Hot Like Fire (12 page)

She sat back on her heels in the bathroom and
stared off at a nothing spot on the wall. Everything
had become so complicated so quickly. Discovering
that Kade might be feeling her the same way that
she was feeling him just kicked it all up a notch. She
had been catching all kinds of hell resisting him,
but to have to resist a desire they both felt?

Kade Strong was not ready. Point blank.

There was a knock at the front door. Garcelle
pushed away thoughts of steamy first kisses and
naughty horseback rides as she walked to the living
room. Her steps faltered when she looked through
the glass screen door and saw Joaquin standing on
the porch.

She had to admit that he was looking good even
in a dusty T-shirt with the sleeves torn off and wellworn jeans. "What are you doing here, Joaquin?"
she asked through the thin glass.

"I was dropping some of my crew home out here,
and I saw your car," he said as his eyes cruised up
and down her body in the terry-cloth strapless dress
she wore.

Garcelle made an irritated face. "And?"

He flung his head back and laughed before he
fixed his eyes on her. "Garcelle, why you always
bustin' my balls?"

"Because you wanted to play with your balls in
other chicas' playgrounds."

He pressed his hand to the door. "For real, Garcelle. Can't we start over? Can't we even be friends?
Yo, we been through a lot, and I miss your ass, baby."

Garcelle saw the sincerity in his eyes. She motioned
with her hands for him to back up; then she opened
the door and stepped out onto the porch. "Sometimes I miss you, too, but I don't trust you no more."

"All I'm saying is give me another chance, Garcelle. Let me spend some time with you. I f'ed up,
but I never cheated on you, and you know that."

`Joaquin ..."

He reached out and took her hands in his. "Nothing serious then. Just a date. Let me take you to
dinner or something."

Garcelle released a heavy breath. Joaquin was the
only man she knew. He did hurt her when he ended
their relationship, but only people you cared about
had the power to hurt you. Maybe a few nights out
on the town wouldn't be so bad. Joaquin might be
just what she needed to get over Kade.

And get over him was exactly what she needed to
do, because there was no way she could win a battle
against the spirit of his dead wife.

The phone rang, and she slipped her hands out
of his to walk into the house and answer it. "Hello."

"Garcelle, hey. This is Bianca. You busy?"

"What's up?" Garcelle turned her back to
Joaquin.

"My dad's throwing a big cookout tomorrow, and
I wanted to invite you and your family."

"You want me to bring something?" Garcelle
offered.

"Nothing but those big old legs if you feel like
dancing," Bianca joked.

Garcelle laughed. "I always feel like dancing, so
I'll be there."

"I'm glad you're coming because we haven't seen
each other in a minute."

Garcelle nodded as she turned back to eye Joaquin
through the glass door. "Listen ... Can I bring
a date?"

Kade glanced at the time on his cell phone as he
climbed the steps of his home. He and his crew had
worked double time to finish up their work so that
they would be able to attend the big cookout over
at King Ranch. He was dusty and tired. His ribs had
a dull ache, and he was starving.

He kicked off his boots at the front door and
stripped as he made his way up the stairs and into
his bedroom. Zorrie and Kadina were already at the
cookout, so he had the house to himself. He walked
through his open bedroom door.

"Kade!"

He looked up to find Zorrie walking out of his
bathroom. He quickly covered his privates with his
hands-as best he could-as she whirled around.
"Zorrie, what the hell are you doing here?" he
roared as he snatched the comforter from the bed
and wrapped it around his waist.

"I thought it would be nice if I ran you a hot bath
and got an outfit ready for you to wear to the cookout," she explained.

"Where's Kadina?" he asked, feeling annoyed.

"I left her at the cookout, with Garcelle," she said.

"Garcelle's there?" he asked. His stomach tightened at the thought of her.

"Are you still naked?" Zorrie asked.

"No."

She turned, holding a pair of his jeans and a shirt
against her chest. He frowned when he noticed a
pair of his boxers in her arms as well. She must
have seen his aggravation, because she immediately
set the items on his bed.

"The guy with her sure is good-looking."

Kade froze on his way to the bathroom. His head
whipped around, and he pierced Zorrie with his
eyes. "Garcelle brought a dude?" he asked, showing
his surprise.

Zorrie nodded before she walked to the door.
"She's an okay-looking girl. You sound surprised
that she would have a boyfriend, Kade."

He thought of another man with Garcelle, and he couldn't deny that the rumbling in his stomach was
nothing but the green-eyed monster ... jealousy.

"You go ahead and get dressed. I'll just ride back
over with you. No need for two cars," said Zorrie.
She left the room, closing the door behind her.

But Kade barely paid her any mind as he dropped
the comforter to the floor and walked into the bathroom. "Man, what the hell?"

The tub was indeed filled with water. He knew
Zorrie was just trying to be helpful, but it was irritating to him that she had been in his room and in
his clothes.

Not as irritating as seeing Garcelle with another man.

This thought seemed to pop out of nowhere. He
had no right to feel so possessive about Garcelle.
None at all.

He sat down on the edge of the tub and then
reached down to lift the drain.

Podria enamorarme de ti muy, muy facilmente.

Kade's heart swelled in his chest at the memory
of her words. He wished he knew the meaning. Regardless, the words had touched him. Just like the
look in her eyes as they stood on that porch.

He'd felt that same intensity that day they first
met, on Kahron's porch ... and again when she
took center stage, dancing at Kahron and Bianca's
wedding reception. That day she had made him
feel like she danced just for him.

The long muscle hanging down between his thighs
stirred. The thought of Garcelle caused his blood
to rush. When he rose to his feet, his penis hung
heavily away from his muscled frame. The thought
of Garcelle wanting him ... desiring him ... made
him hard.

Kade massaged the full ten-inch length of it as he stepped into the tub and turned the shower on full
blast. He was glad for that first jolt of cool water
before it warmed up. His hardness eased, but he
knew it would take more than cold water to get Garcelle out of his system.

She had made him feel alive again.

Still ... he was a man, not an animal. He was in
control of his actions. He had no intention of pursuing Garcelle Santos. None at all.

The devil made me do it.

That was the only explanation Garcelle could give
for why she'd chosen to wear the same crimson red
sundress that she'd worn to Kahron and Bianca's
wedding reception. Although she was normally
dressed casually in shorts or jeans, she did have plenty
of other more formal outfits she could have worn.
Nothing but el diablo had made her reach in her
closet for that dress.

Over the rim of her cup, Garcelle surveyed the
large crowd of people enjoying the festivities on the
front lawn and in the backyard of Hank King's
home. She turned as she felt Joaquin's hand at the
small of her back. It was an odd moment to discover that his touch of her bare skin did nothing to
her. No shivers. No heat. No chemistry.

"Having fun ... ? " asked Joaquin.

The rest of his words faded into nothing when she
caught sight of Kade's SUV pulling into the yard.
Her hand clutched her cup tighter as she suddenly
felt thirsty and hot. Her breath caught in her throat
as he parked and climbed out of the vehicle, in a black polo and jeans. The color of his shirt emphasized his silver hair and the deep bronze of his skin.

She fanned herself with her hand as she took a
sip of her punch. Her eyes widened as Kade strode
around the SUV and opened the passenger door.
Those eyes hardened at the sight of him helping
Zorrie exit the vehicle. Those eyes pierced the
couple as they strode together toward the rest of
the partygoers.

When Kade looked in her direction from across
the yard, Garcelle held his stare for a long time,
before Zorrie said something to draw his attention.
Garcelle turned her back to them and reached up
to wipe an imaginary crumb from Joaquin's sculptured cheek.

Joaquin smiled as he slid his hand across her
back and pulled her a bit closer. He bent down to
whisper in her ear. "We look good together, Mami.
We'd make beautiful babies."

Nothing. Here she was with a gorgeous man who
she knew was great in bed, and she felt absolutely
nothing.

Garcelle leaned back to look into his eyes. "Nice
and slow. No rush, remember?"

Joaquin smiled and kissed her forehead. "Remember? You won't let me forget, beautiful."

"Bingo," she said, reaching down to entwine his
fingers with her own. She pulled him behind her.
"Let's go and get something to eat."

As they got in line to fix a plate from the buffetstyle spread, Garcelle didn't miss the odd expression her father gave her at seeing her and Joaquin
together. She ignored his eyes. If she wanted to
spend a little time with her ex-boyfriend, it wasn't
anyone's business but her own.

She glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes fell
right on Kahron and Bianca laughing together. She
looked away from them as jealousy gripped her like
a vice.

Bianca left the kitchen to carry a platter of deviled
eggs to the buffet table. She smiled at folks as she
made her way over to the grill, where her father,
Kahron, and a few older gentlemen were doing
more talking and laughing than anything.

Kahron wrapped his arm around Bianca's shoulders when she reached his side. "Hey, B," he said.

Bianca kissed his cheek before she looked over
his broad shoulder at the men loudly talking trash
as they played whist inside the open garage. A
Southern cookout wouldn't be a Southern cookout
without a deck of fifty-two. "You're not playing?"
she asked, knowing how much Kahron loved to
play whist.

"Yeah, me and one of them Jamison twins are
paired up," he said, sticking his hand inside the rear
pocket of her snug jeans. "We got down behind the
other Jamison twin and Kaleb."

She turned to her father. "Daddy, where's Mimi?"
Bianca asked, looking around for what she was sure
would be the loudest outfit ever created.

Hank grunted as he opened the lid of the industrial-sized grill. "I think she's still getting dressed. Go
check on her for me," he requested as the smoke
from the grill rose thickly around him.

"No problem," said Bianca. She gave Kahron a
playful pinch on his buttocks before she went around
the side of the house to the front. She smiled and
waved at Anika and Chloe, the wives of the Jamison twins, who were walking together toward the rear of
the house.

As she walked into the house, Bianca gave a friendly
smile to a petite woman sitting alone on the porch.

"Bianca."

Bianca stepped back through the front door and
onto the porch. "Yes?" she said politely as she looked
down at the woman.

"It's me, sweetie."

Bianca's eyes widened as Mimi stood up before
her. Bianca gasped as she circled Mimi and took it
all in-or rather took in the lack of it all. Gone was
the French roll, replaced by a more subdued ponytail. Mimi's face-her naturally pretty face-was
free of all the layers of make-up. She wore a white
tank and a pair of capris.

"Mi-mi," Bianca said in astonishment. My God,
you're a foot shorter without that big old hairdo."

Mimi crossed her arms over her chest. "Stick to
being a vet, because comedy isn't your forte," she said
in a husky voice. "Listen, I need to talk to you-"

Bianca stepped back as her mouth dropped open,
and she pointed accusingly at Mimi. "What happened to your voice?"

Mimi grabbed Bianca's hand. "Can you be any
louder, or should I get you a mic and a spotlight?"
she snapped sarcastically.

Bianca looked around and saw that a few sets of
eyes were indeed on them.

Mimi continued. "Listen. I really like your father,
and I want this to work, and ... I know I can be
over the top with the whole Mimi thing. And ...
and ... to be honest, since your daddy came into
my life, I don't even want to put on any more-"

Bianca was confused, and she knew it showed on
her face. "Mimi, are you drunk?"

"No," Mimi snapped forcibly. "You know what,
Bianca? Never mind. To hell with it."

Mimi brushed past her and walked down the
stairs and over to Hank. Bianca was left to wonder
what she had done to anger Mimi.

"Aren't those two a mess?" Lisha Strong asked her
sons Kaeden and Kaleb when she walked up to them.

Both of the men nodded without asking for further explanation. There wasn't a need for any. For
the last thirty minutes, they'd watched Kade and Garcelle play the game of staring at each other openly
and watching the other without letting the other
know what they were doing.

"It's so obvious they want each other that they're
making me warm under the collar just watching
them," Kaleb drawled before he tilted his head
back to empty the can of beer he held.

"Don't you just love it," Lisha said, with delight,
as she watched Kade and Garcelle share another
heated stare.

No matter how much he forced himself to look
away from her, his eyes eventually sought and found
Garcelle. Kade couldn't take his eyes off of her.
Nothing else held his attention. As the sun set and
the skies darkened, he watched her. As the crowd
began to thin in numbers, he watched her. In fact,
he was glad when his sister came and pulled Zorrie
from his side to socialize with the rest of the women
in the front yard.