“That your old car out there in front of the house with a flat tire?” Kade asked irritably.
“Yes,” she admitted.
“I’ll help you. Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand abruptly and strode out of the house, making her jog behind to keep up.
Asha sighed, knowing she was about to have her second crucial confrontation of the day, except this one wouldn’t just wound her feelings—it would rupture her heart.
Asha stopped abruptly, slamming into Kade’s massive body as they arrived outside, the door closing quietly behind them. He’d halted unexpectedly right outside the door and crowded her against the wall right next to the door. He leaned into her, his chest heaving, one hand against the wall on both sides of her body, effectively trapping her.
“I swore I wasn’t going to do this,” he said in a husky, desperate voice, his eyes boring into hers, his forehead damp with sweat. “I swore I wasn’t going to react when I saw you again. Why the hell should I care about a woman who doesn’t give a shit about me?” One of his hands fisted and slammed against the wooden exterior of Max’s house in a gesture of frustration.
Asha looked up at him, her heart clenching at the exhaustion and torment showing on his face. “I do care, Kade.”
“Bullshit. You left. You didn’t even say good-bye. You never called to let me know how you were doing or if you were okay. I wasn’t even a blip on your radar,” he spat out resentfully.
“There hasn’t been a day, or even an hour, that I haven’t thought about you.” Or a moment, for that matter. Kade haunted her constantly. “I missed you.”
Time stopped as Kade searched her face, as though trying to figure out exactly what she was thinking. “I can tell,” he answered sarcastically. “You tried so hard to stay in touch—”
“I couldn’t, okay!” she shouted at him. “Everything about you confuses me. You waltz into my life with all your kindness and sexy male hotness.” She took a breath and waved a hand at Kade, the aforementioned hot male. “Then you overwhelm me with your thoughtfulness, ply me with food, and then make me climax until I think I’m losing my mind.” She jammed a finger into his chest. “You made me into nothing but female hormones that were always willing to hop onto your…your… testosterone,” she finished awkwardly. “I couldn’t think about anything but you, and I still can’t. So don’t tell me I didn’t miss you. I’ve lost count of how many times an hour I dial half your number and then hang up the phone.”
“Maybe you should have dialed the other half of the number,” Kade said hoarsely.
Asha rolled her eyes, still on a roll. “I couldn’t. I knew if I did, I’d want to see you even if you didn’t want to see me.” She pushed on his chest, trying to break away from his confinement.
“Then see me, Asha. Please. Because I want to see you,” Kade argued persistently, not letting her break away.
“And then what? We’d just end up having incredible sex,” she accused him anxiously.
Kade’s lips twitched as he looked down at her. “And that’s a bad thing…um…why exactly?”
“Because I can’t think when that happens. There has to be more than just good sex,” she blurted out, still trying desperately to make Kade understand.
“It’s never been just good sex,” Kade retorted angrily. “It’s good sex because there’s more than that between us.”
Asha shuddered as she remembered having relations with her ex-husband, and the lack of emotion, the way she detached herself from the act. She knew Kade was right. Problem was, she couldn’t exactly blurt out how much she loved him, and her concern was how he felt about her. “Is it different for you? I mean…with us?”
“If you’re asking if I’ve ever fucked and felt the way I do with you, the answer is no,” he replied hotly. “You rock my world just as much as I rock yours. Difference is, I’m not afraid of it. Hell, I want to feel that way. It’s exhilarating and exciting, and it makes me feel more alive than I’ve felt in a very long time…maybe ever. And I sure as hell don’t want to walk away from it.”
“Then maybe I’m just a coward.” Asha broke Kade’s gaze and lowered her head. “Maybe I just can’t handle it.”
“Bullshit. That was no coward who just basically told her foster parents to go to hell. It’s taken a lot of courage to do some of the things you’ve done, and you get braver all the time. In fact, I think you’re actually developing a temper.” Kade reached down and tipped her chin up and grinned. “Did you really just accuse me of trying to sway you with sexy male hotness?”