Love Collides (Fate's Love #3) (11 page)

“So, it isn’t too much?” I looked down at the electric blue mini dress covering my body. I had no idea where Kade was taking me, but he told me to dress up so I had.

“Too much? It’s perfect. Now, try smiling. It’s a date, not your funeral. It’s supposed to be fun.”

That was the problem. We were supposed to be having fun. A date made things seem more. And I still wasn’t sure I was ready for more. Not while Mikey messed with my head. I hadn’t seen or heard from him again, but it was too late. My mind had already filled with memories I’d rather forget. But I’d promised Kade. So here I was, waiting for him to pick me up for our date. Christ, I hadn’t been on a proper date in so long. My whole body hummed with nervous energy. It wasn’t like me. I didn’t get nervous about guys.
He’s not just any guy,
a little voice whispered.

Yeah, this really wasn’t a good idea.

The apartment buzzer sounded and Lou shrieked with excitement. “He’s here. Are you ready?”

“Babe, calm down. They’re both adults. I think Staci’s got this.”

“What? I’m just excited. It’s exciting. Stop ruining my fun.” Lou nudged Russ’s stomach and scowled.

“Okay, Mom and Dad,” I mocked. “Don’t wait up.”

The sound of their laughter followed me out of the apartment. Thankfully, Kade didn’t come up. It gave me a few extra seconds to calm my nerves.

He was standing outside; his hands shoved in his dark jeans pockets. The black dress shirt fit him snugly and my eyes swept over his broad shoulders and tapered waist. He looked good. Too good. Blue eyes found me and widened, raking down my body, dark with desire. Shit. I was in trouble. Kade looked at me as if I was dinner and dessert all rolled into one, causing my insides to coil.

“I’m not sure I have words that sum up how good you look.”

Oh. My.

I smiled and let him envelop me into his arms. He cupped my face and brushed his lips against mine gently. Breaking away, his forehead pressed against mine. “Is it crazy that I missed you?”

“It’s only been forty-eight hours.” My voice strained, a little choked up from his admission.

“Forty-eight hours too long. Come on, we have a long drive.”

Kade was the perfect gentleman, opening the truck door for me and helping me climb up. He even handed me a single red rose. A gesture that made my breath catch in my throat. A guy had never bought me flowers before, because I never let things get to the flowers and candy stage.

“So, where are you taking me,
friend
?” I asked once he was inside.

“Can we drop the friend thing? Just for tonight. And it’s a surprise. It’ll take us an hour or so to get there, but it’ll be worth it. You’ll see.”

An hour?

As if he could read my mind, Kade said, “Don’t look so worried. I have the perfect driving music.” He turned the radio dial and the raspy sound of Sam Hunt’s voice filled the cab.

“Sam Hunt, seriously?”

Kade fired up the engine and pulled off. “What? I like me a bit of country.
If you’re gonna be a homebody, we’re gonna have a house party
,” he bellowed in time with the music, tapping his hand on the steering wheel.

The sight of him so relaxed calmed some of the nerves unsteadying me, and I sat back in the seat and swayed along with the beat.

“Not a fan?”

“He’s okay. I’m a little out of touch when it comes to the hottest song or latest blockbuster. Being out of the country for months kind of skews time.”

“Yeah, I guess it would. Four years is a long time.”

“It is.” I leaned my head against the glass and my thoughts turned to the project. I’d been away—in Gainesville—for almost six weeks. It was the longest I’d been away from my work. Drew had been keeping me up-to-date via email, but it wasn’t the same. I was starting to feel restless, the way I did whenever I was on home soil for too long.

“When are you going back?”

“Flight’s booked for December tenth.”

“You’ll be away for the holidays?”

“And New Year’s.”

Kade didn’t reply, but I caught the tic of his jaw out the corner of my eye. Not wanting things to become awkward, I changed the subject. “So we’ll be eating, right? I didn’t eat yet.”

“How very presumptuous of you, Jameson.”

“What? It’s a date. Dates always include food, don’t they?”

“Hey, this is a first for me. Expect the unexpected.”

“Well, we’ll have to stop at Taco Bell or something. I could eat a horse.”

Kade rumbled with laughter. When he had managed to calm down, he looked over at me and said, “Be patient. Good things come to those who wait.”

I stuck my tongue out at him and settled back in the seat to watch the sights pass us by.

Almost an hour later, I hadn’t learned much more about Kade. He wouldn’t talk about his childhood, so I left it alone. I knew what it was like to want to keep some things a secret, but the longer we talked, the more I found myself wanting to know. The conversation was easy between us. He asked some more about the project, about my brothers, and I quizzed him on Ethan and Ashton.
I envied the relationships he had with those around him. His mom, the guys, even the girls. They were a close bunch. Livy and Lou would have included me in their group, but I wasn’t, not really. I was an outsider with a temporary welcome. They had all grown up together in one way or another. My first real friend had been Livy, in college.

“You okay over there?” Kade’s deep voice pulled me from my somber mood.

I gave him a half-smile and followed his pointed finger. Having not paid much attention to where he was driving, my eyes widened at the sight before me.

“Where are we?”

“This is the road into Cedar Keys. I take it you’ve never been?”

“Never.” I watched with fascination as we traveled across the water, still sparkling under the evening sun.

“I hope you like seafood.”

“I love seafood,” I said a little too excitedly, but not enough to disguise the growl of my stomach.

“So, you really didn’t eat,” Kade smirked.

“I told you. I expected to be wined and dined.”

~ Kade ~

Mariners wasn’t much to look at, but it had great seafood and the best view of the sunset in the whole of Cedar Key; well, according to its sign. I’d been here a couple of times before, but I could tell by the way Staci’s eyes lit up, taking it all in, that tonight was going to be a first. Another first. Go figure.

“It’s so quaint.”

Staci walked beside me down the rickety steps. We were so close that our arms brushed, sending my body into overdrive. Forty-eight hours apart had really felt longer. Too long. I was so far gone over her, and she was still fighting the pull between us. I saw it every time I tried to turn the conversation to us. But never one to back down from a challenge, I intended on pulling out all the stops tonight. To give her a reason to stick around.

“They have the best shrimp I’ve ever tasted.” I took her hand and pulled her inside the wooden shack.

“Hey guys, welcome to Mariners. Table for two?” The host approached us, menus in hand.

“I have a reservation under the name Ford.”

The host moved to the stand, ran his eyes over the ledger, and smiled. “Of course, this way.”

We weaved our way through the small room, out a wooden-framed glass door, and onto a decked area overlooking the water. It was perfectly timed. The sun was just beginning to set, creating a brilliant orange and pink glow across the whole area.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful,” Staci gushed, her eyes sparkling in the sunset.

I eyeballed the host to back off so that I could pull out Staci’s chair and help her get seated. She smiled a genuine smile and said, “Why, thank you.”

“So the house dish of the day is shrimp linguine. Can I get you some drinks while you decide? Corey, your server, will be over shortly.”

“I’ll take a Corona, please.”

“Hmm, okay, beer for the lady. And, you, sir?”

I couldn’t hide my amusement at the host frowning at Staci’s drinks choice. “I’ll take the same.”

He left us alone, and I relaxed back in the small chair.

“I feel overdressed.”

“You look a little overdressed to me, too.” I cocked my eyebrow and winked.

“Ford, seriously. We’re on a date. Our first date. You can’t say shit like that.”

Holding my hands up, I replied, “My bad. You look beautiful. I couldn’t give a shit about what anyone else thinks.”

That seemed to pacify her a little. Her shoulders dropped, and I could see some of the tension dissipating.

“What are you having? Everything looks so good. I could order it all.”

Hopefully, she wouldn’t, or I’d be washing the dishes to pay off the check.

“The popcorn shrimp is good or the clam chowder.”

“Mmm, maybe I’ll get the popcorn shrimp. Oh, and some of those clam strips.”

“Sounds good. I’m going with the linguine, I think.”

“Ready to order?” The server arrived out of nowhere.

We gave our orders just in time to watch the sun disappear over the horizon.

“It’s so beautiful.” Staci's eyes tracked the twinkle lights tied to the wooden railings.

“I thought you’d like it.”

“I love it. Thank you. So far, this date is turning out to be pretty damn good.”

~

The food was amazing. We ate in comfortable silence; the only sounds were of Staci’s moans as she took each mouthful. At one point, I got so hard listening to her that I almost dragged her into the restroom. She made eating shrimp look so damn erotic that I thought about ordering another portion.

“I am so full. I don’t think I can move.”

“I hope that you can. There’s more.

“Not more food? Don’t, I couldn’t, ugh, I’m so full.”

“No more food, but the night is still young.”

It wasn’t, not really. It was almost ten. But I still wanted to take her to one more place before we drove back.

I settled the check and took Staci’s hand as we walked the short distance to Cedar’s Hideaway next door. The soft music traveled on the cool breeze from the open-air bar, and Staci’s body instantly swayed to the music.

“Are you drunk?”

She batted my arm away as I tried to pull her closer. “No, I am not drunk. I’m just happy. Is that a crime?”

Dipping my head low, I brushed her hair away from her ear and whispered, “Actually, I thought if you were drunk, I might get lucky later.”

“Dick.” She sauntered away from me, following the music. My laughter chased after her.

I caught up with her, and unable to wait a second longer, I pulled her into my arms and swayed us gently to the music. It was quiet; there were only a couple of people drinking at the bar. We were the only ones dancing. But it didn’t matter. There could have been a hundred people crammed onto the decking, and it still would have felt as if we were the only two in existence.

It was perfect. Even if the tiny voice of doubt still couldn’t help but wonder if she felt the same.

Chapter 10

~ Staci ~

Things were good. For the first time since the unexpected reappearance of Mikey in my life, I actually felt content. Kade and I had been on two more dates, although his resolve to do things properly didn't last long. After our third date at the Rock 'n' Rolla, he took me back to his place and rocked my world. Twice. I even stayed over. And I'd finally found an apartment I could afford. It wasn't available until after New Year’s, but with me leaving for Ecuador in a few weeks, that suited me perfectly.

Things were good.

Too good to be true.

I should have listened to that little voice in my head.

~

Turning the spare key, I entered Lou and Russ’s apartment and immediately heard the strong familiar voice of my brother, Joel.

“Ahh, that’s probably her now. Staci, you have a visitor.” Lou shot me a questioning glance as I joined them in the kitchen. Second to her sister Livy, Lou knew me better than anyone did. She knew I would have told her if I were expecting a visitor. Which, I was not.

“Joel, what are you doing here?” I tried to disguise the annoyance in my voice.

“Is that any way to greet your brother? Who you haven’t seen in forever, might I add.” He strolled over to me arms wide and ready to envelop me in one of his bear hugs.

“It hasn’t been that long,” I said defensively, letting him haul me off my feet. First, the phone call, and now, a visit. What the fuck was going on?

“Long enough.” He grunted, just like Dad. “What’s a guy got to do to get some time in with his little sister?” Joel crushed me to him, squeezing a little too hard. It had me wondering what was really going on.

“Well, I guess we’ll give you guys some time to catch up. Drinks tonight though, if you’re sticking around for a while, Joel?” Lou asked.

“Sounds good. It’ll be good to get to know the people Staci calls friends.”

And tap you all for a rundown on her life
, I wanted to add. Instead, I just half-smiled.

Lou and Russ made their excuses and left us alone. Joel was right about one thing, it had been too long. Even in the six months since I saw him last, my eldest brother had aged. His once thick dark hair was now thinner with a peppering of silver stands, and his face seemed more worn. Tired. I might have blamed his busy schedule, as he had two small children to care for, but I knew it was stress. Joel was still grieving for a dream lost after he tore his ACL in senior year of LSU and missed his chance of the NFL drafting him.

“You look good.” Joel smiled sadly, and I felt a pang of guilt.

“Thanks. What are you doing here, Joel?”

He raked a hand through his hair unable to meet my eyes. And I knew something was wrong—it was his tell.

“Is Bessie okay? The girls? Dad?”

“Everyone is fine; although the girls miss their Aunt Staci something fierce.”

“Joel…” I warned.

“Fine.” He raised his hands in surrender. “No guilt trip. I know Dad gave you the third degree. Look, I’m here for something else. Hmm, shit, this is going to sound weird. Remember Mikey Turner?”

Are you fucking kidding me?

“Of course, I remember him.” I didn’t say anything else, wanting to see where Joel was going with this.

“He’s sick, Stace. Drugs, drinks, anything that’ll get him high. Mike’s always enjoyed a good time, ever since we left for college, but he’s gotten worse, talking all sorts of crazy shit…” Joel met my stare and narrowed his eyes. “Shit about you. It's as if he’s become fixated on you. Back then, I never paid much attention. He’d get wasted and ramble on about you. I just thought he missed you in a kid sister kind of way. Like me and Tan. But, recently, he’s been saying some stuff…”

Fuck, fuckety, fuck.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I reached back for the counter. I needed something to hold me up. This was my worst nightmare.

"What kind of stuff?" I tried to sound unaffected by his words, but it was hard to disguise the tremor in my voice.

"How he screwed up and regretted things between you. What things, Staci?"

Needing something to focus on, and some way to distract Joel, I collected two glasses off the counter and padded to the refrigerator.

"I have no idea. I haven't spoken to Mikey since you guys left for LSU. Beer? Soda?"

"I'll stick with soda. He was doing okay. He got clean for a couple of years after we graduated. But I spoke to him recently, and he was asking about you. It was so weird."

If I'd have had any sense, I would have left it there, but I had to know.

"Wha- what did he want to know?" I handed Joel a soda and perched on one of the stools.

"Just casual stuff. What were you up to, where were you living these days. It wasn't until after I hung up that I realized how weird he was being. So I called his girlfriend, Sherri, to see how he was doing, and she told me they'd broken things off. It's sent him over the edge, and I'm worried about him."

If Joel was worried, I knew I should be worried. It also confirmed that Joel was the one who let it slip that I was in Gainesville.

"So, you have no idea why he was asking about you?"

A nervous laugh rolled off my tongue. "None."

Joel narrowed his eyes at me. I could feel them boring into the top of my head as I focused on my glass of soda.

"Well, stay safe out here all on your own."

"Seriously, Joel, I'm not a child anymore. And I'm not alone." My thoughts turned to Kade. "You and Tanner can't protect me forever."

~

“Joel left already?” Livy asked as we sat waiting for Ethan and Kade to join us in Planters. I’d finally let them talk me into a double date.

“Yeah, he left this morning.”

Joel only stayed one night. He never did handle my ability to switch off well. I shut him out. And being my eldest brother, he hated me for it. I should have told him Mikey had been around; I knew that. But it would have led to more questions. Questions I refused to answer. It probably would have led to him doing something stupid like calling Tanner and Eric, even Dad, and staging some kind of Jameson family intervention. So, instead, I'd lied. I let him think Mikey was losing it, which, according to his substance abuse issues, didn't sound all that implausible.

He made me promise to visit Kaplan before I left for Ecuador in three weeks. At least, if Mikey was in Gainesville, he was unlikely to show up there. Joel mentioned he hadn’t been back in a year or so anyway. So perhaps, a trip back home wouldn’t be the end of the world, if I could survive Dad for a couple of days.

“And?”

“And what?” I met Livy’s questioning eyes.

“What did he want? I’m assuming he did want something since it was a flying visit?”

“He wants me to go home to visit before the holidays. Apparently, everyone ‘just can’t wait to see me,’” I groaned.

“Is it that bad? They’re your family. It could be good for you.”

Oh, I really doubt that.

“I’ll speak to Drew and see what flight I’m booked on. Maybe I can make it work.”

“Sorry we’re late,” Ethan’s voice cut in.

“Hey, guys. We haven’t been here that long. Did you get held up at the shop?”

“No, we had stuff to do.” Kade’s eyes flicked to Ethan, and they shared a look.

“Okay, keep your guy secrets. We’ll have another round of mojitos.”

Ethan extended his hand to Livy and said, “Help me?”

Kade looked a little sheepish as Ethan and Livy left us alone, and I got the feeling they were giving us alone time. It was like dating in high school would be—or how I imagined it to be.

“Do you get the feeling they just set us up?” Kade slid into the booth next to me.

“I think so. Why is this so weird? I mean, we’ve been on, what, three dates now. It shouldn’t be weird, but it’s weird, right?”

“A little. We’re just used to being alone. We could always make our escape and head back to mine?” He grinned suggestively, his blue eyes alive with promise.

I returned his smile. “We should stay. Let them have their fun.”

Kade’s eyes narrowed almost into a scowl, but they weren’t angry. They were dark with need. “Okay, but you’re coming home with me tonight.”

~

Kade made good on his promise. After one too many mojitos, the evening soon turned into night and the guys ended up carrying us home. Well, Kade pretty much dragged me back to his apartment. Now we were half-naked in his bed after his attempts to sober me up led to three hours wrapped up in each other until the feel of Kade’s lips on my skin replaced the alcohol in my bloodstream.

"So, I've been thinking." Kade's fingers trailed along my arms, up the column of my neck, and back down my chest, sending my nerve endings into a frenzy. "Stay for the holidays."

My heart stuttered and then broke into double speed. "Stay?"

"That’s what I said. I think you should stick around and celebrate the holidays with me. Us. The group, I mean the whole group. Fuck, I'm really just fucking things up here."

Twisting my body, I hooked my legs over Kade so that we sat face to face on his bed. "I can't stay. You know that. I have work."

"Screw work." Kade's bottom lip pouted.

"Easy for you to say; you're the boss. I'm just a lowly employee."

“What are you scared of?”

“I’m not scared,” I rushed out. My words didn’t convince either of us. I saw it in the way Kade’s jaw tensed.

“So stay.”

“I can’t.”

“Okay, come home for New Year’s then.”

My hands ran nervously over my hair cloaking my naked body. “Don’t do this. It’s not fair. I have commitments. People relying on me. Don’t make me feel guilty.”

Or ask something of me that I’m not sure I’m ready for.

“Just like that, it’s a no, huh? And here’s me thinking we were making progress,” Kade murmured to himself as he swept me away from him and left the bed.

My heart sank. Why was this so hard? Why couldn’t I just say the right thing? Until Kade, I had ignored just how screwed up I really was. In college, I didn’t let anyone get close enough, and since graduation, I’d worked abroad most of the time. There hadn’t been time for dating. For doing whatever the hell we were doing.

I didn’t have a right to feel dejected but disappointment filled me. Sweeping my hand down, I fumbled to find my clothes.

“What are you doing?” Kade came back into the room.

“Getting dressed.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“I figured I should go.”

“You really are wired to run, aren’t you?”

Now I was the one frowning.

“We’re like the blind leading the blind. I’m begging you to stay like your job’s not important, and you’re about to run from my apartment because things got a little uncomfortable. We’re a fucking mess.” He laughed, but I heard the strain behind it.

My lips drew into a thin line. He was right. We were a mess.

“Sorry.”

“Me, too,” he replied, joining me in bed. “I just wanted you around for the holidays. For New Year’s. If you haven’t noticed, I kind of like having you around.”

Kade looked at me with anticipation. He was waiting to see how I’d respond. Would I reply or dismiss his omission.

“I like being around,” I said through my nerves. It was the truth. I did. I just hadn’t worked out what that meant yet.

A strong arm wrapped around my waist pulling me back into a warm body. “At least we can agree on something.” Kade pressed his lips to my shoulder. “Now sleep.”

And I did.

~ Kade ~

“Mom,” I called out, walking through the house.

“In here, honey.”

I followed her voice into the kitchen. Mom was on her hands and knees under the sink.

“What are you doing under there?”

“Piece of shit is leaking again.”

“Mom! And you kiss your only son with that mouth!”

“Sorry, honey. I’m just sick to death of things breaking around here. It needs a man’s touch.”

Guilt ripped through me. Mom dropped the wrench and looked up at me. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean that how it sounded. You do more than enough for me. I just, oh wow, I don’t know. It’s just been a long time, you know.”

Mom stood and walked into my open arms. The guilt turned to sadness. Mom deserved so much more than the hand that bastard had dealt her.

“Maybe it’s time to try again,” I whispered into her hair.

“Oh, honey. I don’t know if I’m ready. It’s been so long and yet, it still feels like yesterday. Maybe. We’ll see.” She hugged me tighter before breaking away and setting about making us both a drink.

We sat at the small wooden table in the kitchen, neither of us wanting to address the huge fucking elephant in the room.

“So, he’s really getting out?” I broke the silence.

“Looks that way. The liaison finally called.” Mom placed her hand over mine and sighed. “It’ll be okay, son. He can’t hurt me anymore.”