“I don’t know what it’s like to have grown up the way you did, believing what you did, and I won’t pretend I do. I grew up watching my parents love each other until the day they died. I had a family to support me no matter what.” His words hit me hard deep inside of me, the place no light ever reaches.
“But I know you, Princess. I know the one thing that terrifies you the most is being vulnerable with anyone. You’ll wrestle with a thousand-pound animal, easily jump an oxer or combination five feet tall or more without fear, but you’re terrified to be vulnerable because you have no control over how others will react.”
My previously quiet mind is now racing with thoughts, fear trying to invade and take over, my mind automatically envisioning every possible disastrous scenario.
“But you need to hear me when I tell you that I’m not like that. Neither is Wayne. I don’t know what she’s all done to you—and I’m not sure I want to know—what I know is bad enough already. We don’t treat people like that though.”
That’s when he walks around to face me, placing my tea on the floor before he frames my face, his warm hands against my frozen skin. My eyes find his instinctively and his forehead drops to mine. I can see the determination burning in his eyes.
A heady feeling is settling in my stomach at seeing his expression. No one has ever looked at me like that, as if he’s preparing for battle and victory is the only possible outcome.
“I promise you, Montana, whatever happens, I’ll never think you’re not worth fighting for. I understand your hesitation—I didn’t treat you right when we first met. But I didn’t know you then. I believed rumors and I was an asshole. But I know you now. Every day these past weeks the person you are has been shining through with everything you do. From the way you treat Lizzie to your work with Lucifer, that’s the person you are—generous, kind, vulnerable, and so fucking strong.
“I know you don’t have a lot of experience hearing this. You spent years hiding behind your ambition, your drive to achieve your goal of making it to the Olympic Team.” His voice drops to a rough murmur, causing a storm of butterflies to erupt in my stomach. “You deserve the world, Montana. And I thank my lucky stars I’m the one you’ve chosen to give a chance to prove this to you.”
“Kade…”
“I know this won’t make much sense to you, but from the moment we met and you called me a condescending prick, I knew you were different in the best way possible. Can’t say I wasn’t taken off guard this gorgeous woman called me a prick and gave me shit for scaring Lucifer. You were the first women in years to stand up to me who isn’t related to me.”
I rolled my eyes at that, fully believing women fall over themselves to please him. It’s those hypnotic blue-gray eyes of his. They make you do stuff you wouldn’t otherwise. “I bet.”
His mouth curves into a self-deprecating smile, but he continues as if I haven’t spoken, “I didn’t know it at the time, but that’s when I knew you were going to be mine eventually, come hell or high water. You’re everything I could ever want in a woman and so much more.”
Without giving me a chance to respond, he kisses me. His tongue invading my mouth, coaxing mine to respond. I don’t even try to resist, instead I melt into him. His hands slide into my hair, tilting my head and deepening the kiss.
I clutch his shirt and a moan escapes from deep within me.
Like every time he kisses me, I seem to lose all control and my wanton side takes over, the one who’s desperate to be taken by this gorgeous man.
I break the kiss, trying to catch my breath, while his lips trail down my neck. I’m trying to form a coherent sentence, to respond to the emotional bomb he laid at my feet before he kissed me. But with his lips on me, my brain doesn’t seem to get the memo.
“Kade…” I mutter distractedly.
Ignoring me, his hands leave my hair and suddenly grip my ass, digging into my flesh, causing a wave of heat to flood to my core. I love and hate how easy it is for him to scramble my thoughts and turn me on with nothing more than a touch or a word.
I press myself against him, forgetting I was going to say something, my mind focused on Kade, his hands on me, the ridges of his muscles underneath my hands.
Suddenly I’m on the move until I’m falling backward onto his big couch facing the fireplace. He stands above me, the light from the moon highlighting him, making him even more striking.
Both of us are breathing heavily. I let my gaze trail down his body and notice the big bulge in his pants. And the knowledge that he’s as turned on as me sends a feeling of empowerment through me. I’m not alone in feeling like this.
The chemistry is sizzling between us.
I watch him pull off his shirt in that sexy way of his. Giving me a great show of his abs and pecs as they become visible. When he strips the rest of his clothes, I have to bite my lip to stop a moan from escaping.
Naked as the day he was born, he leans over me, his blue eyes blazing with heat and possessiveness—a look I’ve only seen a handful of times and can’t get enough of.
Slowly he starts to pull my shirt and bra
