30. Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty
J ess stares at Kade as he leans against the front door. Kade's a lover, not a fighter, but he came out swinging when Landry insulted her. He came to her rescue, and he's damn good at it.
"Jess, look, I know you're not a big fan of violence, but it had to be done," Kade says.
"I know."
"He crossed a line with how he talked to you-"
Walking up to him, she wraps her arms around his waist and puts her head on his chest. "I know you aren't him."
"What?"
Her eyes look up into his face as he stares down at her, his arms wrapped tightly around her. "You worry you're like your father, but you're not, Kade. You're nothing like that man, and you never will be."
Relief floods his eyes. "I didn't know I needed to hear that until you said it."
"He's so angry," she says and nuzzles her head against his chest. "He's going to hurt someone one day, and I wish he'd get the help he needs to deal with whatever has him so torn up inside."
A chuckle comes from him. "Only you would want someone who insulted her and said terrible lies to get therapy to help them cope with whatever seems broken inside them."
"What can I say? I want the best for people, I guess."
"He was wrong. You know that, right?"
"About what part?" she asks and releases him, walking into the living room and turning her back to him.
Kade walks behind her and wraps his arms around her, and she loves his warm embrace. "All of it. Waiting two months to sleep with you is torture, but it's worth it. And I say torture because I've been with you, and I know what I'm looking forward to. But for a woman like you, I'd wait forever, if I had to. And you are definitely not a six or a three. He sure as hell ain't a nine."
She can't help but laugh. Landry has a weird way of moving from strong superiority to self-deprecation yet still projects it onto other people. "He's a very complex and strange man."
"I can't believe he showed up here tonight."
"Me, either."
"Did he interrupt you while you were changing for bed?" Kade asks, his lips on her jaw just below her ear. "You've been holding that robe closed with a death grip since I got here."
Licking her lips, she tilts her head and gives him access to kiss her neck, moaning as he finds her sweet spot. "Kind of."
"Jess, I need to tell you something."
Her heart drops to her stomach, and he releases her. She turns around to face him, and she worries she might pass out. "What's that?"
"There's a reason I've gotten so crazy when I thought you might be pulling away and not wanting to give me another chance."
"Yeah?"
Licking his lips, he looks at the floor and shifts from side to side. Her eyes lock on his knuckles, red and inflamed from punching Landry, and she wants to distract herself. His nerves mixed with hers feel like a volatile combination right now.
"Yeah. God, I don't know why I'm so nervous, but it feels big. Really big."
"That's what she said," Jess jokes, her eyes wide. "I didn't mean to say that... it just kind of came out. You're making me nervous, Kade."
"I don't mean to," he says and lets out a deep breath. "It just never feels like the perfect time, and I feel like this is a timing thing... I'm questioning if it's now..."
She moves into the kitchen. "Let me get you something for your knuckles."
"What?"
"Your knuckles... they're red from punching Landry. I think I have a bag of frozen vegetables in here-"
"I love you."
Her hand drops from the freezer door, leaving it wide open as she turns and gapes at him. "What did you just say?"
"I'm so in love with you that it almost hurts. It's why I've been going crazy about everything because I'd forgotten what it felt like. And I'm out of practice, so if this wasn't the way I should have told you, we can try and pretend like it didn't happen. I… I can do it better."
Walking over to him, she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him, pressing her body against his. His arms wrap around her instinctively, and he seems to relax the moment her tongue slides into his mouth.
"Take me upstairs," she whispers.
Kade instantly releases her and steps back. "No, I still have two weeks left-"
Jess unties her robe and lets it fall open. His eyes bug out of his head at the sight of her lingerie, but his jaw drops when he sees the lipstick on her chest. "I wrote it in the mirror, so it's not the best thing I've ever written-"
His lips find hers as he lifts her into his arms. Her legs wrap around his waist as he carries her up the stairs, their lips never parting. He sets her on the bed and kneels on the floor in front of her, his fingers running over the red letters.
"This is the best thing I've ever read," he whispers. "You knew this before I came over."
"I love you, Kade. I never stopped. There was just a moment of time where I had to push those feelings aside and try to forget them, but you've always had my heart."
Stripping down, he climbs onto the bed and hovers between her legs. His hand reaches down to her panties, and when he feels her instead of fabric, he groans. "Damn, Jess, this is hot."
"Prove it," she says, and he kisses her as he slides inside her.
The feeling of him filling her, completely bare with no barrier between them, feels like nothing she's ever experienced before. His hands roam along her body, feeling every inch of her before settling between her legs and rubbing her swollen need.
His lips move to her neck, and he shifts her body, making her toes curl as he finds the spot she loves. Craves. The one only he's ever found.
"Kade," she moans, and he picks up speed with both his hand and hips. "Oh, yes... yes!"
Her eyes roll to the back of her head, and his lips kiss her throat as she falls apart, her back arched and body clenched. As soon as the feeling subsides, she feels him pull out and find his own release on the bed. "Holy shit," he mutters and falls onto the bed beside her. "I'll clean that up."
"That was good," she says. "I think that was the best we've ever had."
“That was quick.”
“Considering how long I’ve been waiting for this, I’m surprised I didn’t explode downstairs,” she says with a laugh.
Kade reaches over and runs his fingers over the letters on her chest. "I'd forgotten what it was like."
"To have sex with me? It hasn't been that long," she says and giggles. "Trust me, I remembered. Dreamt about it."
"No, not that."
She turns, avoiding the wet stain on the bed, and cups his face. Looking into his eyes, she sees something she can't discern. "What's wrong?"
Licking his lips, he gives her a sad smile. "I'd forgotten what it was like to be in love with someone."
"And you remember now?"
"It's even better than I remember. Jess, I love you. God, I love you."
She pulls him close and wraps her arms around him. "I love you, too."
"I want to stay this way forever," Kade says. "Can we do that?"
"On one condition."
Pulling back, he looks at her, his arms still loosely around her. "What's that?"
"We can never stay at your place."
Smirking, he nods. "I didn't know if I should tell you or not, but I listed my place two weeks ago. I've accepted an offer."
Her eyes widen. "What?"
"There are too many memories that I need to leave behind, and there was one I couldn't get past. I know you can't get past it, either."
"Where are you moving? Do you have a house in mind?"
Kade's just dropping all the bombshell revelations on her today. He loves her, and he's sold his condo. Nothing else he can tell her can shock her at this point.
"I haven't even started looking. I was hoping you'd look with me."
And then he goes and says that.
"What?"
"I know it's early, and I'm not asking you to move in with me right away, but I want to make sure it's a house you like. Something that you could see yourself in down the road. A place we can spend our future in together."
This man went from not being able to commit to now wanting to buy a house for them to live together in? He's offering her everything she wanted from him, and she doesn't know what to say.
"Jess? Is that too much too soon?"
She shakes her head, the tears welling in her eyes. "I just... I think part of me never quite let myself believe you'd offer me what I've been hoping for. I would love to look at places with you, Kade."
His hand cups her face, and he kisses her forehead. "Whenever you're ready, I want you to move in with me. On your timeline."
"What about your timeline?" she asks, letting a couple of happy tears fall.
"Baby, I'd have you moving in the day the papers are signed if you were ready. I know there's still some stuff we need to work through, but there's no pressure. I just want you to know where I stand."
Not only does Kade love her, he wants a future with her. A home to start a life in. This couldn't get any better if it was a romance movie.