walk down the hallway to his apartment as one thought fills my head. How is it possible this man is single?
God, I really hope he’s not an ax murderer.
He opens his front door and says, “Welcome to my world. Excuse the mess. The maid hasn’t been here this week.”
No sooner do those words leave his mouth, Cade stops and turns around to face me wearing a look so earnest I’m not sure what he’s going to say. “I don’t have a maid. That was more of a joke than anything else.”
“Oh, okay. I don’t either, so it’s not like I’m going to look down on you for having to straighten up your own mess.”
“Good. Well, come in and relax. I’ll get us something to drink. Alcohol or no?” he asks as he walks into another room.
“No alcohol, thanks.”
I quickly scan the living room he’s left me in. Open to the dining room with an actual table and chairs set that doesn’t look like it’s ever been used as anything other than a place for Cade to drop his mail, this room contains a sectional that takes up most of the space. The walls are painted a tan color that doesn’t clash with the black couch or the dark wood tables. It looks like a normal room a person would expect from a grown man.
Nothing in this room says he’s a murderer or that he has a wife stashed away and this is his place where he cheats on her.
Cade hands me a glass of sparkling water and sits down next to me with a bottle of beer. “So this is my house. I’d give you a tour, but you’re sitting in the highlight.”
“I thought the best part was the balcony and the view,” I tease and then take a drink of raspberry flavored water.
He takes the glass from me and sets it down onto the coffee table nearby, along with his beer. Grabbing me by the hand, he pulls me from the couch like a little boy eager to show someone what he’s done.
“That’s right. I forgot.”
We walk past the dining room table filled with mail, and I quickly look to see if any say Mrs. March but I don’t see any. Maybe he’s just a man with good taste in apartments who seems too perfect. That can happen, right?
Sliding the glass doors open, he steps out onto a balcony that’s much larger than I thought it would be and extends his arm like he’s offering me the view for my own. “This right here is the highlight. Forget inside. This is it. What do you think? Gorgeous, huh? It makes having to live around crazy people terrified of wreaths all worth it.”
I step forward and stop short, stunned by this view he has any time he walks out onto his balcony. Warm yellow and white lights around the bay cast shimmering reflections on the water, and the dark night sky with what seems like a million stars looks so close it’s like you can touch it if you reach out.
“This is beautiful, Cade. You must love being able to look out whenever you want and see this.”
He moves behind me and sets his chin on my shoulder. “I like how it makes you look.”
My heart races at the feel of him pressed up against the back of me. “What do I look like?” I ask in a shaky voice.
Please don’t let him be the kind of murderer who throws women off balconies.
“Your eyes got big and you looked out like you couldn’t get enough of what you’re seeing. I like that,” he says in a low voice, his warm breath drifting over the shell of my right ear.
I want to say something but my mind is blank, except for loving how he feels pressed against me. Closing my eyes, I revel in the sensation, and when he slides his arms around my waist, I don’t flinch.
And for the first time in a year, I don’t fear someone holding me in their arms.
Chapter Fourteen
Cade
Hailey doesn’t move when I gently pull her to me, and for a moment, I’m not sure what to think about that. By this time, most women are crawling up my body after seeing the view and me giving them all the signs.
Then again, she’s not like anyone I’ve ever dated before, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised she hasn’t turned around and grabbed my cock yet. It’s just that the view usually does a better