Begin Again (Again #1)(70)

I clung to his shoulders as he plunged his hand up my sweatshirt and under the shirt beneath it.

“I thought we wanted to hike,” I sighed as we kissed.

“You wanted to hike,” he corrected me and moved his hips until his erection pressed against my pants. I pushed into him. “I just wanted you.”

I looked into his warm eyes.

“You have me,” I whispered, stroking his stubbly cheeks. “You have every last bit of me.”

“Come here,” he whispered, his voice gruff.

“I’m already here.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Kaden ran his hands over my waist and farther down, until he reached the edge of my pants. The elastic band made them great for hiking—and easy for Kaden to pull off.

I fiddled with Kaden’s belt and gave a triumphant cry when it came free, followed by his pants and boxers, pushed down as low as necessary. Breathless, Kaden laughed and reached down to help me. Then he kissed me again, with hunger and passion.

“Come here,” he murmured again. How he’d managed to pull on a condom I didn’t know—or care. I groaned as he pulled me onto his lap and then entered me.

For a moment we looked at each other, panting. Then Kaden held my waist. I lifted my pelvis, then sank back down. Again and again and again. Kaden helped me find our rhythm, although I could tell how hard it was for him to let me be in charge.

Our eyes locked as we moved together, each setting the other’s body on fire. We rocked faster, with more desperation, and our gasping filled the car.

Kaden groaned my name. And then he touched the spot that drove me crazy. I came soon afterward, calling his name, and Kaden followed suit. Exhausted, I collapsed against him and smiled into the crook of his neck.

“I like that much better,” murmured Kaden.

Disentangling myself, I looked at him, eyebrows raised.

“Making you smile instead of cry, I mean.” He frowned as if he couldn’t quite believe he’d just said what he’d said.

Now with my forehead against his, I smiled even wider.





Chapter 29


We decided not to go hiking and went home instead. By now it was late afternoon.

On the way there, I leaned my head against Kaden’s shoulder and held his hand, which rested on my thigh.

By now, there was only a small, dark yellow mark on his hand as a reminder of the incident at Hillhouse, and I caressed it with my thumb.

When we reached home it was raining cats and dogs. Dashing along the short path to the front door was enough to soak me through. Kaden laughed as he heard me cursing. Rain didn’t bother him at all.

I hadn’t even opened the front door all the way, but Kaden was already inside. He grabbed my hand and pulled me after him up the stairs. I laughed, remembering how he’d already done something similar before.

“Are you planning to make another dent in the wall?”

He turned to me and grinned. Then and there he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up, though we hadn’t reached our floor yet. He kissed me wildly, sending an electric tingling through my entire body.

“I need a shower,” murmured Kaden, and carried me the rest of the way up, my legs wrapped around his body.

“Me too.” I laughed through our kiss.

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

Once upstairs, he set me down and reached again for my hand. Laughing, we turned the corner.

Kaden stopped so suddenly that I ran into him.

He let go of my hand. It dropped limply. It was as if he’d turned to stone.

“Kaden, what—”

“Get out.”

Confused, I stepped forward.

Leaning against the wall at our apartment door was a guy wearing a suit and white shirt, a matching jacket flung over one shoulder. His dark blond hair was loosely styled, and he regarded us with an amused smirk that made me instantly uncomfortable.

He looked like the little boy in the photos at Rachel’s house.

A lot like Kaden. And then again not.

“I mean it,” Kaden said in a threatening tone. “Get out.”

Kaden’s features froze like a statue, he was that rigid. I was starting to feel scared.

“Nice to see you, too, bro,” said Alex. Unlike Kaden, his body seemed relaxed. His gaze wandered from Kaden to me. He smiled. “Who do we have here?”

This inquiry seemed to wake Kaden from his shock. He grimaced, grabbed me by the arm and pulled me with him to the apartment door. His grip was strong and hurt, but I didn’t complain. I trusted Kaden, and if he reacted this way there must be a good reason.

He didn’t let me go until he’d unlocked the door and pushed me ahead into the hall.

“It’s about Dad, Kaden. He wants to sell a part of the company.” Alex was still standing in the same position, still leaning casually against the doorframe. He hadn’t even raised his voice.

“Why should I care?” Kaden shot back and chucked his jacket toward the coatrack. I bent down to pick it up and hung it on a hook.

“They’re the shares he’s wanted to transfer to you since your twenty-first birthday. You know he’s been trying to get you on board for ages. But if you don’t want the shares, he’ll sell them.”

Kaden tried to slam the door shut without another word, but Alex was quicker. His foot shot forward like lightning, blocking the door from latching. With the flat of his hand, he pushed it back open.