You'll Think of Me (12 page)

The doorbell rang, splitting the growing tension. Once Melanie scooted around Rhett, she answered the door. When she peeked through the glass in the front door, Hayden gave her a half-grin. She sighed and twisted the knob. “I forgot about our meeting. Won’t you come in?”

When Hayden strolled into the kitchen, his radio scratched and popped. “Sorry.” The more he fiddled with the dial, the louder the scratches became.

Cade’s voice thundered through the room. “Turn it off,
now
!”

As Melanie clutched Rhett’s arm, her heart pounded. Ginnifer screamed and clasped her hands over her mouth. Triumphant, Hayden turned the radio down.

Pointing to the laptop, Cade shoved past Hayden and crossed the room in three strides and. Anger and frustration twisted his features. Fire burned in his eyes. “Give me the fucking CD!”

Melanie fumbled as she ejected the disc. “Here.” She handed him the offending object. She’d never seen such fury overloading his system. She should’ve been scared, but she wasn’t. She would help him face his demons.

As Rhett shoved in front of Melanie, he knocked the disc from her grip. It clattered to the hardwood floor. “What’s gotten into you, dude? She’s not hurting anyone.”

Getting in Rhett’s face, Cade spat his reply. “No?”

Rhett stood an inch from Cade, not backing down. “No.”

Ginnifer cackled over Cade’s shoulder. “See, I told you he didn’t want to be with Melanie.” Her crimson tipped fingers snaked across his chest. “Why don’t we go upstairs? I want to show you my new piercing on my pussy lips. Plus I have some wonderful news.”

Irritation and disgust edging up her spine, Melanie curled her fists. “Oh really? And what would that be?” She shifted, so not to block the camera. “Please do tell us.” She clenched her teeth to keep saying something snarky.

Notching her chin, Ginny continued her venomous glare. “No. I’ll wait until Cade and I are alone. It’s private.” She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Let’s go upstairs, baby.”

“Go to hell, Ginny.” Cade turned, clenching and unclenching his fists. Sweat beaded on his brow. “Leave me alone.”

“But we’re meant to be one!” Ginny wailed. “We belong together!”

Rhett and Melanie said in tandem. “Shut up!”

Melanie’s cell phone bleated with an incoming call. Shit. She fumbled to silence the irksome ringtone. No matter how hard, she tried, the thing wouldn’t mute.

“Make it stop! Make it stop!” Cade’s brows knotted and deep creases formed around his eyes. He balled his fists on either side of his head. His teeth clenched as he sank to the floor beside the island dividing the two rooms. He clutched his head and curled into a ball. “Just make it all stop. I can’t save them!”

Melanie slithered out from behind Rhett, only to have him pull her back. “Do something, Hayden. He’s unhinged.”

Ginnifer backed away from Cade. “Don’t you dare touch me, you lunatic!” Her eyes widened. “Oh my God. What I did for you!” As soon as the words left her mouth, she clamped her lips shut. Her cheeks blazed a deep red.

Anger at a boiling point, Melanie let her emotions go and knelt next to Cade. She wrapped her arms around him and stared Ginnifer in the eye. “What did you do?”

“Nothing. Forget I said anything.” Ginnifer shrugged. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“A chunk of your hair is singed.” Hayden edged behind her. Curiosity tinged his voice. “It tends to happen when you play with matches. Want to tell me about it?”

“Ignore my hair and ignore me,” she snapped. “I need to leave.”

“You can go once I get your statement.” Hayden palmed his radio. “Yes, I have lots of questions for you.”

“Oh please. If I wanted to hurt you, it wasn’t gonna be a fire.” Ginnifer stepped forward, stabbing her finger in Melanie’s face. “You were only hurt a little bit. No real harm, no foul.”

Hayden cleared his throat. “So you freely admit to starting the fire?”

With a gasp, Ginnifer’s eyes widened as she realised her folly. “Uh—no. I didn’t do anything.”

“Really?” Hayden crooked a brow with deceptive laziness. “Want to stick with your answer?”

“This is a set-up!” Ginny screamed while she inched to the door. Hayden grasped her shoulder halting her furtive movements. Her shrill voice ricocheted through the room. “You can’t prove what I said or didn’t say! I’m innocent!”

Melanie narrowed her eyes and rubbed Cade’s shoulder as she curled up next to him. “Oh, no?” She nodded over her shoulder. “See the bookshelf and the little red light? Smile, you’re on the CPD cam!”

Tears and makeup streamed down Ginnifer’s face. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. You were supposed to love
me—not her!
”

“Ms. Larkin, we need to talk down at the sheriff’s department.” Hayden grasped her wrists, tugging them behind her back. Although she struggled against his grip, he secured the cuffs on her wrists. As Hayden walked out the door, he read Ginnifer her rights. A moment later, he strolled back into the room and snagged the camcorder from the shelf. “She’s locked in the cruiser. Thanks, Melanie.”

Rhett threw his hands in the air. “Wait! I’m lost. How the fuck did you know it was Ginn?”

“In the debris, we located the source of the fire. Ginnifer’s fingerprints were on the reconstructed bottle shards on the living room floor.” Hayden nodded to Melanie. “Through the grapevine at the hospital, I heard about Ms. Larkin’s visit to Melanie’s room. So I started digging into her background. At seventeen, she was accused but never arrested for torching the shed in her father’s backyard. One of her ex-boyfriend’s took out a temporary restraining order on her in January. To compound her problems, we received an anonymous tip. Someone saw a person matching Ms. Larkin’s exact description leaving the scene of the blaze. Now, if you don’t mind, duty calls. ” He dipped his head strode out the front door.

Raking his fingers through his hair, Rhett groaned. “You sure know how to pick ‘em, Cade.”

Melanie punched Rhett in the arm. “Hayden suspected Ginnifer, but he needed her to confess. I needed to help him in order to help Cade.” She hugged Cade close to her body. “You can tell me everything when you're ready, baby. I'm here to listen.”

Cade struggled to catch his breath. He rocked in her embrace. “I still see it. All of it. I want my damned life back. I want the life I had three years ago before you walked away. I saw the fire and knew I could lose you for good.”

Tears pricked her eyes. She wasn’t a psychologist, but she could see the hurt. Things made so much more sense…the anger, the nightmares, the night sweats and the violence. She clenched her teeth, sharing his pent-up emotions. His scars ran deep. “Cade, I’ll hold you as long as you need me to. I won’t run away from you.”

His shoulders shook. “I can’t be a fucking sissy! I can’t.”

Melanie kissed his temple. “Even badasses need a time to break.”

Cade snorted and stilled.

She rested her forehead on the top of his head. “You’ll never be a sissy, but you have to give credence to your feelings. Baby, talk to me.”

Cade nodded and began to speak, allowing her to see the desolation in his mind. “I still see the guys in the rubble. The smell of the fire and smoke stays with me, even in my dreams. I hear their screams every night and know I still can’t help. I failed my men and all those civilians we were supposed to be there to defend. Some of my guys were just boys.”

Keeping his body close to hers, Melanie leaned against the kitchen cabinet. She stroked the prickly hair at the back of his neck. “Cade, you did your job. No one faults you.”

“I hear those songs and remember all the times we spent working on those planes, drinking, laughing, and then the bottom fell out.” Cade scrubbed a hand over his face. His shoulders went slack. “I cared about my men. It makes me sick.”

“Why did you have to be so rough with Melanie?” With a grunt, Rhett sat on the floor next to them.

Cade ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up at odd angles. His jaw clenched and unclenched. “Everything else I loved fell apart, Rhett. I decided that Melanie didn’t need to see my failures any longer. I wanted to escape the hurt and memories, but the further I pushed her away, the more I couldn’t let go. My fear won’t subside and I’m afraid I’m too far gone.”

Melanie kissed his forehead. “I’ll never truly understand what you went through, but I won’t leave you ever again. I’ll stay with you, Cade and we’ll chase the demons out together. We’re stuck together for a lifetime, so you’d better get used to it. ”

He looked up and cupped her face in his strong hands. “Melly, it’s not about understanding. I…I love you. I crave your body, mind and heart. But you don’t want a broken and tormented old Airman like me. I’ve seen hell up close.”

She kissed the tip of his nose. “Marry me.”

Tears shimmered in his eyes. He couldn’t believe what he heard. “What?”

Rhett stuck his fingers in his ears and shook his head. “My hearing is fine, so I know what I just heard, but I don’t believe it. Mels, you can’t be serious.”

Melanie brushed the tears and sweat from Cade’s cheeks. She kissed him hard on the lips. “I asked you to marry me. I know the truth about Anna and I feel foolish for doubting you for so long. I’m sorry I wasted so much time.”

Somehow the pain and emptiness Cade had carried melted away into understanding. Although he didn’t comprehend all the emotions swirling within him, he wasn’t a pussy. With her help, maybe he could find the light at the end of the tunnel and get through anything.

Rhett folded his arms. “Well, what’s the answer, man? If you don’t accept her offer, I will. Wanna move to Kansas with me, Mel?”

Cade straightened and took her in his arms. Everything he ever wanted sat before him. “I can’t let you go, babe.”

Rhett stood and interrupted the tender mood. “I told you this would work out, but you two never listen to me.” He strolled down the hall shaking his head. “I swear, I am so much smarter than anyone gives me credit for…but do you agree with me? Noooooo,” he muttered as he disappeared into his room. The door snicked shut, echoing in the quiet room.

Cade dropped his head to her shoulder and snapped back to a serious manner. “I earned an honourable discharge because of injuries sustained in a combat zone. I’m not going back into combat, so you’re stuck with me. You’re sure you can handle my demons?”

“The demons don’t scare me as much as losing you does.” Melanie sighed. “I never could get you out of my system.”

He cradled her skull in his hands, turning her to face him. “I always thought of you. Look.” He tapped his chest, directing her attention to the tattoo she’d seen so many times. He’d had the extra phrase,
My Melanie
added only two days before. More tears formed in her eyes and he brushed them away with his kisses. Being able to show her the added dimension of his devotion soothed a bit more of the devastation in his soul.

“Cade.” She smoothed her fingers over the calligraphic lettering, tracing each curve and eliciting pain combined with the sweet pleasure of her approval. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Melly, you never really left me. I wanted to die in the hospital in Germany, but I needed to live to come home to you. Even if you pushed me away, I knew I couldn’t take another. You’re in my heart and soul. I’m not me without you, babe. I love you.”

She laughed through the tears streaming down her cheeks. “You know, I think you’re getting the hang of mushy—and I love it.”

Cade shifted to produce the engagement ring from his jeans pocket. Time to unload another burden.

She gasped. “Cade, that’s your mother’s ring. You…you kept it with you, all this time?”

He offered the delicate piece of jewellery to her. “Life won’t be easy living with me. I’ve got a lot of scars inside and out. I can’t always be the badass Airman you want. Can you accept me?”

“I always did.”

“I dragged this damn ring with me all the way to Afghanistan to remind me how much I still loved you. Once we split, I couldn’t begin to fathom offering it to another woman. I wanted you and only you to wear it with pride. Will you take my last name?”

She stuck out her left hand. “Yes, without a doubt, yes!”

Cade slipped the ring onto her finger and scooped her into his arms. “Make my splintered spirit whole.” He placed a chaste kiss on her lips, tasting her. Giving her time to adjust to the change in their relationship, in case she changed her mind at the last minute.

“Huh-uh, big guy.” She fisted her hand in his T-shirt. “I want all of you—right now. Make love to me.”

Cade captured her mouth in a primal kiss, rediscovering every nuance of her he thought he’d never experience again. His cock hardened beneath his jeans and pressed against her denim-clad pussy. Melanie backed away from him long enough to rip the tank top over her head and toss the cotton garment onto the floor. Her bra soon joined it and her nipples pebbled under his inspection.

Her bold move kicked his desire top a fever pitch. “I won’t be able to last or be as gentle as you deserve.”

“Perfect. I want this hard and fast.” With nimble fingers, she helped him out of his T-shirt. “I plan to move this upstairs when we finish here.”

Hell fucking yeah. Cade sprawled on the floor, draping Melanie across his bare chest. The skin-to-skin contact seared him. He worked the elastic out of her hair and tangled his fingers in the silken tresses. A sense of calm washed over her him. For the first time in a long stretch, he felt at peace, like he belonged with her, in her arms.

He stared at the picture she made—her blonde hair framing her angelic face. A smile on her slightly parted kiss-swollen lips. Danger smouldered in her eyes, knocking his tenuous grasp on control to the edge. The heady scent of her arousal trickled over him, turning him on and inside out. Her breasts plumped against his chest.

God, he loved her.

“What are you looking at?” she whispered.

“You.” Cade slipped his hand between their bodies to pop the button on her jean shorts. Grasping the waistband, he shoved the fabric past her hips. She shivered and clutched his shoulders. Her hips pulsed, seemingly against her will, rubbing her clit against his throbbing cock. “I need to be inside you.” He rolled her onto her back and shucked his pants to his thighs. He watched as Melanie opened her legs, welcoming him into her pussy. She slid her index finger over her slick nether lips, teasing him as she bumped his dick with the gentle caress of her knuckles. The sight of her touching herself combined with the feather light teases sent a jolt of electricity along the length of his spine.