Page 71 of Savage Escape

“Fine, fine. I’ll leave you alone.” Nathan backed away with his hands up.

He had advice now, but not the kind he wanted.

Nathan sighed and made his way towards her room. Kade was most likely in there trying to out badass her.

What he needed was a plan. If he didn’t do things just right, she would run before he even had a chance to tell her he loved her. Hell, she would probably run when he said the words.

He had to romance her. Seduce her into staying with him. Which wouldn’t be too hard, right? The question was, how did he go about doing that?

It couldn’t just be sex. That wasn’t enough.

Caden wasn’t the type that was into grand gestures and flashy declarations. He had to make her feel it deep down. Had to show her that he could be the stability, the love, and the home she needed.

He just needed to come up with a plan.

25

CADEN

“Why are we here?” Caden stood on the threshold of an Italian restaurant with Nate in front of her, grinning.

“I’m taking you on a date.”

“Nathan, I don’t need to be wooed to have sex with you—I’m there.”

“Who saysIdon’t need to be wooed?”

Caden raised an eyebrow at him, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. “Oh, is that so? You need to be wooed now?” she teased as she watched him with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

Nate’s grin widened, and he shrugged, looking as if he had a secret he was dying to share. “Absolutely. I mean, what if I want to be romanced? You ever think about that?” His eyes sparkled with mischief, and Caden felt a flutter in her chest at the sight. How Nate could be this open and unguarded was a mystery to her. She envied him.

“Fine,” she said, stepping closer to him, her tone challenging. “But if we’re doing this, we’re doing it my way.” She glanced around the restaurant, noting the colorful décor and the lively atmosphere. “And that means shots. Lots of them.”

Nate chuckled, clearly pleased with her response. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

They stepped inside, and Caden immediately felt the air conditioning blast her in the face. It was a nice contrast to the heat of the day outside. The place was cute, with strings of lights hanging overhead and the sound of music filling the air. Nate led her to a small table in the corner, away from the bustling crowd.

As they sat down, Caden couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation. She hadn’t expected this—hadn’t expected to feel... excited about a date with Nathan. But here she was, looking across the table at him.

“Alright,” Caden said, leaning back in her chair, her eyes never leaving his. “How would you like to be wooed?”

Nate leaned forward, his grin now a full-blown smile. “Give me your best attempt and we’ll see what happens.”

“Attempt? You make it sound like I’m not a femme fatale or something.” Caden tried to look hurt by his words, but her lips refused to do anything other than smile.

“You’re definitely fatal, but I don’t know about the femme part. You’ve beat my ass one too many times for that particular descriptor to be accurate.”

“Rude!” Caden put a shocked expression on her face and smacked his arm. “And here I was going to bring out the big guns and go all simpering female on your ass.”

“God no—I don’t think you could do that even if you tried, Quinn.”

“You don’t like simpering females, huh?” Caden sat forward, walked her fingers up his arm, and fluttered her eyelashes up at him all girly like. “So what do you like?”

“You.”

Caden felt heat race up her neck and settle in her cheeks. What the fuck was wrong with her? Blushing?Actuallyblushing as a grown ass woman?

“Shut up, Savage.” She swatted him again and tried to regain her composure. “I’m supposed to be wooingyou, remember?”

---