Page 16 of Up in Flames

I simply nod, and he smiles.

“Me too. It’s strong, isn’t it?” Cain asks, talking obviously about the heightened chemistry surrounding us as he takes my other hand in his. The warmth from both our hands touching sends heat through me, and it looks like his breath catches for a second, and that makes me think that maybe, just maybe, he’s being honest in his attraction.

Gulping down a lump in my throat, I stare into his bright blue eyes.There’s something dangerous about him hiding, lingering beneath the surface, and I can’t quite figure it out.But what I do know is how easily I could lose myself in him.

“Really strong,” I whisper without thinking.

He grins, sips his coffee, and then suddenly stands.

My forehead creases in confusion as he leans in and takes my hand again, pulling me up. He retrieves his wallet from his pocket and throws a hundred on the table before leading me out of the diner.

I tense, looking back to the table as we rush out. “You know you gave them a hundred, don’t you?”

Cain opens the door and directs us out into the brisk morning air, hand in hand.

He chuckles. “Did I?” His large strides make me almost run to try and keep up as he drags me back toward the apartments.

“Yeah, do you wanna go back and get it?” I ask, a little confused about why he’s walking away from the diner.

“The waitress deserved a decent tip.” Cain looks back at me with a smile as we stand at the traffic lights, waiting to cross the road.

Holy crap!

Either he’s really generous or really stupid with money.

In any case, this man is giving me serious whiplash.

CHAPTER FIVE

MAKAYLIE

We stride—well, I am almost running—across the apartment foyer to the elevators.

“What are we doing?” I ask hesitantly.

“Going to your apartment so we can talk.”

Looking up at Cain, my eyebrows crease. “Couldn’t we do that at the diner?”

Cain chuckles and turns me to face him. His hand moves to caress my cheek tenderly in his usual way, and I exhale at his warmth. How can it be so cold out, and yet he’s so warm? This split personality he presents is a great mystery to me. The man has two sides to him. The cold, calculating side whose need to dominate every situation is overwhelming, then there’s the soft romantic side who seems to tame the beast. I’m just not sure which side of the mask I might get at any moment.

“We could! But then I couldn’t do this at the diner with you sitting so far away from me.”

“Do what?” I ask.

Cain leans in, his hand still caressing my cheek as he slips his other hand on my waist, pulling my body to his. My breath catches as he stares down at me. For the briefest of moments, he closes his eyes—almost like he’s in pain they clench so tightly shut—and then, before I can say anything, his eyes open wide, staring at me, burning full of desire.

“Do this,” he growls out, rushing forward and pressing his lips to mine with so much force it surprises me.His hand on my cheek slides up, rushing into my hair, his fingers clenching tight and pulling on my strands while our tongues collide in a frenzied hysteria. He backs me up against the wall, pressing his body against mine so hard I couldn’t move if I tried. My hands instantly shift around his neck, gripping the seams of his collar to hold him closer.

The kiss is urgent, desperate, and so full of lust my clit throbs. His hard cock presses against me, only makes this experience hotter. I’m breathless.This man is sucking the oxygen from within me, and I can’t tell whether it’s extremely good or incredibly bad.

My body melts, and I succumb, letting him in, completely taking me. A deep, throaty moan echoes through the area as he leans into me more forcefully, the full, hard, muscular tone of his body pressing against me in the most delicious way. I feel his every muscle as he kisses me deeper while pushing me harder into the wall. But as the heat is ramping up, Cain begins to slow his movements.

He gently pulls back, breaking the kiss with a heavy sigh, then leans in, pressing his lips to mine once more before resting his forehead against mine as we both pant from lack of oxygen.

Opening my eyes, I see he’s having the same difficulties I am, but he looks like he’s in pain. His face is scrunched, his eyes close tightly while his breathing returns to a normal rhythm.

Moving my hand to caress his cheek, a smile creeps onto his face.

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