sixteen
“You have moves, Mr. Hunter,” Angel said with an affectionate pat on his tight ass.
Kade was opening the door to her apartment with her keys, and he laughed at her playfulness. “You like my moves, huh?”
“I’d like to see more of them if you know what I mean,” she said, trying to lean in to breathe her words seductively in his ear, only to fall forward instead.
“Whoa there, Grace,” he said, catching her before she could make a total fool of herself. “I think you’re a bit over your limit tonight. Let’s get you to bed.”
“It’s these stupid floors,” she complained as she let him lead her back to her bedroom. “They’re so uneven. They’re a deathtrap.”
“They’re not uneven, Mouse. You’re just drunk.”
“Pish,” she scoffed, then hiccupped and burped at the same time. “Excuse me,” she apologized.
Shaking his head, Kade dragged her into the bedroom and over to the bed, pushing her down onto her back then picking up each foot to remove her shoes. “You’re cute, even when you’re sloppy.”
“Sloppy?” she asked, taking offense. “There’s nothing sloppy about me.”
He cast her a look, one eyebrow raised, then directed his stare to her chest. When Angel looked down, she giggled.
“Oops! How did that happen?” Stuffing her exposed boob back into the strapless bra, she scolded, “You girls stay in there until you’re told to come out. I don’t want to hear another peep.”
Kade set her feet down then removed his own shoes, followed by his jeans, and crawled up onto the bed beside her, his expression full of amusement. “You need sleep, babe.”
“What I need,” she purred, rolling onto her side to face him and hitching her leg over his hip, “is good lovin’. Know anyone here who can give it to me?”
Grazing her lips with his, he said, “I don’t do drunk girls, Mouse. Even if they are my girlfriend.”
“I’m your girlfriend?” she asked, surprised by the sudden and very definite sounding claim.
“I know we agreed to a trial basis, but last time I checked, I haven’t turned into a toad.”
“That’s true…” she mused with a small smile.
“So since I’ve held up my end of the bargain… You’re mine, Mouse. Only if you want to be, but I’ll force ya if I have to,” he amended with a wink.
She didn’t take even a second to think about it. “You don’t have to force me to do anything, baby,” she cooed, running her fingers through his hair. Wow, but he was just so handsome and sexy—definitely not of the amphibian variety. She could devour him…and she would. Right now.
Shimmying down the bed, she had only one destination in mind.
Rolling over onto his back, Kade clasped his hands behind his head and in that husky, sex-filled voice asked, “Whatcha doin’, Mouse?”
Hooking her fingers in the waistband of his body-hugging briefs that revealed his very large erection, she slowly peeled back the cotton, her mouth salivating. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Getting into trouble.”
She smirked as she freed his cock from its fabric prison and it sprang to attention in front of her face. “I just want a little taste.”
“Just a little?”
“Or a lot,” she purred, then lunged, swallowing his thick member all the way to the back of her throat in one move.
They both moaned, but Angel’s was far from anything pleasurable. Her eagerness to please had backfired in a big way, and she’s inadvertently hit a gag reflex that normally, she’d be able to control. Instead of giving him pleasure, Angel gave Kade a warm bath.
“Jesus Christ!” Kade leaped up, his hands hitting her shoulders and shoving her back so fast, Angel fell on her ass onto the floor. The vomit kept coming, until Angel was dry heaving, sitting in a pool of her own sick, and crying from sheer embarrassment.
This was not how she’d intended the evening to go. But it was exactly how she would expect it to happen because luck was never on her side. While other girls had drunken sex and just woke up with a hangover and smeared makeup, of course Angel would puke on her date. She should have expected as much.
Kade had shot out of the room like a bullet sometime between her barfing and crying, which only made her cry more, assuming he’d been so disgusted that he’d left. But to her surprise, a bucket and towels dropped down onto the floor beside her, and the next thing she knew, he was crouching down in front of her, a soft look in his eyes.
“Arms up, Mouse. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Filled with shock, Angel could only do as she was told, following his directions as he issued them. He wore a permanent grimace as he peeled her clothes off over her head and used the towels to clean the worst of the mess from her body before scooping her into his arms and carrying her into the bathroom where they both stepped into the shower.
Kade washed her from head to toe with gentle hands unbecoming of a man who carried himself with the kind of rigidity he did. It was another layer that Angel couldn’t help but take notice of, one that lent weight to the feeling of comfort and peace and safety she had since the day he caught her eye and chose her to be his.
She couldn’t help feeling lucky to know him. What she was trying to keep as a simple relationship of give and take was becoming something so much deeper than she had anticipated. She just hoped it wasn’t one-sided. Aside from his words, the way he was caring for her suggested that maybe it wasn’t. Maybe this man who was so mysterious and closed-off in his daily life was feeling some of the same things she was.
Could Kade Hunter be falling in love with her?
Maybe it was a bit of a leap, but as Angel met his gentle gaze, she couldn’t stop herself from hoping.
After their shower, Kade wrapped her up in a warm, fresh towel and carried her back to the bed, tucking her in and brushing her hair back from her face before kissing her lightly on her forehead and returning to the scene of the crime to finish cleaning up.
Angel felt the thread of embarrassment and humiliation at what had happened grow thicker as he scoured the carpet and ran the garbage out, opened the windows and sprayed air freshener, but it eventually gave way to the deepening exhaustion that was quickly pulling her under.
She slept more soundly than she had in ages, no worries or past regrets or guilt harassing her as they normally did. And when she woke up in Kade’s arms, not even the splitting headache bludgeoning her brain could dampen the feelings of gratefulness and peace and adoration she felt just being beside him.
He didn’t stay long though, which was disappointing. As soon as the sun rose fully, he fetched her aspirin, a glass of tepid water, and whipped up a couple of scrambled eggs and toast and left it all on the bedside table. With a parting kiss—again on the forehead—he was out the door.
As she sat against the pillows eating her hangover breakfast, Angel couldn’t decide if she should be happy he took the time to do everything he had for her, or if she should be worried he’d run out of there as if he wanted to be anywhere else but with her. Her thoughts kept returning to that kiss. Twice in less than twelve hours he’d kissed her forehead. Sure, the night before she wasn’t exactly sexy or clean enough to warrant even wanting to get that close to her mouth, but this morning? Had she grossed him out so much that he was rethinking their relationship?
It was depressing to consider that he’d said he wanted her to be his girlfriend only for her to ruin it in the proceeding moments.
Picking at the eggs, Angel ate as much as her shaky stomach would allow before forcing herself to get out of bed. She couldn’t just sit around thinking all day. She’d drive herself crazy and, from her experience, she’d reach all the wrong conclusions. Drama wasn’t her style, at least not in action. Her thoughts were a different story. They tended to get a touch carried away.
Distraction. She needed a distraction.
Ambling from her room, Angel crossed the hall and knocked on Rena’s door before shoving it open and peeking inside. She hadn’t heard her come in last night. Looking peaceful, Rena was sprawled out on her stomach, one leg curled up to her side and the other hanging off the side of the bed, arms extended above her head, and a light snore filling the air.
Reminded her of the way she used to sleep as a small child. So sweet and perfect. Until she woke up.
“Hey,” Angel said, her voice sharp enough to hurt her sensitive head and loud enough to wake her sister. “Wanna come do laundry with me today?”
The suckiest part of renting an apartment? The lack of a personal washer and dryer. While most used the complex’s communal laundry room, she preferred going to the laundromat where things were cleaner and more up-to-date. It was inconvenient but more comfortable than sticking closer to home, and she’d just run errands while the machines did their thing, like she always did.
A bunch of grumbles and muttered words came back as Rena rolled around and kicked at the blankets, waking up slowly and with a lot of attitude.
“It’s the freakin’ weekend. Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping in?”
“Laundry waits for no man,” Angel joked, wondering where she got the energy to manage it with as crappy as she felt. “Come on, sis,” she said, not above whining and begging to get what she wanted, “I hate going alone.”
Pulling a pillow over her face, Rena mumbled “Go away,” but Angel wasn’t ready to give up just yet. She had one more, surefire trick up her sleeve.
“I’ll buy you ice cream…”
There was a pause, and breath held, and then the pillow was tossed aside. Rena stared at the ceiling for a moment then said hopefully, “Robin Baskins?” like she used to as a child. It had become a kind of joke they shared over the years.
Smiling, Angel said, “Yep. And last week I saw they had chocolate dipped waffle cones too.”
There was a flurry of activity as Rena untangled herself from the bedding and her feet hit the floor. She scrambled for clothes saying, “I’ll be ready in five minutes.”
Angel nodded and hurried back to her room to get ready too, because even though her sister was a girl when she said five minutes, she meant five minutes. That was the nice thing about having a tomboy for a sister.
Now all she had to do was survive the day with the little hellion.