"Oh, you have no idea-"
"Star," Kylie barked. "Please."
Her friend blinked. "Oh. Of course. How silly of me. Mr. Fancy Aura, why don't you take my ice cream and eat with Kylie? I need to walk down to the store anyhow. I'm fresh out of, uh, packing tape." She gave him a brilliant smile, grabbed her purse, and then turned to Kylie and gave her an exaggerated wink. "See you in about three hours."
As Star left the room, Cade turned back to Kylie, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. "Does she need a ride to the store? I hate to think of her walking so far."
"The store's around the corner," Kylie corrected, heading to the kitchen to retrieve the ice cream. "She's just being a good friend."
"Ah," Cade said. "I have a few of those."
"I bet they've never analyzed your aura," Kylie grumbled as she picked up the two bowls of ice cream from Star's avocado-colored countertop. God, Star had made the servings absolutely huge. "Um, so this looks like a lot of ice cream but it's also dinner," she explained, handing him a bowl.
"Would you like a waffle to go with this?" he asked as he took the bowl. "I know where we can get one."
Her laughter came out of her nose as an embarrassing snort. Way to go, Kylie. They held the ice cream bowls in front of them, standing awkwardly and staring at each other. Finally, Kylie decided to break the silence. "I'd offer for us to sit in the dining room, but that's Star's work area."
"Is she . . . a fortune-teller?" Cade asked.
"You'd think that, but no, she's just a flake." Kylie smiled. "She goes to estate sales, scrounges through dead people's stuff, and resells it on eBay."
His brows rose. "Sounds morbid."
"She says it's an adventure and beats working in an office." Kylie shrugged and gestured at the old brown sofa. "Shall we?"
They both sat down, and Cade gamely ate a spoonful of Cherry Garcia, his gaze on her the entire time. Kylie couldn't eat. She was too nervous, too awkward, too ready to fling herself into his arms and sob that she wanted to love him desperately but fate was a cruel bitch.
"Are you . . . not hungry?" Cade asked, glancing at the bowl clutched in her hands.
Dutifully, she put the spoon in her mouth and took a bite. Phish Food. Her favorite. Today, though, it tasted more like Phish Glue. She forced herself to swallow, and gave him another awkward smile.
"Daphne's good," he volunteered, taking another mouthful of ice cream. "She hates rehab but we've got new people around her and she's determined in a way I've never seen before. Carmela's sticking at her side, too."
"Good," Kylie said. "That's good." Great, now she was just parroting back his words. Way to be a stunning conversationalist, Kylie.
"Good," he agreed.
Silence fell again. Kylie twisted her spoon in her melting ice cream. The bowl was cold against her thighs, but she didn't have any other place to put it. Cade was still cradling his bowl in his hands, glancing around Star's shabby apartment. God, this was all so awkward.
Then he looked at her with those gorgeous blue eyes. A hint of a smile curved his mouth. "You know, I pictured this reunion with a lot more making out."
For some reason, that struck her as insanely funny, and Kylie began to giggle.
He grinned at her, visibly relaxing. "It's true. I thought maybe you'd see the band and fling yourself passionately in my arms and we could ride off into the sunset. Or down Sunset Avenue, at the very least. And I'd hold you close-much, I imagine, like a spider monkey would-and tell you all about how much I love you and miss you, and we'd kiss and I'd end up with most of your lipstick on me and it'd be pretty damn great."
More giggles erupted from her, and she stared at her bowl. To her horror, her laughter turned into a sob, and she started to cry. Shit, not again.
"Please don't cry, Kylie. Please. God, I can't stand to see you hurting and not be able to do anything about it." Cade set the bowl down on the floor and moved closer to her. His hand went to her waist and he pulled her close, burying his face in the curve of her neck. "Please. I'll go if you want me to, okay? Just don't . . . don't be so sad. Tell me to go and I'll go."
"I . . . don't want you to go," she admitted softly. She wanted to burrow against him and forget the world.
He took the bowl of ice cream out of her lap and set it on top of his. Then he shifted closer to her on the couch and began to kiss her neck, her ear. "Tell me to stop and I'll stop."
Her breath shuddered in her lungs. "I don't want you to stop, either."
His fingers moved to her chin and he tilted her face until she was looking at him. "Tell me not to love you."
She . . . couldn't tell him that, either. "Oh, Cade."
"That's not a no," he told her.
"I love you," she admitted. "I just . . . I'm trapped, Cade." She shook her head, feeling a bit hopeless. "I love you. I want to be with you more than anything, but with circumstances how they are, I just can't. I can't be a burden to you."
"A financial burden?" he guessed.
Her entire body stilled. "You . . . how . . . ?"
"Carmela mentioned that the label had put the screws to you in your contract and they were doing something similar to Daphne." He smiled broadly. "So I bought myself a record label."
"You what?" Her heart pounded.
"I bought the label. Reviewed the contracts for myself and found them rather unfriendly. Daphne's now in better hands, and I have this for you." He pulled an envelope out of a pocket inside his jacket.
Her stomach dropped. "I don't want your money, Cade."
"Well, that's nice, but this isn't my money. This is yours." He pressed the envelope into her hand. Wary, she opened it.
Inside was a check on the record label's account. It was the exact amount they had charged her for Daphne's concerts.
"How . . ."
"Like I said, I now own the label." He corrected himself a moment later, tilting his head. "Well, actually, I own the majority share. But they wanted to make me happy and this was what I insisted upon."
"Th-thank you." She stared down at the check, numb.
"Don't thank me," Cade said. "Talk to me. Make me understand why you keep running away." He clasped her hand in his. "I'm pretty sure I mentioned the part about me being rich, right? You could have come to me. I would have gladly given you the money."
She flinched and pulled away from him. "That's just it. I don't want a handout. I don't want to be a burden."
"There's that word again," he said, and his voice was hard. "I don't know why you seem to think that supporting and helping someone you love equates to a burden."
"Cade," she protested. "They were coming after me for thousands of dollars. Hundreds of thousands if what they told me was right."
"Then it's a good thing I have billions." He shook his head. "It's not about the money. Tell me what it is, Kylie. Make me understand."
Kylie stared down at the check, then looked over at him again. "I . . . told you I grew up with my grandmother, right?"
"You did."
"Well." Her lips were dry. She licked them repeatedly, feeling uncomfortable and anxious. "My nana isn't the most . . . happy of people. Her husband died when she was fifty, and then her only child died ten years later. So when she inherited me and I was all of ten years old, she really didn't know what to do with me. Not only that, but her husband didn't have life insurance, and neither did my parents, so not only did she have me to take care of, but she had to work outside of the house for the first time in her life. She hated it. And she hated me because of it." Kylie's stomach churned uncomfortably at the memories. "She always reminded me that I was fat and ugly, and she had to work two jobs because of me. I was nothing like my mother, who was beautiful and smart and thin. I was a burden, and she told me that constantly. And as I grew up, well, I decided that I'd never be a burden to someone like I was to her." She gave him a faint smile. "Want to know the ironic part? When I hit twenty or so, Nana Sloane slipped into full-on dementia. She has to stay in a locked-down nursing home with round-the-clock care because her mind can't stay focused on the present. Now she's my burden." Her laugh was bitter. "And she's a really expensive one. I can't seem to make ends meet caring for both her and myself, so one of us has to give, and she can't work, so it falls back to me."
"Oh, Kylie." He gripped her hand in his. "That's a horrible story. Didn't anyone love you, growing up?"
She shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. "My parents did. I never felt unwanted with them. And I always had friends in school. It was just hard after they died." Because Nana Sloane hated Kylie.
Such a burden. So useless. Look at how fat she is. She's not even trying to take care of herself. I can't believe I got stuck with her. I should have just called the state and had them take her away, but family always handles their own, no matter how awful it is. She's my own albatross, a fat little liability that means I'll never be happy again.
Cade's look became knowing. "That night we went out for waffles . . . You told me about the ex that dumped you on the street. Does this have to do with him, too?"
"Boy, I'm really not good at hiding my issues, am I?"
"Are you afraid I'd do the same to you?"
"I don't think you would," Kylie said. "Then again, I didn't think he would, either. I just . . . I can't be someone else's problem." She rubbed her forehead. Talking about all the hurting, ugly things in her past was giving her a headache. But she had to. She had to make him understand that it wasn't him, it was her. All her and her baggage.
"I'd never-"
"But you did blackmail me," she pointed out with a rueful smile. "I still don't have my panties back."
Cade's expression grew sad. "I was ruthless with you because I needed to see you. Had to have you in my bed. I suppose that was the wrong thing to do, given your past."
"It's just . . . hard for me to trust," she admitted. "Hard for me to go to sleep at night and know everything's handled, and I'm not just a responsibility to you. Not financially or emotionally. For once, I'd like to be in charge of my own life, you know?" She looked around Star's shabby apartment and sighed. "It's sad, because I'm taking advantage of Star, really. I pay her two hundred a month to sleep on her couch when I'm home and to have my mail sent here, but I'm still imposing on her."
"I'm sure Star doesn't look at it that way," Cade said. "She's helping a friend. And I bet she loves the company. Because no matter what you might think, Kylie, you're wonderful to be around. You're caring and kind and utterly loving. And my life isn't the same if you're not in it."
She looked into his blue, blue eyes, and then down at the check clutched in her hand. "This . . . helps," she admitted. "I was going to use this money to pay for Nana Sloane's next year of care and couch surf with Star until my next gig."
"I have a new proposal," Cade said, dragging her against him. He pulled the check from her hand and set it down on the floor. Then, he had her breasts pushed against his chest and his arms around her waist and his mouth was so close to hers that she thought he'd kiss her.
"What's that?" she asked, feeling breathless at his nearness.
"I know this great townhouse in Manhattan with a very lonely bachelor who's looking for a roommate. I hear he's going to charge very reasonable rates if he can find the right woman willing to put up with him and all his money." His mouth crooked. "See, he travels a lot, so he needs to know that his girl won't be too lonely when he's gone."
"I imagine she'd be working her own job," Kylie said breathlessly, heart thudding. "So she could pay her portion of the rent."
"That sounds perfect," Cade said. "He's going to want rent on the first of every month, of course. But the perks are pretty good."
"What kind of perks?"
"Well, he likes his coffee black. I hear it's very important to have similar tastes in beverages. He's got a pink roadster he doesn't know what to do with, a really big bed, and a really great shower. No grand piano, though."
She giggled, thinking about his first hotel room with the absurd piano.
"But if it's important to his roommate, he'll get one," Cade continued. "And best of all, he has good contacts at a lot of local hospitals and nursing homes so he's sure he can help her find the perfect one for her relative to stay in and be comfortable. It's one of the benefits of being a billionaire who made his money on medical patents."
"He sounds ideal," Kylie murmured. His mouth was so close to hers. She wanted him to kiss her. Hell, she wanted to throw him down on the couch and make love to him.
"I wouldn't say he's completely ideal," Cade told her. "He's a workaholic and a bit pigheaded from time to time. And he snores."
She giggled. "He does, indeed."
"But he loves you very, very much, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that you feel comfortable in the relationship, Kylie. And if that means charging you rent and insisting you work instead of using his money, then that's what he'll do." Cade's eyes were so blue as he gazed at her. "Say you'll come home with me."
Kylie was terrified. Terrified that this would be a mistake, but even more terrified that Cade would walk out the door and she'd never see him again. "Tell me you love me again?"
"I love you," he told her, leaning in and brushing his lips over hers. "And rent's five hundred a month."
She giggled again. "That's a lot of money just to couch surf."
"Ah, but I have a really awesome couch," he told her, kissing her mouth again. "And an awesome bed." His tongue flicked into her mouth, slicking against her own, only to pull back a moment later as he continued. "And an awesome kitchen. Really, I'm just awesome all around." He kissed her again, longer, slower, sweeter. "But . . . only if I'm with you."
Damn it, there were the tears again. Kylie blinked rapidly. "I love you. So much."
"Then come home with me. Take a chance on me."
She nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yes. Okay. I'll do it."
He grinned, his smile so dazzling she felt as if the entire room lit up. "You sure you don't need more convincing? I came armed with an entire box of condoms."
She laughed, feeling light and carefree, and her hands went to the buttons of his shirt. She wanted this man desperately, and loved that he wanted her just as much. "I hear that my roommate isn't going to be back for at least two more hours."
"Then let's get your money's worth out of this couch," he told her, his grin fading and his mouth seeking hers. All of the playfulness was suddenly gone, and the hunger resurfaced. Cade's mouth devoured hers, and Kylie whimpered as his tongue swept into her mouth again. His hand went to her breast, cupping it and rubbing her nipple through the fabric of her top.
She moaned, tearing at his shirt now. "I want to feel your skin against me, Cade. I need you so desperately."
"Then quit leaving me," he murmured against her skin. "I'm all yours."
"I won't leave again," she told him.
He raised an eyebrow.
"I'll try not to leave again," she amended, smiling. "And the next time I freak out, I promise I'll share why."
"Fair enough," he said, his fingers still gliding over her nipple, back and forth, coaxing it to aching hardness. "Now, I need to put my mouth on all this gorgeous skin," he told her. "Undress for me."
She did, pulling off her clothing with haste, anxious to feel his weight on her, to have him between her legs, his warm flesh touching hers. How long had it been since they'd last had sex? Too long, she decided. She cringed when she revealed her serviceable, ugly beige bra and her cotton briefs. "I wasn't expecting company," she told him. At least her legs were shaved.
"You could be wearing rags and you'd still be utterly gorgeous to me," he told her, and the sincerity on his face made her believe it. It was hard not to feel pretty when a man like Cade was gazing down at you as if you were a work of art.
But then she was naked, and he was mostly naked, and their clothes were flung somewhere on the shabby carpet in Star's living room, and Cade's glorious, naked chest was there for her to touch and lick and caress at her leisure. And she did, murmuring her pleasure at touching him, and moaning when he reciprocated. As always, he paid attention to her breasts-he seemed to love them, despite the fact that they weren't firm or perky; they were too big for that sort of thing. All of Kylie was. But he made her feel pretty nevertheless, and when he looked up at her with heated eyes and parted lips as he took her nipple in his mouth, she'd never felt sexier.
"Condom," she told him breathlessly. "Now."
He nodded and leaned over the side of the couch, searching through the discarded clothing. A moment later, he produced one packet and held it aloft.
"Can I?" she asked. Just the thought of rolling it down his length was making her ache between her legs.
The hot gleam in his eyes was answer enough. He gave her the package, and she opened it, carefully removing the condom. It was slick with lubricant, and her own fingers were shaking with need so much that she dropped it on the floor.