Page 14 of Summer Heat
She curled into the chair next to him, tucking her legs primly beneath her. She opened the bag and handed him a piece of the red candy. He took a bite, savoring the burst of cherry flavor.
“So … anything you want to get off your chest?” she asked. “Like why you felt the need to punch the wall?”
His mind wandered, from his past to Julian. “Assholes. I’m frustrated by assholes.”
She waited patiently, which was a good thing, because his brain was like mush, and he had to search for his thoughts. “An old friend is suing us for a stake in the company and for the money we’ll get upon taking Blink public.”
“I read about the lawsuit,” she admitted. “Does he have a case?”
“Fucking lawyers said he’s got enough to stand on that we should settle. And now Julian’s dug up old dirt on me. He found a girl who claims I raped her in college.” The words came out fuzzy to his ears.
“What? No!” Lexie said, immediately coming to his defense, which, addled brain or not, managed to surprise him. Her blue eyes widened in horror, but he instinctively knew it wasn’t at him.
“How do you know?” he asked.
She grabbed his good hand, leaning over the divider between the two seats, and met his gaze. “I just do. I trust my instincts. Always have. And you might be an arrogant ass and an occasional jerk, but you’re not a rapist!”
“Tell it to the judge,” he muttered.
She still held his hand as she moved in closer. “I would if I could.”
And he’d let her.
Because nobody had automatically believed him before. Nobody stood up for him without question. His father’s words, when he’d found out about the date rape accusation, were, It doesn’t matter, son. I’ll take care of you.
Which was all well and good, except it had mattered to Kade. He’d been innocent and wanted to prove it, not throw money at the situation to make it go away. Ironically, all he’d done was make Kade feel more alone.
Not Lexie. She made him feel good about himself for the first time in a long time. He wanted more. Without hesitation, he closed the distance between them and pressed his mouth against hers. She startled, jerking in surprise, before almost immediately giving in, her lips softening against his. He breathed her in, both her warm breath and her intoxicating belief in him.
He ran his tongue over her lips. Though he was confined by the wide armrests between them and his own injury, he was every bit engaged. Just ask his body. Painkillers had no effect on his cock, because it was hard and ready to go.
/> He wanted to lift his hand and cup the back of her neck, pull her closer, kiss her harder, but he was hindered by the need to keep his bad hand away from the furniture and any pressure against it. Instead he made good use of his tongue, delving deep into her mouth and tasting her sweetness.
“Mmm,” he murmured against her mouth because she was incredibly sweet, her flavor making him even more light-headed than before.
“Kade.” She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “We shouldn’t.”
“Can’t think of a reason why not.” Other than the dizziness circling his brain, but she didn’t know about that.
“I work for you, for one thing. And you’re hurting. Your defenses are down. Something tells me you might agree with me come morning and regret this.”
“Never.” It was the last thought he had before he passed out cold, dreaming of a blue-eyed, brown-haired angel who came to his rescue.
* * *
Kade woke up with a blistering headache and throbbing in his hand. He waited for the awareness of the pain to settle before he rolled to a sitting position. He hung his spinning head, bracing his good hand on his thigh.
How had he gotten into bed? The last thing he remembered was chewing on a Twizzler, then … confiding in and kissing Lexie.
“Fuck!”
“You’re up.” Derek strode into his bedroom, his hair a mess, wearing a pair of track pants and a tee shirt, looking like he’d spent the night.
“What are you doing here?” Kade asked.
“Aww. You don’t remember me tucking you into bed last night? I’m hurt.” Derek smirked at his own joke.
“No, I don’t.”
