If The Shoe Fits (Some Girls Do It #8) - May Sage Page 0,17

ask her to make an investment like that just for me. Not when she could rent it out for twice as much to someone else."

"Then I believe we found your fatal flaw, Helene."

"What, wanting to stand on my two feet like an adult?"

"You can call it that." He took a step toward her, bent down, and said, lower, "But I'll call it pride." He saw her too clearly for someone who had known her for just an hour. Helene lifted her chin.

"Cassie's my little sister. I shouldn't need her help at all."

He shrugged. "But you do. And you're not asking. You'll stand alone with your head held high, come what may. Your parents may have been clairvoyant when they named you Helene."

She snorted. "Yeah, well, my sister is Cassandra, and she’s pretty far from a priestess of Apollo. I'm just going to guess they liked the sound of the names."

"Be that as it may, your name suits you to a T."

"Yeah, right." She rolled her eyes. "Isn't Helene supposed to be blonde?"

"In Hollywood movies, perhaps. I haven't seen many blonde Mediterranean, though. It's a bit like Jesus is always portrayed as a Caucasian guy, rather than a Middle Eastern Jew. Cultural appropriation at its finest."

Helene chuckled. "You truly do have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"So do you." He had a point. She couldn't help it, though—he challenged her like no one else. "My father owns an apartment complex in TriBeCa. I can check if there are availabilities."

"No, thanks." The refusal was fast on her lips. He laughed, like he'd expected it.

"See? Pride."

"I don't like owing favors to strangers." She didn't doubt that she couldn't afford whatever rates his father charged, and she wasn't about to let him broker a deal.

"Or to anyone," he guessed. Rightly. "See? Pride."

"Common sense," she shot back.

"Mmh."

If she wasn't mistaken, he liked her answer, though. He wouldn't have liked for her to owe him any more than she would have. "You're awfully nice," she noted. "You know, for a stranger. One might think you have ulterior motives."

"How so? We've already established that I'd very much like to fuck you, one day. My motives aren't hidden."

He said it ever so smoothly, naturally. She could only gape. "You're one of a kind."

"Here's your secret, Helene." He took another step, closing the distance between them. "You like it."

And then, he kissed her.

Helene couldn't remember the number of guys she'd kissed in her life. It was a fairly decent list. The occasional club night stands, Tinder dates, and the handful of failed relationships she could boast of. Some of them had been decent kissers. None like this. His mere touch was enough to make her insides explode in a thousand butterflies. His touch was fire. His hand grazed the sensitive skin of her arms and rested on her shoulder, keeping her close. Not close enough. She ran her fingers through his dark curls, and clung to him like a lifeline. She didn't ever want to let go. Cade practically growled against her lips before devouring her hungrily, deepening their maddening kiss. She couldn't get enough. She protested when he finally moved to let her breathe. "I need more." She was practically whining. Cade's dark eyes flashed with something so primal she had to suppress a shiver. His thumb ran along the line of her mouth.

"We're in a library, in your sister's house." His voice was hoarse, harsh. "There are hundreds of people right next door. If you don't behave, I'm going to give you exactly what you're asking for, regardless." She did the only thing she could think of: she opened her mouth and licked his thumb, keeping her gaze on him. Now, he looked furious. Ravenous.

"Promise?" Helene asked, with a teasing smile.

"You're a special brand of trouble, Franklin." Then, thankfully, he was done talking.

Cade

Whatever was going on, Cade was fairly certain he wasn't in charge. Not of his own actions, and certain not of hers. He'd kissed her to make a point. To show her that he saw past her bullshit, her bravado. That he saw their mutual attraction and wanted to see where it went. Maybe he'd kissed her to throw her off balance, as she'd been so proficient at doing to him all evening. It was supposed to be nothing more than a taste, a simple touch. They were at a party, in her sister's place, inside an unlocked room. Someone could burst in at any time. They had to stop. They had to think clearly.