Chapter 41 #2
“But being an agent makes you happy, and if that means you have to go, then you have to do what’s best for you and your career.
” After dropping a few dark chocolate chips onto her open palm, I press my lips to her forehead.
“Plus, spending my offseason in Texas doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world.
Hot as hell, but I’d deal with it for you.
” That gets a laugh out of her, and the beautiful sound triggers an idea.
“What about striking out on your own? Have you thought about that?”
As if that’s the craziest thing I could’ve said, she tips her head to the side. “Like starting my own practice? No way. I’ve been an agent for less than two years. That would be insane.”
I point at the two diplomas and framed certification exam paperwork hanging on the living room wall. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Having degrees doesn’t equal being a good agent. Jon went to freaking law school and was still an abusive dickwad. And Trevor said—”
My molars clash. “I don’t care what my former agent did or what your misogynistic supervisor said. Never have and never will. So don’t even try to use them as an excuse to not do something.”
She chews on her bottom lip and lets her head fall forward. “Trevor may have gotten in my head a little bit.”
“I know he did, baby. And I’m sorry.” Caging her in, I place my hands beside her thighs. “Let’s do a BYOB night, but not one where we break things down. Tonight’s should stand for ‘Be Your Own Boss.’”
Deep-brown eyes assess me like I’ve sprouted wings. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious. You’re free of Permian and Trevor and can do anything. There’s nothing stopping you from starting your own practice.”
She tries to hop off the counter, but I don’t budge. “There are a ton of things stopping me! I’d need to find an office space and build a new client list, which requires money. And a lot of it! I can’t jump blindly into this with no plan, Cade.”
“Then make one and let me jump with you. I want to help, and if that means covering the costs while you get started—”
“No.” The heels of her feet slam against the cabinet. “You don’t need to buy my love.”
I can’t help but smile as I step in between her legs.
“Listen to me, Shay. I’m not trying to buy your love.
All I want to do is see you succeed, and if that means helping with something I can give you, like money, then so be it.
Because I’ll also be giving you my time and support and energy.
I believe in you as an agent, and I admire your love for your clients.
” I think of all of them in Winston’s office this morning, vocalizing how important and special Shay is.
How they can’t imagine a career without her.
“All you want is to help athletes, so let me help you.”
Her voice cracks. “Are you really not trying to buy my love?”
“I don’t need to. You’re already completely obsessed with me.
” She shoves my chest, but she’s smiling, and that’s all that matters.
My thumb brushes over her bottom lip, pausing on the small scar that you can only see if you’re lucky enough to be this close.
“You didn’t leave Permian because you couldn’t handle it.
You left because you outgrew the space they tried to keep you in.
So go for it. You don’t need their permission anymore, baby. ”
For a second, she doesn’t say a word. Just stares at me like I’ve given her something like a gift. It’s like she’s finally realizing she can have whatever she wants in this world.
Watching her pick up the pieces has been hard, but it’s moments like this that are so rewarding.
“You think I can do it?” she whispers.
“Think?” I step closer, if that’s even possible. “I know you can. You deserve the world, and I’m the lucky man who gets to watch you take it.”
A shaky hand grips the front of my shirt, twists it tight, and pulls me into a kiss. It starts off sweet, like the chocolate on her tongue, but it doesn’t say there long. All heat and honesty as I lift her and wrap her legs around my waist.
Our lips don’t part as I carry her out of the kitchen and through the living room. Not as I kick open her bedroom door. Not even as the bedroom door closes behind us.
It’s not until I fall on the mattress with her on top of me that I feel the shift. The moment it changes from comfort to hunger.
From I need to feel safe to I need to feel you.
Shay’s hips roll rhythmically against mine, slow and deliberate, and I groan into her mouth at the feeling.
No matter how many times we do this, it’s still as exciting as the first. Except now, I know the exact sound she makes when I press my lips to that spot just below her ear.
How and where she likes to be touched. How to build her up until she’s begging for more.
Chilly fingers reach under my shirt and tug at the cotton.
In one smooth motion, she pulls it over my head and tosses it to the ground.
My hands caress her clothed waist, admiring the curves I could draw blindfolded.
When my fingers finally slide under her—my—shirt, goosebumps bloom across her skin.
“You’re still wearing clothes.”
“Fix it then,” she challenges, lifting her arms.
Gladly.
I don’t mean to rip the buttons, but I couldn’t care less when I see what she’s been hiding underneath. It’s criminal how the lacy, lavender bra fits her. I try to take my time exploring the swell of her chest, but she tugs at my locs to lift my head.
“You’re stalling,” she rasps.
“No.” I grin. “I’m appreciating.”
My teeth graze her nipple, sending her grinding against my dick. God, I’m so hard, but all I want to do is taste her.
As if she weighs nothing, I flip us and press her back to the mattress. The look in her eye tells me she knows exactly where I’m going.
I kiss down her chest, over her stomach, and give some extra attention to her hips. When I reach the waistband of the matching lavender thong, I snap it against her skin and savor her sharp intake of breath.
“I’m the luckiest man alive.” Easing the lavender thong down her thighs, I settle between parted legs. “Fuck, you’re so pretty, baby,” I murmur, but my eyes are on her face, pinched with ecstasy.
She fists the bedsheets and chokes out, “Cade.”
Grinning, I take in my favorite view. “Yes?”
It can’t be easy to look upset and aroused at the same time, but she has perfected it. “If you don’t touch me in the next five seconds, I’m going to walk out of here and—”
A grateful sob leaves her lips, hands flying to my locs to anchor herself as I work her over slowly. Tongue circling. Fingers teasing.
My girl is so responsive. All it takes is one finger to make her back arch. Two fingers send her hips into the air, and I have to press on her stomach with my free hand to hold her down.
“You’re so good to me,” she whispers, like it’s a secret.
I pull back long enough to take in her flushed cheeks and parted lips.
“You make it easy,” I breathe, and it’s the truth.
With a moan that curls all the way through me, she comes hard, clenching around my fingers with glassy eyes locked on me.
She reaches for me immediately, and I crawl back up to her.
“You okay?” I whisper.
“More than,” she replies against my lips.
Her laugh fills the room as she flips me onto my back and straddles my waist with the quiet kind of confidence that undoes me.
The air is knocked from my lungs as I watch her.
She’s stunning up there, braids flowing around her body that’s glittering with sweat in the pale light.
Her confidence swells when she catches me watching her, and I know she sees the love in my eyes.
This is the kind of intimacy that only comes from knowing someone’s body and their heart.
“Ready?” she asks, aligning herself with me.
Not trusting myself to speak, I nod. My fingers sink into her toned thighs as she lowers herself onto me with a satisfied moan. It may have been two years since we did this last, but we still fit perfectly together. We always did, and we always will.
I bring her face down to mine. “I love you.”
“And I love you.”
The hand I slide between us expertly finds her clit, and she sighs into my mouth. Our movements start to shift to something faster and more erratic, chasing something we can only reach together.
“C-Cade,” she stutters.
“I know, baby. Me too.”
I match her pace, thrusting up into her as she pushes herself down against me. It’s only when our lips meet again that I feel her pussy flutter around my dick, and she has no other choice but to fall apart.
And I’m right there with her.
Limp with exhaustion and completely sated, my body sinks deeper into the plush mattress. I reach out to pull her closer, but she pops up and looks at the bedroom door.
She sniffs once. Then again. “What’s that burning smell?”
“Son of a . . .” There’s no time, so I leap out of bed. “My bacon!”
The melodious sound of her laugh follows me all the way to the kitchen. “You’re never allowed to cook here again! Never!”