she’d never sampled anything so pleasing, worshipping him. The mighty inferno breaking around them, igniting their suppressed emotions didn’t add up. This kiss wasn’t from someone who’d kick another out of his or her life. This was a she-missed-the-hell-out-of-me kiss.
She sighed into his mouth, and he about came unhinged. Sinking a hand into her hair, he tilted her head, angling it to take the kiss deeper. The emotional overload of touching his girl took away their issues. He wanted her here, now, and forever. The shocking revelation made him skeptical of the strength in his feelings and the thoughts passing through his mind. His girl .
Then slowly, very slowly, reasoning returned to his muddled brain. Discovery of Cadence’s secret took precedence before allowing his body or heart to become hooked on her. But darn it, he went head first into her vortex and loved every minute of it too. But now, it was time. He kissed her lips slowly, with meaning. If it was their last one, he’d have something to remember. Pulling away so their lips lingered against each other until the last possible moment, he looked into her eyes and waited for the dilation to return. “We have to talk.”
She clutched his wrists and nodded her head as the tears welled. “I fear once I spill, you won’t want any more to do with me. That scares me.”
She had discarded him easily at the hospital, how could she have these thoughts now? “I’m listening.”
When she tried to get up, he firmed his grip on her hips. “Stay.”
“If you promise not to yell, or—” she whispered then swallowed, “hit.”
Anger seethed through his veins and covered him in heat, not the delicious kind. “My God, Cadence, what do you think of me? You accuse me of pity fucking you, and now you’re suggesting I might hit you? What have I ever done to make you think I’m such a lowlife?”
Tears fell and she moved her head slightly as she pulled her lips inward. “It’s not you,” she slipped her hand over the side of his face. “Sweet, sweet man, it’s not you. I’m broken and I keep lashing out. I’ve done something so terrible that you would have every right to hit me.”
His breath ripped from his throat. He’d never hit anyone except in self-defense. She knew this. “What on God’s green earth did you do?” He paused. “Son of a bitch,” he grumbled, hating he used the same phrase his father did when shocked.
“Remember the crash?” Her words drifted out on a puff of air.
Almost two years had passed since he’d laid eyes on the vehicle that’d picked up Trina and Cadence from the bar. The driver’s side had been demolished to the point of being unrecognizable. The passenger door panels crushed. Amazingly, Trina and Cadence survived. The driver hadn’t. “How could I not?”
“It was my fault, the driver d-d-ied.”
“Bullshit!” Cadence had sat next to Trina in the backseat. “The driver who hit you caused his death.”
“No-o.” Her head shook so fast, and her eyes held pain like he’d never seen.
He cupped her face. “Focus on me. Look in my eyes. See me?”
She stopped moving her head and stilled. “Yes,” she said weakly.
“Your driver lost control of the car after he was hit. Not your fault, not his either. You’re not responsible.”
“But Bradley, I a-am. If I had been honest with Trina that night we wouldn’t have drank. We wouldn’t have gotten into the car. That drunk driver wouldn’t have hit us, and our driver wouldn’t have died. I killed him.” She bolted to her feet. “I killed him!” Her hands turned to fists as she punched the air toward the ground. “Me. I was freaking selfish!”
His brain tried to keep up with what she said, but it still wasn’t working on all cylinders; nothing made sense. He got to his feet and grasped her arms. “No you weren’t. You helped your best friend through a tough time by having a few drinks. There’s nothing selfish about hanging out with your
She sighed into his mouth, and he about came unhinged. Sinking a hand into her hair, he tilted her head, angling it to take the kiss deeper. The emotional overload of touching his girl took away their issues. He wanted her here, now, and forever. The shocking revelation made him skeptical of the strength in his feelings and the thoughts passing through his mind. His girl .
Then slowly, very slowly, reasoning returned to his muddled brain. Discovery of Cadence’s secret took precedence before allowing his body or heart to become hooked on her. But darn it, he went head first into her vortex and loved every minute of it too. But now, it was time. He kissed her lips slowly, with meaning. If it was their last one, he’d have something to remember. Pulling away so their lips lingered against each other until the last possible moment, he looked into her eyes and waited for the dilation to return. “We have to talk.”
She clutched his wrists and nodded her head as the tears welled. “I fear once I spill, you won’t want any more to do with me. That scares me.”
She had discarded him easily at the hospital, how could she have these thoughts now? “I’m listening.”
When she tried to get up, he firmed his grip on her hips. “Stay.”
“If you promise not to yell, or—” she whispered then swallowed, “hit.”
Anger seethed through his veins and covered him in heat, not the delicious kind. “My God, Cadence, what do you think of me? You accuse me of pity fucking you, and now you’re suggesting I might hit you? What have I ever done to make you think I’m such a lowlife?”
Tears fell and she moved her head slightly as she pulled her lips inward. “It’s not you,” she slipped her hand over the side of his face. “Sweet, sweet man, it’s not you. I’m broken and I keep lashing out. I’ve done something so terrible that you would have every right to hit me.”
His breath ripped from his throat. He’d never hit anyone except in self-defense. She knew this. “What on God’s green earth did you do?” He paused. “Son of a bitch,” he grumbled, hating he used the same phrase his father did when shocked.
“Remember the crash?” Her words drifted out on a puff of air.
Almost two years had passed since he’d laid eyes on the vehicle that’d picked up Trina and Cadence from the bar. The driver’s side had been demolished to the point of being unrecognizable. The passenger door panels crushed. Amazingly, Trina and Cadence survived. The driver hadn’t. “How could I not?”
“It was my fault, the driver d-d-ied.”
“Bullshit!” Cadence had sat next to Trina in the backseat. “The driver who hit you caused his death.”
“No-o.” Her head shook so fast, and her eyes held pain like he’d never seen.
He cupped her face. “Focus on me. Look in my eyes. See me?”
She stopped moving her head and stilled. “Yes,” she said weakly.
“Your driver lost control of the car after he was hit. Not your fault, not his either. You’re not responsible.”
“But Bradley, I a-am. If I had been honest with Trina that night we wouldn’t have drank. We wouldn’t have gotten into the car. That drunk driver wouldn’t have hit us, and our driver wouldn’t have died. I killed him.” She bolted to her feet. “I killed him!” Her hands turned to fists as she punched the air toward the ground. “Me. I was freaking selfish!”
His brain tried to keep up with what she said, but it still wasn’t working on all cylinders; nothing made sense. He got to his feet and grasped her arms. “No you weren’t. You helped your best friend through a tough time by having a few drinks. There’s nothing selfish about hanging out with your
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