Page 18 of Suddenly Yours

Her eyes locked with mine and I watched, holding my breath, as she shook her head slightly. It was as if that was the thing I’d been waiting for my entire life. My lips covered hers again as I nudged her back under the cover so we were out of the rain. Then I spun her, sliding her back up against her closed door.

She tasted as sweet as I had always imagined. Felt softer than I’d dreamed.

Her breath hitched against my mouth, and it did something to me, something low and deep that almost knocked me off kilter. I let my hands slide to her hips, pulling her closer, needing to feel every inch of her body pressed against me. When her fingers curled into my wet hair, I almost laughed out loud in pure relief. She wanted this. She wanted me.

“Missy,” I murmured against her lips, not sure if I was warning her or begging her not to stop.

“Cade,” she whispered back, that soft voice tilting something in my chest dangerously off-balance.

I kissed her again, slow, then deeper, letting years of held-back wanting finally slip free. She opened for me like she’d been waiting just as long, and hell, I was gone. Completely gone.

A crack of thunder made her jump, and I tightened my arms around her, lowering my forehead to hers. Rain hammered the porch roof and the wind blew cold mist against our legs, but her warmth had me burning up.

“Unlock the door,” I said quietly, brushing my thumb over her bottom lip. “Before one of us catches pneumonia out here.”

Her eyes were hazy, soft, and trusting in a way that nearly undid me. She fumbled for her keys, her hands shaking slightly. God, was that because of me? I smiled despite the storm raging around us.

The second the lock clicked, my phone blared.

Of fucking course it did.

Missy blinked at me, still breathless, while I stared down at the screen like it had personally offended me.

Mrs. Meyers.

The name tightened my gut. Her mother was on an oxygen machine that was keeping her alive. I’d replaced a few faulty breakers for her a while back and knew that I couldn’t ignore the call.

“Damn it,” I muttered, dragging a hand over my face before answering. “Mrs. Meyers, what’s wrong?”

Her frantic explanation had me straightening immediately. Fuse out. No lights. Oxygen machine running on battery backup.

“I’m on my way,” I promised.

I hung up and looked at Missy. She had rain dripping off her hair, and her lips were pink and swollen from mine. My chest squeezed hard.

I wanted to pull her inside and spend the entire night warming us up. Slowly. Instead, I held back a groan.

“It’s an emergency,” I said gently, brushing a knuckle across her cheek. “Mrs. Meyer’s mother is on an oxygen machine and her power is out. I have to go.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Go.”

I bent down and kissed her again, just a featherlight brush, but enough to feel that pull again, strong and terrifying and so right. “We’re not done,” I murmured. “Later… we’re going to talk about this.” I touched her chin lightly. “But for now, go to bed.”

She nodded, but she watched me like letting me leave took a lot of effort.

I forced myself down the steps, jogging through the rain toward the truck. The cab door slammed shut, muting the storm, but nothing muted the pounding in my chest.

What the hell had just happened?

As I pulled onto the road, my wipers dragging across the glass, clearing the pelting rain, my mind circled the only thing that mattered.

Missy. In my arms. Her mouth on mine. Her hands on me like she’d wanted it just as badly.

I’d finally crossed that line. The line I’d drawn for myself years ago because I couldn’t risk losing her. Because if anything went wrong, if she woke up tomorrow and regretted it or realized I wasn’t worth the risk, then I’d lose the one person I couldn’t imagine my life without.

The rain thickened, blurring the houses as I sped across town.

What if I’d ruined everything?