Page 49 of Cade

I wished I could stay and coax out his truths, but unfortunately I needed to get my shit together and get out the door as soon as possible if I wanted to make it to the Rhodes building on time, and have time to at least grab a coffee or something. The traffic here in the morning was thicker than I’d thought it would be for such a small town.

I pulled on my slacks, buckling my belt with haste. I shimmied into my shirt, buttoning the buttons in the quickest sprint, before taking a seat on the bed to put my socks and shoes on, adjusting my watch.

“I’m really sorry about this, Cade, really. I am. I just—”

“I get it, Weston. Duty calls. I have a job too,” he said, but I did not miss the sadness in his voice. I grabbed my deodorant off the nightstand, sprayed myself with my signature cologne, and ran a hand through my messy hair if only to help smooth the “I’d just woken up” look over. I was ready for Rhodes Family Drama in a matter of minutes.

At least on the outside.

Cade turned to me as I headed past him for the door. I stopped, my hand on the doorknob before turning to look back at him and his puppy dog blue eyes.

He looked like someone had eaten the last cookie from the cookie jar, and I hated it.

I hated that such a look was my fault.

Damn it, dad, why couldn’t you do this on any other fucking day?

I pulled away from the door for a moment, taking a step toward Cade. He didn’t make any sudden movements, instead just watched me intently as I invaded his space until we were close enough I could touch him.

And because I’d always been a damn glutton for punishment, I reached out and set my hand on his hip, pulling him into my space.

He fell into me with ease, without hesitation, as his pristine irises stared into my own.

“I’ll see you at the fundraiser today,” I said, the words hopeful and a promise all their own.

Cade sighed, his gaze dipping to my lips as he set his hand on my hip, fingernails pushing against the soft silk of my shirt, gripping me with newfound possession.

I liked the feeling, but I didn’t have time to fall into Cade’s sexy touch like I wanted to.

That would have to wait for later.

Later is what I should focus on, instead of the immense guilt of abandoning this perfect man right now or this meeting.

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” he said calmly, nodding.

I set my hands on the side of his face, my thumb brushing over the soft, pliable flesh of his bottom lip. Between the look of longing in his eyes, the guilt, and the overwhelming need to bury myself into Cade until I disappeared, I was powerless to resist him when he leaned up and kissed me.

He ran his hands up my side, heated palms burning little trails of fire along my skin through the silk fabric. I softened from his touch, my shoulders relaxing as I let him coax my tongue into his mouth, as he sucked at my lower lip with a feral heat that I wanted to taste over and over again.

I broke away, breathless.

No one had ever kissed me like that, man or woman.

Like I was a damn bloody diamond in the rough.

Like I was everything.

“Okay,” I said as I pulled away, immediately hating how empty and cold I felt away from his arms, from his magnetic pull.

I opened the door without looking back, because I knew if I did, I would never leave.

CHAPTER 28

Weston

Conference Room A was the biggest conference room in the whole building. While most investors and clients scheduled their meetings for one or two people, and on occasion, with a team, I’d only ever had the chance to see a meeting in Conference Room A once, and that was the summer I’d volunteered.

Then, it had a been a meeting with another firm in the city, Sandusky Security, one of our biggest competitors at the time. My father proposed a truce, a merger of sorts. Thankfully, the other company agreed, but that didn’t mean it was an easy one or two person affair. Since we basically bought out the company, that day the entirety of their company, their staff, and the owners had been housed in the room that held a hundred people. Our staff, our executives and those privy to the business side of the merger were all required to be there, for negotiations and for the confirmation of announcement that Sandusky Security and Rhodes Enterprises had become one.

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