AllFreeNovel
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I nodded. “People see me a certain way. BecauseIsee me a certain way: the wallflower, the introvert, the girl who watches other girls live life but never lives it herself. But I want to change.”
Cade grinned knowingly. “I don’t think you need to change. I think you just need to let the real you out. And she’s there. Because I see her. I have from the start.”
I shivered when he tucked a strand of hair the wind tugged loose back behind my ear. I never imagined this moment with dirty plastic gloves on and a bag filled with beach trash in my hands, but as Cade stared down at me, eyes filled with mine and mine filled with his, it was perfect. It was absolutely perfect.
“I think we should go on a second date,” Cade said finally.
I smiled. “Um, yeah,” I nodded, hopefully not too eagerly. “I think I’m free next Tues—”
“Now,” Cade interrupted. “You can tell me more about your dreams. Your plans. What you meant when you texted me ‘Sex study’ the other day.
I closed my eyes on a groan, then opened one to peek up at him. He was watching me carefully, a slight smile on my face.
“I was hoping you’d forgotten about that.”
“Nope. And you just confirmed it wasn’t a typo, it’s actually something you’re…”
I swallowed hard, not wanting to ruin the wonderful time we’d been having. “Something I’m planning on doing. As New Tessa.”
He just stared at me.
“Do you want me to go now?” I whispered.
He smiled. “Nope. I want to go on that second date. Are you free now?” Cade smiled.
“Rightnow?”
“Right now.”
“Um, yeah I’m free now.”
“Great,” he gave me a quick nod and glanced at his wrist watch. “I’ll pick you up at, let’s say...now?”
Biting back my laughter, I played along, pretending to check my own wrist watch though I wasn’t wearing one. “Hmm, I forgot I had something. Can you actually do now?”
Cade took my hand, dirty glove in dirty glove. “Now it is.”
Chapter 10
Tessa
At the start of our immediate date, Cade had stopped and ducked into a hole in-the-wall all-vegan cafe to buy us two sandwiches, seemingly an armful of fresh fruit, and a bottle of wine. We stopped by his van, which to my surprise was modern, clean and tricked out to the max, and he’d packed a string bag with our lunch, a blanket, and extra sunscreen. He’d shoved a few other things in there, including a bottle of wine.
I hadn’t thought there were empty stretches of beach left in LA, but twenty minutes later, I found myself with Cade in a secluded cove. There was no sound of shrieking children and yelling adults and instead only the crash of waves and the hiss of water flowing back down the sandy beach. As I gaped at the beauty surrounding me, Cade reached out and clasped my hand in his.
I looked up to find him smiling down at me. He did that a lot. And I liked it a lot.
“You know, it’s not too late to abandon this warm sunset in the sand and find a library or something where we can text each other from opposite dark corners,” I said, waggling my eyebrows suggestively.
“You’ve got a lot of book-related sexual innuendos at the ready?” he asked.
I puckered my lips in mock seduction and exaggerated the huskiness of my voice. “Hey, babe, want to put your book mark between my pages later?”
Cade’s eyes narrowed. He pulled the tie from his man bun to let his hair cascade down over his shoulders and into his face. Well, damn. I would have to step up my sexiness game for sure.
“I need to return my book, can you show me where your slot is?” he asked, lips pursed deliciously.
I smacked my forehead and shook my head while trying to hold back a laugh.
