“Want me to pick you up?”
“Blane’s coming to get me. You don’t have to.”
I let out a silent sigh of relief. Alrighty then. That’d be a big, fat Hell no, at least on my part. A car ride with all three of us? No way could I handle that.
“Okay, that’s good,” I said, then realized how that sounded. “I mean, that you’re getting out.”
Kade was quiet for a moment, then said, “Blane said you collapsed from exhaustion this morning.”
I forced a laugh. “Collapsed sounds so dramatic! No, I just had a . . . a spell, that’s all. Shouldn’t have skipped dinner last night, I guess.” Another fake laugh that petered away into awkward silence.
“Wow. You are really bad at that.”
“At what?” I asked, stung.
“At lying.” I could hear the eye-roll in his tone. “But since I want you to get some rest and I’ll get it out of you tomorrow anyway, I’ll let it pass.”
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Whatever,” I muttered, channeling my inner teenager.
“Catch you on the flip side, princess.” The line went dead.
I stood there a moment, trying not to acknowledge the panic rising inside me. Alisha had helped a little, but now the doubts and fear came rushing back.
What was I doing to do? Like, really? Was I really going to greet Kade tomorrow with “Hi! So glad you’re out of the hospital! Guess what? I’m pregnant! Congrats!”
My hands started to shake as my head continued playing out the drama.
“Congratulations, Blane! You’re going to be an uncle! I know it was just eight months ago when we thought I was pregnant with your baby. This time the test came back positive!”
My knees started knocking as I imagined the look on both of their faces.
“Oh my God,” I moaned, sinking onto my couch. I couldn’t do it. Literally. I could not face Blane and Kade and tell them this. Would Kade even want the baby? What if he didn’t? It had been hard enough for him to accept what a liability I had become in his life. What would a baby, his own flesh and blood, do to him?
I started seeing spots and realized I was hyperventilating. I bent over, sticking my head between my knees, and tried to breathe. After a few minutes, my vision cleared.
Suddenly, I wanted to be close to Kade, but going to the hospital was out of the question. What I could do, though, was go to his apartment. All his things were there, I’d feel better, and he’d be none the wiser.
Grabbing my keys, I headed out the door, stopping by to tell Alisha I’d changed my mind on the pizza thing. She looked concerned but let me go. I think she realized I needed more time to come to grips with the new twist my life had just taken.
Kade lived only minutes from my apartment, and in no time I was parking in the garage and letting myself into his place. He’d given me his keys last week, in case I needed “something other than a piece of shit” to drive.
Kade’s apartment was dark, save for the soft glow of the two lamps that hung over the bar. They were glass shades handmade in amber hues. The penthouse loft was quiet and still, the low hum of the refrigerator and the ticking of a clock the only sounds.
I felt the knot in my stomach ease as I stood there. Going into his bedroom, I stripped and took a shower, taking too long sniffing his shampoo. When I got out and dried off, I searched his clothes, grabbing a black T-shirt he’d worn and discarded. Holding it to my nose, I inhaled deeply. It smelled of Kade.
Dropping the towel, I pulled the shirt on over my head before crawling into his bed. Nuzzling my face into his pillow, I let out a deep sigh, drifting off to sleep.
My blood pounded in my veins and I moaned. There was the most delicious sensation between my legs. Warm and wet, a gentle nudge pushing my knees farther apart. Hands slipped between my folds for a touch even more intimate.
Pulling myself out of a deep slumber, I realized it wasn’t a dream. The sheets and blanket had been tugged down to my feet and a man’s head lay between my thighs, his mouth and tongue on me, inside me.
Jerking fully awake, I squeaked in alarm. Then he raised his head and the piercing blue of his eyes met mine.
Kade.
I didn’t know how he’d gotten here or why he was no longer in the hospital, since they weren’t supposed to release him until tomorrow, and I didn’t care. I sat up quickly, my hands gripping his bare shoulders and pulling. I needed him. Now.
Our lips met in fevered passion and I was gratified he’d already shed his clothes. Moving up my body, our mouths still connected, he settled between my thighs. We parted only long enough for him to jerk my shirt over my head and toss it aside, then he was kissing me again. He pushed inside me in one strong thrust.
Mewling and sounds I couldn’t control emanated from my throat as I wrapped my legs around his waist. Each stroke of his cock pushed me closer to the edge and my nails dug into his shoulders. My hips lifted to meet his thrusts until I couldn’t keep up with his pace. Harder and faster and deeper until I was on fire. My orgasm seemed to reach all the way to my toes, Kade swallowing my cries, his length growing thicker inside me. His hips jackknifed into me as a hard tremor shook him, pushing me over the edge again, my body convulsing around his. He gave a masculine moan that was one of the best sounds I’d ever heard.
My legs were still wrapped around him, my heels resting on his ass, as we both lay there, panting. My heart thundered in my chest and I could feel that his pulse wasn’t exactly normal, either.
Propping himself up on his arms, Kade looked down at me. I smiled—I couldn’t help it. What other reaction could I possibly have to being woken by Kade making love to me?
He leaned down, pressing a hot, wet kiss to my lips, his tongue dipping inside to stroke mine. His hand brushed the hair back from my face as he cupped my cheek. My internal muscles tightened reflexively and he groaned.
“Best get-well present ever,” he breathed against my lips.
I snorted a laugh, pushing against him a bit so I could see his eyes. “Best waking-up present ever,” I teased.
His eyes smiled at me as he placed a gentle kiss on the tip of my nose. I lifted my hand, tracing the contour of a dark eyebrow with my thumb, my palm resting against his cheek. He turned his head slightly, pressing his lips into the center of my palm.
Easing off me, he rolled to the side, taking me with him so we lay face-to-face. He propped his head on one hand, leaning on his elbow, and I mirrored him.
“I thought they weren’t letting you out until tomorrow,” I said.
Kade found my hand, lacing our fingers together. “I decided to leave early,” he said.
A twinge of alarm ran through me. “What do you mean?” I asked. “You left against doctor’s orders?”
“Calm down,” he said. “I’m fine. I couldn’t stand being in there another minute. The stitches are healing well and everything looked good. So I left.”
I heaved a sigh, falling onto my back and looking up at the ceiling. I couldn’t blame him—I hated hospitals, too—but I worried.
“Besides,” he said, making me look back over at him, “how could I stay in the hospital when I could be here? Doing this?” He leaned down, bracing himself as he lowered his head to my breasts. His lips brushed one acutely sensitive nipple and I sucked in a breath, watching as his mouth closed over me. His tongue began doing things that made heat pool again between my thighs, his fingers tweaking and rolling my other nipple until I was gasping.
“You have,” he said, switching his mouth to the other breast, which seemed to tremble with want for the same lavish attention, “the most amazing breasts. Have I told you that? I should tell you that. Every. Day.” Then his mouth was again working its magic and my eyes slammed shut. I felt his hand move down between my legs, his fingers becoming slick with our fluids as he stroked me.