“To answer your question, yes. I really enjoy my bikes.”
“Wow! Bikes as in plural, huh?”
“Yeah! My brothers and I are quite the adventurous types. We usually use my truck to haul our bikes, ATVs, Jet Skis, you know. Right now I’ve got my eye on a cruiser.”
Cadence wasn’t quite sure what he meant by a cruiser but just assumed it was another type of motorcycle. Those things were excessively dangerous for her liking. She didn’t miss the gleam in his eyes as he talked about what appeared to be his favorite pastime.
“You ever ride?”
“No!” she practically sang, shaking her head as if the thought of her riding was completely absurd. “I’ve never even been on a scooter.”
“Maybe I could take you for a ride one day.”
“Thanks, but no thanks!”
Blake just laughed. “There’s a pizza shop right up here. What should we order?” he asked as he cut a left on Hempstead Turnpike.
“I think three pies should do it. We can do a cheese pizza, one with pepperoni and one with some kind of veggies,” Cadence said.
“That’s cool. That way, we’ll have everyone’s tastes covered.”
Blake and Cadence continued to make small talk as they ordered and waited for the pies. Once they were back in the truck, a companionable silence settled between them. He managed to get the same prime parking spot next to the entrance of the gymnasium.
Blake turned off the engine, but instead of getting out, he simply sat back. Cadence wondered for a second, trying to figure out why he wasn’t moving.
“Cadence.”
Dang it! Every time that man called her name, it did something inexplicable to her. “Yes?” Her voice was mousy. She cleared her throat and tried again. “What’s up?”
“I’d really like to get your number.”
“Really?” Cadence’s brows scrunched. She knew she was picking up signs, but she really didn’t believe he’d be interested in her for any reasonable length of time. She remembered the sexy women that poured all over him at the mixer. She wasn’t interested in casual sex or other meaningless relationships, so why bother wasting either of their time?
“Why do you seem surprised?”
“I...well...” She paused for a moment, getting her thoughts together. She didn’t want to come across as harsh. “I’ve got a lot on my plate right now and...”
“Do you eat?”
“What?”
“You’re about to tell me about how you don’t have time to go out, but you have to eat, right?”
“Yes.” She let the word out slowly, narrowing her eyes at him. She knew where this was going. Blake wasn’t taking no for an answer. It was obvious that he was probably used to getting his way with women.
“So don’t worry about making time. Just let me treat you to a nice meal.”
Cadence released a sound that started like a grunt but ended like a chuckle.
Blake pulled out his phone tapped the screen a few times before speaking again. “You eat on Fridays, right?”
Cadence nodded her head. “Yes. Blake.”
“Okay. So wait until about eight o’clock next Friday night to have your dinner. I’ll pick you up and bring you right back so you can continue tackling all that stuff you have piled up on this plate you’re talking about. Now, what’s your number?” he said, holding his phone up, waiting to tap in the information.
Cadence obliged, giving him her number.
“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Blake teased. “I’m dialing you so my number will be in your phone. Store it now.”
Cadence shook her head again. “You’re pushy!” she teased back.
“Come on. Let’s get these pizzas inside,” Blake said as if he was giving her an order, before trotting to the passenger side to help her out of the truck.
The same tingling sensation that crept across her skin the first time he touched her returned when he took her hand. Cadence slid down, landing in the small space left for her between the car door and Blake’s body. At first, Blake didn’t move. He kept her there, sandwiched between him and the vehicle. Cadence narrowed her eyes at him and with a sly grin he stepped aside, grabbed the boxes of pizzas from the back and led the way inside.
Cadence knew then that there was no way she’d be able to go to dinner with him next Friday night. There were far too many reasons why she simply shouldn’t. Blake was a playboy and an attorney—two things that she tried her best to avoid at all costs. Most important, she wasn’t about to be caught up with the type of man who casually ran through women. She’d just have to ignore all of the sensations that managed to belie the best of her virtuous intentions when he was around and save herself the heartache.
Blake stood and stretched his long lean body toward the ceiling and then twisted his torso from one side to the other. The day was finally coming to a close. He and the other volunteers had just helped the last of the remaining students. His mouth was dry and his wrists were sore from typing for the past nine hours. As he looked around, other volunteers were also stretching, twisting and shaking their limbs after hours of sitting. Vendors were packing up their booths, getting ready to hit the road.
The two slices of pizza he had for lunch had long since worked their way through his system and now his stomach rumbled as if there were a wrestling matching going on inside him. He looked over toward where Alana stood chatting with Cadence and smiled. He found himself wondering what they were talking about. Remembering the time he’d had alone with Cadence earlier made him smile. As tired as he was after such a long day, he didn’t want it to end. Actually, he didn’t want to see Cadence go. He now had her number and plans for dinner, but with her scent lingering in his nostrils, he decided he hadn’t had enough of her for today.
Blake shook his head, not believing his own thoughts. Did he want more of Cadence? That truth intrigued him because he couldn’t understand what it was about her that drew him in like a magnet. He was a Barrington brother. They had their pick of women. Many threw themselves at the brothers all the time, so why was it that he couldn’t seem to get this one out of his mind?
Since the first day he laid eyes on her, he’d been absorbed by thoughts about her. Cadence seemed like a challenge, but he’d had women who played hard to get before. Unlike the others, he wasn’t interested in conquering this one as a challenge just to prove that he could before moving on.
Blake heard his name and turned in time to see the organizer heading his way. He wanted to see what the gentleman had to say, but he didn’t want to lose sight of Alana and Cadence.
Jeff shook Blake’s hand. “I can’t thank you enough for all of your help, man.”
Blake nodded. “You’re welcome.”
“Hey, listen, you and your team were great. I’d like to talk with you more about some of our other programs, maybe pull you in to speak to our students sometime.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Blake was sincerely interested in hearing more, but as he looked around, he saw that Cadence had packed up her laptop and slipped her purse onto her shoulder. He didn’t want her to leave before getting another chance to talk to her. Blake turned his attention back to Jeff. “Send me some information. I’d be happy to work something out.”
“Great!” Jeff shook Blake’s hand harder, smiling and nodding his head appreciatively.
Blake