“Because I know Daphne,” he told her. “And I’m not interested in seeing her tonight. I wanted to talk to you.” He looked down at her hand on the seat of the limo, and took it in his own. “And about what happened between us.”
A warm flush crept up her cheeks. “You mean our evening of spectacularly bad decisions?”
Cade grimaced, but he didn’t let go of her hand. “That bad? How drunk was I?”
He didn’t know? She tilted her head, considering him. “You don’t remember?”
“Only bits and pieces.”
“So you don’t remember dressing up in my clothes and letting me put makeup on you?”
His eyes got round. “What?”
“Or the part where you cried like a baby and sucked your thumb?”
Cade threw back his head and laughed. To hear his pleasure at her joke made Kylie smile, and she relaxed a little. He shook his head and chuckled at her, then wagged a finger. “For a moment, I thought you were serious.”
“So you really don’t remember? You seemed pretty sober.”
“I’ve heard that before,” Cade murmured. “In college, it used to drive my friends crazy because I’d never really seem that drunk until I fell over and couldn’t get back up again. But I’m pretty sure I was loaded.”
“You must have been if you took me home,” she agreed.
Cade’s brows furrowed and he looked over at her. He squeezed the hand in his. “I’m not saying I don’t regret things—”
And her heart felt like it was about to shatter into a million pieces of hurt.
“But I regret that I was loaded and I can’t remember. Not that I spent the evening with you. And I really, really regret not using a condom. It seems very unsafe.” He grimaced. “I’m not normally one to take risks.”
“Me either,” she admitted. “But you were drunk and then things felt too good for me to protest. I’m on the pill, by the way.”
Relief crossed his face. “I saw my physician yesterday. I’m clean.”
“I am, too. I haven’t had sex in two years, and the last check I had was squeaky clean. That’s one question out of the way,” she told him, and couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “So you really don’t remember all that much?”
“I remember this,” he said, and with his free hand, reached out and touched a lock of her red-tipped hair. “I remember that it looked like bits of flame against your pale shoulders. And I remember the way you looked when you came, and the way your breasts bounced when I fucked you.” The look in his eyes was scorching. “So I remember the important things.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Okay, now she was picturing all that, and getting all aroused, too. My goodness.
“And I think I’d really like to see you again,” he told her, and lifted their clasped hands to his mouth. He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “Sober, this time.”
“I’d like that, Cade,” she began. “But we really can’t. Daphne—”
“Doesn’t interest me any longer,” he said with a small shake of his head. “Last night just reinforced that she’s become someone I no longer know or care to know.”
He might have felt that way, but she was pretty sure Daphne had different opinions on the subject. “Daphne’s still my boss.”
“And she’s an old family friend of mine,” he said lightly. “So when she finds out I intend on dating you, she’s just going to have to get over it.”
Warmth flooded through her, and she bit her lip, considering. Could it really be that simple? “I don’t know.”
“Then let me entice you with dinner,” he said, and pointed out the tinted window of the limo. “I sincerely hope you are in the mood for pancakes.”
She peered out the window and had to smother a giggle. The limo had pulled up to a roadside waffle joint. “I could go for some coffee at least.”
“Great.” He released her hand, opened the door, and then waited for her to exit the limo.
Kylie patted her pockets. “I left my wallet back at the concert hall.”
“I insist on paying. I’m sure they take credit cards.” He eyed the sketchy establishment. “Hopefully.”
And she giggled again. “Do you not eat at places like this often?”
“I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve been in one since college.” The grin he flashed her was so boyish, so charming, that she felt her heart do a funny little flip in her chest. “But I’m looking forward to the experience.”
“Because you’ve missed out on greasy sausage and stacks of pancakes?”
“Because of the company,” he said simply.
And just like that, her heart melted a little more. How was it that he always knew the right thing to say?
They entered the diner and sat down at a booth. The waitress brought them both coffee mugs and two plastic menus, and Kylie’s lips twitched as Cade considered the meal offerings very studiously, as if he were at the finest restaurant. “What do you recommend?” he asked the waitress.
“That you eat somewhere else,” she said, bringing a coffeepot and filling up both of their mugs.
And Kylie got the giggles again.
“But if you’re eating here, the waffles aren’t bad,” the waitress said with a wink at Kylie.
“Two plates of waffles, please,” Cade told her.
“Oh no,” Kylie protested. “I already had dinner.” And the last thing she wanted to do was be the fat girl stuffing her face on an impromptu date with a gorgeous man.
“I insist,” Cade said, and the waitress disappeared. He leaned in and added, “I figure if I come down with something toxic, I’ll have company in the emergency room.”
And she couldn’t help the laugh that erupted from her. She shook her head at him and picked up her coffee mug. “You’re incorrigible.”
“So I hear.”
Still smiling, Kylie gazed around the restaurant. It was nearly empty, the only other person a trucker sitting in a booth at the far end of the diner. For some reason, this felt cozy. She glanced at her date and decided to go for the typical “getting to know you” first date questions. Why not, right? “What is it you do, Cade? I’m curious.” She took a sip of her coffee.
“I’m a billionaire.”
She choked on the mouthful of coffee. Hot, scalding liquid went down the wrong pipe and she grabbed a paper napkin and coughed into it.
“You all right?” Cade asked, leaning in. “Should I fly in a team of doctors to see you?”
Kylie gave the most undignified snort-giggle. “You’re horrible.”
“I really am a billionaire, though.” He gave her a rueful smile.
“Of course you are,” she murmured. Because why not? He was already perfect in every other way. Buttloads of cash instead of a working man? It didn’t surprise her. “Have you always been incredibly wealthy?”
“Not in the slightest. I grew up in a trailer.” He grinned at her surprised expression. “It’s true. But I went to college on a scholarship, and met the right people. Graduated summa cum laude, started working at a hospital in the finance department, and met a friend who wanted to patent some new medical equipment. I’d been making the right investments, and so I backed him as an investor partner. He sold his patent for seven hundred million two years later. From there, I supported a few upstart companies and the next thing you know, I have my hands in a dozen other related patents. And medical technology patents are worth a fortune.” He gave her a crooked grin. “I try not to let it get to my head.”
“Of course not,” she murmured, taking a more careful sip of her coffee.
“In all seriousness, I do try to stay a bit humble.”
“Uh-huh. How many cars do you have?”
The grin he gave her was perfectly boyish. “Twelve, but I have a friend who is an automaker. So that’s an unfair question.”
“Uh-huh,” she teased, but she was smiling.
“So, what about you? Why makeup?”
Kylie grew silent. How did she explain
to a beautiful man who had scads of money that, growing up, she’d never felt attractive or valued, and so she’d learned to make her outside pretty? That makeup had power and it was her way of claiming some of that power? She wasn’t sure he’d understand. So she shrugged. “I’ve always liked makeup.”
The look he gave her was shrewd, but he didn’t press. “So where do you live when you’re not on tour?”
“Malibu.” She gave a small shrug. “It’s expensive and hot and I’m not overly fond of it, but that’s where a lot of the work starts out, so that’s where I am. I live with a friend when I’m not on tour.”
“And no boyfriend, right?”
“The last one was enough for me, thanks.” She grimaced.
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to leave me hanging at that, are you?”
She sighed, her cheeks flushing at having to go into detail. “It’s a really stupid incident. One I’m not sure you’d be interested in hearing about.”
“Well, now I’m extremely interested.”
Kylie squirmed in her seat. “There’s not too much to tell, really.” God, she’d been so messed up when she was with Jerred. How to make their fucked-up, ugly relationship sound decent? “I had a boyfriend two years ago, and we were pretty serious.” At least, I was, but he mostly just liked fucking. “We spent a lot of time together and we decided that it would be a good time to move in and test the waters.” Jerred thought he would be getting free maid service and a blow job every night if we lived together so he thought it was a good idea. “So I let my apartment go, sold all of my extra stuff, and moved in with him. Unfortunately, I lost my job at a department store as soon as I did. Just bad timing.” She shrugged and stared at her coffee.
Bad timing. More like Jerred was constantly trying to get her to skip work. To be late, because it wasn’t as important as spending time with him. Then, when she lost her job, it was suddenly her fault.
Cade made a noise indicating she should go on.
Right. “About two weeks after I lost my job, he said I wasn’t helping him with the rent.” That she was a burden, but she couldn’t say that word. It stuck in her throat. “We had a pretty big fight. And a week after that, I came home to find that he’d thrown all my stuff to the curb and changed the locks. I couldn’t do anything because I wasn’t on the rental paperwork just yet, so I had to pack up my boxes and figure out what to do with myself.”
Cade’s eyes were wide. “What did you do with yourself?”
“Cried a lot,” Kylie said with a smile.
Cade didn’t laugh.
She shrugged. “It wasn’t so bad. It just . . . taught me a lot about people.” That you could never, ever ever be a burden to someone if you wanted to keep their love. “I spent a few days sleeping under a bridge—”
“Under a bridge?” Cade exploded. “What?”
“And I got back on my feet soon enough. It’s fine,” she soothed. “Like I said, it was a good learning experience.”
“How can you call that a learning experience? He sounds like a nightmare.”
“Looking back, I’m glad things didn’t work out between us. Hence the learning.” Her smile was rueful. “And it taught me something about myself, that there’s nothing I hate worse than being an obligation to someone.”
His jaw set and he looked unhappy. “Is there a remote chance that I’m ever going to meet this man?”
“I doubt it very much.”
“Good,” Cade said. He looked ready to spit nails, which surprised her. They barely knew each other. Why so defensive of her? She . . . didn’t know what to make of it.
An uncomfortable silence fell. “Why don’t we go back to talking about jobs?” Kylie asked. “Please?”
“All right.” He shrugged. “Do you travel a lot?”
“I do. One of the perks, I suppose.”
“Do you enjoy traveling?”
“For the most part, yes. You never stay someplace long enough for it to get old. But sometimes you get tired of hotels.” She shook her head. “And you get really tired of having no roots. Like, I can’t even have a pet because I’m gone so much. My address is basically just a place to send bills.” She gave him a wry look. “You? Where are you from?”
“New York City,” he told her. “It’s expensive, not as hot, and has this strange smell in the summer. But I still like it a lot. There’s always something going on.”
“I like New York,” she said. “Every time I’ve gone through there, it seems like a vibrant place to live.”
The waitress set their plates down and left again. Cade eyed his waffle, and then hers. He lifted up his coffee mug in a toast. “To intestinal fortitude?”
She laughed and clinked her mug against his.
The waffle was surprisingly delicious, and Kylie cleaned her plate without even really thinking about it. Cade ate heartily, too, and the conversation flowed between them as they ate. They kept it on simple things, like weather, and places to eat in New York, and other places he’d traveled for business. She teased him about how many houses he had (six) and how many corporations he owned (nine) and he took her teasing with good-natured rejoinders of his own, like asking how many lipsticks she owned (dozens).
Then their plates were cleared away and all the coffee was drunk, and the bill was produced. Kylie found herself strangely reluctant to leave. It was nice being here with Cade. Kind of wonderful, really. He was smart, good looking, successful, and utterly focused on her. He laughed at her lame jokes, found her conversations interesting, and okay, he was pretty amazing in bed. Every time he smiled at her, she got a little weak in the knees.
“I should take you back,” he said, glancing at his watch. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“All right,” she said, because really, she shouldn’t have been gone this long anyhow.
“So when can I see you again? Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow we’re heading to Indianapolis,” she told him. “Another concert.”
“Then the night after that?”
“More travel.”
“Then tell me what night you have off so we can meet up.”
Kylie hesitated. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Cade—she liked him too much, really. It was that the whole situation with Daphne was sticky. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I feel like you need to talk to Daphne first.”
She expected him to protest, but he nodded. “I do need to talk to her.” An impish twinkle lit his eyes. “So, Friday then?”
And she couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not committing to anything.”
As the limo drove back to the concert hall, they exchanged phone numbers. Kylie programmed him into her phone with a silent ringtone, because she was wary about more people finding out about them. Then the car pulled up in front of the hall and there was no longer any reason to stay in it.
But when she put her hand on the door handle, he stopped her. “Before you leave, I’ve been waiting all night to do this.”
Cade leaned in and very gently kissed her. His mouth landed on her upper lip, and he softly, sensuously pressed his own lips to hers. Then, over and over, he continued to kiss her as she sat there, utterly shocked and completely and totally aroused. His tongue brushed against her parted mouth, and she swallowed the whimper that wanted to escape. She didn’t dare make a sound, because she wanted this to go on forever. He was making love to her with each sweet, delicious, light kiss. She’d never been touched like this in her life, and she savored it.
“You have the most incredible mouth, Kylie,” he murmured between kisses. “So full and pink and plump. I’ve wanted to put my lips on it for hours now. And you taste even better than I remember.”
This time, she couldn’t help the whimper that escaped.
He chuckled, as if he knew just what he was doing to her. “I feel the same way,” he murmured, and his lips moved against hers in a tickling motion. It was as if he didn’t want to pull away, not even to talk. And when she opened her eyes,
she saw his were heavy, wicked slits of desire.
And that made her panties wet to see.
“I shouldn’t be kissing you,” she murmured, but she didn’t pull away. That was the last thing she wanted.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s . . . complicated.” Because her job depended on it. Because she wasn’t sure if he was still mixed up with Daphne. Because she worried that if Daphne got clean, he’d dump her like a hot potato if the pop star came calling again.
“Well, maybe we’ll take it slow, then,” he told her. And he leaned in and gently brushed his lips over her mouth one more lingering time. “I’ll save the rest of my kisses for the next time we meet.”
Dazed, she could do nothing but nod. His scent was in her nostrils, his body pressing against hers, and it took everything she had to open the door and get out of the limo. This time, though, he didn’t stop her. They headed into the venue once more, Cade at her side, and took the long walk back to the greenroom backstage.
There, things were in a flurry. Crowds were everywhere, and it was clear the show had just ended. Kylie felt a twinge of alarm. She should have been back already. If Daphne was waiting for her, well, things were going to get ugly, and they were going to get ugly fast. The greenroom had filled up with people, and both press and fans were waiting outside. They glared at Kylie as she took Cade by the hand and dragged him inside with her. In the room, it was quieter, but there were still too many people around, which meant that they were late.
“Looks like the show is over,” Kylie told Cade. “Are you sticking around to see Daphne?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I didn’t really intend to see anyone but you tonight.”
Hearing that made her body flush with pleasure. She turned to smile at him . . . and noticed that a fair amount of her lip gloss was on his mouth. Oh lord. With an alarmed gasp, she leaned forward and smoothed her thumbs over his mouth, trying to wipe away the evidence even as he chuckled.
“Cade?” a voice shrieked. “Oh my God, you’re here!”
A sweaty Daphne pushed past Kylie and flung her arms around Cade. Kylie watched as his eyes went wide, and then he reluctantly patted her on the back. “Hey, Daph.”