Page 7 of Home Stretch
FIVE
Malia
I stopped beingfurious with him the second he took my hand and locked eyes with me. The genuineness of his heartache was written all over his face, and his sweet words soothed my soul.
And then there was his confession. I feel like I’m dreaming. I mean, I have to be, right? The man I haven’t been able to stop thinking about just told me that he likes me.
I blink a few times, trying to absorb this information. It still doesn’t make sense. Kade is freaking gorgeous, with his warm brown eyes, dark hair, and six and a half feet of toned muscle. Not to mention his easy smile and charming grin, which always put me at ease.
I, on the other hand… try as I might not to let my mom get to me, but her words are on a loop inside my brain. You’re pretty, dear. But not beautiful. Not with those hips and thighs.
“Malia?” Kade whispers, his brow furrowed in concern.
I don’t think he’s moved a muscle since he admitted that he liked me. I don’t think I have, either. There are a million different questions racing through my mind as I stare at Kade, but only one thing comes out.
“Do you mean that?” I ask him.
My voice comes out so low that it doesn’t even sound like me. I clear my throat, trying not to get my hopes up. Maybe he just meant–
“Yes,” he answers right away, his hand tightening around mine. Electricity snaps between us, every nerve ending humming with anticipation.
I don’t know how to respond or possibly tell Kade that I’m already halfway in love with him. Luckily, he keeps talking.
“You’re so far out of my league, Malia,” he continues. “I know that. I can’t offer you the kind of money those city boys can, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve wanted you since the moment that I saw you.”
My heart melts at his words, and I wonder once again if this is really a dream. He thinks I’m out of his league? He has no idea I’ve had the same thoughts about him.
Kade always knows just what to say to put me at ease, even if it means being vulnerable. Maybe that’s because he’s not usually much of a talker.
That isn’t what attracted me to him in the first place, though. It’s the way he carries himself. He’s always so calm and relaxed. Kade seems comfortable in his skin and at peace with who he is. That’s not something I’ve come in contact with much in my twenty years.
There’s something more than that to him, though. It’s his energy, his aura. I can tell he has a strict code of honor and follows it. Deep in my soul, I know he’s a good man who would never hurt me.
“Say something, angel,” he rasps.
Oh god, I like that. Angel. I love the way it sounds in his slow southern drawl. Shivers run up and down my spine, landing between my thighs and making me feel all sorts of things I’ve never felt before.
Kade is still staring at me, looking a little nervous about what he just said and the fact that I haven’t responded yet.
I have no words, but my body seems to know what to do to show him I want him as much as he wants me.
When I start to lean over toward him, his brown eyes widen in shock. When my breath blows across his lips, he finally snaps out of whatever trance he isin and closes the distance between us.
Kade’s lips meet mine, softly at first, as if he can’t believe this is happening. He nips my bottom lip, pulling a breathy whimper from me. Kade lets out a low growl, sparking everything in me to life.
My arms wind around his neck as he deepens the kiss, his hands roaming up and down my sides and back like he can’t get enough of me.
“God, I’ve wanted you for so long,” he murmurs, trailing his lips down my throat. I tilt my head to the side, moaning softly as he scrapes his teeth across my sensitive skin. “I thought I messed up my only chance with you,” he whispers into the crook of my neck before sucking lightly there.
“I want you… too,” I manage to breathe out before our mouths are drawn together once again.
We fall into a perfect rhythm, giving and taking, each stroke of our tongues building the anticipation for more.
I’m about to crawl into Kade’s lap when headlights flash over us. I pull away from him, completely forgetting that we are parked right in front of the entrance.
Kade clears his throat, a pale pink flush covering his cheeks as he shifts into drive and pulls into the nearest parking spot. He’s freaking adorable, and he’s all mine.
“I’ll walk you up,” he says. I nod, barely containing my grin. He’s such a gentleman, but I hope I can get him all flustered like this again soon.
