Rae of Sunshine (Light in the Dark 1)

My body hummed at his words. Oh, I had no doubt he could keep me warm, and my cheeks flamed with thoughts of just how he’d go about it.

“Sounds good,” I agreed, as he opened the passenger door of the Jeep for me.

When Cade slipped into the driver’s seat he took my hand once more. I couldn’t help staring at how our fingers wrapped around one another’s, like neither of us ever wanted to let go.

Things had been changing between us for a while, slowly at first, and now all at once. I didn’t think there was any coming back from this.

“What are you thinking about?” Cade asked, rubbing his thumb in soothing circles on my hand.

I shrugged, wiggling in the seat. I pretended my restlessness came from a need to adjust the seatbelt.

“Come on, Rae, tell me,” he pleaded, glancing over at me.

“It’s embarrassing,” I mumbled.

The glow from headlights brightened his face for a moment before he was bathed in darkness once more.

“Do you really think I’ll laugh at you?” His gaze flicked in my direction. “You should know me better by now. I won’t laugh. I promise.”

I knew he wasn’t going to leave it alone. “I was just thinking that I don’t believe there’s any coming back from this. Not for me anyway. It’s different with you,” I admitted, biting down on my bottom lip before anymore truths could come tumbling out of its depths.

He didn’t say anything. Or smile. Or give me any sort of indication of what he was thinking and that scared me. I thought maybe I’d said the wrong thing and admitted too much. The only thing that kept me from completely freaking out was the fact that he still clasped my hand in his.

One heartbeat…

Two…

Three…

I waited. Counting until a full minute had passed.

“I agree completely,” he finally replied. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding—the sound of my exhale seeming to echo around the car. “I’ve never felt anything like this before.” Grinning now, he added, “That’s why I was so relentless in my pursuit of you.”

Relaxing, I joked, “Really? I thought it was because you were a cocky jock that couldn’t take no for an answer.”

His smile sweetened. “Rae, you should know by now that I’m not a cocky jock.”

He definitely wasn’t. Cade Montgomery was unlike anyone I’d ever met before.

He parked near the stadium and we headed inside the locker room and out onto the field.

Instead of leading me onto the field, Cade surprised me by turning and jogging up the steps to the bleachers.

When he turned and saw me still standing below, he said, “Come on. I never get to experience it from up here. Let’s sit here for a while.” He was already making his way down one of the aisles.

“Sure,” I agreed, hurrying up the steps after him.

The stadium was open on top so the snow still swirled around us, coming down more frequently now. The whole field was a sheet of white. Maybe it was a good thing we hadn’t gone out there. Our tracks would show a disturbance

and his coach would no doubt figure out it was us.

Cade sat down and stretched his feet out in front of him. Lifting his arm, he waved me over to curl my body against his. It was all the invitation I needed.

His warmth wrapped around me as I snuggled close.

After losing Brett and my friends I’d never though I’d have this closeness with another human being. I’d never been happier to be proven wrong in my life.

Cade looked around and chuckled softly under his breath. “You know it’s funny, when this place is empty it kind of reminds me a skeleton. Just a shell of what it can be.”