Page 108 of Resisting Temptation (Men of Honor 3)
From the moment he looked at my father he became cold and angry, something I hadn’t seen in so long, but it was more than that, he looked physically sick. He was pale and I could see sweat starting to dot his skin, his eyes weren’t even focused. It was if he was having symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Then when he walked back out from the bathroom, the broken expression on his face had almost killed me.
My heart breaks for him but it also breaks for my father. He does not deserve to be treated like that. I hate that this is the only side of Cade my family saw. My dad tried to be understanding but I could see his concern for me and I don’t blame him, I can only imagine what Cade looks like to him now, but I also know that is not who Cade is, not deep down. That was something I tried explaining to all of them. My mother is worried, my papa is pissed…I shake my head at what a mess this is.
As I approach Cade’s apartment I see his truck isn’t here, so I continue on in hopes that he’s at the gym. It’s the only other place I can think he might go.
After everyone left, which wasn’t long after supper, I had tried calling him a few times but he didn’t pick up. Christopher walked Alissa back home and Katelyn said she would stay with Ruthie so I could go find him. I expected her to be pissed like Papa was but surprisingly she wasn’t, and she had agreed I needed to go find him.
I’m relieved when I pull up to the gym and see his truck. As I walk up to the door I see it’s relatively dark, but there is a dim light on near the back of the gym. Taking a deep breath, I try to pull myself together and calm my thundering heartbeat as I enter. I hear the sound of fast fists, pounding on what I’m assuming is the punching bag. Which ends up being clarified as I make it to the back of the gym. Cade pummels the hell out of it. His lethal body soaked with sweat as he aggressively takes out his violence on the bag. I watch him for a moment, my heart aching at seeing the rage he has inside of him.
I’m about to announce myself when he speaks first, “You shouldn’t be here. You need to leave.”
I ignore the sting of his greeting and shake my head, “No. We need to talk and I’m not going anywhere until we do.”
He stops his punches and rests his arms heavily on the bag, his breathing ragged. When he finally looks up at me, I suck in a sharp breath at the haunted look on his face. “Say what it is you need to say then get out.”
His coldness toward me has pain building and my temper spiking. “That’s it, Cade? You’re going to push me away, you’re going to just push us all away?”
“What the fuck do you want from me, Faith? Clearly, this isn’t going to work with your old man in your life.”
“Why? You didn’t even give him a chance. You just…”
“I don’t want to give him a fucking chance! I fucking hate him. Don’t you get that? I always will, and nothing will ever fucking change that. I hate him for everything he stands for!”
“What about me?” I cry. “I stand for everything he does and you don’t hate me?” He grinds his teeth and his breathing turns harder. I swallow thickly then whisper, “He did not hurt your sister. He isn’t…”
He storms toward me, his expression savage, as he grabs my arms aggressively, but not painfully. “Shut up! Don’t fucking talk about her. She…”
“No!” I scream back. “I won’t shut up. I’m done skirting around this; you need to deal with it. You need to deal with her…”
“You don’t fucking know anything!”
“Then explain it to me! Tell me what happened! Let me help you!” I’m screaming and crying so hard, every word falls painfully from my mouth.
Before I realize what’s happening, our mouths are twined together in aggression and passion. The kiss is hot, brutal and punishing. His pain and fury mixing in with the sweet tastes our mouths create.
My fingers grip his sweaty hair savagely and I match him stroke for stroke, letting my own frustration out. When I bite his lip he growls viciously, and lifts me off my feet, then slams me against the wall. My legs wrap around his waist and our mouths never break from its heated, angry passion. He pins me against the wall with his hips and wastes no time shoving his hands up my dress and rips my panties off.
I whimper when he runs his fingers through my wet folds, testing my readiness, then, before I can anticipate it, his pants are lowered, just enough to free his erection, then he’s slamming inside of me.
I cry out at the fast, hard invasion of him and my eyes snap open. My body clamps down on him in ecstasy but when I look into his cold, distant eyes, as he pounds into me relentlessly, my heart completely shatters, not wanting him this way.
Tears pour down my cheeks, soft sobs falling past my lips as I plead with him silently, my eyes begging him to come back to me, to trust me. He shuts his eyes, closing himself off from me, then reaches between us and strokes my swollen clit.
Even though I don’t want him like this, I can’t stop my body’s reaction. He touches me in a way that has me quickly falling over the edge, and ecstasy rushing through my body.
When I come back from the high and open my eyes, I see him watching me. He continues to thrust into me hard and fast, his tortured gaze slicing me all the way to my soul and I can’t stop the sobs that escape. “Cade, please. Please come back to me.”
