Hot Like Fire (20 page)

"I can't get enough of you." Kade moaned in the
back of his throat as he pressed his lips against her
open and waiting mouth.

She felt a shiver race across his body as she suckled his tongue gently in her mouth before she
lightly flicked the tip of her tongue against his own.

"Nice trick," he told her, with a smile.

"You like?" she asked saucily.

"I like. I like."

Garcelle lifted her leg up and sat sidesaddle, and
then she brought her other leg around to straddle
the saddle, facing Kade. She smiled, with a slight tilt
of her head, as she lightly grabbed the lapels of his
uniform shirt. "This isn't that comfortable, but looking up into that gorgeous face of yours makes the
pain in my ass and thighs worthwhile."

Kade laughed, and his face was transformed: his
eyes brightened, and his white, straight teeth flashed
against the smooth bronze of his skin. He used his
hands to lift her legs so that they were settled on top
of his. "Better?" he asked.

"Much," she said, with emphasis. "Have you ridden
with a lady in your saddle before, cowboy?"

Kade shook his head as he looked down into her
eyes.

She playfully wiggled her brows as she brought her
hands down to the front of his shirt. "You have about
a million of these shirts, right?" she asked coyly.

"I wouldn't say a million, but I have a lot-"

"So you won't mind me doing this?" Garcelle
tore the shirt open, and the buttons flew, exposing
his chiseled chest, lightly covered with soft and flat silver hairs. She lowered her head and circled one
of his nipples with her very clever tongue.

Kade swallowed a lump in his throat. "Nope. I ...
uh ... I don't mind at all."

Garcelle gave his nipple one last rollover with her
tongue before she sat up straight, pulled her T-shirt
over her head, and flung it over her head. Her bra
followed next. She enjoyed the warmth of Kade's
eyes on her as she gave her free breasts a little
shimmy and shake. "Last one in sucks big time," she
told him playfully.

She lifted her leg back over to sit sidesaddle
before she jumped down to the ground to continue
stripping off her clothes.

"Depending on what I have to suck, I might like
to lose this one."

Garcelle flung her lace panties up to him with
a flick of her foot. "That's the same thing I was
thinking. "

Kade pressed her lingerie closer to his face to
inhale deeply of her scent before he dismounted
the horse and tied its reins to a bush. He stared at
her as he removed his clothes and boots.

Garcelle bit the side of her index finger as she
watched Kade stride around in the buff like he
knew just how damn good his body looked to her.
Defined muscles other men dreamed of and most
women wanted flexed as he reached into the saddlebag for a blanket. Wide shoulders. Strong back.
Square buttocks. Toned thighs. Killer calves.

And then he turned and stepped toward her. She
swallowed hard as her eyes went back to work. Solid
chest. Defined, rock-hard abs. Impressive . . .
lengthy ... solid ... pleasuring ... hard.

"Don't stare. It might drop off," Kade teased.

Her eyes jumped up from his crotch to his face
before she stepped forward, pressed the length of
her body against his, and snaked her arms around
his neck.

Kade brought his hands up to cup her buttocks
as Garcelle planted smooth kisses along his collarbone. "I thought you wanted to cool off?" he said.

"Later. Right now I like being hot," Garcelle whispered.

Kade kissed her deeply as they lowered their
bodies to the plush blades of grass. Garcelle opened
her legs wide for him as he settled his muscled frame
atop her body. Soon their mingled cries of fiery passion drifted high up to the skies.

Kade massaged Garcelle's lower back as she lay
atop his body. He felt her heart beating against his
rib cage. He enjoyed the steady in and out of her
breathing. He cherished the feeling of her body
against his. "To think we ... uh ... thought this watering hole was only good for swimming," he mused
as he placed one arm under his head on the blanket.

Garcelle lifted her head from his chest to look up
at him, with a soft smile. "Which memory will you
treasure more? Making love here or swimming here?"

Kade caressed her face with his eyes. "Why not
make a whole new memory?"

"What's that?"

"Make love while swimming."

Garcelle looked contemplative before she suddenly
jumped to her feet. "The bet is still on, you know," she
told him as she nudged his foot with her own.

Kade looked up at her body, framed by sunlight,
and he swore he'd never seen a more beautiful sight than her caramel skin, softly rounded shoulders,
small but plump breasts, and deeply curved hips,
with the most divine set of legs God ever blessed a
woman with. She playfully stuck out her tongue at
him before she tossed her hair from her face and
turned to run and jump headfirst into the water.

He loved her spirit. Her spunk. Her fire. Her passion. She wore her emotions on her sleeve. Be it
anger, pleasure, happiness, sadness, or desire, there
was no mistaking what Garcelle felt. Nothing was
hidden. Nothing at all.

Kade jumped to his feet and dived into the water
behind her. It felt like cool silk wrapped around his
body, from his head to his toes. He opened his eyes
under the water and caught the image of Garcelle's
nude body as she swam to the top. He doubted
there was a more magical sight than that.

He swam toward her and wrapped his arms
around her as they broke the surface of the water
together. The water plastered their hair against
their heads. They took deep breaths and looked at
each other. His heart surged as he kissed her, and
they moved their bodies backward. The water intensified the already smooth feel of her body as she
wrapped her legs around his waist. He pressed her
against the bank, and her hands came up to rest
lightly on his shoulders.

"Garcelle," he moaned against her lips and then
her cheeks.

"Yes," Garcelle whispered, with a small gasp,
which let him know that everything he did was just
right.

He kissed her chin.

"Yes."

Her neck.

"Yes, Kade. Yes."

Her shoulders ... from the left to the right.

"Yes."

Her collarbone.

"Umm."

Her lips again.

"Oh.

And again.

"Ooh."

And again.

"Kade."

And again.

"Kale.

He deepened the kiss as the temperature of the
water seemed to change from the heat of their
bodies. "Garcelle, we used the condoms I had. I'm
all out."

She dropped her head on his shoulder ... several times.

He chuckled as he pressed the side of his face
against hers. "Come on. I have to get back, anyway,"
he said, with obvious regret.

Garcelle lifted her body up onto the edge of the
bank. She bent her legs in front of him. Kade's eyes
smoldered as he moved forward in the water. At the
water's edge, he kissed Garcelle, blazing a trail from
her knee to her core. Garcelle stood up quickly and
then pressed her foot to his forehead and sent him
flying backwards into the water. "We have to go, remember?" she teased as she raced around the small
pond to their pile of discarded clothing.

She was bending over, drying her legs off with the
blanket, when Kade walked up to her. He slapped
her bottom soundly with his palm before he reached
into the saddlebag for another rolled-up blanket. They eyed each other mischievously as they finished
getting dressed.

"So swimming or making love?" she asked him in
a breathy voice as she dropped down to the ground
to pull on her socks and sneakers.

Kade wiped his hands over his mouth before he
stepped forward to help her to her feet. He immediately pulled her body against his and bent his
head to nuzzle her neck. "Definitely making love."

Garcelle laughed.

He helped her climb onto the saddle before he
untied the horse and climbed on behind her.
"Ready to head back to the real world?" he asked as
he turned the horse around.

Garcelle turned and gave the pond one last look
before she glanced up at Kade. She nodded. With
one final kiss, she turned back around in the saddle.
"I wish we could have a picnic right here."

"We can come back another day."

"Promise?" she asked.

Kade settled his hand lightly around her waist. "I
promise.

In just another week, her position as Kadina's
nanny would end for the summer as Kadina returned to school and Garcelle resumed her university classes. Of course, the end of the summer
position didn't mean the end of their relationship,
but he felt saddened by it, anyway. He was going to
miss her presence around the house.

They rode in comfortable silence through the
emerald green lands and towering trees to the uncluttered and open plains before the noises of the
ranch began to reach them.

Kade allowed himself one last sniff of her hair as
he trotted through the ranch to the main house. He dismounted, then helped Garcelle down off the
horse, with regret. Even after three hours of being
with her, he already missed her. So quickly, she had
become so important to his life. He wished for the
comfort and ease of being able to offer his woman a
kiss as they parted, but he just stepped back from her

Kadina raced out onto the porch to meet them.
His mother and sister followed at a slower pace. "I
thought y'all wasn't ever coming back," Kadina said,
moving down the steps to throw her arm around
Garcelle's waist.

"I was showing Garcelle the ranch," Kade said,
climbing back into the saddle.

Kaitlyn and his mother shared a brief look before
they both murmured, "Uh-huh," with obvious disbelief.

"Kadina, let's get ready to go," Garcelle said, ignoring the women's teasing smiles. "We still have to
go by Uncle Kahron's, remember?"

"Bye, Nana. Bye, Auntie," Kadina hollered over
her shoulder before she climbed into the back of
Garcelle's convertible.

"Bye, everyone," said Garcelle. She gave Kade
one last look and a half smile before she climbed
into the driver's seat and reversed in a semicircle,
then accelerated down the driveway.

Kade waved as Kadina turned in her seat. "Don't
be late, Daddy," she called to him.

"Big brother, there's nothing that interesting
around this ranch that takes three hours to show
anybody," Kaitlyn said, very tongue in cheek. "What
on earth were you two doing?"

"Yes, son," Lisha added. "Your father called looking
for you. He said one of the calves is about to foal-"

Kade tipped his baseball cap to them. "Then, ladies, I better get back to work." He smiled as soon
as his back was turned to them.

"I been dreaming about fish, Kade," his mother
called behind him.

"It's not me, Ma," he called back over his shoulder as he trotted away.

Kahron and Bianca laughed as her stomach
growled quite loudly. It seemed to echo in the interior of his vintage Mustang. "Hungry, baby?" he
asked her as he reached over to squeeze her thigh.

"Starving," she answered, with emphasis. I begged
your daddy to make me some okra stew. I am dying
for some good okra stew."

"I'm dying to know what their big news is." Kahron
eased the car around the turn leading to his parents'
home. "And if it's about her fish dreams, I'm going
to scream."

"Oh my God. Your mother has called me every
day for the last week, talking about fish and babies
and prenatal vitamins!" Bianca covered her face
with her hands. "Yes, I don't want to hear nothing
'bout birthin' no babies."

Kahron laughed as he pulled the car to a stop in
between Kade's SUV and Kaeden's silver Mercedes
Benz. "She is hell-bent and determined that there
is another grand on the way."

"Well, it's not us," Bianca said as they climbed out
of the low-slung car.

"Not yet, anyway," Kahron added. "But soon."

Bianca looked at him as he jogged up the stairs.
"Real ... soon?" she asked in surprise.

Kahron turned, his face framed by the porch
light as he looked down at her. "Hell, yeah. Right?"

She smiled as she nodded and slipped her hand
into his. "Right."

Kade looked up from watching a sports news
show on the television as Kahron and Bianca walked
into the house together. His brother hugged his
wife close to his side before he kissed her forehead
as they greeted everyone.

Kade literally ached for Garcelle to be there with
him. She should have been there with him. They
had plans to meet up and go to the movies later,
but right now he missed her there with him, enjoying the fun and craziness of his big family. Just
being close to him.

He just didn't know if he was ready to inform the
world about his business. For so long, his family
and friends had worried him about getting back
into the dating game. As soon as they knew about
Garcelle, it would be all about marriage and more
babies. Hell, his momma was already talking to him,
of all people, about fish dreams. Up until a little
over a month ago, he'd been celibate for the last
few years. And now that he was putting his skills
back to use, he always practiced safe sex.

"Why does Kaleb always have to be late?" Kael
grumbled as he walked over to look out the window.
"I'm hungry as hell."

"Cool your heels, Kael Strong. You think I don't
know you been sneaking in the kitchen, picking at
the food?" Lisha shot back at him calmly.

Their children all laughed as Kael suddenly
belched and then looked contrite.

"Hungry my ass," Lisha grumbled.

Kahron dropped down onto the sofa, beside
Kade. "There's talk you and Garcelle were looking
mighty cozy riding a horse together last week," he
said for Kade's ears only.