A quick glance outside and I was able to witness one of the most beautiful sunrises. It felt like a promise that tonight’s date was going to be something special. But there was just one thing lingering in the air. I had told myself I would be completely honest with my future dates.
Was I ready to step into the cage with Kaden, knowing this could break me?
Eighteen
Kaden
I pulled into Val’s driveway, shut off my truck, and sat there for a moment.Why am I so nervous?
Val was unlike any other woman I have ever met. I want to protect her while preying on her. I want to love her while hurting her in ways that would send her into a euphoric bliss. Most importantly, I hope to be able to one day love her in ways she’s never been loved.
Love. It’s too soon.Slow down, Kaden.But I couldn’t help myself. With Isabella I didn’t care about planning a future beyond what I wanted. I wish I would have put two and two together before. But Val… she made me excited about the possibilities and what-ifs. I just hoped our date went well.
I need to shift my focus to the here and now.
As I got out of my car and walked up to her front door. I could see her rushing around the house through the pane of glass aligning the doorway. She really needed to hang curtains or get some of the paper to make it look like you have stained glass or frosted windows to put up for a bit of privacy. The last thing she needed was to have some creep peeping in on her.
Which is exactly what I’m doing. Crap.I cleared my throat and knocked on her door.
“Oh shoot!” I heard Val call out from the other side of the threshold. “I’m coming, sorry!”
I laughed as I listened to her scrambling around inside. “It’s okay,” I said. hoping it was loud enough for her to hear.
The door creaked open. “I’m sorry, where are my manners?” Val’s smile was innocent. “Would you like to come inside?”
“Sure.” I stepped in and looked around. She was a simple woman. Her house didn’t have furniture from one end to another. An aroma of cinnamon rolls waltzed through the air and tickled my senses. “It smells good, were you baking?”
Val cackled, and it was the cutest thing ever. “No, I don’t really bake.” She paused, like she was worried her confession would turn me away from her. “It is a new candle, though. It smells exactly like the real thing.”
“Yes it does.” She escorted me over to the couch, instructing me to sit while she finished getting ready. Then she took off to what I could only assume was her room.
A few minutes passed and I could hear Val struggling and stumbling around. “Is everything okay in there?” I inquired, and waited for her response.
“It’s just these stupid shoes,” she huffed as she stepped out of her room in a gorgeous black dress.It was above her knees with a small slit at the thigh and a plunging neckline, deep enough I could see the tattoo she had going just under her breast.
I stood there in awe. “Wow. Val, you look beautiful.”
Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson as she looked at the floor and dropped her shoes and stepped into them. “I love these heels so much but I can never get them buckled easily.
Instinctively, I patted my hand against my knee and she slowly walked over and raised her leg, placing her foot on my lap so I could take care of the clasp. As I buckled her shoe, our eyesmet briefly. She was looking at me with adoration and it gave me chills. If she kept it up, we were both going to be in trouble.
Nineteen
Val
As soon as Kaden set foot into my house I knew I was done for. This man washandsome.The way he looked at me made the butterflies in my stomach flutter even harder than they had been prior to his arrival.
I was a complete mess, and he still looked at me like I was the only woman in the room.I was. But still.
When he gestured for me to put my foot in his lap so he could clasp the buckle for me? It was the most swoon worthy moment I had ever had in my entire life.I had read about romantic gestures like that but assumed they only happened in books. I never expected something like that to happen tome.
I didn’tdeservethat kind of treatment. I shook the thought from my mind the second it crept in.
Trauma is so annoying. I hated how everything I had been through contributed to my screwed up brain. Wanting to trust but not being able to. The flashbacks and nightmares, the fact that sometimes I’m just a plain asshole to people when I don’t mean to be. I don’t think people realize the different ways you can be affected.
“Are you ready?”
Kaden snapped me out of whatever rabbit hole I was starting to go down. He smiled and offered his arm, which I gladly accepted. He had graced me with his presence wearing a pair of black jeans with a dark blue shirt. He had left the top two buttons undone and I was able to see the silver chain he was wearing. His sleeves were rolled back to his elbow which was a weakness of mine, exposing his tattooed arms. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”