Page 23 of Kade
He freezes, except for his hands, curling and uncurling reflexively. His jaw is flexing, and his eyes are still burning into mine. The tension ratchets higher as the seconds tick by slowly.
“Fuck it.”
I jump, startled by the sharp words. Before I realize what’s happening, his arms are wrapping around me, his hand threading through my hair, angling my chin up, and his mouth covers mine.
I’m surrounded by him. Taken over by him. By his soft lips. His seeking tongue. His stubbled cheek scraping my soft one. His hips pushing between my legs. His arm banding around my back, pulling me closer, tighter. My swirling thoughts coalesce.
I’m fucking pissed.
This asshole basically ignores me for three weeks, and now he’s kissing me. Fuck that. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.
In a minute.
But first, I’m going to make sure he knows what he’s been missing.
I weave my hands up through his arms, grabbing his shoulder and hair, pushing into his kiss. Biting, then soothing the sting. Teasing and chasing. Breathing him in. Learning what makes his breath stutter in his chest and what makes him growl. The growls reverberate through my chest, making my breasts tighten. I want to take more. I want to grab his ass and pull him closer, so he can rub me just right, but no.
Just as suddenly as he grabbed me, I push him away, grab the edge of the counter, and lift my foot, planting it in the middle of his chest, holding him back before he can grab me again. He wraps his hands around my foot, eyes dazed, and pushes forward, but I hold strong, surprising him.
Is he surprised because I stopped his kiss or because I’m strong enough to hold him back? We’re both panting. His hair is standing up. I think mine is too. Our eyes are locked, and my inner hussy briefly considers hauling him up to my apartment so I can muss him up some more. But I set it aside and let the flame of my anger ignite into a blaze.
“What the fuck, Kade? What the hell was that?” I ask him, my words clipped and fast.
His slow grin and slower words enrage me. “Well, baby, that was a kiss. I can demonstrate again if you’d like.” He’s rubbing his hands slowly from the top of my foot up to my ankle, playing with the strip of skin between my socks and leggings. There’s no controlling or containing my anger now.
“Stop!” I yell, kicking him away. “Just stop it.” I swear there’s a red mist over my eyes.
Kade takes a step toward me, and I roll backward on my shoulder, over the desk, landing on my feet on the other side. My stupid mouth and my Office obsession take over, and I can’t resist as I straighten up. “Parkour,” I whisper under my breath.
I smooth my hair, then pull my anger back over me like a blanket, meeting Kade’s dumbstruck eyes.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” I ask him quietly. I see the wariness come into his eyes, the realization dawning. “You’ve ignored me for the last three weeks. And what, you’re suddenly overcome and can’t take being in my magical presence for one more minute without kissing me?”
He nods slowly, eyes locked on me. “Yea, pretty much.”
“Bullshit,” I spit the word. “No fucking way are you allowed to treat me like that. I liked you, Kade. I wanted to spend time with you. Get to know you. And you completely shut me out.” I’m the one pacing now. “What did you think was going to happen here?”
“Honestly,” he admits carefully, “I hadn’t gotten that far.”
I really don’t like that answer. It makes me sound like I'm some impulse to him. “Then why, Kade?”
“Because the idea of you leaving pissed me off.”
Entitled dick.
“Right. So you’re pissed off. And your reaction is to kiss me? Kissing someone without their consent? That’s assault, asshole.” I cross my arms, glaring at his stupid, beautiful face. God, it could have been so good between us. But he had to run away, and now he’s ruined it.
He stumbles back a step. “Fuck, Becca, no. That’s not what I meant.”
“No? You didn’t mean to angry kiss me?”
His hands are rubbing through his hair, back and forth. In his eyes, I see regret, apology, and shame. His chest deflates as he drops his hands.
“How did I fuck this up so badly?” I don’t think he’s asking me. Kade steps forward and plants his hands on the reception desk, separating us. We’re facing off, both in turmoil, both lost in our emotions.
“Becca,” he starts, dropping his eyes like it hurts him to meet mine. “I didn’t kiss you because I’m angry at you. I was pissed off at myself.” His shoulders tense and bunch as he pushes himself away from the desk. “FUCK!” he yells.
He paces back and forth in front of the desk before stopping in front of me again.
