement is almost too much to bear. My lip catches between my teeth, holding back a sound of pure desire.
“Kade,” I say, breathing out and relieved the word doesn’t betray all the confusing feelings warring within me.
He leans in, inches from my face. “Yes, Emma Riley?” His rich voice sends a shiver up my spine and leaves goosebumps breaking out across my skin. I’ll blame the cold for both reactions, of course.
I don’t know if he knows my secret - even though we’ve joked about it - and I need to be very careful not to give into these feelings. Besides, he”s everything I shouldn”t want—my brother”s best friend, the jerk who”s made driving me mad into a sport.
“Stop looking at me like that,” I whisper, watching his gaze drop to my lips. My heart feels like it’s about to burst, and the electric thrill crackling through my body is almost too much to take.
“Like what?” he asks, as if daring me to say that I know he wants to kiss me. He”s so close now, his breath mingles with mine.
“Like you”re going to devour me.” That’s... not what I meant to say. But he seems unfazed.
“Would that be so bad?” His thumb grazes my jaw, tilting my head up to meet his smoldering gaze.
“Kade,” I say as alarm bells begin blaring in my mind. “Don’t. We can”t.”
“Can”t we?” His voice is barely above a whisper, and it”s all I can do not to close the gap and kiss him myself.
“Alex would kill us,” I manage to say, even as part of me screams for him to ignore my protests.
He arches an eyebrow. “Alex isn”t here...” As his eyes search mine, I see them darkening with desire.
“That doesn”t make it right.” I can’t believe I have to explain this to a full-grown man.
“Sometimes,” he whispers, his hand cupping my cheek before his fingers slide through my hair until he’s holding the back of my head, the sensation so intense I inhale a deep breath, “it”s the wrong things that feel the most right.”
And in that moment, with the heat of his body enveloping me, I”m dangerously close to letting him prove it.
“Are you okay?” His gentle voice brings me back to the moment, and I feel like I snap out of his hypnotic hold over me.
I glare at him, feeling the damp fabric clinging to my skin, a reminder of what he’d done. “No, I’m not okay. I”m wet and it”s all your fault.” My words come out sharper than I intend, but the annoyance is real—even if it”s tangled up with an ache for his touch.
A wicked smile crosses his lips, and he winks—a clear indication he understands the double entendre of my complaint. “Well now, that sounds like a good problem to have.”
Heat floods my cheeks as I realize just how he”s taken my words... and what I’d said.
Damn him and his ability to twist innocent comments into dirty innuendos, and double damn him for making me uncomfortably warm at the thought.
His mind is a playground of dirty thoughts, and it somehow both infuriates and thrills me. Without warning, he pulls me into his arms, his breath warm against the curve of my ear. “Want me to help you with that?” The deep, throaty growl of his voice reverberates through my body, unbalancing my senses.
My knees weaken, and something inside me roars to life, a hunger that”s becoming harder to deny. Maybe I do want his help, but that’s never going to happen.
“No, thanks,” I say with a confidence I don’t actually feel.
“Are you sure?” Kade”s hold tightens just slightly, his fingers splaying across the small of my back, sending shivers through me. “Because I”ve got a few ideas that could make you feel... better.”
I swallow hard, trying to steady my racing pulse. I know exactly what he’s offering, and every fiber of my being screams to give in. But I plant a hand on his chest and push him away, needing space to think, to breathe.
“Kade, stop.” I mean the words.
Because if he doesn”t stop now, I might not have the strength to make him stop.