Page 58 of Counting On You

“About a man who’s a sex addict and—” He breaks off as he catches my grin. “I’m not talking about myself, obviously.”

“Obviously. I can’t wait to read it,” I say sarcastically. “All three hundred pages of a dick’s sexcapades. I hope you have a thick skin.”

He lets out a laugh. “Trust me. I have. The only thin skin is the one that’s pulsing between my legs.”

I don’t know why, but a hot sensation builds between my legs.

“Gross,” I say and resume walking, putting some distance between us. He catches up with me in no time.

“You saw the picture.” It’s more a statement than a question.

“No, I didn’t see your cock.” The lie comes out all wrong. “I mean, I can only assume you’d have a picture of a cock on your phone. Not that I know what you’re talking about. Obviously.”

He lets out a laugh.

It’s irritating, but at the same time also sexy and captivating.

“I wouldn’t have lent you my phone if I had known you’d be bothered by it.”

“Nothing scares me,” I say. “As a nurse, I’ve seen plenty of naked people in my life.”

“I knew it.” His smile is back in place, and I realize he smiles a lot. As though life isn’t so bad, and there’s always something to laugh about. I like that attitude in people. Come to think of it, I like Kade’s smile. But if he isn’t being careful, it’s going to stay stuck forever. “You’re one hot nurse. I bet the guys flashed everything they had to get your attention.”

“That’s a preposterous assumption. I—” I shake my head. “People don’t do that.”

“Trust me, guys do.” His fingers entangle with mine, and with a soft tug he guides me to the other side of the street. “The driver’s here.”

“What—” My words die at the back of my throat as I notice the black limousine blending in with the shadows. I might not be versed in riding luxury cars, but I’m not seeing one for the first time. My sister’s birthday parties always involve renting something that you usually only see in auto magazines.

“What the hell, Kade?” I turn my head to him. “You want us to break out?”

“I want us to go out.” He smiles, his white teeth building a strong contrast to the darkness surrounding us. “We’ll be back before they even notice we were gone.”

I close my eyes and force air into my burning lungs. “This can’t be happening. This isn’t what I agreed to at all.”

“You have no choice,” Kade whispers behind me and opens the door. “The driver’s booked. I can’t back out of this just as much as you can’t. And I’ll gladly remind you that you already said yes. There’s definitely no going back on your word.”

I groan. “Again, if I so much as find myself in a strange situation, I swear I’ll—”

“You’ll kick me where it counts so I may never have kids,” he finishes for me. “Got the memo.”

“Those weren’t my exact words, but yes, that’s pretty much the plan.”

He motions at the car again. This time, I can sense his impatience. With a defeated sigh, I get in, settling on the backseat.

The fact that I didn’t put up much of a fight pisses me off, and yet I went along with whatever Kade has in mind.

It’s because of Bruce.

Out of my periphery, I see the driver watching us in the mirror.

The way Kade settles next to me, his thigh glued to mine, even though there’s enough space to lie down and not touch each other, it looks like we’re a normal, dating couple.

Couple.

Where the hell did that come from?

“Fine. I hope I’m not going to regret this,” I say, repeating his words.