Page 34 of Summer Heat
“Do what?” She took a sip of her now warm champagne, grimaced, and placed it on the nearest table.
“Why didn’t you want to admit you’re my date?” he asked. “Are you embarrassed to be with me?”
The words came out without prior thought or warning. After all, his father had alluded to him finding someone to put up with him, and the women in his past hadn’t been able to.
“God, Kade, no!” Lexie sounded horrified at the thought. “It’s the opposite, actually. I was afraid your father would think I wasn’t good enough for you!”
He reared back in shock. “Why the hell would you think that?”
Her face turned pale at his gruff tone, her blue eyes lighter against her fair skin. “I… It’s just… You’re you. You’re intelligent, brilliant, really. And I’m … me. I’m not sure if you ever looked at my resume, but I haven’t held a long-term, stable job. And I lost my last one because I was chronically late due to … family issues. And I was only hired because Derek took pity on me, and now I pick up your dry cleaning and order your lunches.”
Kade hadn’t thought beyond his own issues. He’d never had an inkling that his in-your-face assistant, the Lexie he admired, had her own insecurities she hid from the world.
He shook his head and groaned. “Aren’t we a pair?” he asked ruefully.
“Are we?” she asked, her eyes bright, alight with renewed fire and interest.
“Fuck it,” he muttered. “Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed her hand with his splint-free one and pulled her out of the gala, ignoring the stares of people as they passed.
“Kade!” He came to a halt at the sound of her voice, then pulled her into an alcove where they could be relatively alone.
“What’s the rush?” she asked.
“I have the sudden urge to kiss you.” Well, to do more than that, but even he knew he needed to finesse her more than he’d done so far.
Heat flared in her eyes. “So do it.”
As if to back up her words, she rose onto her tiptoes and raised her chin. He met her halfway, pulling her flush against him and covering her mouth with his. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening their connection.
So much for worrying about finesse, he thought, losing himself in her sweetness and desire. A desire so hot it matched his.
His height had her tipping her neck, and he lifted her in his arms, grateful for the weight lifting he did at the gym because he had just one hand to work with. She came willingly, practically climbing him to get closer. He lived and breathed her in the space of this one kiss. Their tongues dueled, mouths devoured, and his body tightened with an all-consuming need.
Noise sounded from down the hall, and awareness of where they were returned to him. He forced himself to break the kiss, touching his forehead to hers. She inhaled deeply, catching her breath, while he did the same.
Finally, she eased back, meeting his gaze.
Her lips were moist and puffy, her eyes glazed with desire. “Kade?”
“Yes?” he asked, still searching for a calm he didn’t feel, along with a way to walk out of that hallway without anyone noticing the hard-on that wouldn’t be going away any time soon.
A smile meant just for him curved her lips. “Take me home,” she whispered in a husky voice that wouldn’t be denied.
* * *
Lexie was bold in her everyday life. She could face off with anyone and hold her own—she’d all but dared Kade to kiss her, after all. And he clearly desired her, as evidenced not just by the way he’d dragged her out of the room but by the hot kiss they’d just shared and the hard ridge of his cock pressed insistently against her core. Even so, it had taken every ounce of courage she possessed to tell Kade she wanted to go home. With him.
One look into his darkened green eyes and her worry disappeared. He was definitely a man on the edge, in agreement with exactly what she wanted. And she had no doubt she wanted him. She’d never felt closer to a man, and she didn’t mean physically, though she was still wrapped around him like a vine on a tree.
He’d opened up to her in the limo, admitting he suffered from certain … disorders. He didn’t need to elaborate. She already understood him so well. But the fact that he’d try to ease her pain over her mother’s illness by stripping himself bare emotionally touched something inside her. She’d told herself she couldn’t have a relationship, and that still might be true, but she didn’t want to walk away from him now.
Didn’t she deserve to grab something for herself? Hadn’t she given enough of her life and her time to her sister and mother? Without a doubt, she knew the time would come when her twin disrupted her life yet again, but tonight, while it was quiet and peaceful, she was taking what she wanted.
And she wanted Kade.
No sooner were they back in the limo than Kade pushed a button, and a divider slid up. Between the privacy divider and the tinted windows, they were cocooning in their own world.
Kade pushed another button and spoke to the driver. “Drive around until I tell you otherwise,” he instructed.
