Game Saver - BJ Harvey Page 0,64

I such a hot fucking mess?

I’m walking hand in hand with Cade on our way to East, a swanky new Italian restaurant on West Madison—yes, the irony—and I’m about to meet Cameron for the first time.

I’m flushed, my palms are clammy, I’m sweating, my heart is racing and—if I’m honest—I’m literally a hot mess right now.

I mean, this is the other half of Cade. The man beside the man. The one person absolutely guaranteed to always have his back because they came from the same freaking egg!

And of course, Cade hasn’t missed any of this.

“Why the hell are you nervous? He’s my brother. He’s just like me.”

“Because he is your brother. You’ve said he’s not like your parents, but he’s never met me. They could’ve told him about me—”

“I’ve told him about you. I’ve told him about how I feel about you, and I told him that I love you.”

I let his words wash over me, experiencing the same reaction that happens every single time he tells me that. Warm. Settled. Right.

Cade’s gaze drifts down to my lips, his eyes heated—no, blazing. “Fuck I love that look on you,” he growls, pushing me backwards, his hips in mine, until I literally hit a brick wall beside the restaurant’s front window.

A thrill rushes through me, loving that I can make him lose his decorum just with the need to touch me and hopefully, kiss me.

I needn’t have hoped because as always, he delivers, crashing his mouth down on mine, his tongue delving between my lips conducting a thorough and deep demonstration of his appreciation.

He pulls back, his touch softening. Leaning his forehead against mine, he looks deep into my eyes and I watch with fascination as they transform from fiery hot to bearably warm.

“Fuck I love you. Doesn’t matter that I’ve told you he’ll love you, you’re still nervous. Shows me that you want him to like you. It means a lot.”

“Stop making me want to jump you,” I grumble. “We’re in public and getting arrested probably wouldn’t earn me Girlfriend of the Year in your parents’ eyes.”

He chuckles and kisses my nose before standing straight again, looking through the window beside us, a shit-eating grin appearing on his face.

“What?” I ask, turning around and pressing back into Cade’s front—and feeling how much he wants to jump me, too—and seeing an exact replica of him, just a little rougher and dirtier, smirking back at us.

Dammit. Well at least it’ll be a memorable first meeting now.

By the time we reach the table where Cameron, Callie, and Jonathan are seated, they’re all grinning at us.

“Was that pre-appetizer entertainment?” Callie says, failing to stifle a giggle as Cade and I come to a stop.

Cade lets go of my hand and moves to his brother, their arms wrapping around each other for a back-slapping, heartfelt hug that brings tears to the eyes, even for a hardass like me. If the sniffles coming from beside me are anything to go by, Callie’s affected by it, too.

“Good to have you safe and home,” Cade says gruffly.

Cam shoots him a grin. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, or hog all the ‘annoying the parents’ action either.”

They both turn back toward the table and look at their sister, Cade reaching his hand out to lace his fingers with mine again.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Callie cries, wiping her eyes. “The baby made me do it.”

“That’s her excuse for most things these days,” Callie’s husband, Jonathan, says, standing up and shaking Cade’s hand before leaning in to kiss my cheek. “Good to see you again, too,” he says quietly. It’s almost like a club. The ‘we’ve volunteered to join the Carsens and we’ve got each other’s backs’ kind of group.

“Cam, this is Abi,” Cade says, releasing my hand to wrap his arm around my waist, pulling me into his side.

“Well I’d hope so,” he says, “otherwise I’d be wondering why you were making out on the sidewalk.”

I can’t help it; I giggle and shake my head at him. He’s just like Cade. That cocky charm and the dazzling—almost overwhelming—good looks that would win even the most challenging woman over. I mean, hell, look at me and Cade.

Cam moves forward and playfully shoves Cade out of the way, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and pulling me in for a bear hug.

“That’s it. Cade, we’re swapping places with this one. She’ll never know the difference. Well, except for . . .” He pulls away and shoots me a