It had been two weeks since Cade and I had reunited in his office at Goodbar. We had texted and talked on the phone constantly. He said he'd been busy with work, setting up in Toline, and a big part of me believed I was repeating my past.

But just when those thoughts filtered through my mind, I 'd take a step back and remind myself that Cade was not Roland and that I was not the same person I used to be.

I would no longer take shit. So, I took the time to get all my work in order, to make sure all my tenants were happy, their rents were collected, and everything was fixed at the properties. I also took the two weeks to put all my Roland memories into boxes.

I was pushing boxes into my closet when I heard a knock on the door. I frowned. The doorman didn't call. I wasn't expecting anyone.

My feet padded across the bedroom carpet and onto the hardwood floors that led to the front door.

I glanced through the peephole, but someone was covering it.

"Hello, who's there?"

"Are you going to make me stand here all day, or are you going to come and open this door, so I can kiss you?"

Cade.

I pulled open the door and jumped into his arms, squealing with delight. His wide eyes showed me I had caught him by surprise, and then I saw that he was carrying a bag of groceries in one hand. But he easily held that bag tight while also anchoring me against his hip, cradling my butt as he carried me inside my apartment.

My hands were in his hair, my chest against his, my legs wrapped around his waist and my lips were connected to his.

"I missed you," I said, with a flick of my tongue against his lips.

"I can tell," he chuckled.

He dropped the brown paper bag on the floor. "I've missed you, too."

And all of a sudden, it was like fire melting ice.

The air blasting in the room was no comparison to the heat coursing through my body.

"Show me how much you've missed me," I whispered against his lips, anchoring my body against him.

He pressed his hardness against my center, and I gasped at the contact, at the strength of him, at the sizzle of spice between us. He pushed us against the wall, his strong thighs holding me up. With one hand, he pulled down my shorts and slipped a finger inside me. His lips trailed a path of blazing kisses from my ear down to my neck, his finger working its magic, making me slick.

I missed this man, my man. Oh God, how I missed him.

"Is this how you want me to show you?"

I moaned from the sensual friction he was creating and the burning desire inside me heightened. "Yes." My voice was hoarse, and my body was horny and hungry for him.

I pushed at his chest, and he flinched, which stopped me. I assessed his face and stepped back, but in the next beat, he said, "Come here." He unbuttoned his jeans, shoved them down to the floor, followed by his boxers, and grabbed my waist.

Our eyes locked and that was all it took for him to anchor me against the wall and enter me all at once.

My eyes fluttered shut at the impact, at the fullness of him, at the heat of him inside of me. He gripped my hips and rammed into me, his lips falling to the crook of my neck. All I could hear was the panting of our breaths, all I could feel was the sensation of his body against mine, all I could smell was the aroma of our heat.

His eyes were at half mast, his movements erratic. He wasn't going to last long, but neither was I.

I loved the feel of him inside of me, balls deep inside of me, ravenous as though he couldn't get enough.

"You feel so good, Angel," he said, pounding into me with fiery fervor like I was his first breath and his last.

I shifted until he hit that certain spot and my moans heightened. His head dropped to the crook of my neck, his movements faster, harder, sweeter. Then my orgasm rippled through my body. One after the other, a never-ending tidal wave of pure, exhilarating ecstasy.

He came undone when I did, and with one final groan and last thrust, he slowed until he stilled in me. Our chests heaved from exhaustion, and our hearts raced against each other, beating as one.

When our pulses returned to a normal rate, he lifted his head and kissed me with a passion I'd only ever experienced with him. "Hello," he said when he pulled back. "I don't think we said hello yet."

"Yes, we did." I laughed, nipping at his bottom lip. "That was the hottest hello ever. I think we should greet each other like that all the time."

He caressed my cheek with his fingers and scoured my face like it was the first time he was seeing me. He dipped his head so he could lock his eyes with mine so I could know the sincerity, the truth, the impact of his words. "I love you so much, Angel. So much."

His words filled me with such happiness, the kind that you couldn't contain. My insides soared because he made me feel like the most beautiful person in the whole entire world and I just knew with all my heart and soul that we were it for each other.

I smiled. "You just love me because your Angel is no longer an angel. You've officially corrupted her."

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, and I felt it everywhere. "That, too." He gently placed me on my feet, and it took me a couple of seconds to not feel like the earth was shaking. "And just so you know, you'll always be my Angel. Mine."

I didn't miss the emphasis on the word.

After he pulled up his pants, he took my hand and pulled me into him. "I've missed you."

"I think that was already established."

He kissed the top of my head and moved my hair from my forehead. "How's your dad?"

"He has to do therapy for a couple of months, but otherwise he's like his old self again."

He kissed my cheek, then my lips. "That's good."

I peered to the side to see the brown bag that Cade had dropped on the floor. "What did you bring me?"

"Condoms.” He wiggled his eyebrows, chuckling. “But I think it's a little too late for that now."

"Rude." I slapped his chest, and he closed his eyes, wincing. "What's the matter?" Instantly, I grabbed his face, forcing him to look at me.

"Tat-Tattoo," he uttered, gritting his teeth.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, babe." I stepped back, and he lifted his shirt to show me a section of white gauze covering his upper left pec. "I had to get it retouched because it wasn't perfect."

"What is it?"

When he lifted the gauze from his skin, my stomach flipped. One hand flew to my mouth, while I took in the beautiful figurine outline of an angel. It wasn't her face that was exquisite, it was the strength and span and mightiness of her wings, the colors a beautiful array of blues and greens and yellows.

“It’s beautiful.” I inched closer, getting a better look.

"You’re beautiful.” His eyes were shining with an inner glow. “Years down the road, when I think back to this year and what has had an impact on me the most, it would have been you, Angel. I'm more selfish now, but a lot happier now that you're in my life."

I knew exactly what he meant. I had to admit I was more selfish now, too. We were no longer living for other people but living for ourselves. And that wasn’t a bad thing because I’d never been happier.

He added, "And that bag has eggs, cocoa, flour and a bunch of other baking stuff."

I quirked an eyebrow, curious.

"Since birthday cakes signify new beginnings for you." His gaze dropped to the ground, seeming a little sheepish. "I figured we could start our new beginning with cake, anniversary cakes."

I sucked in my bottom lip and nuzzled closer against my man, loving his sentiment and knowing there would be many more anniversary cakes in our future.

"I love it. And after we bake cake, maybe we can eat cake," I said, lifting one sexy eyebrow.

He didn't miss the way my voice dropped seductively.

"We’ll add that to our annual tradition," he said, kissing me one more time.

And then we baked a cake. And ate it, too.

THE END

Loved this story? Want to know when Jordan’s book releases? Sign up for my newsletter. Plus you never know when these characters may pop on by.

You can sign up at .

Click on the next page for a free sample of my bestselling novel Marry Me for Money.