“Me too.” She grinned, appreciating the heat growing between them again.
Cade helped her out of the car, ushering her into the driver’s side and buckling her seatbelt before making sure they had each other’s contact information. She liked how attentive he was, how kind. She just wished he’d—
“Lucy,” his voice was soft, low, “I’d like to kiss you before you go. If that’s okay with you.”
“Yes.” She smiled.
He leaned in and kissed her and Lucy forgot where she was as delight washed her body. She opened for him, but he pulled back, rather than enter.
“Stay safe.” He smiled.
As he shut her into the car, Lucy wondered if he’d done that on purpose, letting her surrender to him and pulling back, leaving her wanting more. That was a pro move if she’d ever seen one. And yet, as she watched Cade shuffle back from the drive, she caught the bulge in the front of his scrubs and knew he wanted her as badly as she wanted him.
She waved, giving him a sweet smile before putting the car in gear.
Oh, she looked forward to seeing him again, too.
And one thing was certain, the next time Cade kissed her, she was definitely going to deepen things. They may have just met, but she wanted to know more of him.
All of him.
Chapter Eleven
“Great, more rain.” Cade switched his wipers on, thinking of Lucy.
He’d hated leaving her earlier. But hell, Tane wouldn’t have called him into the field this close to his injury if that hadn’t been an all-hands-on deck case.
Fucking tourists.
No respect for nature, and a healthy dose of narcissism in some of those rich pseudo-hippies who frequented the retreat center at Hidden Pines. Cade shook his head. Even after conducting all the interviews, he still couldn’t believe one of them had actually shot at the wildlife. Guns were supposedly prohibited on the property. With all the “plant medicine” used there, the fact that a firearm was not only present, but had been discharged repeatedly, was a clusterfuck and a half.
At least that bear was okay.
A bright flash in his peripheral followed by a sharp clap of thunder had Cade checking the road for downed limbs. Usually, summer rain showers popped up and were gone within a matter of hours, leaving the air a bit cooler, a little welcome humidity sticking around through the evening. The storms they’d had lately had been bigger, though. Full-on thunderstorms coming off the mountains and pelting the area for hours. It’s a wonder they hadn’t had flooding in town yet, what with the falls so close. Still, the rain was good for the area.
As more thunder rumbled in, Cade thought of Lucy again. He’d tried calling earlier, but she hadn’t picked up. His instincts had him wanting to check on her. She’d told him she didn’t like storms. Well, she’d told ‘Atlas’. Cade chuckled, pulling up Lucy’s contact and giving her another call. He still wasn’t sure how to broach the subject with her, but one of these days, they were going to have a good laugh about her having thought he was a dog.
Voicemail again. Maybe she was working in her studio? From what he’d seen, she got immersed in those paintings, wholly focused on the big canvases. Ignoring his disappointment, Cade left Lucy a message checking in and telling her how much he’d enjoyed their time together earlier. He kept it light, though something told him he needed to head her way.
All his instincts were firing where Lucy was concerned.
Eventually, he pulled over and sent a text, checking if she was okay and wondering if she’d had dinner yet. When there was no reply, the urge to go to her became overwhelming.
Another bright flash of lightning and peal of thunder had Cade heading for Lucy’s as the rain came down in earnest. He didn’t want her to be alone and frightened.
By the time he reached her place, Cade wondered if he was overreacting. Sure, she’d told him - as ‘the dog’ - that she didn’t like storms, but that didn’t mean she needed him to sit with her through it.
Cade checked his phone again, still no response.
Though it was barely sunset, with the thunderstorm, it already looked like nightfall and the lights from Lucy’s cabin spilled out into the darkening night, giving off a comforting vibe despite the storm. Cade shook his head, frustrated with himself. Lucy was probably curled up with a cup of something hot and her laptop or a book. She probably had a fire going, too. But if that was the case, why hadn’t she answered her phone?
Another round of thunder had him opening the truck and making a break for her porch. His hip twinged as he moved, but at least he was ambulating better. He frowned when his knocks went unanswered.
“Lucy?” He called out, knocking again.
The lights were on. She had to be home.
On instinct, he tried the door, cursing under his breath when he found it locked. While it was good news in the safety department, it meant he got drenched from the sideways blowing rain while he waited for her to answer. After a long minute, he let himself into her house, his instincts screaming that something was off.
