She turned back to him and reached across to thread her fingers with his. They were chilled, whether from being wrapped around his shake or from the bomb she was dropping on him, she wasn’t sure. “I want to help. So what do you say? Will you accept my proposal or do I need to get down on one knee?”
The emotion that broke over his face nearly unraveled her. She was so used to the strong, nothing-bothers-me version of Kade that the flash of raw vulnerability left her breathless. He stood, tugging her up with him, and gathered her against his chest. “Tessa, I can’t even, this is . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“Just say yes. Let me do this for you.” She pushed up on the balls of her feet to give him a peck. But Kade wasn’t satisfied with that. He grabbed her legs, lifted her off her feet, and wrapped her legs around his waist, going in for a real kiss. She let out a little gasp of surprise but quickly melted into his hold. He tasted like cookies and vanilla and pure temptation.
A few teenage boys who’d been eating burgers in a corner booth sent catcalls their way, reminding her where they were. She broke off the kiss with a laugh.
Kade grinned and set her down. “Maybe we should get out of here. Don’t want to traumatize anyone.”
“Good idea.” They gathered their trash in a rush, tossed it, and were out the door before the manager who’d been giving them the stink eye could give them a stern talking to. When they climbed into the car, she looked over at him. “My place or yours?”
He stuck the key in the ignition. “Yours is closer. I’ll drive you back to the park to pick up your car first, though. It’s not safe to leave it there too late at night.”
They did the car exchange in record time, and he followed her to her house. Her body was still buzzing from the kiss and all the adrenaline over the decision she’d made, so by the time she turned the corner onto her street, she was ready to ravage and be ravaged. But the unfamiliar car parked in her driveway had her slowing down.
Her phone rang. Kade. She hit the speaker button on her steering wheel. “Looks like you have company, Tess. Expecting any?”
“No, I don’t recognize the car.”
“Want me to lay low until you know who it is?”
She frowned as she pulled in front of her house, squinting to see if she could see who was in the car. “No, if we’re going public, we don’t need to hide. Maybe someone has the wrong house.”
She parked her car in the driveway, and Kade pulled his along the curb. When she climbed out, she could see that her visitor had helped himself to her porch swing. Even in the dark, the shadowed figure was all too familiar. Doug had a certain way of holding himself, like he had a steel rod up his shirt. “Fuck.”
A warm hand touched the small of her back as Kade stepped up behind her. “What’s wrong?”
“I guess this is the answer to the question: What happens if Tessa changes her number and doesn’t answer his calls?”
Tessa could feel Kade shift gears almost instantly, like a tuning fork being struck. And the energy vibrating off of him wasn’t at all friendly.
“Well, isn’t that sweet?” Doug said, strolling down the porch, his ever-present suit swishing in the silence. “Did I interrupt date night again?”
The words were spoken with a light tone but there was no misinterpreting the cold maliciousness in his gaze. Kade stiffened next to her.
“What are you doing here, Doug?” Tess said, stepping forward in front of Kade, almost in a protective motion—like they’d slid backward on their timeline and Kade was still the kid who could be protected by the power of the popular girl.
Doug ignored her, something he was well-practiced at, and gave Kade and his casual jeans and T-shirt attire a dismissive once-over. He stuck his hand out toward Kade like he was the president of the fucking United States greeting a mere mortal. “Douglas Barrett.”
Kade ignored the outstretched hand and moved next to Tessa. “I know who you are.”
Doug’s eyes narrowed, and he lowered his hand. His attention shifted to Tessa. “Is this the same jerkoff I talked to a few weeks ago or are you on a leg-spreading rotation? Hard to keep up.”
Kade lurched forward, biblical-level wrath in his eyes, but Tessa scrambled in front of him, putting her hands to his chest and a plea in her voice. “Don’t. Please. Not worth it.”
Plus, she was afraid if let loose, Kade could possibly kill Doug. She didn’t know exactly what had happened that night between them all those years ago, but she sensed murder might not be an unjustified response.
Doug chuckled behind her. “Ready to attack already? Who is this guy?”
She turned around, Kade at her back. “You need to leave. I didn’t invite you and you’re not welcome.”
The amused expression faded. “You haven’t answered my calls, and I still haven’t found my grandfather’s watch. And now my dad’s coin collection is missing, too. You need to let me in that house, so I can get what you obviously took.”
She scoffed. “You’re so full of shit. You know I don’t have those things. You’re here because you can’t stand that I’m ignoring you.”
“Maybe you took them to pay off the bills at your pathetic little pet project. I’ve heard it’s quite the cash sieve.”
Calling the charity pathetic sent all her bitch buttons blinking, but if she let herself get out of control, it’d only be minutes before the guys were scrapping on her lawn like junkyard dogs. “I don’t need your help with my charity anymore. I’m handling it.”