Page 47 of Reckless Single Daddy

“Wow,” I whisper into the room, leaving it out there.

I listen to him chuckle against my side and feel him nod against my shoulder. “No kidding,” he says, lifting his head to meet my gaze. “And here I thought all the other times were mind-blowing, but it just keeps getting better.”

“Well, it’s certainly never boring,” I tease, and he hums in amusement, pressing a kiss to my shoulder.

“Good lord, Sloane, it’d be a crying shame if it already was,” he retorts. “We haven’t been together nearly long enough to have dry spells yet.”

He’s joking, but I’ve heard quite a few stories from my friends and their partners having ups and downs with their intimacy. I can only hope Cade and I will never be one of those couples. So far, we seem pretty compatible in that department, but I guess you never know what the future will look like.

“I’ll admit, I probably shouldn’t have egged you into that,” I say, not because I didn’t enjoy it but for a completely different reason.

He glances at me, eyebrows raised and looking ready to question my sanity. Despite how good it was, I’m just not sure now was the right time. Sex is great, but it isn’t meant to fix everything, and I feel like I just used it as a way to feel closer to Cade when I should have just talked to him about everything.

Though the sex was more loving this time, it’s the same thing as the previous times we argued. We’d never uncover the cause of our fight or miscommunication until after we slept together. At times, it almost felt like we were having hate sex, even.

I’m starting to see that this is our major toxic trait as a couple, and it’s something I’m willing to own up to.

“Were you just here for what just happened?” he asks me in disbelief. “You just said ‘wow,’ didn’t you?”

I merely smirk and roll my eyes. “It wasn’t that it was bad by any means.” I say. I want to say more, but I let out a yawn, feeling the fatigue catch up to me. “Never mind. I’m just tired and don’t know what I’m saying. Between the stalker drama and the sex we just had, I feel like I can sleep for days.”

I see Cade’s body sag a little with relief. He stands and walks to the en suite bathroom, returning with a wet rag. My heart melts as I watch him gently rub the warm rag between my legs, cleaning me off. The rag’s warmth feels delicious against my slightly sore flesh.

Though I know we need to talk more about everything, he seems to sense that what I need most right now is rest. He leans in and kisses me deeply. When he pulls away, he looks into my eyes and strokes the top of my head.

“Get some rest, Sloane. I’ll check on you later, okay?” he says softly.

I nod, my eyes growing heavy. Before I can say anything else, I feel myself succumb to a deep, blissful sleep.

Chapter twenty-one

Cade

When Mia showed up with Sloane yesterday, it felt like my world turned upside down. I had never seen Sloane so paralyzed with fear like that. I knew she’s had issues with her mental health in the past—she’s been candid about that—but I’ve never asked questions. Though I regret that now, I also didn’t want to feel like I was prying, either. I know all too well what it’s like to be pried for information you don’t want to give, especially when it’s about something so sensitive like your mental stability.

But like with anything that’s frozen, you must thaw it out. I didn’t think I’d be the thing that could break her from that spell. I’m grateful for it, because it means she feels she can trust me toalways protect her, and I will do just that. But I’m realizing that I can’t do this alone, and I can’t infiltrate the RVPD, so I’m doing the only thing I can. And that’s using the resources I have at my disposal.

Because Sloane is trying to get back into Mia’s good graces, I drive her back to her parents’ house so she can be available for Mia before the wedding. In the process of all of this, I gather the security team I’ve employed throughout the estate and task them with implementing security cameras throughout the Bennett residence and having the feed reach our system so it can be easily monitored at all times. Next, I call David, one of my old colleagues from our time at the CIA. He left not long after me due to similar reasons, mainly wanting to be more present for his family.

“Cade Hart, as I live and breathe,” he answers with a chuckle. “How are ya?”

I smile as I recognize David’s typical positive energy, the kind you can’t help but latch onto. “David, listen, I need your help,” I reply, getting into the details with him about Sloane’s stalker and all they’ve done thus far. If anyone is going to know how to catch this person, it’ll be David.

“Well, that sounds like quite the mess,” he says, and I can’t say I disagree. “I’ll help you out however I can, but are you sure there are no leads on anyone who could be obsessed with her?”

I try to rack my brain for everything Sloane’s told me, but honestly, nothing stands out that could lead us anywhere closer to catching this guy.

“Afraid not,” I say regretfully.

He sighs on the other line. “Well, that’s unfortunate,” he says. “I’ll get a flight out to New York tomorrow morning, and then we can discuss strategy. Until then, Cade,” he adds before hanging up, setting the next part of my plan in motion.

Thankfully, I know me bringing in my additional resources won’t step on the toes of the RVPD, but at the same time, I know that there is a good chance I’ll be bulldozing their investigation. It isn’t my fault that they’re being so carelessly slow. Granted, I grasp the fact that they are a small-town department with limited resources, but that is why I need to step in. I’m more than qualified to break into a system with the help of my CIA brother. I’m no tech whiz like David is, but I know a thing or two when it comes to hacking. I also may not be as young as I was when I was in the force, but I still maintain a fitness regime and train often to keep my reflexes fresh and my strength intact.

The next step in my plan would be to meet with Mike to discuss the security camera footage in the library, but based on the last phone call I had with him, it didn’t seem like they had found anything yet. “Yet” being the operative word, which meant they were still looking through it. Despite the slower pace, I’m grateful for it. It means they’re being thorough in their search.The footage has to give something. Otherwise, we’ll be left at another dead end until David can crack that email.

While we may have already broken through the encryption to figure out where the messages were sent, we’re still left with other questions, like where the email was created. But all of this still hinges on the library footage, so I requested access to the footage on behalf of my security. Mike, knowing I am just trying to help—but also that once I get obsessed with helping someone, nothing can break me away from it—willingly agrees, promising to drop off a flash drive with all the footage inside it.

After a long day and the flash drive in hand, I plop down on the couch with a huff beside Sloane. All day, I’ve been running around, making calls in order to get a move on this stalker thing. Anything for my company has taken a pause this week due to my inability to maintain focus on my business when the person I love is being targeted by some sicko.

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