10. Sloane
Chapter ten
Sloane
The morning couldn’t come fast enough as I waited for the town car Cade called for me. Why I needed to get up so early, I still don’t know, but the suspense is killing me.
The town car drives for over forty-five minutes before finally reaching the Buffalo city limits. I watch as all the streetlights leave a trail of illumination in their wake before we stop at the airport.
We stop at a gate, not a departure gate, but a legitimate gate that monitors authorized personnel from entering and leaving. The driver says something, holding up his badge as the gate opens. We drive inside it and make our way on the runway. My mouth drops in awe. I’ve never been on a runway before in a car, but that’s not even the craziest part.
Just outside, I see Cade standing by a private plane as he speaks to staff. This is insane! A private jet? Where the hell is he taking me?
As the town car comes to a stop, the driver jumps out and pops the trunk to retrieve my bag. I step out and wait by the car as Cade excuses himself from the crew and walks over to me. He smiles widely and opens his arms, marveling at the sheer size of the plane.
“What do you think?” he asks, and I shake my head in disbelief. If a man has the means and is willing to splurge on you, you don’t say no, but at the very least, remind him that it isn’t necessary. I didn’t begin to feel things for Cade because of his money. I began to feel things for him because of the type of man he’s been showing me he is. I’m getting to see a glimpse behind the facade that not many people get a chance to.
“It’s incredible, but…” I watch his excitement slowly begin to fade on his face. “…but I don’t want you to think this is what I want from you. Luxury dates, every swatch I could ever want—in acrylic paint, no less—they’re all things I’m appreciative of.”
He steps forward to take my hands, sensing how overwhelming this all is for me. The jet, the room, the mere idea of getting the boy I dreamt of since I was eight. Good things like this don’t happen to Sloane Bennett. I feel like this will all be some crazy dream where I’ll wake up and be in my childhood bed.
But that isn’t the case.
This is real, and I am standing in front of Cade, waiting to board a private jet to take us to some undisclosed location.
“I wanted to spoil you a little bit. Is that so wrong?” he asks, smirking almost devilishly, and that’s when I see it. Cade has completely let his walls down, has become open to this newfound connection between us. He’s welcoming the sexually charged moments, the flirty banter, and everything that comes along with exploring the wilder sides of this potential relationship.
It would be an understatement to say I’m not a little hot right now.
I bite my bottom lip before pressing my hand on his chest. “Just drape me in diamonds like a normal billionaire,” I tease as I place my bag in his open palms.
His mouth drops, but that lustful desire that clouds in his eyes is all I need to see to know how this date is going to end.
I walk ahead of him as he trails close behind. I walk up the boarding steps and inside the jet. It’s spacious, but not overly so. It has two chairs that swivel or lock in place so you can recline it back to sleep. It’s beautiful, but I wonder if Cade owns the plane or if it’s from a rental company. It doesn’t matter to me either way, but I can’t help being curious about how far his wealth goes.
I take a seat in one of the chairs as he takes the other. We buckle in as the crew prepares to take off. “Where are we going?” I ask as I swivel to face him.
He looks over at me. “Denver.”
Denver? That’s one of the last places I expected Cade to say. Not to say that Denver isn’t beautiful with the mountains and everything, but what’s so special about Denver out of all the cities in the country? I’m sure there is a reason why, so I won’t question it further. For now, I’ll trust that where he’s taking us is going to be amazing and special.
I yawn as we wait for the last touches and inspections from the crew. It takes longer than I think either of us anticipated, and I slowly feel myself drifting back to sleep, leaving me vaguely aware of the words spoken by the pilot.
“Please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare to ascend.”
A light tap on my shoulder wakes me up, and I turn to look at Cade tiredly. He gives me a small smile. “I’m sorry to wake you, but we have about thirty minutes before we land if you’d like to get ready. I may have left something special for you in the sleeping quarters,” he adds cryptically.
My curiosity piqued, I get up from my seat and walk to the back quarters. On the bed, a stunning red dress is laid out nicely.
There is something arousing about knowing Cade picked this out for me with the intent of imagining me in it. I work my way out of my clothes and put the dress on, embracing the feeling of the way it hugs my waist and accentuates everything else. I walk into the bathroom and do my makeup and hair. I’m still not sure where we’re going, but Cade made it clear that we needed to look nice, so that’s what I’m going to do.
After doing the finishing touches, I walk out in my heels and stop short when I see him. He’s dressed in a suit, his hair is combed and styled. His scruff is clean. If we didn’t have plans, I’d cancel the date entirely and skip to the ending. But the best part isn’t the way he looks, but the way he looks at me. His eyes scan over the dress down to my feet, drinking every ounce of me. The hunger within them meets my equally famished ones, and for a moment, I think we both might throw caution to the wind. But instead, he breaks the intensity.
“You look stunning,” he compliments, walking over to me to place his arm around my waist, pressing a kiss to my temple. It’s a loving gesture, one that surprises me. But I welcome it nonetheless.
I hum in response. “You clean up pretty nice yourself.”
We meet each other’s gaze and smile, and I feel butterflies fluttering in my abdomen. We take the time to bask in these first moments together with a glimmer of hope that, however the night goes, we went into it optimistic and happy.
We take a car from the runway, only to arrive at an elegant restaurant about half an hour later. It has high ceilings with a botanical garden in the center, bringing organic ambiance into the space. The elegant harp player, paired with the garden, makes it feel like I’ve entered a Garden of Eden filled with tranquility and calm.
As the menus are placed in front of us, I go in search of the cheapest entrée, only I can’t because none of the prices are listed. If I’ve learned anything from TV and living in the city, it’s that if there are no prices on a menu, nothing is cheap. I don’t know why I feel so unsettled by that when we just arrived in Denver by private jet, but I do. I’m not the type of girl who is materialistic. Instead of allowing myself to appreciate it for the day, I’m thinking of all the ways to sabotage it.
“Good afternoon,” a waiter greets us. “Are you ready to order?”
I look up at Cade, who gestures to me. I take a deep breath and point to my selection.
“I’ll have the lobster, please,” I say, slowly dying on the inside.
Cade, the person actually paying for all of this, is completely calm and collected. He looks like he’s done this a thousand times.
“And I’ll have the filet mignon, thank you,” he says as we hand off our menus. He leans forward. “I’m sorry, it’s been awhile since I’ve been on a date,” he says, chuckling.
“You’re doing fine,” I say, then frown a little. “Well…”
“Is this too much?” he asks, frowning a little.
I sigh, taking in the grandeur of the restaurant. For most other women, this would be a fairytale come true. Maybe every once in a while, this wouldn’t be so bad. But all the time? It would suffocate me.
“Maybe,” I allow, “but like I said, I don’t want you to think I’m here for your money.” He shakes his head, but I quickly add, “It might be hard for me to get used to, but I’m willing to try new things.”
I smile at him, and he nods, smiling back. It’s a compromise, but I suddenly feel stupid for feeling this way. I mean, a billionaire is whisking me away to another city for our very first date. If Cade doesn’t think I’m after his money, what does it matter anymore? I need to cut myself some slack and embrace this situation. Otherwise, all of those frustrations and desires will be for nothing.
The food is perfection, as to be expected from a Michelin-starred restaurant, and I could easily fall into a food coma. Never have I tasted such buttery and melty lobster in my life. If my art career ever fails me, I could live happily as a food critic.
As we step out, Cade’s hand finds mine, and we walk down the street silently. The date overall has been pretty great, but Cade and I have barely said anything to each other outside of my mini-freakout about the extravagance of it. Obviously, his hot-and-cold demeanor was one of the reasons why I didn’t talk to him for a few days, but I thought we talked it over, so why does it feel like we’re going backward?
Since we’re walking, maybe now is a good time to bring it up.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask, and Cade hums in response. “Why have you been so difficult to read when it comes to your feelings? And I don’t want you to say that it comes down to Mike. I feel like there’s more you’re not willing to talk about.”
We continue strolling, but he makes no move to speak, even though I see the wheels turning in his head.
“We’re here,” he announces after several minutes, dropping his hand and opening the door for me. I look up to see it’s an art museum.
I sigh, feeling defeated, but I walk inside and instantly marvel at all the art pieces surrounding me. Despite the sheer beauty of the place, I don’t want to lose sight of our conversation, but at the same time, I don’t want to force Cade to open up, either.
And I don’t want to ruin our night.
So I grin and bear it while walking through the exhibit. I take in the artwork, dissecting each piece to the root, hoping that something will stick out as inspiration for my own collection. We navigate to the next room, which features other pieces loaded with different colors, splattered on the canvases with apparently no forethought.
I walk to the card with the artist’s name. Under the name is a quote from the artist: “Art is a feeling, and every piece you see here is rooted in an emotion.”
I hum thoughtfully as I stand beside Cade, who has remained silent since we got here. I feel a stab of irritation. Why is he being so unreadable?
“Maybe it’s time we get back,” I say, not even waiting for him to follow. I just leave.
We ride to the airport in the cab. I feel Cade glance at me a few times, but the silence is so thick between us, you could cut it in half.
Once we reach the plane, I step inside and head straight for the sleeping quarters, just wanting to be away from him. As I start to shut the door, Cade nudges himself inside. I turn to face him with a scowl.
“I thought we were having a good night,” he says.
I laugh harshly at him. “Are you kidding me?” I yell as my feelings flood out of me like a tidal wave crashing into a shoreline. “You barely said anything to me unless it was about the date itself. To make matters worse, I tried to have a serious conversation with you, and you refused.” I close my eyes, trying to get my temper under control. “I get it, okay? We all have demons to face, but if you want this to work even a little bit, you may want to stop dicking me around!”
I take a deep breath, though my chest continues to heave. Cade’s eyes remain on me, filled with frustration and almost… hurt? He opens his mouth to say something, but shuts it, closing his eyes as if fighting against an unbidden memory.
He opens his eyes again, and I watch them darken with desire as his gaze flickers up and down my body. It’s an expression I haven’t seen since O’Malley’s.
I want to be angry with him. I should be angry with him.
But really, all I want is for him to take me. Right here, right now.
Before I’m aware of it, I stride toward him, and my lips find his. I pour every ounce of mingled frustration and all-consuming lust I have for this man into the kiss. He responds in kind, nipping my bottom lip and eliciting a groan from deep within me, so deep that I don’t even recognize myself. He grips my hips, tugging me closer to his body, pressing me firmly against him so I can feel his growing erection.
He spins me around and bend me over to caress the exposed skin of my back, kissing along my spine as he works me out of the dress. Unlike our first hook-up, he’s taking his sweet time, undressing me like I’m a much-awaited present waiting to be unwrapped. I moan as he moves on to my thong, sliding it down my legs. The whole time, I feel his eyes burn a hole into my newly exposed flesh.
Once I’m completely bare, he turns me back around and drinks in every inch of my naked skin. Part of me wants to shy away from his unrelenting gaze—part of my still registers that this is the Cade Hart, after all—but I feel my arousal build, and I know he can see it and probably even smell it. All it takes is one look at his eyes, glazed over with desire, to know I’m the only woman he desires.
I let out a little grunt of frustration when I realize he’s still fully dressed. I move toward him, peeling off his jacket and then his shirt, not being nearly as patient as he was when he undressing me. When I finally have him as naked as I am, I take the opportunity to properly admire him, an opportunity I was robbed of during our frantic hook-up in the bathroom. He’s as well-sculpted as I imagined, lean and muscled without being too bulky. My eyes travel to his length, and I take a sharp intake in breath. He’s even more impressive as I can recall from the glimpse I got the first time.
Feeling a rush of boldness, I reach out to take him in my hand. He lets out a gasp, looking entranced as he watches me start stroking him. He shuts his eyes tight as I keep stroking him for several seconds, his breathing coming out shorter and raspier as I quicken my pace. I smile, absolutely loving this power I have over him.
He lets out another low groan and swats away my hand before he walks me to the bed. He gently lays me down on it and climbs over me until we’re pressed deliciously together, skin to skin. His lips dance along my throat, alternately nipping at it and pressing it with soothing kisses while the warm, throbbing sensation between my legs grows into an inferno. My legs wrap firmly around his waist, putting him right where I want him. Grinning, I slide myself up and down him, rubbing him against my wetness. He groans again, his eyes widening at me, and I think I might have actually surprised him. I’m so desperate for him at this point, I’m absolutely shameless.
He grabs my hips, holding me in place, and repositions himself so he’s poised once more at my slick entrance. Grunting into my neck, he slowly plunges into me until he’s buried to the hilt.
I let out a sharp cry at the more-than-welcome intrusion, my back arching, my nails burying themselves into his own back. He gazes down at me intently, and I return it, daring him to go further, my legs digging into his sides to get him moving.
He starts to move with shallow thrusts, keeping the pace gentle at first. I scowl at him, and he lets out a little laugh before rearing back and driving into me, giving me exactly what I want. I marvel at how at least physically, there’s no need for us to communicate with each other to make each other feel good.
My moans intensify when he switches to a new angle—an angle he seems to know will drive me insane. He flashes an arrogant smirk at me as he keeps hitting that spot inside me that makes me see stars. Not to be outdone, I bare my teeth at him in challenge, thrusting upward with my own hips and digging my nails into his back hard enough that I hope they’ll leave marks.
He hisses in surprise, his thrusts becoming more erratic. I’ve surprised him again. Between my incessant moans and gasps, I smile at him at triumph. Gradually, I edge closer and closer to the point of no return. I can tell he’s right there with me.
Cade gives one fierce, final thrust before he stills, groaning hard into my ear. I feel him twitch and pulse inside me. The sight of him unraveling and the new sensations he creates inside me are too much, and I follow him down. I let out a throaty cry as I tighten my legs around his waist, holding onto him for dear life.
We hold each other, continuing to spiral into a heavenly abyss. And all the while, I know we’re both realizing we’ve become prisoners of our desire for each other.