From This Moment

“I’m not sure, but I was considering renting a car so that I don’t have to rely on you or Jake all the time.”

“You don’t need to do that. Driving you around and showing you where I live is certainly no hardship.” He flips a pancake. “I like spending time with you.” He pauses and gives me an apologetic glance. “Unless you would like a bit more independence, in which case, I’ll take you to sort out a car.”

He doesn’t seem keen on that idea, though.

Does he want me close to him?

“If you really don’t mind, then I’ll leave it for now.” I smile. “I like spending time with you, too. I just didn’t want to keep putting you out.”

“Then it’s settled, no car yet. Breakfast is ready. Let’s eat and we can talk about what to do later.” Cade carries the platter of food over to the table and as we settle down to eat, he tells me, “I need to reply to some emails and make a couple of calls, but after that we can head out someplace.”

“I’d really like that.” I eat more of my delicious breakfast. “You make the best pancakes. Mine always end up thick and stodgy.”

With laughter in his eyes, he retorts, “It’s all in the wrist.”

“Ha.” As intended, I start to laugh, and then feeling wicked, I lick my lips very slowly and in a seductive voice, add, “That’s what they all say.”

Cade’s eyes darken. Standing, he walks around the table and lifts me from the chair. I dangle in his arms for a second before he sits me on the table. His knee pushes my legs apart and he moves between my thighs. Threading his fingers through my hair, he cradles my head in his hands. I slip my arms around his waist.

“Teasing has consequences,” he threatens, a breadth away from my lips.

With a wicked grin, I say, “I’m ready when you are.” Wiggling in his hold, I slowly move my hands down to his rear, bringing him even closer. I feel his erection cradled between my thighs as his lips reach for mine in one hell of a kiss. Our tongues dance as I squeeze his firm bottom.

Cade curses as he pulls away slightly, taking air into his lungs. “We better stop this. Jake will be down in a minute.”

Somewhat reluctantly, he steps back.

I glance down as the bulge behind his zipper twitches.

He curses under his breath. “Stop looking at me or I’m not going to be able to keep myself in check.”

“What makes you think I want you to behave?”

Narrowing his eyes, his lips start to curve at the corners as he takes my hand to help me from the table. He leans toward me and drops a chaste kiss on my lips before holding my chair out for me.

Before going back to our breakfast, a final touch of wickedness in me brings me to say, “One of these days there will be no interruptions and I hope you know what you’re going to do to me then.” I give him a saucy smile. “Because I know exactly what I’m going to do to you, and it involves my mouth . . . licking . . . and sucking on . . .”

Leaving the sentence hanging, I catch the shock on Cade’s face and change the subject. “These eggs are good, too.”

With a shake to his hands, Cade manages to put his cup of coffee down without sloshing too much on the table. “Are you trying to kill me?” he asks, in a strangled voice.

I’m still laughing. “At least you’d die happy.”

He picks his coffee back up, laughing now. “Minx!”

Our laughter is broken by my ringing cell, which I only switched back on when I woke early this morning and dealt with the emails that had come through, plus voice messages. They were mainly from Nick and he was becoming a pain. Without reading his emails to me, I emailed him a short message telling him to stop with every effort to contact me and to leave me alone.

Excusing myself from Cade, I dash back to the kitchen to retrieve my cell from the breakfast bar. Not recognizing the number, I send it to voicemail. Not two seconds later, it starts to ring again, same number. I might as well answer. “Hello.”

“Rona, is that you?”

Nick.

I’m speechless but at the same time, I shouldn’t be. He has left a dozen voicemails and emails—why wouldn’t he try calling from a different number?

I cast a worried look toward Cade. “Yes, it’s me. What do you want?”

“Are you in Jackson Hole? Can we meet? Just to talk. I’ve been emailing you and left you voicemails, but you haven’t replied.”