Cade was shocked by whoever was standing there, Kresley noticed from the couch. She couldn’t see who was there, but when she heard a feminine voice, she stood up and headed over to where her man stood. At the door was a beautiful, raven haired woman, with blue eyes and tanned skin.
The woman looked between Cade and Kresley and stated in a soft, sultry voice, “Well hello there. Cade, do you want to introduce us?” Kresley cocked one eyebrow, then looked expectantly at Cade and waited for him to answer.
Cade could only stare at the door like it was the portal to hell and Satan was on the other side.
Chapter Sixteen
What the hell are you doing here, Shelton?”, Cade asked, in shock. He opened the door wider and ushered the woman inside, sliding over to Kresley and wrapping his arm around her waist. He watched as Detective Stella Shelton walked into his home, uninvited, and not welcome if he had a choice. But if she was here, Cade knew it wasn’t on personal business, which worried him. He had closed any opportunity between he and Stella a long time ago and wanted no part of her now.
Kresley nudged Cade with her elbow, instigating introductions more quickly than what he would probably have done. “I got you Red. Stella, this is Kresley Anderson, my girlfriend. Kresley this is Detective Stella Shelton. She and I worked with each other in Nashville for a while and she’s moved to the Atlanta PD in the last several months from what I hear.”
“Hello Kresley, it’s nice to meet you. Come on Cade, you can introduce me better than that. We dated each other for many months back in Nashville, Kresley. Best months I had with a man”, Stella stated smugly, shooting looks at Kresley. Cade’s dark expression and low growl should have been an indication for her to stop talking, but she didn’t. “Cade, I wish I could say I’m here on a casual visit to check in and spend time with you, but unfortunately I’m here in an official capacity. You were my contact point for this visit, to my surprise. I hadn’t realized you were living here exactly.” As she spoke, she looked around Cade’s living room, taking in her surroundings, including Kresley being held tight by Cade.
Kresley was dressed in casual jeans and a v-neck tshirt, her red hair curly and flowing down her back. No makeup except mascara and probably smelling of sweat and the Georgia sunshine, Kresley felt inferior next to Stella. She didn’t feel like having a conversation with one of Cade’s ex-girlfriends. Were they lovers once upon a time? Had Cade loved her? Kresley didn’t like this feeling weighing her down right now, her imagination picturing Cade and this woman together. She slowly drew within herself and she heard Cade and Stella talk, hands in her back pockets and shoulders slouching. She kept her eyes downward and was lost in her own thoughts when she heard her sister’s name. “What was that?”
“I was telling Cade that a cold case involving your sister, Gertrude, was put on my desk this week. There have been several sexual assaults in the same area as hers in the last few months and they match the MO used in her case. Cade had called my captain the other day and asked for a copy of her file, which led to me coming here to see why he wanted to see her case”, Stella stated matter of fact.
Kresley looked worriedly from Cade to Stella, then back to Cade, where her gaze rested. Why had he wanted to see Gertie’s cold case from her assault? And why hadn’t he said anything to her? About Gertie or about Stella. Kresley looked at Cade with very apparent doubts in her eyes.
Cade stood patiently, watching Kresley think through everything, and waited for her to look at him. He knew her like the back of his hand, so he understood that she wanted to know why. And he knew she wouldn’t ask in front of Stella. “Baby, I wanted to see Gert’s cold case from the Atlanta PD because I wanted a clearer picture of the evidence that they had, the info from witnesses, the time frame it happened, all of it. I didn’t say anything to you because one, you were out of town with Gertie and I didn’t want to bring it up over the phone, and two, because I just requested it a few days ago. I would have told you tonight. So, no worries, okay? And as for Stella and I, we dated a few years ago for a few months. I ended things when I knew they weren’t going to work out between us. Remember what we talked about earlier at the Kissing Booth? Stella and I went our separate ways with no drama. Isn’t that right, Stella?” Cade held Red’s hand, kissing her fingers gently. He could feel when the tension left her. But she became rigid again at Stella’s next words.
“I remember things very differently than you do Cade. You left me with no explanation. And stopped all communication. So, I never knew why we ended. But hey, congrats on landing such a beautiful Georgia woman. I’m sure she’s a peach”, Stella stated with enough sarcasm in her voice to compete with Birdie for queen of sarcasm.
Cade opened his mouth to reply, but Kresley beat him to it. “Ms. Shelton is it? While I’m not privy to many of Cade’s past relationships before me, I am knowledgeable
