Page 53 of Confusing Cade
I’d spent years rebuilding my life from the ground up, scraping by, guarding my heart after everything with Dad. And now, here was Cade, sweeping in like a storm, making me want things I hadn’t dared to dream of in so long. Stability. Adventure. Love, even? The word hung in my thoughts, unbidden, and I pushed it away, focusing instead on the way his lips trailed fire across my skin.
Finally, I pulled back, breathless, my cheeks flushed, pulse racing. “I’m still supposed to be cleaning,” I murmured, half laughing, though my body screamed for more.
“I know, but don’t you deserve a break too?” His thumb brushed my cheek, and the touch was so tender it sent a chill down my spine.
“Maybe...”
His lips found the edge of my jaw, trailing a line of slow, deliberate kisses that set my skin alight. Each one was a spark, traveling from my jawline to the sensitive curve of my ear, then back again, his breath warm against me. “You can either clean,” he murmured, his voice a velvet tease, “or... come with me to Park City.”
I pressed harder against the wall, the shock of his words grounding me even as my heart leaped. My next words were barely a whisper. “Park City?”
“Mm-hmm.” His lips hovered near mine, close enough that I could feel his heat.
“As in Utah?” I asked, my mind spinning. Memories flooded back of childhood winters in Snowmass, the rush of wind as I carved down slopes, and the laughter echoing off the peaks. I hadn’t skied in years, not since everything fell apart.
He kissed me again, softer this time, but no less electric, his hands framing my face like I was something precious. “The weather there’s perfect for skiing,” he said, “and it’d be a shame to miss it.” His eyes locked onto mine, searching, and in them I saw a promise of stolen moments, of laughter in the snow, and of us, together in a way we hadn’t been before.
I leaned into him, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw, my heart pounding with the thrill of what might come next. “You’re trouble,” I whispered, but I was already imagining the two of us carving through powder under a wide Utah sky.
“Guilty,” he replied.
“Are you sure you can leave town right now?”
“I’m the CEO. I own the whole company. Work follows me wherever I go.” He squeezed the soft flesh above my hip, and a delicious thrill of anticipation and desire coursed through me. “Say yes.”
“You’re crazy,” I replied. “This is crazy.” A spontaneous trip with Cade Weston? It sounded like a dream, the kind I’d stopped allowing myself after years of scraping by, counting every penny. But here it was, offered freely, and the pull was undeniable. What if this was the start of something real, something that could heal the fractures in my life?
Cade put his mouth against my ear again. “Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it.”
It was a tantalizing proposition and one I had no trouble admitting felt irresistible. I’d never been to Utah or that part of the country, though I’d heard and read plenty about it. Anddespite having skiing lessons every winter as a kid, I was rusty at best. Still, I missed it.Plus, who doesn’t want to go to Park City with Cade Weston?
“I don’t have a whole lot of winter clothes,” I said, stalling, though my resolve was crumbling. My closet was full of sundresses and bikinis, not the heavy coats and thermal layers needed for a ski trip.
He shrugged. “So what? We can buy some when we get there.”
“Andhowwill we get there?”
He gave me an incredulous look. His brow furrowed as if I should instinctively know the answer to this question. “The jet.”
Of course. A private jet. Another reminder of the chasm between our lives, yet also a bridge he was offering me. No crowded airports. No layovers. Just us.
“But where will we stay?”
“My place.” He grinned like someone incredibly pleased to share this information. “Did I forget to tell you I own a place in Deer Valley?”
I stared at Cade, mouth agape, a laugh escaping despite myself. Deer Valley was an exclusive enclave known for its luxury chalets and pristine runs minutes away from downtown Park City. Of course, he owned property there; it fit him perfectly, another piece of his empire. The thought of waking up in his home, surrounded by snowcapped peaks, tangled in sheets with him...this is overwhelming and terrifying all at once.
But as he looked at me, waiting, his expression open and hopeful, I felt the last of my resistance melt.
I just have to leap.
“All right,” I whispered, my voice steady despite the whirlwind inside. “Let’s go to Park City.”
His face lit up, and he kissed me again, deep and triumphant, sealing the deal. As his arms wrapped around me, I let go of the doubts, embracing the unknown.
For once, crazy felt right.
