Page 260 of The Reluctant Hero

Cade pulls my hand away to press it against his chest and tilts his head to kiss me. It’s awkward, considering he’s still grinning. At the moment of contact, his smile drops, and hetakes a shaky breath. Then he kisses me again, a true meeting of lips.

I fall into the kiss so naturally it feels as though we’ve done this a hundred times or more. One moment scolding him and the next swept up in a kiss that’s a beginning that was waiting to happen. My heart hurts when his hand presses mine into his chest hard enough to bruise. As if he wants me to feel so much more than the physical.

His heart is hammering. His breathing is quiet but unsteady. He presses several chaste kisses against my lips like he could do it all day.

“I’ve wanted this for so long,” he mutters and kisses me again. A little more pressure and a light tease with his tongue.

“Sex?” I try to joke, but my tone is weak.

“No. Us, meeting in the middle with nothing between us.”

My heart squeezes again. All my anger toward him. The insults. The lies. They still matter, but right now, they seem small. I can feel how much he wants this to happen. He’s being hesitant because he feels too guilty to go all in.

I never thought thatCade,of all people, would be hesitating or trying to reassure a woman that this is about feelings as well as the physical.

I can’t move my hand so I press my lips to his harder. I lap at his lip and nip him. If he needs to know that this is mutual, I’ll give it to him.

It’s as if a switch flips inside him. I gave him a green light and he’s not going to let me take it back.

He releases my hand and clamps his arm around my waist, pressing my front to his without wasting time. His kiss turns into a lush possession that has my head bending back. My knees go weak, even lying down.

With my hand free, I run it over his chest, down his abs, and dip my fingers in the waistband of his shorts.

“If you touch me, I’m going to lose it, babe,” he swallows thickly and kisses me again.

Challenge accepted.

He isn’t wearing underwear, so all I feel is hard heat, panting breaths against my lips, and silky skin. I tease his tip before circling his shaft with a tight grip.

“God,” he breathes softly, pressing his forehead to mine.

I lazily explore his length, loosening my grip to tease him.

“You know I want more than that,” he shifts until his lips are lined up by my ear to continue whispering. “Stroke my dick like it’s your favorite toy.”

My breath catches at the surprising command. Instead of falling quiet, he keeps talking.

“I have fucked my fist more since I met you than I did as a teen. Do you know how pissed I was that you wasted my lube?”

I can’t help the quiet giggle that comes out. Looks like I tortured Cade a lot more than I thought I did.

“I’ve thought about you in my bed. On the stairs. The elevator. The shower. God, eating your pussy at the table with everyone watching me make you scream. Everywhere I look is another place waiting for us.”

I can’t help thinking about it. With his hand roaming over my back, pulling at my shirt as if he wants to tear it off me. He’s memorizing my body by touch. His hand grips my ass, and he lets out a sigh.

“This ass. Fuck, it’s torture just watching you walk in front of me. Wrapped up like the perfect fucking present in my favorite color.”

The panties are for Cade’s approval? Jake really is a tricksy fuck.

Cade’s fingers begin to pull the silk down and dive inside to clutch skin. The way he fondles it speaks of obsession.

A haze of want comes over me. Every word incites more of it to rise inside. His palm is hot on my skin. His erection is hard enough it feels painful.

I bite down on his neck, leaving a slight imprint of my teeth.

“You better mark me up for everyone to see,” he groans.

I tighten my hand and slowly stroke him from base to tip as I move to suck his neck. Every time I leave a bite, he moans quietly. As if the marks mean more to him than my hand on his cock.

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