AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I swearit’s a good thing I love you because you smell worse than the Kings locker room.” I try to back away from Cade as he wraps his stinky arm around me in retaliation, but the elevator wall blocks my escape.
“How about you help me get clean before I get you dirty, duchess?”
I love this.
I love playful Cade.
When the doors of the elevator slide open, I scoot under his arm and dart to my condo with Cade hot on my heels. His mouth lowers to my shoulder as I unlock the door. “I can’t wait to get inside you. Seeing you there, watching me fight...” he growls.
“Oh, yeah? Did you like that?” The teasing tone of my words promising him all sorts of other things he likes tonight.
One hand smooths down my side as his teeth lightly scrape against my skin. He pulls me back into the impressive erection straining against my ass, and need pools in my belly. “The question is. . . did you like it?”
I push the door open and spin to face him, throwing my arms around his shoulders as he lifts me from the ground. “I fucking loved it.” My lips crash down on his as I push my tongue into his mouth.
Cade shoves the door closed and carries me into my condo.
In my lust-filled haze, I think I hear a throat clearing behind us.
It takes a moment to register.
Oh dear God. I know that awful sound.
“Oh, no.” I tear my lips from Cade’s as he places me back on my feet, and I lean my head against his chest for a split second to gain my composure before turning to face Adaline. “Mother. What are you doing in Philadelphia? And in my condo, no less?”
She’s sitting at my dining room table in a pink Chanel sheath dress and gorgeous matching shoes. Not a single, perfectly dyed hair is out of place as she flips through this month’s Vogue with a glass of wine in her hand and a half-empty bottle resting next to her.
How the hell did she get in here?
A pit begins to form in my stomach.
This can’t be good.
“Darling.” She stands and extends her arms toward me. “It’s good to see you.” She takes a few steps in my direction, then glances over my shoulder at Cade and scrunches up her nose, then lowers her voice. “Does he usually smell like this, dear?”
I grab Cade’s hand and pull him next to me. “Cade just won a fight, Mother. It was an exhibition his gym hosted that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local veterans.” Why, why, why do I revert back to a child trying to gain my mother’s approval whenever I’m in her presence?
Cade offers Adaline his hand. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Kingston.”
Adaline refused to change her last name when she divorced my father. She always said it was because it was Max, Becket’s, and my name, but we all agree she likes the notoriety that comes with it more than she cares about any connection to us.
She eyes Cade’s hand like it’s a fly she’d like to swat before bringing her eyes back to mine. “Darling, perhaps you can ask your friend to leave so you and I can talk.”
Cade loosens the hold he has on my hand. I refuse to let him pull away but don’t take my eyes off her. “I had no idea you were coming to town, Mother. I’m sorry, but I have plans tonight. Why don’t we meet tomorrow for brunch?”
The forced smile falls from Adaline’s face.
She never liked it when I pushed back.
“Really, dear. I’ve flown across the world to see you, and you’re asking me to leave?” When I don’t answer but instead continue looking at her, praying she’ll just leave, she purses her lips like she just sucked a lemon, and the pit that’s currently residing in my stomach begins churning like an angry storm. “Fine. We’ll do this now in front of the barbarian, who I’m well aware had a fight tonight. Scarlet, how can you seriously consider having this man’s child? I thought you learned your lessen after the first time he did this to you.”
And there’s the whole reason she came.
To ruin my life because it’s not the life she thinks I should have.
Cade’s hand drops mine.
I don’t even know if he realizes he did it.
