Hot Like Fire (2 page)

When the music came to an end, Garcelle spun
her body across the dance floor until she came to a
dramatic stop before him, with her flared skirt floating in the air before it slowly drifted down around
her shapely legs. Everyone applauded her, but Garcelle's eyes were locked on Kade's. Pure electricity
ran through her body.

Even as she moved away from him, casting one last
look at him over her shoulder, Garcelle knew that in
that one moment, everything between them had
changed.

As soon as the alarm clock sounded and woke
him from his sleep, Kade Strong rolled out of bed.
No snoozing. No lounging. No adjusting to being
awake. No sitting on the side of the bed until he got
out of that half asleep-half awake zone. Just up and
at 'em. It was time for a hard day's work, and he
didn't mind it one bit.

Five years ago, when his father decided to semiretire from running the daily operation of the ranch,
he turned it over to Kade, his oldest son. And Kade
had been profoundly touched that his father had entrusted him with Strong Ranch. Kade had always
worked the ranch along with his brothers, but now he
initiated new ideas and made it his business to take
the ranch into the future. So he went from paid manager of the farm to part owner. He never wanted to
fail his father or ruin a highly successful business. So
if continued success meant working right along with
their forty ranch hands from dawn to dusk, then
Kade was more than willing to do it. Besides, he always had been a hands-on type of man. Sitting in an
office, making sure he didn't get dirt under his nails,
wasn't his thing.

Nude, he strode into the adjoining bath of his
bedroom and relieved himself, with a long sigh.
After flushing the commode, he stretched before
he started the shower. He looked down at the sink.
One washcloth. One towel. One toothbrush. One
rinse cup. One of everything in his life. Constant
reminders that he was alone now.

It had been close to three years since his wife,
Reema, had passed away. Years that seemed like forever without her.

That's why he hated to be in bed alone. A pillow
to hold at night was a poor substitute for spooning
his wife. Holding her. Smelling the scent of her hair
and her neck. Teasing her nipples in the last moments before he dozed off. Her hand reaching back
to lightly rest on his thigh. Their innocent embrace
suddenly turning to hot caresses and the most passionate lovemaking ever. The unique scent of their
sex. Intimacy. Affection. Love.

Sighing, he stepped inside the shower, pulling the
curtain closed as the steam surrounded his body. As
he began to lather his washcloth, his elbow slammed
against the tiled wall. He winced and swore. The
dimensions of the bathtub left a lot to be desired for
a man of his size. Six foot five and 225 pounds, Kade
was solid and strong. Trying to shower-or God help
him-bathe in a bathroom fit for someone under six
feet was more injurious to his body than working the
ranch.

For a second, as he dragged the soapy cloth across
his ridged abdomen, he thought of the master suite
at his own house. Reema had made sure everything had been custom built to fit him. The high ceilings.
The extra long bed. The oversized Jacuzzi tub. The
tiled shower big enough for him to spin in. - 11)

The night before Reema died had been his last
night in that house. He hadn't been back since. He
hadn't wanted to return.

Kade finished his shower and rushed to get
dressed in one of the nearly thirty Dickies uniforms
in the closet. As soon as he pulled on his Tims, he
left the room and walked across the hall to look in
on his seven-year-old daughter, Kadina. Even though
he knew she was sleeping, because of the predawn
hour, every workday he liked to look in on her
before he went out to work the ranch.

She was the only thing that had kept him sane
in the first few months after Reema's death. He had
had to at least pretend to be strong for his child.
Strong. Humph, sometimes he had found it so
hard to live up to his name.

Kade shut her bedroom door and jogged down
the stairs. The scent of coffee hit him before he
even reached the bottom step. Ever since he was a
little boy, his mother had gotten up with his father,
made him a cup of coffee, and fixed his breakfast
before he left to work the ranch every day. Thirty
years later, the tradition lived on.

At the sight of his parents, Kade came to a halt
just before stepping into the kitchen. His father,
Kael, was sliding his hand under his mother's kneelength gown. It was not exactly the warm family
scene Kade wanted to be a part of.

Kade backtracked and headed down the hall to
the front door. As badly as he craved his morning
cup of coffee, he wanted to respect his parent's pri vacy. He lived with them, and he didn't want to be
an intrusion.

Kadejogged down the stairs and climbed into his
Ford Expedition. Although he had every intention
of heading toward the rear of the ranch, he followed an instinct and, instead, steered his vehicle
down the winding road leading to the main highway, in the direction of Summerville, South Carolina. His heart raced a bit as he eventually made the
turn off of Highway 17. His grip on the wheel tightened. His body jostled as he drove down the dirt
road, swerving around crater-sized potholes.

Set back in the center of three acres of land was
the house. His house. He climbed out of the SUV,
with his eyes fixed on the two-level brick structure
of over three thousand square feet. With the Strong
Ranch hands keeping up the maintenance of the
land as he requested, it appeared to be a warm
home awaiting the return of the family, but that
house had not been a home for years.

Kade slid his large hands into the pockets of his
navy Dickies pants. The silver curls of his prematurely gray hair glistened in the rising sun. Memories unfolded before him like a movie, causing a
soft smile to play at his supple lips.

Kade climbed the steps, with his keys in hand, but the
front door swung open before he reached the top step. He
was surrounded by the sweet and subtle scent of his wife's
perfume just before she leaned her tall, full, and curvaceous figure against the door frame, with a welcoming
smile filled with the love he knew she had for him.

He paused for a second at the top step as his love-that
deep, lasting, one-of-a-kind love filled his chest. Reema was his wife, his friend, his lover, the mother of his child,
the keeper of his secrets, and the believer in his dreams. He
couldn't imagine his life without her.

"Hey, you," he greeted her as his smile broadened and
his bottomless dimples deepened. It was their first night in
their new home. The first of many more to come.

Reema flung her braids over her shoulders as she stepped
forward to press her hands against his broad chest and her
lips to his. "Welcome home, baby," she said softly against his
mouth.

Their eyes locked as Kade pressed his hands against her
hips and deepened the kiss.

"Kadina's upstairs napping. Dinner's in the oven keeping warm. . .

Kade grinned wolfishly as he bent slightly to swing her
ample, curvaceous body up into his strong arms with wellpracticed ease. He stepped inside the house and used his
foot to kick the front door closed behind them.

The
image
faded,
and
Kade
swallowed
a
lump
in his throat. He literally shook away the sadness as
a tear raced down his cheek. He released a heavy
breath and wiped his face.

He leaned back against the SUV and looked up.
Everything was calm and serene. He used to love
this time of the day. Every morning, before he left
their home, Reema would rise with him, just like
his mother did for his father. She would fix breakfast, and they would sit on the patio outside the
kitchen and watch the sun rise.

It had been so long since he'd let himself enjoy
something so simple yet so beautiful. He missed
this. He missed a lot of things. His wife. His home.
His bed. His privacy. His life.

Kahron Strong sped up Highway 17, heading
back from Charleston. He had just made a run to
Lowe's for supplies and was anxious to get back to
his ranch. Cattle that he purchased at the livestock
auction last week were being delivered today, and he
was anxious not to miss it. His masculine hands
drummed the steering wheel as he listened to
"Don't Matter" by Akon, playing on his satellite
radio. He was singing along off-key as he looked out
at the stretches of emerald green trees and grass
lining the highway.

He smiled as he thought of his wife, Bianca. She
was a tall, fair-skinned beauty with luscious lips he
could suckle forever. She was everything he never
knew he wanted. Everything.

The wide screen of his B1ackBerry lit up where it
sat on the passenger seat of his truck. He quickly
turned down the volume of the radio and reached
for it. His heart skipped a beat.

"Hey, you," he said, his voice filled with warmth,
pleasure, and love.

"Hey, you," Bianca said in return, her voice husky
with sleep and emotion. "I wanted to see you before
you left the house this morning."

"I didn't want to wake you, since you got in so
late last night," he said, placing his signature rimless aviator shades atop his silver faded head as he
steered the vehicle easily with one hand.

"And because I came in so late, I had something
I wanted to give you this morning."

Kahron's smile broadened at the obvious sexy
intent in his wife's voice. He loved and adored the
woman. His woman.

When he first saw Bianca King driving her flashy
convertible as her riot of curls blew in the wind, he
never imagined the mysterious woman would later
become the love of his life. She was the one person
that knew him better than anyone else.

His eyes shifted to the digital clock on the dash.
"I'll be home in ten minutes."

"I'll be waiting."

Kahron felt anticipation fill him as he ended the
call and propelled the vehicle forward. Bianca was
not only an equine veterinarian servicing the local
farms in the area, but also co-owner and operator
of King Equine Services, and her time had been
stretched thin lately. They had to make time for
each other. Since they were used to making love
once daily-if not more-they had some making
up to do for the last few weeks of their marriage.

Kahron's head swung toward Kade's house as he
passed it. He did a double take before quickly
pulling his SUV off the paved road and slamming
on his brakes. Dirt and pebbles flew up around
him. Quickly, he checked for traffic in his mirror
before he did an illegal U-turn. He squinted his
eyes as he turned left onto the unpaved road leading to Kade's home.

His heart literally ached to see his older brother
obviously struggling to enter the house. It was well
known that Kade had not been at the house since
the night before his wife passed. Kahron wanted to
go to him, help him through such an obvious big
step in his life, but another part of him knew Kade
wanted to do it alone.

Kahron released a heavy and expectant breath as
his brother's tall frame finally disappeared through
the front door. He snatched up his BlackBerry and quickly dialed the number even as he climbed out
of the SUV. "Hey, I need everyone to get over to
Kade's ASAP."

Kade was lost in memories he had pushed away
and protected from his grief. As he drifted slowly
through the house, each room shook some buried
emotion from him. Each brought some seemingly
insignificant moment in time to the forefront.

He paused in each room as his life played out
before him like a movie. Late nights in the den, cuddled with Reema on the couch, watching movies.
Coming home late from work and sitting in the
nursery to just hold Kadina as she slept. Waking up
every morning to that poster-sized photo of them
smiling on their wedding day.

His emotions ran the gamut and left him shaky.

In his bedroom, Kade sunk down at the foot of
the bed and looked up at the photo as he locked his
fingers between his knees. He felt spent. He felt
weak. Drained. Depleted. Lost. Incomplete. But for
the first time in years, he also felt hope, peace, and
confidence that he was ready for the future. As one
lone tear raced down his cheek, he stood and walked
out of the house, knowing it was time to move on
with life.

Kade paused as he stepped out onto the porch.
Surprise filled his handsome face, and he quickly
wiped the moisture from high cheekbones. His deepset eyes took in each compassion-filled face of his
family as they stood at the base of the steps. His parents, Kael and Lisha Strong. Kaleb, Kaeden, Kaitlyn,
and Kahron and Bianca. Somehow he wasn't at all
surprised to see them there. Not at all.

"You okay, son?" Kael called out in that deep baritone voice of his as he hugged his wife close to his
side.