Honestly, this felt just like all the dates we hadn’t gotten to have when we were teenagers. All our friends got to go out to local diners and restaurants, find the places that played music. We didn’t. We only went to places where nobody would find us or knew us. Now, just being in the open like this…it was so close to what I had wanted all those years ago.
Cade asked me questions about the event planning business, obviously wanting to stop talking about his family. I narrated a few funny stories and told him about Caitlyn and some of her misadventures. I was careful to avoid any mention of Drew. Although Drew was a subject that I could talk about for hours, to mention him would lead to Cade asking me about the father and….
I couldn’t tell him that. I couldn’t.
Cade laughed at my stories and said that he was grateful to Caitlyn. “It sounds like you really needed a friend. I know that you didn’t really have any in high school. I’m glad that you found one.”
He told me stories about his own best friend, Gray, and his exploits. “He’s the millionaire playboy type,” he explained.
“Isn’t it genius millionaire playboy philanthropist?” I pointed out, teasing.
“Yeah, but Gray’s the farthest thing from a genius you can get,” Cade replied, also teasing. “He did give me good advice about ending this whole thing with my parents though. I should’ve listened to him.”
I could see Cade’s regret at his own behavior. When we were growing up, he had never been the type to let other people tell him what to do. I guess I’d really underestimated his desire to please his parents.
Cade smiled. “But enough about my woes. You know plenty about them. Tell me more about your plans for your business. You were always ambitious. I loved that about you.”
I blushed and explained what I wanted to do for my business, how I wanted to break into the upper crust of the society and start planning events of true elegance. Cade listened attentively, making a few little jokes here and there, winking at me over his glass whenever he took a sip of water.
This was the Cade that I’d known. This was the one who’d gotten me to fall in love with himself. My heart was in such danger right now, I knew it, but I couldn’t stop myself.
After we finished eating, Cade insisted on paying the bill. “This is my treat, consider it an apology as you won’t be planning a wedding for us anytime soon.”
I tried to protest, but he’d already handed his card over to the server. The band was playing, and Cade leapt to his feet, holding out his hand. “C’mon, it’s been forever since we danced.”
“I’m still no good at it,” I warned him. I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet.
“You were amazing at it,” Cade replied, pulling me into his arms and leading me. “You just needed a good leader, and you followed beautifully.”
Cade certainly knew how to dance. His mother had insisted on dance classes, so that he could do well at fancy events for his father, and those lessons had paid off. When we were teenagers, Cade had joked that he’d gone along with it since he’d figured that it was a good way to impress girls. I’d told him that it certainly impressed me.
I hadn’t done a lot of dancing after that.
Remembering those times, and feeling his body against mine, his arms around me…it was easy to get turned on. But I shouldn’t. Going out for food and a talk about old times with him was one thing, but this was quite another. He was leaving tomorrow after all, or at least that was what I assumed. With no wedding, there was no reason for him to stay in Detroit.
Except…didn’t that make it even better? He was leaving. I could be with him, give into my desire for him, have him—I shuddered as I thought it, fuck me—and there would be no reason for him to know about Drew or anything else. I could finally give into my passion and find out just how good of a lover he’d become in the last ten years, without worrying about the consequences.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Cade murmured. His hand slid down from the small of my back to my ass, squeezing. I shivered.
I’m thinking about getting you out of my system once and for all, I thought. “Just thinking about…nothing.”
“Nothing?” Cade’s lips caressed my ear. “The way you’re trembling doesn’t feel like nothing.”
He slid his knee between my legs to turn me, and I whimpered. Cade chuckled. “Careful. I might want to devour you here and now. I’m ready for dessert.”
“Do it,” I whispered, wet and hot with desire and feeling reckless.
Cade immediately put a hand in my hair and kissed me deeply. I kissed him back, not holding myself back for once, indulging in my every desire. Cade moaned into my mouth as he felt me engage with him and I felt triumphant at knowing that I could get him to lose control like this.
Della, and every other beautiful, rich woman like her, wasn’t wanted by Cade. He wanted me. And that set my blood on fire like nothing else.
“Get a room!” someone yelled. I broke the kiss, panting, out of breath and dizzy with it.
Cade laughed and took my hand, pulling me out of the pub. “Time to go,” he said, his eyes dancing with mirth.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“We’re going to follow that kind gentleman’s advice,” Cade replied, leading me out of the pub and to his car. “I’m getting a room for us.”