Hard to Love (17 page)

“Fuck
that feels good
.” He
watched my
hands work up and down, growling low in his throat. He
tugged at
the
hem
of my shirt, and I released him momentarily to lift my arms above my head, allowing him to remove the offending piece of fabric.

He hauled me
on
top of him so I was lying flush against his body, his tense erection nudging at my opening. We were so close, just a few millimeters more and he would be inside me.
His dark gaze collided with mine and held me speechless.
I rocked my hips against his, sliding his cock against my wet folds. I felt hi
s body tense and when I opened
my eyes, his were squeezed closed and he was breathing unevenly.

The sounds of soft whimpering drifted from Lily’s bedroom. We pulled apart, our eyes searching each other’s.

“
Caden
!”
Lily cried out.

He hopped up, tugging
on
his jeans, and jogged from the room.

I sat up on the couch and pulled on my
clothes
.
The moment was gone. I could hear Cade’s low voice murmuring soothing
endearments to Lily.

I slipped on my shoes and jacket. It had been a long day, and my warring emotions over Cade and fussing over Lily had left me feeling exhausted.

Cade returned a few minutes later, looking worn out.

“Is she okay?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, she’s fine.
Just a bad dream.
I put her in my bed.”

Oh.

He eyed my jacket
and frowned
.

“It’s getting late,” I explained.  

He nodded. “Yeah, I suppose so.” He crossed the room in two easy strides and pulled me to his chest, planting a soft kiss on my mouth. “Good night.”

“Night,” I whispered, breathless from his kiss.

He walked me to the curb and stood near the car door when I climbed inside.

“So tomorrow, right?
What time?”

“Six. We’ll meet in front of
the
Sherman Oaks Country Club.”

He shook his head. “Damn, cupcake…”

I knew I’d conveniently left out the part
about
the dinner being at my parents
’
club. I grinned at him sweetly.
“Oh, and Cade?
Wear a tie.”
I closed my car door
on
his stunned expression and pulled away. 
How we went from porn-star-slash-patient to pseudo
-
boyfriend, I had no idea.
Despite the cozy domestic day we
’d
shared, I couldn’t forget that Cade and I came fro
m very different walks of life, and knew
that dinner with my parents would test whatever relationship we’d developed.

*****

I spotted Cade right away.
He was dressed in a white button
-
down
shirt
and navy tie, with navy slacks to match.
He looked sexy as sin, but I couldn’t help but notice how out of place he looked in the entryway of the hoity-toity club
, his tattoo playing peek-a-boo with his shirt collar.
And he must have felt it too, because his eyes darted around the
parking lot
, searching me out and the set of his shoulders only relaxed when his eyes met mine.

He appraised me with a sexy grin as I approached, my stiletto heels clicking against the
brick walkway
. He pressed a hand to my lower back
once I
was near and drew me close,
dropping
a kiss to my throat. “You look sexy, cupcake,” he growled.

I blushed at his compliment, looking down at the fitted black dress I rarely got the chance to wear
anymore
.
“Thanks.”
My eyes searched the
parking lot
and
when I
spott
ed
my parents
’
approach
I pulled away from Cade
’s embrace
.

My mom wore a pale
-
blue pant
suit and my dad
was in
his customary Sunday attire
—
chinos and a navy blazer, collar unbuttoned, no tie. It was the only day of the week he went sans-tie, considering he worked nearly twenty-four seven.
But I knew Cade wearing one would make the right impression.

As they approached, Cade leaned in towards my ear. “Why did I have to wear a tie if he
didn’t
?”

I elbowed his ribs, fixing a smile on my face as my parents approached.

A man in a suit approached from our left, tossing a set of keys into Cade’s hand. “Hey, keep it
running,
I’ll be back in a few.”

Cade’s eyes met mine,
full of irritation. Oh! My confusion cleared and I realized he thought Cade was the valet.

Cade grumbled something at the man, and tossed the keys back to him just as my parents stopped beside us.

My mom and I exchanged kisses and I gave my dad a quick hug before introducing them to Cade.

The
y
smiled at him politely and he and my dad shook hands.

“What was that?” my dad asked, tipping his head towards the guy now waiting by the curb for the actual valet.

“Just a misunderstanding,” I interjected quickly before Cade could open his mouth
, and fixed a smile on my face
.

This felt strange. Way strange.
Go with it, Alexa
.

My mother’s eyes roamed
over
my dress and her mouth pinched closed. I tugged at the hem of my skirt, willing it
closer to
my knees.
Cade noticed what I was doing and took my hand
in
his,
giving it a firm squeeze before releasing it. I took a deep breath and trailed behind my parents into the dining room.

The hostess
seated
us
at my
parents
’
usual table near the windows overlooking the golf course. Seeing how fall was settling in, not many golfers were braving the course today, but for a few dedicated souls
just finishing the back nine
.

Cade was ever the gentlemen,
seeming to have moved passed the valet mishap, and pulled
out my chair before settling in his own. He frowned at the
expansive quantity of silverware at his place
setting and I gave his knee a gentle squeeze under
neath
the table.

“Alexa’s never brought a
date
to our Sunday dinners,” my mom said
,
suspiciously
eyeing
Cade.

Cade, thinking quick on his feet, grasped my hand on top of the table. “Well I’m happy to be here.”

My mom settled back into h
er
chair, her back still ramrod straight, but seemingly satisfied with his response.

The server came by for our drink order,
beginning
with Cade
—
he ordered a bottle of beer.
I winced. We never drank at Sunday dinners. It was sort of a thing with my parents.
The rest of us ordered iced tea.

When the server returned with our drinks, Cade waved away the suggestion of a pilsner glass
and
I thought my mother’s eyes were going to pop out of her head.
But when he tipped his head back and drank straight from the bottle, exposing a little
section
of his tattoo, my mother sucked in a gasp and
grip
ped
the tablecloth in front of her.

I wanted to go to the bathroom and hide. It wouldn’t have been the first time I’d done so. The f
a
rthest stall back on the left side of the ladies’ room had served as a
disappearing
place a few times over the years when I needed to escape my mother’s meddling.

Dad finally asked the question I knew had been on his mind since meeting Cade. “So, w
hat do you do, Cade?”

Cade pulled back another fortifying swig of this beer before answering. “I work construction.
Roofing mostly.”

“Hmm,” my mother pursed her lips.

My dad simply nodded. “You enjoy working with your hands? I never was much good at it. Hell, I practically have to call an electrician
just
to change a
lightbulb
.”

Cade smiled, relaxing just a bit into his chair. “Yeah, I like seeing the tangible results of my work. I do all sorts of things, carpentry, electrical
—
let me know if you ever need a hand. I draw the line at plumbing, but the rest I can usually figure out.”

I’d never really h
e
ard Cade talk about his work, I realized. I liked hearing him describe it. It was the same way I felt about nursing. I liked the notion of helping
to
improve something, leaving it in better condition than the way I found it. Sure, my work was with
people
, and Cade’s was with
inanimate materials
, but I still understoo
d what he meant. I doubted my dad could relate
,
b
alance sheets weren’t exactly exciting. But I liked that he nodded and smiled
, at least trying to relate to Cade
.

The waiter was soon back, taking our order.
“The prime
-
rib special Mr. and Mrs. Blake?”

My parents nodded in agreement. Cade handed over his menu without looking at it. “You have burgers here?”

The waiter nodded.
“Certainly
,
sir.”

Without knowing what possess
ed
me, perhaps it was the carefree chicken-wing-eating
Lexa
making her comeback, I followed Cade’s lead. “I’ll take the burger too.”

“But you always get the prime rib
—
” my mother
interrupted
.

“I know, but I’m in the mood for a burger tonight.”

“Don’t be silly, she’ll have the prime rib,” my mother told the waiter.

The waiter
’s gaze bounced between
me
and
my mother, seemingly unsure of who to listen to, when Cade interrupted. “Alexa’s a big girl, she knows what she wants.”
The statement was laced with deeper meaning and we all knew it.

I couldn’t help but smile at him before turning to the waiter.
“The burger
,
please.
Well done with gouda cheese.”

Cade leaned back, draping his arm over the back of my chair, casually sipping his beer.

“Have you seen much of Peter, dear?”
m
y mom asked.

Nice timing Mom.

Cade’s gazed flicked to mine, clearly interested in my response.

“No, mo
ther,” I said in a clipped tone, sending her a
drop it
glare.

The rest of the dinner passed
without further drama
. My dad and Cade
tried
to find topics
to discuss
, and after
several false starts with
401k investments
, and then
politics, they finally settled on something
on which
they could both agree
—
Chicago Bears
football. They were soon animatedly discussing draft picks and the quarterback’s latest arrest.

My mother ate in silence, stabbing at her dinner and pushing it around her plate. My burger was delicious, and I wondered why I’d never ordered for myself before. I ate every bit
e
and was nearly bursting from my dress by the
time we left the restaurant a short while later
.

Cade and I lingered in the parking lot after my parents pulled away.
His
pickup
truck stuck out like a sore thumb in the parking lot full of luxury sedans and SUVs. M
y
own included.

“
Is Sophia
watching Lily?”