Chapter 3 Cade
CADE
“So let me get this straight. You’re hiding out here from Katie’s divorce. Delivering presents to kids on Christmas and being a total smoke show while doing it. Did I miss anything?” I flash a flirty smile in Josie’s direction, but she doesn’t seem to notice.
Instead, Josie continues painstakingly applying sprinkles to the side of her gingerbread house one at a time. “Well, I’m baking cookies too, don’t forget the cookies.” She hardly looks up at me.
In the span of four hours, I’ve pulled out every trick in the book.
I’ve shamelessly flirted with her. I’ve offered to buy her everything under the sun, and I’ve regaled her with tales of my life in the NFL.
But Josie is completely unimpressed by me.
It’s an odd reaction, if I’m being honest, and it’s driving me crazy.
Josie is focused on holiday cheer, but I can’t stop thinking about decking her halls.
There's something magnetic about her that makes it impossible to look away. It's not just her mesmerizing curves… though those don't hurt, of course. Her white shirt reads ho-ho-hot in red glitter, and it isn’t wrong. Her mane of long dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail that drapes down her back. Her thighs are thick. Her ass is round. There isn’t an ounce of makeup on her face. She’s the complete opposite of the women I’ve been dating, and she’s absolutely stunning.
But it’s more than that. There's substance to Josie. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve known her for the majority of my life.
It’s an honesty that you just don’t find, a willingness to treat me like a normal person.
I fold my arms across my chest. She's humming Christmas carols under her breath while she tidies up. She’s got a depth that's refreshing, and I want more. I crave it. For some reason, she’s keeping me at arm's length.
She glances at me from beneath long, dark lashes. “Do you want to do the roof? I’ve got peppermints or gumdrops.”
“I’ve made it a point to opt out of holidays. Growing up, Pa didn’t make much of them.”
“Well, we’re adults now. Come on, live a little.” She slides a bag of candy in my direction, and I take the opportunity to move closer to her.
I follow her lead, but it’s hard when I’m distracted by the swell of cleavage that presses together every time she leans forward. She looks at my wild layers of candy thrown on top of the house with no rhyme or reason.
“Love it. See, this isn’t that bad, right? We’ll have you in an ugly Christmas sweater in no time.”
I let out a chuckle. “Yeah, it’s all right. With my ex, it seems like something always went wrong. Nothing was good enough. We’d open gifts, and if she didn’t get the right photo for her social media, she’d wrap them up and we’d try it again.”
“Are you kidding me?” Josie stops mid-hum and stares at me. “That’s serial killer behavior.”
“Ha, yeah, it sounds ridiculous now that I say it out loud, but yeah. It wasn’t fun.” The memory leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Three years of manufactured holiday perfection that felt anything but perfect. “So these days I’m officially a grade A Grinch.”
She eyes me, tilting her head from one side to the other.
“No.” Josie leans back. “I’m sorry, I don’t buy it.
I think deep down you’ve always wanted to be one of those Christmas card-type people.
You can be a cool-guy football star all you want, but I remember the real you.
But that’s okay. If you insist on my, spending my Christmas getaway with a self-proclaimed Grinch, I'll try to survive the experience.”
“You aren’t the only one surviving.” I tease her, and this gets her attention. “Look at all this, the twinkle lights, the gingerbread-scented candles, the whole Hallmark movie setup. I'm supposed to be cutting carbs, and you've turned this place into a sugar-coated wonderland.'"
She lets out a laugh that's pure music. “Listen, Grinch, you're just hangry. Hold on.” She opens the refrigerator and returns to the kitchen table with a tray of perfectly iced sugar cookies.
Each one is a tiny, detailed work of art. She sets the tray between us and bites the head off a snowman cookie without hesitation. A woman who actually eats real food. It's been way too long since I've seen that. Then she gestures for me to take one.
“Come on, dig in.” She eyes me with a half-smile on her face. “Cade, I’m saying this with love. Fuck the football diet. It’s almost Christmas. Haven’t you heard? Dad bods are all the rage. Even Travis Kelce knows it.”
I hesitate for only a moment. I think of my trainer's inevitable lecture, then look at Josie's expectant face. The choice is easy. “Yeah, you’re right. Fuck the diet.”
I take a cookie too, then another. From there, something shifts.
Josie calls it holiday magic. Maybe it's the sugar coursing through my veins for the first time in years. Maybe it’s the way Josie's face transforms when she laughs like she's lit from within.
Or maybe it's the fact that all I can think about is peeling that shirt right off her curves.
But whatever it is, I find myself saying yes to everything.
When the gingerbread house is done, she tosses me a dish towel.
I get to work scrubbing the countertop. We tackle every subject under the sun.
She talks about my brother and my nephews with a closeness that I could never.
I tell her about my time on Kingridge Ranch and the dumbass local podcast that trades subscribers for secrets about me.
Before I know it, the kitchen is clean and I haven’t stopped smiling.
I move back to the living room to settle by the fire when Josie jumps up.
"Come on.” She grabs my hand and tugs me toward the door. "We're building a snowman."
"Josie, it's freezing out there."
"Exactly. That's the point." Her fingers are warm against mine, and tingles of electricity whip across my skin. "Live a little."
Twenty minutes later, I'm packed into a borrowed coat that's too small for my shoulders. I’m watching Josie roll a snowball with the kind of focused determination I usually reserve for fourth-quarter drives.
She's bent over, and the view does not disappoint. Her jeans pull tight across round curves that make my mouth go dry. When she straightens and catches me staring, I don’t look away. Her cheeks are already pink from the cold, but I swear they get a shade darker.
"You're not helping.” Her voice has gone breathy.
"I'm supervising." I move closer, close enough that our breath mingles in white puffs between us. "Making sure you're doing it right."
"Oh, is that what you're calling it?" She scoops up a handful of snow.
I see the mischief in her eyes a split second too late. But even then, I don’t think she’ll do it. I’m wrong again. The snowball hits me square in the chest, and something primal kicks in.
"You're going to pay for that, sweetheart."
Josie shrieks and takes off running through the drifts like she’s got any chance of escaping me.
“I’m a professional football player. Adorable that you think you can outrun me. I’ll give you a head start.”
Another snowball pelts my chest in response, and it’s on. When I catch her, I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her off the ground. She's laughing so hard she can barely breathe. The sound does something dangerous to my chest.
"Put me down, you caveman!"
"Say you're sorry first."
"Never." She's squirming in my arms.
Every movement sends heat shooting through me. Her body is soft and warm against mine, even through all the layers. I lower her slowly and let her slide down the length of my body until her feet touch the ground.
Our bodies press together now. Her back fits perfectly into my chest. I can feel the rapid rise and fall of her breathing.
My hands are still at her waist. I know I should let go, but I can't seem to make myself move. Something about holding her like this feels right. It’s like coming home, and I don’t want to let her go.
Josie turns in my arms and suddenly we're face to face. We’re so close I can count the snowflakes caught in her eyelashes.
Her full lips are parted slightly. I can’t think of a single reason not to close that last inch between us.
She’s mine now, maybe she was always supposed to be.
Now that I have her, I never want to let her go.
"Cade should go inside," she whispers, but she doesn't step back.
"No, we aren’t going anywhere.” I tilt her chin up to mine, then cup her face in my hands. My thumb brushes across her cheek to catch a melting snowflake. “Josie…” Her name is barely a whisper on my lips.
Without another thought, I capture her mouth with mine. The kiss ignites something primal in me. Fire builds inside of me. Heat billows through my chest. I lose myself completely in her softness.
When her lips part on a soft gasp, I deepen the kiss.
Her hands slip underneath my jacket and fist in the hem of my shirt.
Our tongues meet in a slow, heated dance that sends fire racing through my veins.
My heart pounds against my ribs. I hold her against me for what feels like a lifetime.
My fingers tangle in her hair, and the entire forest quiets just for us.
I know without a doubt that nothing can ever be the same.
When we finally stumble back through the door, we're both breathless and covered in snow. She starts to peel off her wet coat. I reach out to help her. My fingers brush the nape of her neck as I lift it away. She shivers and but I don’t think it's from the cold.
"You're freezing," I murmur, though the cabin is warm.
"Am I?" She turns to face me, and there's something new in her eyes. It’s a heat that matches the fire crackling behind us.
I reach for her and pull her against me by the fire. Josie melts into me like she belongs there. Her hands splay across my chest. I can feel her heartbeat through the thin fabric of her shirt, and it matches the frantic rhythm of my own.
I run my hands down her body and across every curve. I want to memorize the details. I need to know every inch of her. I keep moving until there's nothing left but heat and the crackling of the fire behind us.
"Cade," she whispers, and my name on her lips sounds like a prayer.