He stared back at her for what seemed like forever and she felt herself being drawn to him again, even as insecurity and doubt clouded his eyes—as it always did when this yearning sprung up between them. He’d said he wasn’t the man for her, but she knew what he meant by that, and he was wrong. Everything he’d done in the short time he’d been with her had proved it. Time stretched as they gazed at each other, and Addie leaned toward him as he did the same.
A commotion outside snapped her out of the trance his eyes had locked her in. She turned as Cade stepped around her to look out the front door.
“He didn’t make it very far,” Cade said, glancing back at her. “Looks like he passed out in the flower bed. Took out the wind chime and a couple of weed-filled pots in the process.”
Addie joined him at the door and shook her head. “We need to get him out of here. I don’t want him knocking again. I don’t want him here at all!”
Cade gave her a curious look that she interpreted as “Why did you open the door, then?” She ignored it. How could she explain? She was stupid to listen to Mark’s drunken manipulations or to let herself feel sorry for him. Even though she told herself that it wouldn’t happen again, she didn’t want to test her resolve tonight. Right now, it was all she could do not to crumble into a small, blubbering heap.
“I’ll take him home,” she said as another flutter of nerves attacked her stomach and then began to spread. It was getting difficult to breathe. Determined to stay strong and not let the bundle of anxiety in her chest escape, she turned to grab her coat, but Cade stopped her.
“We’ve already discussed this,” he said softly. “You don’t want to be in that cab with him any more than I want you to be.”
Her temper flared and she latched onto it to keep from thinking about what else might’ve happened. “Then what do you suggest?”
His hands curled around her shoulders then brushed up and down her arms in a consoling fashion. More warm tingles followed the path of his hands and she breathed a little easier.
“Will you let me help?”
She sniffed and rolled her lips together. “I thought you didn’t want to get involved?” Okay, that was a cheap shot and she knew it, but she couldn’t help herself. She’d been embarrassed and hurt by his unexpected rejection and his sudden need to spend more time alone, but she’d kept it mostly to herself…until now.
His lips pulled into an indulgent smile. “This is not the kind of involvement I meant, and you know it.”
She dropped her eyes and shrugged.
He ducked his head and waited until she met his gaze before he spoke.
“I won’t risk your safety,” he said softly but in a tone so hard, it sent a shiver down her back. “If it were up to me, I’d leave the bastard where he lies, but since it’s important to you and your safety for him to be gone, I’ll help get him gone. But it’s going to take both of us. So, if you feel up to driving, how about you get your keys and bring your truck around? I’ll go stuff him in the cab of his rig and follow you to his place. Then we can both come back in your truck. How does that sound?”
Worry drew her brows together. “What if he wakes up? He won’t be happy to see you.”
Cade shook his head. “If he’s drunk enough to pass out on the way to his truck, he’s out for the night. But even if he does wake, I can handle him.” His hand cupped her face and his thumb traced over her forehead and down her nose, easing the lines that had formed between her eyebrows. “Don’t worry about me.”
But she was worried about him, though she didn’t see another way to get rid of Mark that didn’t involve bringing in the authorities. Cade plainly didn’t understand her aversion to that, and she was thankful when he didn’t push it further.
“Okay, we’ll do it your way,” she said and stepped around him.
“All righty, then. I’ll just grab a shirt and my boots and meet you out front.”
She nodded as he headed for his room. The thick muscles of his back shifted as he walked and she couldn’t help but watch.
“Cade?”
He turned, his eyebrows raised in question.
“Thank you.”
He smiled. “Anytime, sweetheart.”
Then he turned and rushed down the hall to his room, leaving Addie feeling lost, excited, and confused by it all. Her heart still beat way too fast, and not because of Cade’s nearness or near-naked state. Fear gnawed at the edges of her resolve like a wild thing, threatening to break her down completely. Taking a deep breath and holding onto the emotional cliff she dangled from by her fingernails, Addie grabbed her jacket off the chair in the dining room where she’d left it, dug out her keys, and headed for the garage.
* * *
The drive to Mark’s place had been uneventful. Cade had pulled up to the house, cut the engine, and hopped out, leaving Mark to sleep it off in his truck. She would’ve insisted on taking him inside if the weather had been colder, but it was only in the low sixties tonight, and the night was almost over.
Thankfully, when Cade approached her truck, he’d insisted on driving them home. Now that some time had passed, shock was beginning to overtake the adrenaline that had numbed her senses. Shivers rocked her as the truck rolled down her long driveway. By the time they pulled up to her garage a minute later, she was not only trembling but fighting back tears, too.
The engine shut off, but she couldn’t move. She stared out the side window and tried to inhale, but she couldn’t seem to
