As soon as Dawn heard her identity leave his lips, she pictured Michael scolding her for failing to watch her step. Not knowing how he had found her, she stepped away from him. If he didn’t know the whole story, maybe she could still convince him that—
“Isn’t that your real name?” Cade asked, his voice hoarse, as he hovered over her, his eyes blazing and his mouth set in straight line. Dawn searched her mind for some way to explain it to him and keep her secret close to the vest. She dared him to turn her back, bending at the waist and wiggling her denim clad ass, as she plucked a cigarette from her purse and curled it around her fingers.
“So what if it is?” she challenged, as she tossed her head back. “Haven’t you ever wanted to be someone else?”
“Maybe,” Cade carefully said. “Who did you want to be?”
Her fingers fumbled around a lighter, and she flinched when his hand surrounded her palm. Wanting to find a way to turn back the clock, wishing that she hadn’t opened the door even though the feel of his breath of her cheeks still felt good, Dawn watched and waited as he flicked the fire to attention. Dawn pulled on the lit cigarette, inhaling deeply and exhaling a plume of smoke. She felt Cade’s eyes on her neck, as he moved her to the couch, his hands just touching her skin when he suddenly took hold of her hair. Even though his touch was gentle, he still tugged her head back to meet his eyes.
“Who did you want to be?” he asked again.
Part of Dawn wanted to push away from him, slam her smoking cigarette into his cheek and break into a wild run. Unsure if she could snatch her keys or her purse and even less sure that she could outrun him, Dawn took another drag, choking it down as she lowered her eyes.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Not someone that you would hate.”
Cade’s fingers stayed in her hair, and she moaned at the feel of one finger trailing down her sweating cheek, as he brought his chin to her shoulder and leaned close to her ear.
“Should I hate you?” he asked.
“I…I guess that’s up to you,” Dawn said softly. She stayed in his eyes, his finger curling under her face, and he sighed heavily as he let her go. Dawn nervously smoked, as she heard him fishing through her purse. At least she’d taken care to hide her proper ID in a distant drawer. But the biker already seemed wise. Would he drag her from her couch and force her to provide evidence before she had any hope of trying to—?
“I don’t want to, Dawn.”
He fell into the abandoned easy chair that rested beside her cluttered coffee table, lighting up his own smoke, as she tried to decipher his blank face. Wondering if there was any way that she could even hope to salvage her story, Dawn let the thought fall away, as Cade’s expression contorted into regret. Hating herself for having hurt him, she finished her smoke and fell to her exposed knees, as she moved closer to his side.
“Cards on the table?” she asked.
“That sounds like something I don’t want to hear. Gonna be another lie or what?”
Her face burned under the force of his words, and she nodded softly, stunned when she was able to get back to her feet without him holding her back, and she stepped to the window, her back heaving as she spoke slowly.
“Okay?” she said. “The truth…the truth is…”
Dawn’s tongue tied, and she ran toward her bedroom, feeling him at her back when she had only managed a few steps.
“Get back here!” he screamed. “What the hell type of game do you think you’re playing?”
She ran faster, flying over her bed, as she pushed her hands under the mattress.
“Don’t you even think about—!”
Her fingers clasped the edge of a manila envelope, but the package left her hands, as Cade pushed her into the unmade bed and breathed smoke into her eyes.
“What?” she challenged. “What do you think I’m trying to do?”
“Blackmail me,” he said. “It won’t work. We didn’t get back here, just so someone like you could tear us down.”
“Someone like…?”
Dawn struggled underneath him, and she kicked her heel around his back. Cade fell away from her, and she tore open the envelope, spilling the contents over his head, as she stood tall and reached for a sweater to conceal her breasts from his watering eyes.
“I wanted to try to understand your world,” she stared. “It was never my intention to name names. Or talk about your dirty plans. I actually wanted to shed a light.”
Cade pushed through her fallen papers, and she waited as understanding spread across his face. He fell back to the bed, still reading when he finally looked up at her with a sigh.
“Looks safe enough,” he said carefully. “But you lied to get into the Pub. Why isn’t this another lie?”
She started to protest when her mind curled around his point. Why should he trust her? Her intel said that the Alphas crept back into town because the Panthers were lying in wait. And she had heaped one more lie onto the pile with heavy makeup and clothes that had no business on her body.
“I…I was just trying to do my job,” she murmured lightly. “Thought there was no way you’d give me a second thought if…if I was just me.”
“You really think that?” he asked, as he strained to his feet. “Like I would have left you to George?”
“Maybe not,” Dawn said. “But you wouldn’t have taken me into the back. And I…I did like that. I liked being with you very much.”
Cade’s shoulders lifted to his ears, and Dawn waited for his warning, as he charged forward and grabbed her arms. His fingers seemed to mind her bruises, as his touch trickled down to her hands, and he lightly grazed her fingers.
“I did, too,” he whispered. “Wouldn’t have given you a chance to explain if I hadn’t.”
He started to pull away, and Dawn strained to the tips of her toes, as she wrapped her arms around his back and clung to him. Cade tried to pull away when the strength her hold held him in place, and he finally turned back to gaze into her eyes.
“I…my name is Dawn Sawyers,” she started. “Reporter for the Plainfield Plough. Looking to tell your story any way I can.”
She bit down on her lip, as Cade slowly lifted his hand to stroke her cheek. Dawn melted into his touch, and she couldn’t resist the urge to cuddle against his fingers, as he stroked down to her chin and before he pushed into the corners of her mouth. He didn’t need to try hard. Seeing his eyes growing soft under her gaze, Dawn smiled and moved to kiss him when Cade suddenly took a step back and ran his hands over his face.
“Gonna get me into all kinds of trouble if you’re screwing with me,” he said. “So much for making sure it was safe to come back.”
Dawn’s reporter instinct kicked into full gear. She had always known that there was a story behind why the Alphas had fled and some reason why they thought they could make their way back to Plainfield. Why did they think it was safe? And what did the Panthers have to do with…?
“I’m not going to give away any secrets,” she swore, softly cupping his face in her hands, as she lightly kissed his cheeks before gazing into his eyes again. “I just wanted to get it and know you better.”
Cade barely stifled a laugh, as he curled his finger between her thighs, and Dawn savored the feel of him pressing deeper into her cunt. He caressed her folds, and she moistened around him when he pushed back and scanned her body up and down.
“I…I want that, too,” he said. “Wondering now if I came here because I was the first to know.”
She slowly took his hand, folding his fingers close, as she rested her ear to his chest and he caressed her back.
“Glad it was you,” she muttered. “But I…I get it if you have to give me up now?”
Holding her breath and picturing her fate if he tossed her back to George and the others in the service of his agenda, Dawn whimpered as he hoisted her into his arms. He carried her towards the cracked bathroom door, lowering her gently before the sink, as he twisted the water on and pressed a bar of soap into her hands.
“Not making any promises,” he said. “But let me…let me see you as you really are.” Dawn was relieved to gather the running water in her hands, and she scrubbed the makeup away, splashing her face over and over again. When Cade finally brought her eyes back to the mirror and forced her to stare into the glass, he asked, “This you?” he asked. “The real Dawn Sawyers?”
She started to nod when she eased away from his hold and started to strip her clothes away.
“This is me,” she said. “So not what you would want but—”
“Don’t put words in my mouth, Dawn.”
Cade grabbed her wrist, his stare penetrating her bare form, as he curled his finger around her arm and leaned forward to kiss her hair. Dawn savored the feel of his kiss running though her short locks, and she met his eyes again to feel his hand on her face, as he hung his head and sighed heavily.
“I…I would want it,” he said. “I do. Everything else aside.”
He kissed her lips quickly, and Dawn wanted more when he turned way and started to move to her front door.
“Wait!” she screamed. “Where are you—?”
“You don’t want to get mixed up in this,” Cade said. “You should find something else to write about.”
He was nearly gone when Dawn stepped to the porch, paying no mind to her nakedness in the air of the night. She spun him back into the apartment and pushed him in, as she closed the door and stood strong before him.
“I can’t do that,” Dawn started. “But I still want to be with you.”
“Let it go, Dawn,” he said, his stare softening as he spoke. “I’m trying to give you a way out.”
He lightly kissed her cheek and tried to leave when Dawn gently kicked him back to the floor. His face was stunned, as she paraded her body before him and touched her fingers between her legs, as she moaned softly and smiled down at him.
“Not what you expected,” Dawn said. “So what if you found me out? Shouldn’t I still be the one to have your back?”
Cade reached for her hand, and Dawn started to fall into his chest when he shook his head and lifted up.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he said. “Best way to keep it all good is for you to stay back now.”
Dawn slipped to her knees, cradling her face in her hands as she winked. “But it’s my place,” she said. “And you’re going to turn me out?”
He blushed, as she took him into her arms, fighting as he tried to right the ship and move away. Unwilling or unable to release him, Dawn felt him relax in her hold, and when Cade finally looked back into her eyes, she stroked his cheek and kissed his nose.
“Or you could stay a while,” she said. “Maybe it’s going to be our last time. But let me…Cade…”
She gathered his face in her hands, kissing him hard, as their tongues mingled, his breath poured down her throat, and his arm surrounded her waist. He fell to his back, as she pushed her fingers into his hair, sighing into his eyes as she focused her stare.
“Let me show you what I really am.”
His body went limp, as she stretched back and took hold of his hand. Cade followed Dawn to her bed, and Dawn muttered softly at the sight of the soft sheets. She kissed his hands quickly, releasing him as she fell to the bed and pushed her hands behind her head.
“I…I came back here last night to remember what it was to touch you,” she stared. “I played with my body and wanted it to be you.”
He nearly fell forward to meet her lips again when he drew back as he smirked.
“First time you did that?” he asked. “Or do you make it a habit.”
Dawn seethed under his stare, and she slapped his face. Watching him wince, she struck him again and wrestled his hands to his sides, sliding on top of him as gritted she her teeth before his parted lips. Having to kiss him, their lips melded together, and Dawn smiled at the feel of his tongue grazing her teeth, and she only left his lips to bring her hand to his cheek and sigh.
“Can’t stand that thought, can you?” she asked. “Shouldn’t I have my pleasure wherever I can find it?”
Cade lifted his body from the bed, kissing her neck, as he peered up and smiled sadly.
“So why do you need me?” he asked. “Looks like you’re just doing fine on your own.”
Dawn nearly played into his hand to prove his point and show him that he didn’t matter that much. But as soon as she fell to her back and started to play with her cunt, her hand drifted to his thigh, and she twisted her head to the pillows.
“I… I never got off like that before you,” she started. “And when I…when I think of you…”
Meeting his eyes, she slowly stroked his cheek and leaned forward to lightly kiss it, as her fingers curled around his neck.
“I want this,” she whispered. “Just to have your back.”
Cade’s face froze, and she took advantage of his pause to wind her legs around his hips, as their mouths met, and he moaned.
“Do you have any idea what that means?” he murmured. “We’re trying to get our territory back. Won’t go down without a fight.”
Dawn nodded, as his rage fell away and his hands softened against her sides. Dawn felt sure that any fight from him would be measured, and she wanted nothing more than to be at his side, holding him closer, as she found his lips and kissed him fast.
“I believe that,” Dawn said. “And if you let me stick close, I promise I’ll—”
“Fucking hell, Dawn.”
Cade flipped her body to her back, and she moaned, as he ran his fingers up and down her cheeks. He grazed her lashes, as he kissed her neck, his lips crushing against hers before he looked up and stoked her face.
“If I…if I say that I’ll let the story play out…or let you make it up as you go along…will you just…?”
“Why would I do that”—Dawn asked—“when I have the real thing?”
She felt more comfortable, as he slipped inside her. However, Cade pulled back and just kissed her hair, as he pressed his fingers to her back.
“Not all it’s cracked up to be,” he warned. “You really should go so—”
“I can’t do that, Cade.”
Dawn pushed on top of him and started to swirl her cunt around his cock. As soon as he fell into her, Dawn clenched her pussy and rocked against his hips. Her toes curled into the sheets as she worked her cunt into a frantic rhythm, realizing that his cock was far more than her own hand could ever muster. Dawn started to scream when he stretched to her mouth and kissed her again, staying inside her as he throbbed and stroked her back.
“You…you have to…”
“I have to be with you,” she said. “I want this.”
“Dawn, you still don’t know—”
Cade couldn’t resist the urge to pound into her, and Dawn’s body spread wide, as he seized her hips and saturated her pussy. She moaned at the feel of his cock opening her up, and she clawed at his chest as he sighed into her breasts, his tongue bathing her nipples before his lips returned to her ear.
“Just once more,” he said. “It can’t go on any longer.”
“Don’t be so sure about that.”
Dawn pushed him to his back, riding his cock, as she cupped his shoulder, her lips pressing into his mouth, as he took her into his arms and peered up at her.
“How can this be just once more?” Dawn asked. “Don’t you want forever?”
Maybe that sounded dumb, but it made sense in her heart. Cade strained forward, his cock plowing into her essence. She moaned into his release when she had no choice but to fall into his chest and stroke his skin, as he held her closer and kissed her hair.
“I do,” he said. “Of course I want more.”
Pushing him away from the bed, Dawn felt their bodies resting against her papers, and she pushed the pages away with one of the many memos in her hand.
“Lighter,” she said.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Give me my lighter!”
The tone in her voice led his body toward his fallen pants, and as soon as he flicked the flint, Dawn let the page burn in her metal trash can, pushing his body away from the flame, as she clasped him close and sighed.
“There it is.”
The fire flickered and started to fade, as Cade brought her back to her feet, his hand on her cheek. “Won’t make it all go away,” Cade said. “I don’t know if—”
“But at least…tell me that you believe me.”
“I do,” Cade started. “And that’s why I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
He pushed her back and tried to wind the sheets around her waist. She was nearly covered when she pushed back and peered into his eyes.
“So stick close to me,” she said. “Keep me safe. If that’s what you have to do.”
He started to list all the ways in which she still didn’t have a handle on the situation when she kissed his lips, as she curved her arm around his neck. Maybe this was the wrong way to get the story. But what was the story if she wasn’t there to see it? If they weren’t a part of it together?
“Dawn Sawyers…”
Her soul brimmed at the sound of her full name leaving his lips, but she still took his face in her hands and peered at him hard. “Long and short,” she said. “I don’t care about the story. I care about you.”
Cade’s eyes warmed around hers. She prayed for him to believe her, even as he pushed away and looked to the ashes that were her notes. There was no way she could ever explain it to Michael, but now she pushed him to the back of her mind and clung to Cade, as his hands still ran down her thighs.
“How…how would you really look?” he asked. Dawn started to unveil her body when he clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I mean…I mean if you came to me without the show,” he said.
Moving into her closet, Dawn wriggled into crisp blue jeans and a tight-fitting flannel sans bra. Slipping into a pair of ratty sneakers, Dawn moved back to his side, feeling anything but sexy, as she reached for his hands.
“I’ll…I will do right by you,” Dawn promised. “Will you stay close? Even if I look like this?”
Cade took her back into his arms, and she gazed into his eyes, as he stroked her cheek. His mouth stayed flat, even as a small light burned in his eyes.
“You look amazing,” he said. “Come with me?”