5. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
Spencer
A warm nervousness flutters inside my chest. Not only does Cade think I’m pretty, but he also wants to get to know me better. This isn’t just some lustful feeling making us crazy about each other, there’s something deeper here. I just know it!
“Okay,” I say slowly, giving Cade a shy smile. “You go first. Ask me a question.”
“Tell me about your family.”
“My family is a pretty tight knit group. My mom and dad live in the same town as me and we have dinner together every Sunday night. I have a little brother and a little sister. They’re both in college at the moment, both in different states. I don’t get to see them as much as I wish but we try to get together at least once a year.”
“How old are you?” Cade asks, raising his brow. “Are they a lot younger than you?”
“I’m 30,” I tell him, feeling almost sheepish. “They’re both in their twenties, so not a huge age gap.”
“Huh. You still have a baby face but I knew you had to be older since you said you used to work in a restaurant before working at the job you have now.”
“How about you? How old are you?”
“I’m 35. I’m basically an old man at this point.”
I snort, shaking my head. “You are not, shut the fuck up, Cade.”
Cade gets a soft look on his face. I tilt my head in question. “Sorry, I just like the way you say my name. It sounds so sweet coming from your lips.”
“Jesus,” I hiss out, covering my face. I can feel my cheeks flood with color and my stomach swoops dramatically. He has to stop saying shit like that or I’m going to end up passing out from all the blood running to my cheeks. Or worse, I’m going to blurt out something really embarrassing like ‘marry me’. “You can’t just say shit like that.”
“I can. And I did. Deal with it,” he says lightheartedly.
“Tell me something about yourself. Please, take the attention away from me and back onto you.”
Cade’s chuckle warms my insides. I pull my legs up, leaning my chin against my knees and wrapping my arms around my shins. My back vibrates slightly against the wall as the train continues to pull us forward but the feeling is soothing.
“For a long time, it was just me and my mom. I have no idea where my father is. He left right after I was born.”
“Oh,” I breathe out. “I’m so sorry.”
Cade shrugs. “It’s alright. I can’t really miss someone I don’t even know, right? My mom mated a lovely man when I was a teenager. He brought a daughter along with him, so it went from just me and mom to a brand new family unit. My little sister is ten years younger than me which was frustrating as a teenager but now we’re pretty close. It’s amazing what some distance and not living under the same roof will do for sibling relationships,” he says with a laugh.
“I get that. My siblings are closer to each other than they are with me, but they’re also less than a year apart in age. Cat shifters have really short pregnancies so we had to pass them off as ‘Irish Twins’ growing up.”
Cade opens the bottle of wine, passing it over to me. “New rule. You take a drink and then you can ask a question.”
I take a drink of the wine, savoring the sweet taste against my tongue. I know some people enjoy a dry wine, but the only place for that in my book is inside a dish I’m cooking. For drinking, I want the fruity taste of a sweet red wine.
“I have the most important question,” I say, passing the bottle back to Cade. “What’s your favorite dish? The one you could eat over and over and never grow bored of.”
“That’s a tough one,” he says softly, wracking his brain. “Probably fettuccine alfredo. I’ve never had an alfredo dish I didn’t like. There’s just something so comforting about it.”
I nod my head. “Great answer. Someday I’ll have to make you my homemade version,” I say without thinking before freezing.
This is what I get for trying to drink and stay chill. I throw things out there like future plans without thinking. Just because we’re having a good time on vacation doesn’t mean Cade will want to see each other when everything is said and done!
Cade gives me a soft look. His socked foot moves into my space, poking my calf. “That sounds perfect.”
And just like that, all the worries and anxiety about my blunder fall away.
It’s Cade’s turn to ask a question so he takes a drink of the wine. My eyes are glued to the way his lips wrap around the mouth of the bottle. Not to be stuck in a teenager mindset, but I can’t stop thinking about how my lips were just touching it and now his lips are touching it and soon enough, my lips will be touching it again. In a weird, abstract way, we’re kissing each other through the bottle!
Oh my gods, what the fuck is wrong with me? If Cade wasn’t sitting across from me right now, I’d be burying my face in my hands and groaning in frustration. Am I really so out of touch with dating that I’m getting butterflies from sharing a bottle with a beautiful man?
“Do you date much?”
My eyes snap up to meet Cade’s. I feel my face flush. “I’ve dated here and there,” I admit softly. “Nothing ever really stuck though. My longest relationship was probably with my highschool boyfriend. We broke up because he decided to move abroad and I wanted to stay close to my family.”
“Nothing serious?”
I shake my head. “Nope. A couple dates here and there, but that’s about it. What about you?”
Cade raises his brow and hands over the bottle. I roll my eyes and take a drink, ignoring the way my stomach flutters at the fact that both our mouths have been on this thing now.
“I don’t really date, if I’m being honest,” Cade says, running his fingers through his beard. “For the most part, I’ve stuck to one night stands. For a bit, I had a friends with benefits thing going on, but that didn’t really work out. He caught feelings and I didn’t, so we broke things off.”
My traitorous heart starts beating overtime, wondering if the same thing is going to happen between us. Am I just some hump it and dump it guy he’s met? Do I even stand a chance?
Furthermore, why do I care? That was Cade’s past, it has nothing to do with me. And we’ve just met. I shouldn’t be longing for a future with him so quickly!
I take another gulp of wine before passing the bottle back to Cade. He gives me a look that I can’t quite read before he’s taking a drink as well.
“What was that look about?” Cade asks softly. “You look like you just closed yourself off. Was it something I said?”
I don’t know that I like how perceptive he is. I bite my bottom lip, wondering how much of the truth I should actually say. Fuck it, what the worst that could happen?
“I’m feeling kinda insecure about your past relationships. Which I know is ridiculous. They’re in the past and I shouldn’t care. Plus, we’re not even dating! We just met! I have no right to feel any sort of way about your past. But at the same time, I’m just worried you’re hoping for something like that from me and if I’m honest there’s no way I could ever do the whole ‘no strings attached sex’ thing. And I’m hoping that’s okay with you because if it’s not that’s totally fine we can just go back to being regular cabin mates or whatever.” I say everything in one breath and have to suck in a gasp when I’m done because oh right, I need air to live!
Cade watches me for a long moment before he cracks a smile. “I don’t think I’ll ever not find that adorable.”
“What?”
“The way you ramble. I like it. It’s cute.”
I huff in frustration, letting my legs fall down into a pretzel style. I cross my arms over my chest. “I was being serious.”
“I know you were. I don’t know what this is between us, Spencer. We’ve only just met but I feel pulled to you in a way I’ve never felt before. That’s the honest truth.” He reaches out a tentative hand, laying it against my ankle and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for being honest with me about your worries but I promise you, no strings attached was the furthest thing from my mind.”
I swallow thickly. “Really?”
“Really. But that will cost you another drink because it was another question.”
With that, we both chuckle, the tension in my chest falling away. I snag the bottle from his fingers, taking another drink before passing it back right away. “Your turn. I’m starting to feel a little buzz. You need to catch up.”
“Gladly,” Cade says with a smile. He takes a long swig before setting the bottle between us. “Have you been with an omega before?”
“You’re really good at asking questions that leave me feeling flustered,” I murmur under my breath. I take a moment to cover my face with the front of my shirt, giving myself a moment to compose myself. “I’ve had crushes on other omegas before but I’ve never been with any of them. Not because I didn’t want to but because it takes me a while to get comfortable enough to be physical with people. All of my past partners who I’ve gotten past kissing with have been alphas.”
I swear Cade’s eyes darken as I tell him. My stomach swoops and it takes all of my self control not to start squirming where I’m sitting. I’ve never fucked an omega but fuck, do I want to. Just the idea of having my face pressed against a slick hole, or sliding into another omega’s body with their sweet scent in my nose is enough to drive me wild. Sure, a knot feels really good but they make fake knots that feel just the same. There’s no replacement for licking slick straight from the source.
Okay, great. Now my dick is rock hard and I’m sure my scent is turning all musky with lust.
“Sorry,” I say sheepishly. “Just umm, thinking.”
Taking a deep breath, I get a noseful of Cade’s scent. It’s somehow even more citrusy than usual with notes of extra sweetness. Like lemonade instead of tea. It smells so fucking good.
“You’re umm, not the only one,” he admits softly.
There’s something thrilling about knowing we were both thinking about each other like this. We both want each other. It makes me feel just a little bit braver.
I nod my head beside me, gesturing for Cade to come sit by me. He grins as he moves, leaning his back against the wall, his legs out in front of himself.
It’s my turn to take a drink of the wine and I realize, startled, that it’s almost all the way gone. I didn’t think we’d drank that much already!
“If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?”
Cade nudges me with his elbow. “Silly question. The answer is obvious. I’d wanna be right here next to you.”
My stomach does a full flip inside of me. I tilt my head to the side so I can properly look into Cade’s green eyes. He is so handsome that I can’t contain myself a moment longer. Without thinking, I reach my right hand up in order to touch his cheek. His beard is surprisingly soft against my fingertips.
“Spencer? What are you doing?”
“That will cost you a drink,” I whisper as I move closer until our lips are barely a breath apart. My head feels light for the first time in a long time. Nothing else matters.
“Worth it,” he whispers back.
I can’t be sure which of us moves but it doesn’t matter. One moment we’re breathing each other’s air and the next, our lips are touching. It’s everything I hoped it would be while also being so much more.
Cade’s lips are plump and soft and somehow fit perfectly against my own. His beard tickles my face in a wonderfully pleasant way. My head swims with delight and my entire body heats. The kiss is chaste, but it doesn’t matter. It’s somehow the very best kiss I’ve ever had.
I pull back and look into Cade’s eyes, making sure that was okay. He smiles at me and dives back in, giving me another soft, barely there kiss. His lips taste like sweet wine and I chase the taste, pushing my tongue along the seam of his lips.
Cade makes a surprised noise and I use the opportunity to properly taste him, pushing my tongue between his lips. I groan into his mouth as I sweep my tongue inside. Oh my gods, he tastes so fucking good. I want to crawl into his lap, press my tongue against his, and grind against his belly until I come in my jeans.
Instead, I pull away, sucking in a sharp breath that I’m hoping will clear my head.
“Gods,” Cade murmurs against my lips, a shiver going through me. Lightning runs down my spine and this time I don’t stop myself from squirming. Fuck, I want him. “As much as I’d love to pull you onto one of our beds and show you how good omegas do it, I think it’s better if we stop now.”
Cade pulls himself away fully. I immediately miss him being in my space. I watch as he stands up, running a hand over his bald head, his face looking just as disappointed as I’m feeling.
“I want you,” Cade says, like he needs me to know. Warmth settles in my gut. “But I don’t want to do anything too fast. You just admitted you don’t want to be just a hookup and I agree, I want that too. So let’s enjoy our kiss and continue on with our night of getting to know each other.”
Jesus fucking Christ. Could this man be any more perfect? I want to fuck him raw, which in itself is a surprise because it usually takes far more time for me to get those types of wild feelings. But I also want an emotional connection with him. He’s slowing things down, he wants to get to know me. He wants more than sex.
I find myself unable to keep my smile at bay as I stand up and get myself into my own chair across from Cade. He drinks the rest of the wine which should not be as attractive as it is.
“One last drink,” I say, “that means one last question. Make it count.”
Cade sits in his own chair, crossing a leg over the other. He tilts his head to the side and strokes his beard for a moment before finally shrugging. “Did you enjoy the kiss?”
“Yes,” I say softly, doing my best to swallow my nerves. “And I’d like to do it again. If that’s okay with you.”
“I’d like that. Ask me again in the morning and you can have as many as you’d like.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Cade grins. “I hope you do.”