Love Collides (Fate's Love #3) (3 page)

“Christ, you’re so fucking hot. I’m not sure I can wait until we reach my room,” he murmured against my neck.

“Shh,” I replied, pulling his head from my neck and back to my mouth. Our lips found each other’s, and I was lost. Lost in him. Lost in the feel of his body against mine.

This was how it was with us. We didn't just come together. We collided.

The elevator jolted to a stop, and the doors opened. Kade swept me into his arms and carried me out into the long hallway, our lips still fused together. I clung to his defined arms as he managed to get the keycard from his pocket and jam it into the lock. The door swung open, and he carried me into the room, kicking the door shut behind us.

“Bed,” I moaned into his mouth.

Lowering me onto the bed, Kade hovered over me, the fire in his eyes obvious even in the dark room. "You are so fucking beautiful." His hand palmed my cheek and then began a sensual journey south. His fingers stroked my collarbone, my chest, and the curve of my breast through the sweetheart neckline of the dress.

He leaned back onto his haunches and dropped off the bed into a standing position. "Roll onto your stomach." The authoritative tone of his voice irritated me, but only turned my traitorous body on even more. It was a heady combination, and I rolled onto my stomach, turning my head to the side a little.

Kade's weight dipped the bed between my legs and his head nestled in the crook of my neck. He continued the worship of my skin—my neck, my bare shoulders, and my back. Strong hands deftly released the zipper, and he tugged the dress downwards, until I lay in just my strapless white bra and matching panties.

"So fucking beautiful," he said against the skin at the curve of my ass.

He moved behind me, and I heard the rustle of clothes. My head was spinning, the red wine haze swirling with the feelings that Kade invoked in me.

"Turn over," he commanded.

Don't let him tell you what to do,
my mind scolded, and I flipped over to tell him to drop the alpha act. But then my eyes fell on his naked body and all thoughts of setting him straight vanished into the taut muscles staring back at me. His thick erection even stood to attention.

Poised at the end of the bed, Kade’s defined chest and arms flexed, his jaw squared, and his eyes burned right at me. "Tell me what you want."

I gulped at the inflection in his voice. It sounded so full of meaning.
Shit
. I started to panic; it spread up through me like a rapid fever, burning my skin.

"Staci... what do you want?"

I slammed my eyes shut, trying to focus on anything but the suffocating tension growing between us.

And when I didn’t answer, I felt him.

Kade lowered himself over me, cloaking my body with his. His lips found mine, claiming my mouth as his hand gripped me tight, dragging my body flush with his. My nerve endings almost exploded when he arched into me; his erection pressed into me and created a delicious sensation at my center.

I clamped my legs around his waist, erasing the small space between us until there was nothing but skin on skin. He hissed at my movement, nipping at my tongue. The kiss became more desperate and needy, and in our lust-filled frenzy, I managed to knock Kade off balance and we rolled over until I was straddling him. Somewhere, in the heat of the moment, he had unhooked my bra and it fell to the bed. Kade's hooded eyes zeroed in on my pebbled nipples. He brought his lips to one, pulling it into his mouth as his teeth gently scraped the sensitive skin. My whole body trembled, and I gasped as my head shattered with ecstasy.

Kade flipped us again, hovering over me. I felt tiny underneath his huge frame, but I felt something else. Something I didn't want to acknowledge. His blue eyes watched me, and embarrassment stained my cheeks. Which was strange—I didn't do embarrassment, but there was something about the way he was looking at me. The blue ocean that stared back at me was full of unspoken emotion.

"I want you so fucking much," was the last thing I had heard before Kade took me to heaven, twice.

Chapter 2

~ Staci ~

The sunlight seeped through the striped curtains, causing me to squint.
Ouch
, my head exploded as I tried to lift it up and take a better look at my unfamiliar surroundings. Clothes were strewn everywhere, and my head wasn't lying on a pillow, it was lying on a chest. A very tanned and well-defined chest.

After a couple more minutes of trying to focus, the hazy memories of the night before started rolling through my mind like an old home movie.
Kade
. Just his name sent my body into a wanton state.
Fuckety.
We'd stayed up for hours, lost in each other. And then he'd surprised me by wanting to talk when all I wanted to do was sleep. But Kade just wouldn't stop talking. Eventually, after kissing him into submission, he relaxed. I started to drift, but not before hearing him murmur that he wanted to take me out on a date.

I'd almost choked.

I didn't date. Well, not in the conventional sense. And Kade Ford certainly didn't date. What the hell was he thinking? We had sex. Some of the best sex of my life, sure. But that was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Morning, you." He drew my body up so that it was nestled into his, my back to his chest. "How's your head?"

How's my head?
What the hell was going on with him?

"You hungry? We could grab breakfast?"

I blinked, confused by his words. This wasn't how our morning after’s worked. But he didn’t give me time to ponder as he hardened against my butt and laughed. "Or we could go for round three?"

I groaned inwardly.
There's the jerk you know.

Sensing that my body tensed, Kade chuckled. "I'm joking; you killed me off the second time. I'm going to shower." He placed a soft kiss on my neck and rolled off the bed. The second I heard the click of the bathroom door and the spray of the shower starting, I sprang into action.

Grabbing my clothes, I yanked the dress down over my spent body and picked up my purse from the nightstand. Searching the room for my shoes, I remembered...the elevator.
Shit
.

And with one last glance back at the scene of my final moment of weakness with Kade Ford—because I was not looking to repeat the night ever again—I crept out of the room. Thanking the universe that it was early and no one was around to bear witness to my walk of shame, I hurried down the corridor toward the elevators.

Stepping into the elevator, I scanned for my missing heels even though I didn't really expect to see them. They were probably on top of a pile of lost property somewhere; evidence of all the late night trysts the hotel was witness to. Once in my room, I slipped out of the crinkled dress and took a shower, washing away the memories of the night before. But the water didn't have the cleansing effect I'd hoped for. Instead, each blast of hot water rinsing away all imprints of Kade only made me remember more. His lips against my skin, and the way his body responded to my touch. How
my
body responded to him. The guy had gotten so far under my skin that I was almost tempted to scrub away the layer of epidermis just to rid myself of him.

Kade was the type of guy who would sweep you off your feet with good looks, charm, and a sinful tongue, but as quick as you'd fall for his guise, he'd have his way and then sweep you under the rug.

Kade Ford would break your heart quicker than you could realize you had fallen for him in the first place. And that was something I didn't have time for. I'd been that girl before.

I wasn't ever going to be her again.

~ Kade ~

"So, did you want to grab brea-" My eyes darted around the room, but I knew I wouldn't find her. I felt it in my gut the second I'd entered the bedroom.

Staci had run.

Again.

Fuck
. Without thinking, I grabbed my shirt and yanked it over my head. The material instantly stuck to my damp skin, but I didn't have time to waste. She wasn't running today. This time we had unsettled business to finish. And I intended on settling up.

Within minutes, I was dressed and jamming all my belongings in my jean pockets. My overnight bag could wait. If I knew Staci—and I was pretty sure I did—she would be gone as soon as possible. It was her M.O. Something had that girl set and wired to flight mode.

Deciding the stairwell would be quicker, I took two steps at a time, moving as fast as possible without risking falling. After a couple of minutes, I crashed through the door into the main reception area, ignoring the heads turning to see what all the commotion was as I went straight to the desk.

"Good morning, sir. How can I-"             

"I need a room number." My words came out ragged, and I sucked in a deep breath. "Staci Jameson. She was with the Shaw wedding party."

"I'm sorry, sir." I stiffened, not liking the guy’s tone. "I am not at liberty to pass out that information. I could take a message."

A fucking message
.

"She's my friend. I need to see her urgently." I reined in the urge to jump over the counter and force him to give me the information I needed.

"Sorry. Hotel policy, I'm afraid." He flashed me a smile and dropped his eyes back to the computer screen.

Fucker
.

"Kade? What's up?"

I groaned at the sound of Ashton's voice. This was the last thing I needed, him sniffing around while I was down here like some crazy guy.
All over a girl.

"I, hmm, I was just down here checking out."

Ashton regarded me for a second and then narrowed his eyes. "Your bag?"

Shit
.

"It's in the car. Dropped it off then came up here to check out and grab breakfast. You coming?"

At the mention of food, Ashton's stomach growled and I laughed. "Hungry?"

"I could eat a horse. Hayley kept me up all night. That woman is-"

"Whoa, I do not need that visual. She's like my sister."

We started walking toward the restaurant area, and I breathed a sigh of relief that my cover had worked. Ashton cut in front of me and gave the server his room number. I stared out of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. A taxicab pulled into the drop-off circle and a whirl of blonde hair strolled toward it. My heart slammed against my chest as I watched Staci flash a smile at the driver as he collected up her luggage. He deposited the bags in the trunk and came back around to open the door for her. She positioned herself to climb in and glanced up. Our eyes collided and everything slowed. Staci's features softened and a slight smile broke over her lips as if she was pleased to see me. But her eyes were telling me something different.

"Kade, you coming?"

Ashton's voice perforated the hold the tiny blonde had on me, and I shook my head, breaking our connection and turning my attention to my cousin. He arched his eyebrow waiting for me to answer.

"Yeah, yeah. Lead the way," I said immediately looking back out of the window.

But the cab was gone.

And so was Staci.

~

"Mom, it's only me," I called out, dropping my bag onto the counter.

"In here, honey."

I padded through to the living room. Mom was in her usual place curled up on the worn-down couch; her eyes focused on her e-reader.

"Who is it today? Hot cowboy?"

A slow smirk broke over her face, and she laughed, shaking the mass of tight blonde curls framing her face. "Tortured soul, MMA fighter."

My eyes rolled north, the way they did whenever Mom subjected me to a discussion about her latest book boyfriend. "I suppose I should just be thankful that these are fictional guys. And not ones you're bringing around wanting to introduce to me."

Something flashed in her eyes, and I immediately felt like a total dick. "Mom, shit, I'm sorry."

"Honey, it's fine. It is what it is. I almost forgot; here I am swooning over Joe Knuckles, and it was Ethan's big day." Mom closed her e-reader and sat up a little straighter. "How was it? Did Livy look stunning? I bet she looked stunning."

"It was okay, I guess."

"Okay? Kade Ford, I raised you better than that. You might be all grown up, but I still know how to get information out of you. Moms have their ways, you know."

Joining her on the couch, I stretched out my tired legs and folded my hands behind my head. "It was beautiful. Brought a tear to my eye. The dress, the cake, all those flowers. So pretty."

Mom batted her hand at me and scoffed. "Would it hurt you to be a little romantic now and again? For me. I'm not getting any younger, son. Neither are you. I want a house full of grandbabies and a beautiful daughter-in-law to spoil..."

With a groan, I closed my eyes and let Mom's speech wash over me. It was always the same. Why did I never bring girls by? When was I going to get serious about life? I loved my mom with my whole heart, but she was an incurable romantic. Even after everything she had suffered at the hands of
him
.

“Humor this old lady, Kade. You will be twenty-seven soon. It’s time to find a good girl to share your life with. You deserve to be happy.”

Mom’s hand rested on my own, but my eyes remained shut tight. I’d heard that speech more than once lately. A speech I usually forgot the second I left the house. But this time something was different. And it started and ended with the pint-sized blond bombshell who had been imprinted on my mind since leaving the hotel earlier. She buried herself deeper each time. I didn’t fucking ask for it; I didn’t even want it. Not the rational, sane part of me. But I guess I wasn’t all
him,
after all. Because watching Staci leave hadn’t just hurt, it cut fucking deep.

“Hey, where did you just go?”

I opened my eyes to find Mom watching me with a look of motherly concern.

“I’m just wiped. It was a late night.”

Images of Staci naked popped into my head, and I shifted uncomfortably. Now was not the time for a mental rerun; not with Mom sitting so close.

"I'm sure it was." Mom pursed her lips, giving me a disapproving smile.

"Hey, it’s not what you think. We don't all have our heads in the gutter all of the time." I nodded toward the rectangular device on the arm of the couch, and Mom laughed.

"None of Livy's friends catch your eye? I find that hard to believe."

Oh, one did all right
.

"Are we really having this conversation, Mom?"

"What? I can't even ask my
only
son about his love life?"

Feeling uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation, I moved off the couch and mumbled something about getting a drink. But Mom followed me.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It's just lonely sometimes, you know. I don't want the same for you."

Returning the glass to the counter, I wrapped her in a hug, resting my chin on her head. I didn't get my height from her side of the family. No, that was all on the piece-of-shit who didn’t deserve the title dad.

"Never going to happen. And besides, how can you be lonely with all of those book boyfriends to keep you company."

Mom sniffled into my sweater and anger prickled through me. I hated that he made her this way. Ten years. A whole fucking decade and he still had this hold on her.

I could remember old Mom—the Mom before Dad beat her to within inches of her life. Jess Ford was the kind of Mom every teenager wanted—supportive but not overprotective, interested but not overbearing. She was more a friend than a mom, and everyone loved her. And that bastard ruined her.

Mom wriggled out of my hold and smiled up at me. It was genuine but didn't quite reach her eyes. Her smiles rarely did. "I just want you to be happy. That's all."

"Mom, I'm twenty-six and single, with my own bachelor pad and a king-size bed. What's not to be happy about?"

Batting her hand at me, Mom grumbled about not needing to know so much information, but I was too lost in my own head. Forty-eight hours ago, life was good. Perfect. Life was exactly the way I liked it. No commitments, no drama, and a different girl every weekend.

So why had I asked Staci out on a date?

And why was I so cut up that she hadn't agreed?

~

Three days later, and the surprises just kept coming.

"A baby? Are you fucking with me? You're fucking with me, right? This is a joke?" I choked out, trying hard to swallow down the barbecued meat.

Ashton and Hayley didn't reply; they just looked lovingly at each other and smiled. But then my cousin reached out and patted Hayley's stomach, and I knew.

"This isn't a joke." Thrusting a hand into my hair, I raked my fingers along my scalp and blew out a long breath. "Fuck. A baby. Congratulations, I guess."

Hayley's smile cracked, and she laughed. "Don't look so worried. We wanted this. We've been trying all year."

My eyes darted to Ashton, and he shrugged. "What? It was a secret. We wanted to wait to tell people."