Rae of Sunshine (Light in the Dark 1)

A scream tore out of my throat as Cade caught me around the waist and started spinning me through the air. “Cade!”

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We came crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

He rolled so he took the brunt of the fall, but he was quick to roll again and pin me to the ground.

His hair hung in his eyes and we both breathed heavily.

The air crackled between us with electricity.

He reached down, smoothing the hair off my forehead. My breath faltered as his hand then trailed down over my lips.

Things were changing between us.

That much was obvious, and I was too weak to fight it anymore.

The distance between us began to close, becoming smaller and smaller. My heart beat like a drum, my blood roaring through my veins.

This was it.

He was going to kiss me.

And this moment, it was going to change everything.

My eyes closed and I waited, feeling his lips so close to mine. It was an effort to stay still. I knew the smart thing to do would be to move, to stop this, but I couldn’t.

I was helpless when it came to Cade. I’d been running and running, and he’d finally caught me. Literally and figuratively.

But then, his weight was gone from my body and he stood above me, holding out a hand for me.

The electricity was gone too, carried away by the wind.

I was stunned. I’d thought…

What I thought didn’t matter.

I didn’t accept his hand as I stood.

“Rae,” he started, reaching for me.

I took several steps back. “I’m okay,” I forced a smile. I wasn’t sure whether I meant I was okay from the fall or okay because he didn’t kiss me. I guessed it didn’t matter. Honestly, I couldn’t blame him for not kissing me. I was constantly sending him mixed signals. I was surprised he wasn’t suffering from whiplash.

Besides, a kiss between us still wouldn’t change anything. We couldn’t be together. He’d done the right thing.

I took a deep breath, sorting through my feelings and storing them away once more in carefully labeled boxes.

Putting on a playful smile, I pointed at the ball. “So, are we going to play or what?”

He tossed the ball from hand to hand. He seemed to be contemplating something, but finally threw it towards me. “Yeah, let’s see what you’ve got, Sunshine.”

I rolled my eyes and caught the ball. “What would you call me if my name was Mary?” I asked rhetorically.

He chuckled. “Gary?”

I threw the ball at him, aiming for his head, but he caught it. “That wasn’t nice,” he wagged his finger like he was scolding a child. “A Rae of Sunshine isn’t supposed to be so naughty.”

“I never said I was a Rae of Sunshine. You’re the one that made it up,” I countered.