He's the One, Jane Beckenham [best new books to read TXT] 📗

just wanting to get the hell out of there, far away from Cade so she could start again.

"Going anywhere special?"

"That isn't any business of yours, Cade."

He lifted one dark brow, grinning wider.

Blast him.

"Well it is, just a little. You see, I have to make sure you're going to be a good parent."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You beg me a lot, Ms. Sullivan. I quite like that.” Cade took a few steps toward her, closing the gap. Heat zinged between them, hot and furious, edgy. Taylor bit down hard on her bottom lip.

"Purely a figure of speech,” she said waspishly.

"Perhaps, but I rather fancy the thought of you begging me."

"When hell freezes over."

"Sounds hot and sexy."

"In your dreams,” she countered. Taylor scanned the church. Her dreams. All that work, the beauty of the flowers and fragrance, the ribbons. All for a moment in time. She only hoped it created the memories the couple wanted.

"That's just the problem, sweetheart. You're in my dreams. All the time, all of them. In fact, you are my dream."

"I don't want to hear this, Cade. Don't do this to me."

"Do what?"

"Do the ‘I need you, now, let's get down and dirty’ routine."

"Sounds intriguing."

Taylor stalled him, putting her hand up as he went to touch her. “Sounds like too much danger, Cade Harper. I can't do danger anymore. It doesn't last.” And it hurts too much.

"You wanted to, though."

Enough. Taylor couldn't fight any longer. Her shoulders sagged, all breath exhaling in one long heavy-hearted sigh. “Yes, I did, and you know exactly the reason I did what I did."

The humorous light in Cade's eyes flicked off, and they darkened to a quiet seriousness.

"I do know why, and as I said before, I felt privileged.” As the last guests filed past, giving them a curious glance, Cade pulled her towards him, turning them both away from prying eyes.

With the church emptied, the sound of their voices carried across the vacant space and high into the rafters, mingling with the sparkling ribbon and the golden angels.

"I couldn't figure it out, at first."

"Figure what?"

"Why I had an intense urge to protect you. It's a big bad world out there, and you arriving in my bar saying you want to have sex with me blew me away. Believe it or not, it put me in a difficult situation."

"Yeah, right. Like which day, where, when?"

"No, that wasn't it at all. It's weird, but even in this day and age, I felt a certain responsibility. You were upset when we sort of ... ah, started and stopped."

"Doesn't give a girl great confidence if the guy keeps having second thoughts."

"Okay. I admit, part of me wanted to run a mile—fast, get out while I could. The other part,” he grinned, his fingers trailing hot dots down her bare arms, “that part of me knew I couldn't leave even if I wanted too. I was hooked from the moment you walked into the bar. You're one persuasive woman. You know when I said you were teaching me?"

She nodded.

"It was true. Though I admit I didn't understand the truth of it, at the time,” he admitted.

A sudden volley of expectation hurtled full throttle in Taylor's belly, and her heart skipped several beats.. She struggled to find her voice. She wanted to hope, to pray, but it was too hard.

"What do you mean?"

"Unbeknownst to me, you were teaching me to care."

Taylor lifted a hand to his cheek. She wanted to brush away the ache she saw etched in his eyes, ease his pain and hurt. “You already did. You didn't want my ... my first time to be in that building."

Cade cupped her hand in his. “That's true,” he said, giving her a sheepish grin. “I felt like some skulking teen getting their rocks off. It tainted everything with a sordid taste, and something that should be beautiful and shared started to feel grubby.” He brought her hand to his lips. “I didn't want that for you, Taylor, because you're special."

Taylor's eyes widened, tears welling.

"Yes, you are,” he reiterated. “You've taught me to care—at last, and that, sweetheart,” he said dotting a kiss on the tip of her nose, “is very special indeed."

As Cade pulled back, it seemed as if all Taylor's breath exhaled in one long whoosh, a soft purring sound that filled the whole church, tied up with hope and love and every heart-felt dream she'd ever had.

"I've gone through my life trying not to care,” he continued. “First my mother and father argued, so involved with their own problems they forgot to look at how their actions affected us kids. They didn't care. Then my mother took off without a backward glance. She certainly didn't care enough to take us with her."

"But she had problems,” Taylor said, coming to his mother's defense.

"So big she couldn't come back for us? Perhaps,” he shrugged. “Zane found her in some tenement in Sydney. She's been through several husbands since. But it doesn't change the past. And that past left me believing caring was too hard. It hurt too much—especially where women were concerned."

"And now?"

"Now, I know different. You made the difference in my life, Taylor. When you said goodbye, I was angry. Angry because you left."

"But we had a deal."

"I know. Mostly though, I was angry with myself because I was too scared. I hurt like hell and wanted to renegotiate the terms."

"Your terms only, though, Cade. You wanted me in your bed."

"A good place to be,” he grinned, slaking his lips over hers.

Taylor tasted him. It felt familiar. Real.

And wonderful. She wanted him so very badly.

Cade's eyes shuttered for a moment as if it pained him to think about it. “First my mother, then Tania.

"Your girlfriend?"

"Yeah. I thought I loved her. But both times, women I've trusted in my life let me down. They left."

A flicker of hurt slid across Cade's eyes before he wiped it away. “Tania took what she wanted, didn't care about me, and left. So I hardened my heart believing it better to