Kaden Read online

  “Hi, Leah,” Chelsea greeted. “You can take a seat in Riley’s chair.” My bestie was all smiles, rubbing her thumb and first two fingers together behind my client’s back, looking overly confident she was gonna win the bet today.

  When I glanced over at Brick, he was busy watching Leah stroll across the salon, her heels clicking against the tile floor. She wore a short black skirt, the hemline skimming an inch or two above her knees. Her cream sleeveless top plunged in front, and while she wasn’t overly endowed in the breast area, she had enough to catch attention. Her chocolate strands flowed behind her as she walked to my chair.

  “Hi, Riley.” Her voice was soft, her eyes bouncing from me to Kaden and back again.

  “Hi, Leah. I’ll be right with you.” She smiled at me before taking a seat.

  I pulled Kaden to the side. “Is there a reason you stopped by?”

  “I wanted to make sure we were still on later.” Between my work schedule and his, I hadn’t been back to his house since the other day, but we had plans later to meet up.

  “Of course, but can we make it eight instead of six? I’m helping Chelsea clean out her spare room so I can use it instead of sleeping on her couch.”

  Kaden knew I’d been staying with my friend for the past couple of days and hadn’t mentioned anything about it, but when a thin line creased his brows, something told me he wasn’t happy about my new arrangement.

  I promised my mom I wouldn’t make any rash decisions, but this was what I needed to do. As long as I remained under their roof, I’d never have any freedom, and forget about Kaden stopping over to see me. My dad might shoot him on sight, then tell the cops he was an intruder.

  “I didn’t know you were moving in with her?” He tilted his head to the side. “When did this happen?” I could’ve been wrong, but I thought I detected a smidge of annoyance in his tone.

  I shrugged. “Just before you got here.”

  “And you didn’t talk to me first?” Kaden shoved his hands in his pockets, thoroughly confusing me with his reaction.

  “Why would I talk to you first?” I spoke slowly, dragging out every syllable while trying to wrap my brain around why he seemed upset.

  “You ready?” Brick shouted, leaning against the counter while still staring at Leah. Thankfully, she didn’t notice, her attention on her phone.

  “One sec,” Kaden replied, never taking his eyes off me. “I thought if you moved in with anyone, it would be me.”

  To say I was shocked would be an understatement. “We never discussed that. We just got back together.”

  “So?”

  “So?” I parroted. “Don’t you think that’s moving a little too fast?” Our voices weren’t raised, but we weren’t whispering either. And Tripp made sure to let us know he heard every word.

  “You better watch what you’re doin’, man,” he warned. “If Stone gets a whiff of this, things are gonna get worse. And we got enough shit to deal with right now.”

  “I don’t care,” Kaden responded, his chest rising and falling quicker than before. “I told you, I’m not—”

  “I get it, but just slow down. Let him get used to the idea of you two together before you shove that in his face.” Tripp sighed and shook his head, turning back to his wife and smiling after she whispered something in his ear.

  I stepped into Kaden and wrapped my arms around his waist. “We’ll talk about this tonight, okay?”

  “Fine.” He gave me a quick kiss before unlocking my hands. “I’ll see ya later.”

  He walked away before I could say anything else.

  The rest of my day passed in a blur. Chelsea lost the bet because Leah never made a move on me like she predicted. My client did look a bit disappointed, however, when she asked if things were serious between me and Kaden.

  I told her he was the love of my life.

  Now if only my dad would get on board.

  37

  There was some reservation on my part when I opened the front door to Kaden’s house. I hadn’t spoken to him since he left Transform earlier today, and the only text I received from him was when he told me he didn’t feel like going out anywhere but that he would be home if I wanted to stop over.

  I couldn’t shake the feeling he was up to his old ways, distancing himself from me instead of talking about whatever plagued him. Because I hadn’t spoken to him, my mind created all sorts of scenarios, but I’d learned from my past mistakes. I wasn’t going to ignore the signs anymore. Instead, I was gonna face them head-on. If I thought there was a problem between us, I would ask him about it, make him talk to me.

  “Kaden!” I shouted, walking through his downstairs before venturing up the stairwell. “Kaden?” The carpeted hallway silenced my steps, and as I drew closer to his bedroom, it was then I heard him on his phone. He argued with whoever was on the other end, cursing before tossing his cell on the top of his dresser. “Hey,” I greeted, not knowing if he realized I stood behind him. “Everything okay?” He’d recently taken a shower, his hair still damp, and he was dressed only in a pair of dark gray sweatpants. He looked scrumptious, but I’d keep that thought to myself until I figured out what kind of mood he was in.

  “Fuckin’ fantastic,” he huffed, running his hands through his unruly hair. His slumped shoulders told me his phone call had sucked out the last bit of his resolve.

  “Who was that?”

  “My dad. He called to give me shit.” He waved his hand between us. “About us. He said going after you behind Stone’s back was fucked up and that I better be sure about you because if I break your heart, he wouldn’t protect me from your father.”

  “Oh.” I thought about my next question. “Is he okay with us being together?”

  “Yeah. He loves you, Ry. And he knows how much I love you, or at least he does now.” A lazy smile ghosted over his face before disappearing.

  “What else is wrong?” I asked, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

  “I’m pissed at you.” He was so matter of fact.

  “Me? What did I do?”

  “You decided to move in with Chelsea without even discussing it with me first. I told you the other night that we’re it for each other. No more fuckin’ around. Just you and me. So why would you leave your parents’ house and move in with your friend and not me?”

  Kaden stood before me in all his glory, but I tried not to focus on his delicious body or how I could see the outline of his cock through the fabric of his sweatpants.

  “Because I didn’t think you’d want me living with you so soon.”

  “You’re lying.” He took a step toward me, his body bristling with annoyance.

  “I’m not.”

  “Yes, you are. Wanna know how I can tell?” He didn’t wait for me to answer before he said, “You always pick at the middle of your bottom lip.”

  I hadn’t realized I was even touching my lip. I tore my fingers away from my face and tucked my hand beneath my leg.

  “It’s just a habit.”

  “Yeah, when you lie. Now tell me the real reason you don’t wanna live with me. Is it your dad? Is it that you still don’t trust me? Is it that you’re afraid we’re moving too fast?”

  He peppered me with so many questions my brain spun, but every single one of them contributed to the reason why I didn’t want to live with him yet.

  “Yes,” I finally answered. “Yes, to all of those reasons.”

  He rushed toward me, pulling me to my feet. “Do you love me?”

  “You know I do.”

  “Then move in with me.” I placed my hands on his chest, his muscles flexing beneath my fingertips, the warmth of his skin engulfing me. “I wanna wake up with you every morning.”

  I wanted to say yes, to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him senseless, but I wanted to be smart this time around, go with my head instead of my heart so we didn’t ruin what we had.

  “I can’t.”

  Instead of shouting about all the reasons why my refusal was asi
nine or unacceptable, Kaden stroked the side of my face, the look he gave me filled with reverence but also impatience.

  “You can. You just don’t want to.”

  “You’re right.” His touch stilled. “I love you so much, and like you said, we’re it for each other, but I’m not moving in with you… yet.” I smiled, hoping he’d do the same, but he just stared at me, no doubt trying to figure out a way to convince me otherwise.

  I needed to distract him, and there was something that used to always work in the past. Stepping back, I rested my hands low on his hips, playing with the waistband of his sweatpants.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, never taking his eyes from mine.

  “I wanna taste you.”

  “You’re trying to distract me.” A hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth this time, his eyes darkening while his cock grew beneath the fabric that shielded him from me.

  “You know me so well.” I pulled the waistband forward before shimmying it over his delectable ass and down his thighs. He stepped out and kicked them behind him.

  He spread his arms wide. “You got me naked. Now what?” I started to kneel, but he caught me before my knees hit the carpet. “Take off your clothes.” Kaden lowered his arms, his right hand reaching for his arousal, his fingers wrapping around the thickness, stroking from root to tip in one fluid motion. “I’m waiting.”

  His voice slammed into me, tearing me from whatever daze I was lost in. My motions were hurried, tossing my shirt to the side before working on my jeans. I couldn’t get them off fast enough, stumbling when my left foot got caught in my pantleg. Kaden didn’t move, but I heard him chuckle. I soon stood in front of him in nothing but my bra and panties, waiting for my next instruction. I purposely left my underwear on just so I could hear him tell me to remove the pieces.

  “I need to see your tits, baby. Show me.” Kaden’s domineering voice trickled over my skin, caressing me, piercing my lust until it bubbled over. Unhooking my bra took seconds, but I didn’t remove the material right away. I wanted to hear his need when he demanded I expose myself again. He took a single step toward me, stroking himself once more. My eyes traveled from his gorgeous face to his cock, licking my lips in anticipation. “Don’t make me wait,” he growled. The air brushed my nipples while I waited for more. “Take off your panties.” His voice turned guttural, his strokes increasing while he watched me remove the flimsy lace material. “Come here.” I moved forward. “Get on your knees.” I took my position at his feet, the thickness of the carpet cushioning me. “Open your mouth.” I complied, eager to wrap my lips around him.

  The tip of my tongue flicked over a drop of precum before I sucked him into my mouth. He was steel sheathed in velvet. I became drunk on his smell, his taste, the feel of him stretching my lips, his thickness hitting the back of my throat as he thrust in and out of my greedy mouth. His moans filled the air, his muscles cording every time he demanded more from me.

  “Tell me how much you love my mouth,” I said, needing to hear his approval, as if his grunts and twitches hadn’t already fulfilled that requirement.

  “I love it,” he groaned. “I love it so much. Fuck… yes.” He wrapped my hair in his hand to control the pace. “But I don’t wanna come in your mouth.”

  “Yes, you do.” My words were muffled, but he heard me.

  “No.” He thrust forward once, then twice more. “No,” he repeated. I dug my fingers into the muscly flesh of his sculpted ass, moving his hips faster until he shouted for me to release him. But I ignored him, hungry for the first wave of saltiness that soon hit my tongue before shooting down the back of my throat. A string of expletives flew from his mouth as I licked him clean.

  When his breathing calmed, he moved back before helping me to my feet, taking my mouth like a man starved.

  “I can taste myself on your tongue,” he said, nipping my bottom lip before walking me back toward the bed. “Now I get to taste you.”

  “No.” I rested my hands on his chest before he pushed me down.

  “No? Why not?”

  “Because I want you inside me. No more foreplay right now.” I positioned his hand between my legs. “Feel how wet I am for you.” He swiped a finger through my folds.

  “You’re drenched.”

  “I am,” I said breathlessly. “I need you.”

  Without another word he jerked his chin toward the bed, his eyes alight with desire and dominance. As soon as my back hit the mattress, I scrambled back, spreading my legs so he could nestle between them.

  The sex Kaden and I had when we were younger, while amazing, tended to be rushed because we were always in fear of being caught. But our circumstances were different now. We could take our time, revel in the feel of each other’s kiss. Touch and explore. Taste.

  As he moved toward me, he licked his lips. “Are you sure you don’t wanna ride my tongue first?”

  “Next time.”

  I reached for him and he crawled on the bed, spreading my legs further apart before resting the warm weight of his body over mine, trapping me beneath him.

  “I love you,” he whispered against my mouth, his kiss teetering between gentle and possessive. After a short time, I felt him harden between my legs, and before I could tease him about taking too long, he surged inside me in the next breath, grinding his hips against me, trying to bury himself deeper, his body demanding everything from mine. “I’m never letting you go.”

  There were so many things I wanted to say but my brain couldn’t form a single coherent thought. All I could do was focus on the pleasure, chasing the sensation erupting inside me.

  Kaden tucked his left hand under my backside, anchoring us together. Resting his weight on his other arm, he fucked me like it was the last time we’d be together. His passion for me, for us, erased any fleeting doubts I had as to whether I could trust him fully with my heart. He promised me the world with his kiss, with his body, with the way he revered me.

  “Kaden….” His name fell from my lips on a moan.

  “Ry,” he panted, swiveling his hips before plunging forward, over and over again.

  I scratched my desperation down his back, wrapping my legs around his waist. The way he worked my body threw me into another world, the look in his eyes when he broke away from our kiss plucking away every shred of restraint I held close.

  I arched my back.

  He thrust harder.

  My head fell back on a yell.

  He dragged my earlobe through his teeth, soothing the bite of pain with his tongue.

  No longer able to hold on, I cried out his name when the first wave of my orgasm rolled through me.

  Kaden raised up on his arms, his hands planted on either side of my head. His lower lip popped free of his teeth and his mouth fell open. The crease between his brows intensified and his breath became strained. The look in his eyes told me he was close.

  I gripped his arms and dug my nails into his skin. Raising my head off the pillow, I captured his mouth, inhaling his breaths as he lost control.

  “Fuck… I’m….” His words trailed off as he slammed into me harder and deeper than before, every muscle in his body tightening as he lost himself to the rhythm of our bodies.

  Afterward, when I draped myself over him, resting my head near his heart, I trailed my finger down his chest until I rested my hand above his hip. Kissing his neck and inhaling his scent made me want to jump on top of him again, so I nibbled on his skin and lowered my hand to grab his dick, but Kaden placed his hand over mine.

  “You have to give me a minute. I’m not a machine.” He laughed, before rolling me onto my back. Taking my nipple into his mouth made me squirm underneath him.

  “I thought you needed a minute.”

  “I’m just gettin’ revved back up.” His fingers ghosted over my skin before he lowered himself, but before he got any further, I placed my hand on his cheek.

  “Kade?”

  He rested his chin on my belly and looked up at me.
“What’s up, baby?”

  “I was thinking about what Brick said at the salon.”

  “What did he say?”

  “About a threesome.”

  Kaden’s lopsided grin slipped away. “What about it?”

  “Did you ever—”

  “No.” He picked his head up. “Did you?”

  “No.” I rushed to answer.

  A moment of silence passed between us. “What else do you wanna ask me, Ry?”

  “How do you know I wanna ask you something else?” I tried to shift under him, but his weight held me still.

  “’Cause you have that look on your face.”

  I didn’t bother to ask what look because I knew by now Kaden could read me pretty damn well.

  “Is that something you’d ever want to do… with me…?”

  “Why? Do you wanna do that?” His handsome features ground together, and I couldn’t tell if he was intrigued or offended.

  “No,” I answered resolutely. The thought of anyone else touching him pained me.

  Kaden was mine.

  All mine.

  “Good. Because I’m not sharing you with anyone… ever. What Brick does is his own business, but that’s not for me.” He nipped at the skin above my tattoo, and I twisted under him.

  “That tickles.”

  “I know.” He squeezed my side, and again, I tried to move, but it was useless, his wolfish smile telling me he’d continue to torture me for as long as he wished.

  But I loved this side of Kaden. I missed his playfulness.

  Just when I thought he was gonna tickle me some more, he moved until his chest was flush with mine.

  “I love you so much.” He pressed his lips to mine before pulling back. “I never stopped. I’m just so sorry, about everything.”

  I cradled his face in my hands. “Where is this coming from?” I asked, concerned he was about to tell me something I didn’t know.

  “Just being here with you like this. It reminds me of before and I’m so pissed I fucked it up.”

  “I forgive you.” I hadn’t realized how much I needed to say those words out loud, but as soon as they floated through the air, a weight I hadn’t realized I carried drifted away. “I love you. Now and forever.”