Page 115 of All Our Ghosts

I nod regarding her words. She packed up everything she ever knew to get away from her life. To build something new for herself. I have nothing but respect for that but...sometimes I stillwonder if leaving her home that quickly called her back. "Would you ever go back?"

"Fuck no," she blurts with a laugh. "I'd have to be dragged back there." Kade's smile fades for a moment. "I would go back just to visit my dad though. If the car can't be fixed then I'd like to see him again."

"The car was your dad's?" I ask, taking in the new information.

"He had one just like it when I was a kid. Up until he died it was his favorite thing in the world." A haunted look flickers in her eyes for a moment. "My mother sold it right after he died. Called it an eyesore. It was the one thing of his I had left. She claimed she needed the money to take care of me, of the house... but I knew it was a lie when she came home with new clothes and shoes." She shakes her head as if she was trying to rid herself of the memories.

"You said his name was George?" I ask softly, tilting my head to catch her gaze and remembering that it was the name she wanted for her baby.

Kadence nods and smiles up at me. "He used to let me skip school on Wednesdays, twice a month we'd go to this little beach just outside of town. There was this ice cream stand there that had the best Oreo ice cream."

I smile, the warmth in my chest has spread to my limbs and it's only brought there by her. I can tell that her dad was a staple in her life. That even talking about him still shows the residual pain in her eyes from losing him. Though the more she talks openly about him and the soft smiles that flicker over her features when she remembers something only make me fall harder for her.

"Well, I don't know if I can beat Oreo ice cream," I say gently, reaching across the table to link my hands with hers, "but I know a spot we can go to tomorrow."

"Really?" She asks with so much hopefulness in her voice that it sends an ache straight through me.

"I don't want to replace your dad, Sunflower, but I want to give you that same happiness."

A sigh falls from her lips and it makes me smile. "C'mere." I tug her hands gently, pulling her up from her side of the table. She stands, moving towards me, and I turn so she can sit on my lap, just where I want her.

"I know we have to go back," she whispers, tucking her face into the crook of my neck as she sits down on me, "but I really wish we didn't."

"We'll do it again, as many times as you want after this shit settles." I promise. "Lord knows I could use the break every once in a while." I nudge her gently back a little so I can cup her face. "I know you do too."

"I don't need it all the time," she breathes, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Things just get overwhelming with all the testosterone." A ghost of a smile flickers over her face.

I lean forward, pressing my lips to her cheek and leaving a trail of kisses along her cheeks and down her jaw. "Well, I'm all yours whenever you want me."

Kadence sighs again, though this time it's almost dreamy as she leans into my touch. "Whenever I want?" Her hips roll against mine as she moves to straddle me. The wood beneath us creaks softly under the shift of our weight and it only makes me grin.

I nod. "Whenever."

She leans in, dragging her tongue along my bottom lip before pressing her lips to mine in a kiss that sends a jolt of lust straight to my cock. "Now," she breathes against me. "I want you now."

"As you wish, Sunflower," I say just as breathlessly before picking her up.

Her legs wrap around my waist as she continues to kiss me and I make a few steps to the tent, laying her down on the bedrolls before zipping the door shut.

Four times I lose myself in her tonight and she loses herself in me just the same if not more. It's hard to keep track but the sun starts to shine through the mesh roof of our tent and I can't help but stare at her. I barely got any sleep, but seeing her next to me, still sleeping and lying on her stomach, has me hard again and wanting more. The bedroll blanket is draped just over her hips giving me plenty of milky soft skin to trace my fingers on.

I can't help myself and move down to pepper her bare shoulder with featherlight kisses. When I feel her move beneath me, my lips quirk against her skin. A soft moan leaves her and the noise goes straight to my groin.

"How long have you been up?" She asks, though her eyes are still closed and her voice still heavy with sleep.

"For a while," I rasp back, propping myself up on my elbow and resting my head on my hand. "I was going to let you sleep a little longer, but we've got to get going."

Kadence groans softly, turning her head away from me. "A few more minutes."

I chuckle, sliding my hand down her back and under the blanket, taking a handful of her ass, not hard enough to hurt but enough that her hips lift softly and her back arches towards me a bit. A wicked smile forms on my lips as I lean down and kiss her shoulder again. "I promise to make it worth your while."

"How's that?" She asks breathlessly as my hand trails from her ass over her hip. I pull her towards me, rolling her onto her side to give me better access to her core.

"I have a few ideas," I whisper against the shell of her ear, "but this is the first one."

My fingers dive between her legs, sliding between her slit and finding her already wet. A triumphant smile takes over the wicked one as I explore her. A moan falls from her lips and her back arches even more. Her ass is pressed against my cock now, grinding just enough that the friction feels more like teasing.

"This is cheating," she sighs, turning her head to capture my lips.

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