Chapter 37

Wade

"It's me, Wade," the man says again, his eyes changing from the same color as mine to black as he dissipates into a plume of blue smoke.

I'm screaming underwater, begging for him to come back, but I'm falling.

Deeper and deeper…

"Wade."

My body shakes as if there's an earthquake rocking my body.

"Wade, wake up. You're dreaming." The voice sounds far off in the distance. "Wade." Much louder now, startled, it makes me snap my eyes open where I discover Kali hovering above me.

Flinging my hand to my chest, I suck in a breath, let it go, and dart my eyes around the room.

Not again.

"Shit, I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?" My breathing is labored. I close my eyes and then open them again.

"You were shouting. Were you having a bad dream?" Her voice is thick with concern.

"Yeah." I drag my hands down my face. I hate those dreams.

"Do you get them often?" Kali rests her head on my chest.

"Every week." Sometimes more than once. I draw fresh air into my lungs. "I'm fine."

"Do you want to tell me about them?"

I hesitate for a moment, because I don't know what any of it means. Then I give in and share my dream with her, leaving nothing out.

"Do you think it's a memory, maybe?" Kali pushes one of her fists into her sleepy looking eyes before I see the sympathy heavy in them for me.

"I do. That woman who is crying looks just like my mom, but I don't know who that man is or the baby."

"And the guy with blue eyes? Do you think maybe that's your dad? The same guy who visited the house?"

"Yeah, I do."

"You should speak to your mom," she recommends.

"I'd rather stick forks in my eyes." I make her laugh, then she covers her mouth to hide a morning yawn.

I lift my hand to her cheek and smile down at where she's rested on my chest. "Did you sleep okay?"

"I did."

Not wanting to disturb her, she slept straight through dinner, which let me do what I needed to in the house. I now have three boxes of mementos to take with me to my new home.

I grab my phone to check the time. Seven o'clock. "I have a game at two." Meaning we need to leave straight after breakfast. "How's your neck feeling today?"

Lifting her chin for me to check, it looks even worse than yesterday; deep purple fingerprint bruises that are red around the edges. "I hate that he did this to you."

Her weight settles back on my chest. "When I spoke to Marcus yesterday via text, he said Zane would make a face-to-face apology."

"Pointless. The man is devoid of emotions."

"I thought the same. Will the team know the real reason he's been removed?"

"Maybe." News travels fast and nothing is one hundred percent secret. "Marcus is a fiercely private man so, maybe not. It's Zane who has a big mouth." That's how we all knew about the girl he got pregnant. He was almost bragging about it.

What an asshole.

She taps the end of my nose. "Forget about him. Let's talk about the things I could do with my mouth."

"We are not doing that. Not until you are healed." I'm horny, but I'm not a behemoth.

"Always the gentleman."

When I need to be."I'm going to make breakfast for you, then we're going to sit out on the deck and watch the boats sailing by, get showered and head to the arena."

"I might need a pair of socks if we are going to sit outside."

"Help yourself." I lift my jaw to point at the chest of drawers on the far side of the room.

She plants a soft kiss between my pecs, and my body begs for more. Knowing we have to wait, I let her roll off me, then get up from the bed.

"I could look at you all day." She must have woken up sometime in the middle of the night because she's now completely naked. Legs up to her armpits, smooth impeccable skin, that mouth I always want to be kissing, she's truly a vision. I wasn't lying the other night; I am one hell of a lucky bastard and imagine myself waking up next to her every day. I imagine doing everything with her every day.

I want it all.

I want her.

I leap out of bed and pull on my tee shirt as Kali scrambles through my top drawer to find a pair of socks.

"What's this?" She pulls out a blue velvet ring box and opens it up.

Shit.

"An engagement ring? Was this for Amelia?" She gasps.

"Yes." I'm not lying. I have nothing to hide.

"Why do you still have it?" I go to answer but don't get the chance when she fires another question my way. "Do you still love her?"

"No," I tell her immediately, making my way to her as she continues to look at the five-carat diamond solitaire.

The mood in the room is threatening to turn frosty, but I'm determined to keep it cheerful and buoyant this morning. I won't allow our moods to be dulled by my past, so I pull the box out from between her fingers and place it on top of the chest of drawers.

"I had a list of things I needed to do when I came back here. Grabbing that ring to take back with me and sell was one of them." I cup her face and kiss her lips. She lets me, which gives me hope.

"I put it there after Amelia broke up with me, not because I thought we would get back together. I just couldn't deal with selling it at the time. I was embarrassed about her cheating on me." I hurt for a while before that feeling turned to anger. "Fell out of love with her as soon as I learned she had. Made me feel sick to my stomach. As you know, I haven't been back here since Gretchen died. I'm not holding onto it because I harbor feelings for her. She's not even a friend to me anymore." Her dark eyes stare back at me, and I kiss her again. "I'd had that ring for a while and never proposed. Deep down, I think I knew we weren't there. We dated for years, and I know in here." I tap my heart. "In the short few weeks I"ve known you, it doesn't feel the same."

"What does it feel like?" she asks quietly.

"It feels like my heart's going to burst out of my chest." I kiss her again. "It feels like if I don't see you every day, I might die." Another kiss. "It feels like summer walks through the park, you sitting rink side cheering me on. It feels like every Christmas, birthday, and Thanksgiving by the fire, and it feels like I'm falling in love with you, and it's all happening so fast. Call it wild, but I'm not scared." Far from it. "That's how it feels."

"Wow." Smiling up at me, she surprises me when she says, "Are you sure we are waiting until I'm fully healed to have sex?"

I drop my forehead to hers. "I pour my heart out to you and that's what you've got for me?"

"I'm falling for you too."

"Are you?" I can't believe I doubted her yesterday.

"Yeah," she replies, causing me to smile wider than the Grand Canyon.

"Nothing and no one compares to you, Kali. I want to give you everything you've ever wanted."

"What I want is you inside of me right now," she purrs, desire burning white hot in her eyes.

I narrow my gaze. "That's not what I meant." Sneaky little minx for making my cock thicken.

"I disagree." She pushes her fingers inside the elasticated waistband of my boxers, dragging them down my hips, and then wraps her delicate hand around my now throbbing dick as they drop to the floor.

"You're falling for me?" Stroking me, she asks me to confirm my feelings.

"Yes." I can't think straight when she touches me like this.

Then she's kissing me, and we're on top of the bed, exploring one another's bodies with our hands, mouths, and tongues.

Kali climbs on top of me, placing my dick between her pussy lips. She slides back and forth, soaking my cock with her juices.

"I'm falling too, Wade." She moans when I line my weeping, thick length at her entrance. "I want everything with you."

"And I'm going to give you it."

"Then give it to me hard." She cries out as I slam myself inside of her.