A Lifetime to Find Love (8 page)

Tessa would wear a hole in the wood flooring beneath her feet if she didn’t stop the pacing while waiting for Cade to show up.  She had no idea what he had planned for the night and her controlling personality wasn’t doing so well with the situation as it stood.    To say she was   a little nervous about what was going to take place, was an understatement. She hadn’t been on a real date in so long she’d forgotten what it was like to anticipate the ringing of the doorbell.  She’d made herself busy the rest of the day between the photo shoots, downloading the pictures, and getting ready, that she hadn’t given herself time to think of everything that had taken place with Cade in the parking lot.  Now, as she waited, she had all the time in the world to dwell on it and it was about to make her crazy. 

Allowing her mind to wander, her lips began to tingle and heat flowed through her body.  The memory of his kisses flooded every one of her senses.  Her body’s reaction just thinking of his lips pressed to hers was proof enough that Cade had burrowed himself into the deepest parts of her soul, a place no one had ever been before.  There wasn’t a man before Cade who caused this reaction in her.  As she looked around her home, she was reminded of his thoughtfulness.  The fragrance from the roses filled her small house.  She loved how they smelled so much that she left the petals where Cade had placed them.  She didn’t want to disturb anything. She wanted to leave everything just as he left it.  She stood in the center of her living room, smiling at the thought of him being in her home and strategically placing the petals and roses where he laid them.  She wondered what he had been thinking as he walked down the hall to her bedroom.  Her cheeks flushed at the thought of him near her bed.  Hell, she would have loved to see him buying the dress for her.  How did he explain that to the sales clerk?  As she gazed around the living room, she found herself pacing back and forth once more, wearing a path on the hard wood floor careful not to disturb the petals.  She wanted him to understand how much she appreciated what he had done; that what he had done had meant something to her, so she left them just the way he had laid them.  She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that she left that path leading to the bedroom as an invitation for later.  Oh yes, she had every intention of making use of that directional pull later in the night.

The door bell rang, pulling Tessa from her rambling mind and naughty thoughts.  She checked herself quickly in the mirror hanging on the living room wall across from the front door.  She didn’t normally dress up or wear makeup, so she felt a little self conscious of how she looked.  She had always been a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, more of a tomboy.  Maybe that’s why her previous dates never worked out.  She was blessed with blemish-free skin and never worried about makeup.  The guys she’d dated wanted a Barbie doll and, Barbie, she was not.  They wanted tall, skinny, dress me up girls who followed in their footsteps and she was none of those things.  She took one last quick glance at her reflection. The dress Cade bought her was beautiful and although it accentuated her curves deliciously, she felt like an ugly duckling dolled up.  She wanted this night to be perfect, not just for herself, but for him, so she pushed aside her insecurities for the time being. More than anything, she needed to be perfect for him because he had done so much for her already.  He could have stopped at showing up at her photo shoot and she would have been happy with his actions. The roses and dress just added icing to the cake.  Satisfied as much as she would be with her looks, she made her way to the door and hesitated.  All of a sudden her breath caught in her throat and she felt weak in the knees.  Cade did that to her. 

With shaky hands, she opened the door and there he stood, absolutely gorgeous.    She wanted to forego their night out, now that she saw him dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a deep red button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms.  His dark hair hung as it always did, a little messy but it was perfectly messy.  His deep blue eyes sparkled and it made Tessa feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.   They both stood for what seemed minutes and stared at each other. Time always seemed to stand still when she was in Cade’s presence.  She wasn’t sure if she should say anything.  For the first time in quite a while, she was speechless and yet there were million things running through her mind that she wanted to say to him.  She wanted to tell him how gorgeous he was, how happy she was, how much she appreciated the gifts.  She wanted to throw herself in his arms, but at the same time run away as fast as she could.  Her mind was a bundle of mixed emotions and she wasn’t sure which ones to follow.  Afraid of stumbling over her words, she stood there still and said nothing, waiting for him to make the first move.

Sucking in his breath, he said, “God, Tess. You are so beautiful.” 

Cade couldn’t help himself.  He had to touch her.  He had to feel her pressed to the hardness of his body. He needed to inhale her scent into his body.  It had only been a few hours since he had her in his arms, since those luscious lips were pressed to his and yet it seemed like a life time.  Without anymore hesitation, he pulled her into him.

 “Mmmm, you smell delicious.  I knew the dress would be perfect also.  Thank you for wearing it,” he whispered against her ear.

Tessa felt the heat rise to her cheeks, but quickly relaxed and leaned in to him before he could notice.  No one, other than Rowan, had ever told her she was beautiful and even with the dress, she didn’t feel beautiful.  Her low self-esteem was all thanks to a mother who died while she was young and a father who rarely even noticed her existence.  She pulled away from him, her eyes misty.   Nervously, she tried to straighten the dress although it didn’t need it. Her fingers trembled as she skimmed the front of the black, silky material.  She didn’t know what to say to him.  A part of her was embarrassed because she just didn’t see herself the way he apparently did, but another part of her relished the accolades he gave her.  She knew she wasn’t unpleasant to look at, but beautiful was never a word that described her.  She turned to get her purse when Cade grabbed her arm.

“What is it?  Did I say something wrong?” he asked, as he brushed his knuckles against her cheek.

“No, not at all.”  She hesitated for a moment, then grabbed her purse from the side table by the couch.  “Thank you for all of this, Cade,” she said, as she gestured with her hand to the petals laid out on the floor.  “The flowers, the dress, it’s all perfect.”

“It’s just the beginning.” He winked at her as he took her elbow to lead her outside.  As they walked to Cade’s car, he gently brushed his body next to hers, needing to feel the contact.  It felt as if he would die without the closeness of their bodies.    The contact was just enough to send fire coursing through his body.  God, she was going to be so addictive, he could already tell.  When they reached the car, he opened the door for her and helped her seat herself. 

Cade’s breath caught in his throat when Tessa swung her legs into the car.  She had the most beautiful legs he’d ever seen with strong, muscular calves.  The dress reached just to the top of her knees and Cade’s mind raced with erotic images that he hoped would become reality by the end of the night.  One image he couldn’t shake from his mind, was having those strong legs wrapped around his waist.  Cade stood by the car mesmerized by Tessa’s beauty.  He couldn’t move, didn’t want to move.  He could stare at her for hours on end.

“Um, Cade, you’re kind of making me nervous the way you’re just standing there staring at me.”

Not caring for one second that he was ogling her like an idiot, Cade leaned in and gently kissed Tessa’s lips.  She tasted so good, he wanted to pull her out of the car and run back inside with her.  He wanted to carry her down the hall he’d just journeyed not just a few hours ago.  He wanted to toss her on the king size bed that sat in the middle of her bedroom and keep her there for hours.  His body ached for it, ached for this woman who made him feel things he’d never felt with another woman before.  He didn’t pull her out of the car, although everything within was yelling at him to do it.  This night was going to be a special night for both him and Tessa, he’d make sure of that.  He wanted Tessa to understand that, to him, she was more than just his best friend’s sister. She was the woman who consumed his thoughts, and he wanted to treat her the way she deserved to be treated.  This night was about her and he wouldn’t let his teenage hormones, which seemed to have carried over into his adult life, rule his judgments.  He had this amazing woman with him now and he cared deeply for her.  “I’d say I’m sorry for staring, but I’m not.  You are so beautiful, Tess. I find it hard to take my eyes off of you for even a moment.”  He brushed his lips against her cheek and closed the door before she could say anything.

Tessa felt the color rise in her cheeks once again, which was becoming an irritating re-occurrence and  a little awkward.  She wasn’t sure how to respond to Cade.  He was completely different with her than he’d ever been before.  For as long as she could remember, Cade had always been in her life.  It had always been in the capacity of a big brother though and now all that was changing.  She tried to calm herself and remember that she was the same old Tess and he was the same old Cade.  The only difference now, was that they were out on a date. 

A date with Cade!  Not just a date, but a date with Cade.  What the hell am I thinking?

Cade slid into the driver’s seat and started the car while Tessa rambled on in her mind.  She felt his eyes on her and shifted uneasily in her seat.  When she turned to look at him, Cade was sitting there just smiling at her.  He leaned in and kissed her lips gently before putting the car in drive.  Tessa let out a small, strangled laugh.  It seemed as though Cade was going to put his lips on her at every possible opportunity and she was happy for it.  Just the thought made her relax and she began to enjoy his company.

“What’s so funny?” Cade asked.

“Nothing, just enjoying the fact that you can’t keep those delicious lips off of me.”

Cade laughed out loud.  It was a deep, heartfelt laugh.  “Tess, baby, I will never tire of how open and honest you are.  It’s one of your many wonderful attributes.  And I plan to be putting my lips on you as much as I possibly can.”

“So you like my attributes do you?  I’ll have to keep that in mind,” she said, her voice like honey laced with a seduction she didn’t realize she had.

****

An awkward silence filled the small sports car as they made their way to the destination Cade had chosen for them.  She didn’t do silence well and he seemed to be deep in thought.  She wasn’t sure what he was thinking and at that moment would give anything to know just a smidge of what was in Cade’s mind.  She could hear him mumbling under his breath, but couldn’t make out his words.  She needed noise or conversation; anything to break the silence, but at some point she had forgotten how to participate in an intelligent verbal exchange. Every time she thought of something to say to Cade it seemed ridiculous and unimportant.  She always felt she was wasting time by not doing or saying something even if it wasn’t life changing, but now she wanted all her words and movements to have purpose.  She didn’t want to ruin their already perfect night before it truly got started by blurting out something unintelligent. Not being able to take the silence any longer, she asked the only safe question she could think of. 

“So, where is it that we are going all dressed up?”

“It’s a surprise.  You’ll just have to wait.”

He reached over and put his hand on her knee. She felt electricity shoot through her entire body.  His fingers gently caressed circles around her knee.  She never realized how erotic it was or how such a movement could make her head swim with visions of her and Cade doing very naughty things.  He had perfect hands.  His fingers were long and slender. The tips of his fingers were soft against her skin.  She was a hand girl. A man had to have hands that were, well, like Cade’s.  She wasn’t superficial when it came to looks, okay, maybe she was a little superficial, but she couldn’t even begin to count the times throughout her life that she had turned down advances from other men based solely on the simple fetish of hers.  She would not be turning down Cade’s though.  She was more than enjoying his hands and lips on her and loved how he couldn’t stop himself from placing either on her.   Oh yes, she welcomed both.  She shifted in her seat so that she could face him. His hand shifted with her, never breaking contact.

“Come on, Cade.  Just tell me at least what restaurant we are going to.”

“What makes you think we are going out to eat?”  He couldn’t help himself. He found teasing Tessa entirely too easy.

“We better be going to eat. I haven’t eaten anything all day since someone almost made me late to my afternoon photo shoot.  Cade McCarthy, you had better be taking me to get something to eat or you can just turn this car around and head back to my place right now.”