Chapter Thirty-Eight
Cade
“She’s going to love you.” I grab her hand as we walk toward Stella’s front door.
“You should have told her we were coming.” She runs her free hand through her hair.
“I wanted to surprise her. She’s going to be over the moon that we’re together, and I wanted to see her face when she finds out.” We’ve only officially been together for a week, but everything about us feels right.
She glances over at me. “You’re such a sap. All that blustering about being big and tough, you have a big gooey center.”
“Yeah.” I shrug. “I do.” I stop in the middle of the sidewalk and wrap my arms around her. “Thank you for not giving up on me. And for giving me the space to learn to be vulnerable. Without you, I would have never been open to this.” A car door, down the block, slams shut.
“You realize you’re perfect, don’t you?” Her lips curve into a smile, and she leans forward until our lips are inches apart. “Thank you for showing me that controlling me can be sexy as fuck and that it shows how much you love me.” She runs her hands up my abs to my chest. “And thank you for trusting me to breathe a little without you freaking out.”
“I do trust you, but I’m always going to worry about you.” This week, she’s gone out on two different cases here in town. Both times, she went alone but not until she told me when and where she was going, and added a GPS tracker to her cell phone and vehicle. All her suggestions. Not that they weren’t on the tip of my tongue to ask for, but she brought them up first. From somewhere behind me, a dog repeatedly barks.
“I know.”
I place my lips against hers and relish the softness of her mouth. She tastes faintly of mint from her toothpaste. Her hand rests over my beating heart until she steps back. “And I’ll always worry about you.”
I nod. “I’m good.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m good.” Yesterday, I spoke with Truman about going out in the field more. He understands my reservations and is willing to ease me back into the saddle.
The squeaking of the door signals Stella’s awareness of our presence. “Are you two going to put on a show for the neighborhood? Or are you coming inside?”
I wink at Lola and twist to face Stella. “We were on our way.”
Stella smiles and opens her arms. “Come here and give me a hug. I missed you.”
“I was only gone a few days.”
“A few days too many. You know I worry.” She beckons me forward with her hands.
“So, it runs in the family?” Lola chuckles.
“Yes, it does.” I lace my fingers through hers and tug her forward.
Stella embraces me, pats my back, and steps in front of Lola. “Let me get a good look at you.” She tilts her head and tsks. “Sarah was right. You’re gorgeous.”
She blushes. “Thank you.”
“Let’s get this awkward first meeting out of the way.” Stella’s eyes twinkle as she holds her arms open.
Lola raises her eyebrows, and I press my lips together. “Do it. She won’t let you leave until it happens. She might be tiny, but like you, she’s a powerhouse.”
She nods and steps into Stella’s embrace. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, dear,” Stella says.
“Thank you.” Lola shudders. “Thank you for being there for Cade.”
“Oh.” Stella waves her hand in front of her face as tears glisten in her eyes. “This is it, isn’t it?”
“What?” Lola pulls back and looks at her in confusion.
“You’re it.” She clasps Lola’s face and stares at her with adoration. “You love my boy.”
“Yes, I do.” Her eyes skate to me. “He’s a wonderful man, and I love him.” She winks at me. “And not only because he rescued me from a kidnapper. He has other redeeming qualities, as well.”
Stella squeezes her cheeks. “And she has a sense of humor.” She steps back and drops her arms to her sides. “Let’s go inside. I want to hear everything. How you met. When you realized you were in love. All about this kidnapping.” She darts her attention to me. “Which you didn’t tell me about, and I had to hear about it from Tyrone.”
“I was busy.” I hold the door open for them and follow them into the living room.
“Have a seat.” Stella motions to the sofa. “You two can sit together. I’ll take the recliner.”
After we’re seated, we relay the events of the last few weeks, highlighting how we met, our butting heads over control issues, the trip to New York, and her kidnapping and subsequent rescue.
Stella taps her fingernails on the arm of the chair. “You two have been busy. I’m so glad everything turned out. Not that I would worry if Cade were involved. He’s always been a rescuer.”
“Yeah, I sensed that in him the moment we met.” She pats my thigh. “Even though he tried to hide it under layers of assholery.”
“Cute.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and haul her to my side. I can’t go ten minutes without touching her–work is proving to be a hardship. I enjoy that we have the same employer, but it has its limitations. I can’t drag her into my office and rip her panties off whenever I want. Truman isn’t going to pay me for rocking Lola’s world on the clock.
I bite my bottom lip. Yeah, there have been more than a few times I’ve had to work over to make up for our breaks. I’ll never look at my desk the same way again. Or the file cabinet. Or the elevator. Definitely not the elevator.
“I’m so happy for the two of you.” Stella clasps her hands together in her lap.
“It’s not been easy, and it won’t be. Lola’s family isn’t thrilled with me, and we tend to fight like cats and dogs about some issues.”
“That’s what it’s all about. That passion. The love you have for each other. In time, you’ll learn to work together as a team.” She flushes and licks her lips.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, nothing.” She waves her hand dismissively.
“Bullshit. Do I need to call Tyrone?”
“No. No. It’s fine. He doesn’t know anyway.” Her eyes dart to the window that faces her neighbor’s house.
I close my eyes. “Are you seeing Mr. Long?”
“How do you know?”
Lola rubs my thigh, and my cock decides to take that attention as an invitation. Not now. My surrogate mom is getting the business from her neighbor. The blood in my dick rushes back to my chest. Yeah, I didn’t think you’d be excited about that.
I open my eyes and circle my thumb over Lola’s upper arm. “I’m trained to notice changes in facial expressions, body positions, breathing, and blood pressure elevation.”
“Oh, right.” She cringes. “Tyrone didn’t suspect a thing, but I should have realized you would pick up on it. After we found Precious the other day, John came over to thank me.”
“I found Precious.”
She arches an eyebrow. “Did you want him to thank you?”
“Not that way.”
“I didn’t figure you did.” She bites her bottom lip. “But I can give you the details if you need pointers.”
Lola laughs. “I’ve not met this Mr. Long gentleman, but if Cade needs pointers from him, I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Don’t.” I glare at her. There are some things you don’t share with your mom. Sex positions are one of them.
Her eyes dance in merriment. “What do I get for shutting up?”
I waggle my eyebrows. “Everything.”
“Okay. I’m quiet.” She rests her head on my shoulder.
That couldn’t be farther from the truth. She’s never quiet, but I love her even more for it. Who wants meek and mild when you can have a hellcat in the bedroom? Not me.