“I like pushing boundaries, Tessa. It’s how I’m built, and I think it’s what you crave, too. But you have to trust that I have your back. I won’t do anything to embarrass you or risk your safety.”
The gravity with which he made the declaration had her heart hammering against the walls of her chest. He’d said he wanted to have kinky fun with her tonight, but she really had no idea what that entailed. The definition of kinky was so broad and her experience so slight, that she was getting the distinct impression she’d signed on for something more than whip cream and fuzzy handcuffs.
But hell if she could find it in her to stop things here. Despite the warning bells dinging a chorus in her head, she was wild with curiosity. What was this man about? What put that dark glint in his eyes? And what in God’s name was he going to do to her?
“I’m not so good with trust,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady as he ran teasing fingers over the bottom curve of her ass.
“I don’t blame you. All I ask is that you try and let me show you I’m worthy of it.”
His hands roamed, and she closed her eyes, her body already revving for him to take it further. Maybe they didn’t need to go out at all. She had a perfectly comfortable bed right on the other side of the door. “I’ll try.”
“Let your panties fall to the ground, then.”
The command sent a zing of forbidden thrill through her, and she wiggled, working her underwear down her legs as discreetly as possible. When they hit the floorboards and she stepped out of them, Kade bent and swept them up with swift precision. He tucked them in his pocket. “Very good.”
She drew her bottom lip between her teeth as the cool night air swirled up her dress and kissed all the tender damp parts beneath. “Do you want to go inside?”
He took her hand and backed up a step, tugging her with him. “And ruin all the anticipation? Of course not. I’m here to take you out.”
“But—” She glanced down at her fluttering skirt, feeling as if the whole world could tell there was nothing beneath.
; He brought his hand to her mouth and pressed a kiss to it. “Trust.”
She forced the knot in her throat down and nodded. “Okay.”
But as she followed him down the porch stairs and to his car, she knew he was asking for more than she was capable of giving. She didn’t even trust herself. How could she trust him?
ELEVEN
Kade gripped the steering wheel as he guided the car south, leaving the city behind them. He should’ve been enjoying the car ride. He had a beautiful, panty-less woman next to him. But Tessa had no idea how much anger was still bubbling in his veins. He was sick with it. When he’d walked up to her and heard that disgusting excuse for a human, Doug Barrett, talking to Tessa like she was some dog, Kade had wanted to reach through the phone, grab the guy by his thick neck, and strangle him.
Even Barrett’s voice still made everything turn to icy rage inside him. He thought he’d blocked that smarmy voice from his head, but as soon as Kade had put the phone to his ear, he’d been transported back in time. He’d wanted to let everything he’d ever wanted to say to Doug from all those years ago pour out. But this wasn’t about the past. This was about protecting Tessa.
And there was no way he was going to stand by and let Doug tear her down like that. Tessa had protested that it wasn’t really abuse. Bull-fucking-shit. Kade had experienced the wrath of words from his stepfather, that systematic breakdown of every sense of your confidence and self-worth. That could damage more than fists. Knowing that Tessa had shirked it off as “how Doug is” made Kade want to tie her down and flog some sense into her. He recognized the irony of that urge, but it didn’t prevent it from coming to the surface.
“Where are we going?” Tessa asked, breaking him from his stream of thought and reminding him that he shouldn’t be thinking about anyone but her right now.
He glanced over at her, the orange of the streetlights streaking across her face as they merged onto the highway. In the darkness of the car, he could almost see her as she was all those years ago. Young. Lost. Surrounded by people but alone. Like he’d been. Maybe they hadn’t changed as much as he’d thought. “Not too far.”
She turned back toward the window, the suburbs now blurring into the darkness. “I grew up not far from here.”
Me, too. But he couldn’t tell her that yet. “Is that what made you come back to Dallas after the divorce?”
She peeked over at him with a small smile. “Yes and no. I came here because I knew I could count on Sam to give me a place to crash for a while. And honestly, I was a little freaked out at the thought of living alone. I’d never done that. But I didn’t know if I would stay. I don’t have any family here or anything. But once I was back, I felt . . . better. Like I was supposed to be here, so I eventually got my own place. Sounds kind of ridiculous, right?”
“Nah, I think there’s always something comforting about the town where you grew up. Even if the years you spent there weren’t the happiest ones, it’s like a place seeps into your blood. I’ve seen some beautiful cities in the world, but nothing feels quite like home.”
“So you grew up in Dallas, then?”
He pulled onto a barely there side road. If its location hadn’t been seared into his muscle memory, he would’ve never been able to find it in the dark. “No, T-t-tess. I grew up right outside it. Just like you.”
He gritted his teeth at the verbal tic. God, was driving down this road with Tessa like driving back in time? First Doug, now this. Was all his old shit going to rise up and take him under? But the way he stuttered Tess seemed to register with her, and she pulled in a breath. Her focus darted from his face to the tree-choked dirt road. If she was harboring any fears about him being a sociopath or something, now would be when she would freak out. Dark road. Alone with some stranger. But instead she braced her hands on the dashboard and leaned forward, squinting at the clearing in front of them as if to verify she was seeing it for real.
“Kade, how do you know about . . .” Even in the dark he could see her pulse thumping hard at her throat. “Kade.”
She turned to him then, her gaze roving over him—every feature, every nuance. He could almost hear it all snap into place for her, like elastic popping her memory into action. He pulled the car into a spot between the trees and cut the engine, bracing for her reaction.