Softly, at first, almost hesitant.
I’d only ever kissed one boy, and for all I knew I sucked. So I was a bit scared to try out something crazy. I figured Cade could take the lead.
His body was rigid against mine with surprise, but once he realized that I had kissed him he relaxed and his mouth moved against mine.
It was like we were dancing.
But with our lips.
A dance only the two of us knew.
He tilted my head back and deepened the kiss. I couldn’t stop the moan that passed between my lips and into his. He growled in response as his teeth lightly nipped my bottom lip. Then he was soothing the spot with a flick of his tongue.
Kissing had never been this soul shattering.
It was like with one kiss Cade was tearing me apart and putting me back together.
I swore with the heat we were generating the snow had to be melting around us.
The passion with which he kissed me was intoxicating.
This was the kiss of a man staking claim. He wanted to make a point, to show me that I belonged to him. But if I dug deep enough into the recesses of my mind, I knew that he’d staked his claim the very first time we’d met.
I hadn’t been looking for love.
Or friendship.
Or a lot of things.
But the things you think you don’t need can turn out to be exactly what you didn’t know you were searching for.
Cade Montgomery crashed into my life, literally, and now I never wanted him to leave.
He was my salvation.
My hands moved from around his neck to fist the fabric of his jacket.
I wanted closer to him—to sink inside him so that his light and goodness could clear away all the dark shadows around my soul.
I knew it didn’t work that way, but for a moment I wanted to pretend that I was worthy of him—that I was healthy and whole, and not this fractured and splintered girl I’d become.
For a moment I wanted to be enough.
And I was.
twenty
Cade pulled away and placed a light kiss on the end of my nose.
“I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to do that,” he breathed.
“Not quite forever,” I joked, “but close enough.”
He grinned crookedly and entwined our hands together, heading back to his Jeep. “Wanna go to the football field?”
I waved my hand at the swirling snow. “Isn’t a bit cold for that?” Not to mention his coach might bust us again.
He chuckled and lowered his head to nuzzle my neck. “Don’t worry, Sunshine. I’ll keep you warm.”