Page 26 of Purr For Me
He thumped her shoulder. “That’s a story for another time, pal.”
Lexie laughed. “Pal?”
Kade flashed a grin at her before walking around the car. “Yeah. Pal. More than an acquaintance, but not quite a friend. Night, Lex.”
Lexie seemed amused by his evasiveness. “Don’t I even get a hint?”
Kade came back around the car. Something happened as he walked toward Lexie. His strides held athletic grace, and she remembered him saying that he boxed. The image of him half-naked and sweaty made her mouth go dry. He suddenly seemed to move in slow-motion, like the hot hero in an action-movie scene.
Her gaze traveled over him, and she couldn’t help comparing him to his brother. He wasn’t flashy like Jason. He didn’t have that movie star quality, but there was an unmistakably masculine aura about Kade that made women want to fall into bed with him. A quiet strength and dignity about the man.
She used to thread her fingers through Jason’s thick shoulder-length hair, but she suddenly wondered what it would feel like to run them over Kade’s prickly scalp.
Kade’s dark eyes gleamed with amusement as he closed in on Lexie. There was also a warmth to his gaze that she couldn’t recall ever seeing in Jason’s. A smile curved his mouth in a sexy half-smile that made her lips tingle with the desire to kiss him.
She couldn’t lie to herself anymore. She was attracted to Kade.
A tentacle of fear slid around her body, locking her in a strangling grip. This couldn’t be happening, and yet it was. Lexie struggled to keep her composure as Kade stopped two feet from her.
“You want a hint?”
Not trusting her voice right then, she just nodded.
“It’s a pretty boring story, really. It involves youthful stupidity, a bulldog, and an old Buick. And that’s all I can tell you right now.”
His gaze lowered to her mouth, and Lexie saw a small muscle in his jaw flex. When his eyes returned to hers, a spark of heat flared in them before he smiled.
“I know this is wrong for many reasons, but I’m attracted to you. You want to know why I never hung around when you were with Jason? I—I—thought you were so hot, and I’d never wanted one of Jason’s girlfriends before.” He rushed ahead when she opened her mouth to protest. “I would like to spend time with you.”
Lexie needed clarification. “Spend time with me? Exactly what does that mean?”
Kade gave her a half smile. “Casual dating and see where that leads. Have dinner, go to the movies…that kind of stuff. You don’t have to answer right now. Take some time to think about it.”
Kade placed his hand against her neck. Her brain screamed at her to flee, but her body had other ideas. As Kade’s fingers grazed her skin, goose bumps ran down her back. The heat she’d glimpsed in his eyes before returned and intensified. His gaze dropped to her mouth again, and she knew he wanted to kiss her.
Anxiety turned her breathing shallow when she realized that she wanted to kiss Kade, too. It had been so long since she’d kissed a man that she felt starved for just that simple contact.
With a start, she realized she’d never kissed anyone other than Jason since they’d started dating.
Glancing at Kade’s sensual mouth, she wondered what kissing him would feel like.
He inched closer and lowered his head. Lexie’s eyes closed as his lips settled over hers.
Lexie stiffened when she felt Kade’s arm slide around her waist and pull her into contact with his body. Of their own accord, her hands lifted to rest against his chest, and his hard muscles instantly fascinated her. He slanted his mouth over hers and parted his lips, and it was like somewhere inside the dam holding back her emotions blew her to smithereens.
Winding her arms around his neck, Lexie opened to him and met his gently questing tongue with hers. She expected him to deepen the kiss, but he teased her, flicking his tongue against hers while sliding his fingers into her hair. Lexie started spiraling down into desire, and she wanted more.
Leaning harder into him, she raised up on her toes and intensified the kiss, thrilling to the way his hard torso felt against her breasts. A whimper rose in her throat when he wrapped his arms around her and answered her demand.
A large car engine started somewhere near them, startling Lexie. She gasped and broke away from Kade, looking around wildly for the car. A silver Charger backed up, and her heart sank. Zip. He must’ve been heading off to the bar after working late. Maybe he hadn’t seen them kissing.
Lexie pushed against Kade’s chest, and he released her. As Zip headed out of the parking lot, he grinned over at them from behind the wheel, and Lexie’s cheeks burned when he gave them a jaunty little wave and drove off.
Groaning, Lexie put a hand to her forehead. “Oh, God. This is bad. Zip doesn’t have much of a filter and he can’t keep a secret to save his life.”
Kade chuckled at her embarrassment. “Who cares if he saw us? I don’t.” He gathered her close again. “Now, where were we?”
Anger flashed through Lexie. What the hell was she thinking? She extricated herself from his embrace and put distance between them. “I care very much. This could get me fired if Marcus finds out.” Looking at him, Lexie cursed him for being so sexy. It was almost impossible to resist kissing him again. “If he thinks this will interfere with my job, I’m toast.”
