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His eyes roved greedily over me, like I was his dinner instead of whatever he had cooking inside. “I can’t quite believe you’re here. Finally.” He wore jeans and a long-sleeved black Henley, rolled up at his forearms and snug around his biceps and chest. His feet were bare, but the house was warm. I could feel it from where I stood. “Come on inside. You look beautiful, Charlotte.”
“Well, I’d better,” I joked. “All my clothes are on the floor of my bedroom. I tried on everything I own. I was so nervous.” He helped me out of my coat and took the brownies from my hand with a wink.
He took in my sweater and leggings; a grin raised his lips up at one corner as he closed the door. “You chose well. That sweater matches your eyes. So pretty.”
“Thank you.” A nervous giggle escaped despite my best efforts to appear unaffected. “You’re gorgeous as usual.”
He waved a hand with a chuckle. “What? In this old thing?”
“God, Cade. This feels—”
“Almost like old times, I know.”
“I can’t believe I’m here again...” I stepped further into the living room. “The place looks great.”
“I got some new furniture, fixed up the backyard and deck a bit—"
“It smells wonderful.” I crossed to the kitchen and set my purse next to where he’d placed the brownies on the counter. “What have you done in here? It looks awesome.” He had remodeled the kitchen and whatever he was cooking had me drooling. Or was it his sexy self that had me salivating? I couldn’t make up my mind, seeing as how I was trying not to stare at him too hard and make a fool of myself.
He came up behind me, putting a warm hand on my waist as he stood at my back and pointed out what he had done. “Dad and I gutted the entire space and did it all ourselves. Marble counters, the cabinets are all custom, and the wood flooring goes throughout the entire house now.”
I turned to face him, but he didn’t remove his hand; instead he let it drift around to the small of my back to gently tug me closer. “Of course, your dad would never hear of hiring a contractor, not when he’s so good at remodels.”
His eyes were hot on mine. “Yeah, let’s talk about the kitchen later. Charli baby, come here.”
I knew this look on his face.
I freaking loved this look.
“I’m right here, Cade.” If he didn’t kiss me, I would die. Suddenly his lips on mine were the only thing in the entire world I wanted to feel.
“Meet me halfway,” he murmured, his voice dark and husky. “I need to know you want it too.”
My lips parted and I hesitated half a second before taking a step into the solid warmth of his body. My breasts brushed his chest, and I shivered at the familiar contact as he drew me closer and his head dropped infinitesimally closer to mine.
God, I loved his lips. They could be soft and hard at the same time, and he knew how to make me feel good everywhere. Jeez, how would the beard feel? I reached up to encircle his neck with my arms, letting my fingers drift into his hair. I whispered my admission. “I want you too.” My eyes darted from his to his lips and back up again. “Kiss me, please.”
“I missed you.” His words were almost lost in the air between us as his mouth pressed against mine, closing what was left of the distance.
I let out a whimper and pushed closer, seeking more of the hard force of his body.This is what I’d been missing in my life.All other thoughts left my head as he kissed me and I lost myself in his arms. Past and present collided as his tongue slid against mine, claiming me in a way no one else ever could. No matter how badly I had wanted to forget what it felt like to kiss Cade, he’d always been there in the back of my mind whenever I’d kissed someone else.
He stepped into me, leg between mine, hands at my waist, and backed me up until my hips nestled into the corner of the counter. I stood, breathless, caged in by him, by his insistent gaze, greedy mouth, and seeking hands. “I’ve been dying to kiss you since you crashed into our tree.” His growl against my lips sent a shudder through me. All I could do was hang on tight, gripping his strong forearm with a desperate clasp of my trembling hand.
“Cade.. .” I gasped before his lips took mine again. That beard I was so curious about tickled my chin and cheeks as our kiss became frantic. His body was hard against mine, chest like a wall, strong arms banded around me like he’d never let me go.
I tried to keep up with the kiss, to give to him what he was giving to me, but I couldn’t. He was too much, too strong, too overwhelming. I gave up and let him give us both what we needed.
This kiss told me more about the changes in him than any of our other interactions since I got back to Sweetbriar had. This Cade was dominant and determined, he wanted me, and he was going to take what he wanted.
His innate sweetness was now wrapped up with something forceful and primal. He was utterly intoxicating, and I wanted to know everything I’d missed out on. His hands drifted down to my ass, kneading into my flesh as he ground himself against me.
It was pent-up, furious, and beyond anything we had ever shared together. We were rapidly spinning out of control, and I didn’t want to stop.
“Yes, Cade, yes.” I breathed as I ran my palms down the hard planes of his chest to grip his shirt in my hands and haul him closer.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Slowly I forced my eyes open. The timer on his stove was going off but he didn’t notice. His eyes were still closed; he was seemingly unaware of anything but me and him. His broad palm moved to my jaw, cupping my chin, fingers pressing into my cheek as he deepened our kiss.
