“Do you want to sit down?” he asks me gently. Nodding, I fold myself into a seat and clasp my hands together, watching as he takes a bite.
“Delicious. As always.”
I feel a little like a naughty schoolgirl, swinging my legs as I wait for him to finish eating.
When the plate is empty, he puts it to one side with a smile. “Thank you,” he says earnestly. “Time got away from me this morning. What can I help you with?”
I bite my lip. He seems so formal here. Nothing like the Cade I saw at the gallery, and my nerve wavers, before it disappears entirely.
“It doesn’t matter.” I jump up from my seat, my feet turning towards the door. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”
He catches me as my hand reaches for the handle, his hand wrapping around mine. “Wait.”
I wait, feeling the brush of his suit against the soft cotton of my tee.
“Talk to me,” he coaxes. “Something is bothering you?”
His hand threads with mine as he tangles our fingers together. The movement relaxes me, recognizing that this alpha is stillCade, even in his suit and tie.
I draw on my courage.
“I wanted to continue our conversation.” Turning to face him, I keep my eyes planted firmly on his chest. “From the other night?”
“Oh?”
I swallow. “About your… tastes.”
Cade stills, stiffening against me. “I see.”
Turning, he leads me back to his desk, prompting me to take a seat with his hand nudging my shoulder. Settling himself in his leather chair, he leans back, icy blue eyes watching me keenly as I struggle for the right words.
Giving up, I just throw it out. “I want to know,” I blurt out. “What you like. To see if I might like it too.”
Smooth, Gabrielle. Real smooth.
He hesitates, and my mouth kicks into autopilot.
“You said you don’t like pain. Axel told me the same thing. So it can’t be that bad, Cade. And I just… I want to know you. All of you.”
He swallows, a hand lifting to his tie and smoothing it down.
“I see you, Cade.” It’s almost a whisper, dropping into the air between us. “I don’t want you to hold back.”
His eyes move to mine, holding my gaze as he pushes his chair back slightly.
“All right.” Victory leaps in my chest. “But if you don’t like it, if this makes you feel uncomfortable, I need you to tell me, Gabrielle. Do you understand?”
Trying to hide my suddenly shaky hands, I nod.
“I need your words,” he says gently.
“Y-yes. I understand.”
“Good girl.”
The moniker makes me shiver, my stomach flipping as Cade gestures me towards him.
When I move around the desk, he positions me directly in front of him, his hands holding my hips in place as he maneuvers me between his legs. They feel like a brand through the thin material of my shorts, and as he slips them around my body to cup my ass, my body sways.
