Page 24 of Hard Hearts

"Only thinking." I give him a smile, wanting to reassure him. Everything he did today was special, and I don't want him to doubt that. It's me. I'm in doubt.

"Should I worry?"

"No." I let out a small laugh.

"I don't want to call you a liar, but you're not selling me on this story."

"And how would you know?" I ask playfully.

"Since the moment I've met you, Frankie, you've had my eye. I know when one of your smiles is fake and when one is real.”

"Maybe I was debating if I should have you take me home or back to your place." That had been in the back of my mind. If I stopped fighting it, I could simply fall right into Kaden.

"Then, allow me." When he hits the next light, he takes a left, which is toward his home and not mine.

"If my mom shows up—" I give a shrug, letting him know it would be his problem and not mine, but I know that's not the truth. I love my mom and wouldn't let her get into it with him.

"Not worried about your mom." He returns my shrug.

"She means well. But it's her that is bad with men. I've never been a big dater or, well, anything, really."

"But she is?"

"If anyone should know men, it's my mom. She's in love with the idea of love. Not sure she has ever really found it, but she wants to."

"And seeing that has deterred you."

I nod, really thinking about how big of an impact it has had on me.

"And I know that and never saw a problem with it." I let out a small laugh. "Until I tried to talk some guys at a bar into giving me their table one night."

That was the night I met Gunner, and Nat fell hard for Dylan. It wasn't only Kaden that had started me down a different path that night. So many other things changed too. For so long, I had my own girls club, and we were all single together.

Now they have all gone and fallen head over heels in love. I see them and whatispossible. All of those things had set me on a different path. Made me believe deep down inside that I could have what they have too.

"I've never been so happy to hang out in a bar before. Fate, Kitten," Kaden says with a full-on cocky smile, as if he's been playing this long game before we'd met.

The old me would have denied myself the chance to have something with Kaden just to make a point. But I’m no longer that person. He has slowly chipped away at the wall I had up, and now I can’t go back. I don’t want to go back.

“You really believe in fate?” I ask when Kaden pulls down into the underground parking garage of his building.

“I do. It’s a big world out there, and if I had picked another bar that night—" He shakes his head, an almost pissed-off expression crossing his face at the mere idea.

“I don’t know, Kaden,” I say when he puts the car into park. I unclip my seat belt and climb over. He sees what I'm doing, pushing his seat back quickly to make sure I have the room I need to straddle him. “You’re rather skilled at getting what you want. I think you would have found me.”

“So either way, you’d be mine.” His hands slide to my ass, gripping me there. Kaden tugs me in closer so I can feel his hardcock. A tiny moan leaves me. “God knows I’ve been waiting.” He places a kiss on my neck.

“Holy, how long have you been waiting? I’ve only made you chase a month at most.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, Kitten. I’ve been waiting my whole life.” He sucks on my neck; my eyes fall closed, thinking about how that feels between my thighs. I grind against his cock. “You need me?”

“Yes.” I sink my fingers into his hair, dropping my head back so he can keep on kissing me, loving on me.

I think I’ve needed him my whole life too.

Chapter Eighteen

KADEN

---