Chapter 140 The Taste Of Him
ARDEN
Oh.
I was about to politely turn him down when a sharp scent cut through the salty air. It was Cade’s scent mixed with jealousy. It was faint but unmistakable. My eyes flicked to the side, and there he was, standing a few feet away, gaze locked on us.
Before I could call out to him, he started walking toward me. His steps were steady, but his jaw was set, and the way his eyes narrowed ever so slightly told me exactly how he felt about what he’d walked in on.
Charlie glanced between the two of us, probably realizing this wasn’t just a “girl lounging at the beach situation. Still, Cade didn’t shoo him away immediately. Instead, he came right up to him, extending a hand toward him.
“Do you have anything you need?” Cade’s voice was polite, but even then, he sounded intimidating.
Charlie pursed his lips. His gaze darted to me, then back to Cade, and for a second, I thought he might try to insist. But instead, a deep blush crept up his cheeks, and he shook his head quickly. “No, uh–no, I’m good.”
And just like that, he stepped back, turning on his heel and walking away, though I could see the stiffness in his shoulders that came from retreating under pressure.
The moment he was out of earshot, Cade let out a low grumble as he dropped down onto the blanket beside me.
I laughed, the sound bubbling out of me until I had to cover my mouth. “What was that?”
Cade shot me a look, his lips twitching like he was trying not to smile. “I couldn’t even leave for a second without someone flocking to you. It’s a crime to be that pretty.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I tried to glance away to hide it, but my eyes caught on Charlie again. He hadn’t gone far–he was lingering at the water’s edge, pretending to watch the waves, but every few moments, his gaze drifted back toward us.
I smirked. “I’m one to talk, Cade. It seems he fell in love with you instead.”
His brows drew together in a faint frown, and he didn’t answer. Not with words, anyway. Instead, he reached over, gripped the blanket beneath me, and in one smooth motion, hauled me up–fireman–carry style.
“Cade!” I yelped, clutching his back to steady myself as the world tilted. “Where are y
aking me?”
“Away from the eyes of the humans,” he said, voice firm but teasing around the edges. “They like you too much. From children to the oldies-”
“Oh, come on, Cade. Not the children!” I wriggled in his hold, but he only tightened his grip. “We need to explore the beach!”
He smirked without looking down at me. “We’ll still be at the beach.”
Then he ran. Faster than the wind could catch us, the scenery blurring as the salty air whipped past. My hair flew wildly, and I clutched onto him harder, my laughter torn away by the speed.
When he finally slowed, the noise of the more
Crowded part of the shore had faded entirely. We stood at a secluded stretch of beach. A single house sat a short distance from the shore, its weathered stone painted a pale, sun–bleached blue.
Before I could even process it, Cade set me on my feet and reached into his pocket. The metallic jingle of keys cut through the sound of the waves, and my brows knit together.
“Cade…” I said slowly as he strode toward the front door. Why were we intruding on this untouched home? I didn’t want this to end with another Mr. Winters situation where we discover something weird..
“Don’t worry,” he said over his shoulder, slipping the key into the lock. “It’s our family home. We take Honey here often to detox.”
“Oh.” My suspicion dissolved into surprise. “Oh, you’re really rich.”
He shook his head without missing a beat, pushing the door open to reveal a sunlit interior that still smelled fresh.
I followed him inside, still looking around. “How about our things at the hotel?”
“We’re going back there,” he said simply, walking deeper into the house. Then he turned, his eyes locking onto me. “But for now…”
Before I could ask what he meant, he crossed the room in two long strides, caught me by the waist, and guided me backward until I felt the edge of a bed behind my knees. Then, he pushed me down onto it with a force that didn’t hurt.
He leaned over me, one hand braced on the mattress, the other lightly at my hip. “You don’t know how much I’ve been holding myself back,” he murmured, his voice dropping lower.
And then his lips were on mine.
The kiss was urgent and greedy. His mouth moved against mine with heat, and when his tongue brushed the seam of my lips, I opened for him without thinking.
The taste of him was warm and intoxicating, and I felt my fingers hold onto the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer. His tongue slid against mine, teasing and claiming all at once, and the low sound he made in the back of his throat sent shivers racing down my spine.
He deepened the kiss, tilting his head to angle for more, his thumb brushing over my jaw.
He continued kissing me–deeper, hungrier, more intense than I could ever imagine.
I could barely keep up with him. My hands found his jaw, then his shoulders, and then they were tangled in his hair because I needed him closer. I wanted to drown in him.
I was lost in Cade. Completely, shamelessly lost.
Back then, I used to imagine what his lips would feel like. Sometimes I’d catch myself looking at his mouth, wondering if he kissed softly or with the same commanding fire he carried everywhere else. I thought about it far too often for someone who tried to convince herself she didn’t need him. And now
here I was, tasting him, breathing him, holding him–he was really mine. Really, really mine.
Goodness, how did it come to this? How did someone like me, scarred and fractured, end up with something like this? Someone like him? I never thought I would have a moment that felt so unshakably ours. I never thought I would feel this full.
His hands cupped my face. I let myself melt into it.
Then something brushed against my skin, a faint, cool touch that didn’t belong to him. I felt it on my hand, specifically my ring finger.
I stilled, breath catching, and gently pushed against his chest. His brow furrowed at first, but I lifted my hand between us. My heart thudded.
There, glinting in the light, was a ring.
At first, I thought it might be a diamond. But it wasn’t. The stone was clear, but it was also tinged blue. My breath trembled as realization struck me like lightning.
It was the same stone from my mom’s ring.
I knew it as surely as I knew my own name.
My throat tightened, my vision stinging. I looked up at Cade, the question already trembling on my lips.
“Cade…” I whispered, “Where did you get this?”
what day
