Page 113 of Counting On You

For that I can vouch.

“Here’s to your first ride with me,” Kade says, holding up his glass.

I let out a laugh. “And here’s to you for being pushy. I’ve most certainly never met anyone like you.”

“And here’s to you seeing Bruce for who he really is.”

I stare at Kade. Barely two weeks ago, I would have thrown a fit at his audacity, but something’s changed inside me.

I agree with him.

“You really can’t stand him, can you?” My voice comes out as a whisper. I’m not even sure the words are addressed at him and not at myself.

“That’s an understatement. I actually hate the guy’s guts, and I haven’t even met him yet. Anyone who treats a woman the way he treated you deserves a good ass whooping.”

“Why?”

He hesitates, choosing his words carefully. “I can’t explain it. I just have this strange feeling that he’s more than a cheater. You’re in rehab because of him, and how does he repay you? By taking a damn cruise with his ex. Who does that?”

That’s not even half of the story.

I think back to the letter and that I haven’t yet mentioned Bruce marrying his ex.

“If you were with me, I’d love you the way you are,” Kade says, wrapping his arms around me. I lean into him, inhaling his scent, wondering what it’d be like to be close to him outside, in the real world.

His words are sweet and heavy, like the wine coursing through my body.

Staring at the old ceiling, I wonder how much I can open up to him.

I peer at him. His eyes are clouded, his thoughts shrouded in mystery, miles away. From so close, I can feel the heat radiating from his body. The strong, male scent of his aftershave carries over and for a moment I remember every detail about last night. Every breath, every word, every thought feels as though it happened just a moment ago.

“I’ll be sorry when this is over,” Kade says, breaking the silence.

His intense gaze is on me. There’s something in it—something sharp, ferocious.

“Me, too.” A smile tugs at my lips. “We could always relapse and return to live here, happily-ever-after.”

It’s a joke—only, not quite.

“Yeah, we could. Except, we’ll have to find a new place because they’re closing this place down in a few months.”

“Really? Who told you?”

“My therapist.”

“No one tells me stuff like this,” I mumble. “Am I the only one who doesn’t get along with her therapist?”

“I always get the scoop. It certainly helps that she likes me.” He looks at me, poker-faced, and then we both erupt in laughter.

“Why’s every woman into you?” I ask. I mean, I get why. He’s hot. He’s successful. And he seems like a great catch.

But does every womanhaveto be into him? When you have the entire female population to choose from, there’s no way you’ll ever settle for one.

“I don’t know.” He falls silent for a moment. “They see what they want to see. The troubled bad boy who needs the right woman to change him. What they don’t realize is that I’d never change for anyone—unless I did it for myself.”

“Nobody should change for anyone.” I smile at him. “I like the way you are.”

He grimaces. “I’m not sure you would if you knew the things I’ve done.”

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