"What the hell does that mean?" Cade sounded angry now, leaning forward in his chair, his hands in fists.
He was really going to make her say it. He must have a cruel streak, Emily decided, feeling her own anger stir. "The other girls are all beautiful, okay? They have long legs and skinny waists—the kind of bodies that could make even those hideous bridesmaid dresses look good."
Long seconds ticked by in silence, confusion mixing with the anger on Cade's face. "…And?" he finally prompted her.
Emily felt like shouting at him. It was just so obvious! "And I'm not any of those things! I'm short and fat and—"
"And so goddamned gorgeous," Cade cut her off in a thunderous voice that shook the floor, "that an alpha in the prime of his life would risk his community, property, and life—just for the chance to bring you into his home."
Emily's mouth hung open. For a moment she couldn't breathe. No one had ever spoken about her like that.
Not one goddamn soul.
Was Cade teasing her? Or did he have some other agenda, some awful aim she hadn't yet guessed? But the range of emotions playing across the alpha's face held no revulsion, not even an iota of distaste.
She knew Cade wasn't a liar, but even as she struggled to make sense of his words, another part of her brain was coming up with a thousand reasons to reject them.
"That's kind of you," she said stiffly, the best she could come up with.
"Oh, for fuck's sake, I'm not being kind, Emily." Cade abruptly stood, sending the chair crashing backward into the wall. Emily flinched, but instead of hitting something, he knelt again on the floor in front of her.
This time when he took her hands in his, she tried to pull them away—it was too much, too confusing.
But she of all people knew she couldn't disobey an alpha.
Especially one who was staring into her eyes as if she were the only thing that mattered to him in this moment.
And dear God, there was a part of her—a part so deep that Emily didn't even know that it existed—that wanted desperately for that to be true.
"Sloan is a bastard for hurting you," Cade rumbled. From his touch, she could sense that he was holding back his anger—anger meant for someone other than her. "And if he said that you were anything other than the lushest, most alluring woman he's ever set eyes on, then he's a fucking idiot as well."
Then Cade did something that caused Emily's heart to stutter in shock, before starting to pound wildly. He leaned forward, his eyes drifting down to her lips.
Could he…was he really…yes—this alpha really was going to kiss her.
And if he did that, Emily didn't think she could prevent herself from kissing him back. Sliding her hands along his broad, muscular shoulders. Pressing her body closer to his.
And then Cade would pick her up again, and this time she forget to hold herself stiff in his arms, and she'd melt into him as he carried her to his bed, every bit of her reason floating away like dandelion fluff.
And then…
And then she'd be stuck. And the whole thing would start all over. Tonight would be heaven, but tomorrow? Tomorrow she'd be right back to being someone else's property.
Goddamn it.
Cade had promised never to hurt her. Emily had believed him. But she had been wrong before…so wrong. She couldn't take the chance of trusting a man based on his smoldering eyes and seductive words. Trust took time to earn. It took proof.
It took everything Emily had to shrink from Cade's kiss, pressing herself back in the chair. She'd thought he might stop her. Force her. It was a huge relief that he didn’t.
So what was this faint sense of disappointment?
Emily pushed the thought away. "I'm getting tired," she said shakily, faking a yawn. "Would it be possible for me to take a bath before it gets too late?"
Cade stared at her for several long seconds before getting to his feet, his eyes going opaque. When he spoke, his voice was formal. "Of course. Wait here, and I'll draw you one."
"Thank you."
Cade started to leave, then turned around again. "I meant what I said, Emily. I'll never force you, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up. Remember, I can read everything in that luscious scent of yours. I know how badly you wanted what was about to happen just now. And when you're ready, I'm going to make you forget everything and everyone that came before me."
Emily opened her mouth, but no words came. It didn't matter. Cade was already gone, disappearing to another part of the house. Seconds later, she heard the sound of water splashing into a tub.
Chapter Seven
The sounds coming from the bath were driving Cade mad.
Every lap of water against the side of the enameled cast iron tub, every splash of every drop shaken from Emily’s hair or dripping off her skin drove him further to distraction.
Sure, she was simply taking an everyday bath, scrubbing and rinsing her body, but the images that floated through his mind were an all-out seduction.
How could it be anything else when she was wet and naked mere feet away with nothing but a single door between them?
Cade had been fantasizing about this exact scenario from the moment he first laid eyes on Emily.
Who could resist, given that body? Those creamy full breasts…those supple, plump limbs…that glorious ass that he longed to wrap his hands around…those hips made for bearing pups. Any alpha with a pulse would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about losing himself in all of that.
The problem was that Cade's fantasies went beyond just fucking her…way beyond. His own senses were on such high alert that it was almost painful, her scent and the sound of her humming almost immobilizing him with desire. The bouquet of her scent was the only air he wanted to breathe.
He had planned to check the cupboards to see if he had any of Aric's moonshine left, but instead, he found himself standing frozen like an idiot in the kitchen, imagining those pretty, capable fingers working the fragrant oatmeal soap into a rich lather as Emily’s big cornflower blue eyes drifted shut.
He heard her sigh and imagined her lifting one of her feet to wash every little toe. He tracked the water's path in his mind as she squeezed the sponge above her breasts, making them glisten as the rivulets ran between them, down her cute rounded belly, between those thighs—
Cade's cock was so hard he wouldn't be surprised if it simply shattered at the thought of Emily's thighs. They would be soft and silken, like pillows for his face as he went exploring.
He'd abrade her with the stubble of his beard as he kissed his way up from the inside of her knees, making her beg him to stop, but he wouldn't, not until he'd teased her nerves to frantic heights, and then—oh yeah, then he'd introduce her to his tongue.
But even that wasn't what had Cade feeling like he'd landed back in his first wet dream. What Cade wanted— would tear down his own house for—was seeing his own desire echoed back in Emily's eyes. Of knowing she wanted him as much as he wanted him.
And the thing was, Cade would bet everything that she did. Even if he hadn't seen it in her eyes, he would have known from the deep, florid scent of her burgeoning desire.
That omega had desperately wanted to kiss him when he'd leaned in. Hell, he'd wager she'd thought about it all the way home. And Cade knew that she would have let him, too, if he'd kept chipping away at her defenses.