Hometown Star

chapter Twelve

Star winced.

“You okay?” Cade offered her his hand, ready to help her down yet another steep incline.

The hike to the top of Eagle Ridge was everything Star remembered. The scents of the forest combined with the way the sunlight filtered down through the canopy of branches and emerald leaves overhead lent an enchantment to the hike. Wild daisies and fireweed grew with abandon, adding bright spots of color. This was nature at its finest, raw and unspoiled.

And although her feet ached something awful, she didn’t want to stop.

“I’m fine.” She took his hand, but she must have winced again because he said, “You’re not fine. Is it the boots?”

She’d borrowed some hiking boots from the collection Cade kept for the guests. At first, the boots had felt fine; now the darn things were biting into her feet in a number of places.

“Wait up,” Cade called to the kids.

Down the path, Finn, Emma, and Brad stopped, turning to stare at them. All three looked as tired and hot as Star felt.

“Sit down.” Cade helped her to a nearby fallen long.

When she was seated, he unlaced the boot.

“I don’t think you should take it off,” Star said. “I’ll never get it back on.”

“I have some moleskin in my first aid kit. If we work quickly we should be able to get the boot back on before your foot swells.”

“Great,” Star said dryly.

Cade eased the boot from her foot. Blood dotted her sock.

Cade frowned. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

Star shrugged. “I didn’t want to be a crybaby.”

With a shake of his head, Cade removed the other boot, then took the first aid kit from his backpack. Cool fingers eased her bloodied socks off. He tore open a package, producing an antiseptic pad, and cleaned the sores, his touch gentle.

“Ow,” Star cried when the antiseptic met raw skin.

“Sorry.” He covered the sores with the moleskin before putting her socks back on, his fingers lingering on her ankle a little longer than necessary. Star loved the way his fingers felt against her skin. It was almost worth the blisters to have him touch her.

Her injured feet fought with the boots, but Cade managed to get the boots back on without dislodging the moleskin.

“Thanks,” she said.

His eyes met hers. “You’re welcome.”

Star stared into his eyes, wanted to drown in the crystal blueness. In his eyes she saw his want, his need for her. He didn’t attempt to hide his emotions, and the intensity both thrilled and frightened her.

Finn and Emma had wandered back to them, taking a seat on either side of Star, breaking the sexual current that seemed to pass between her and Cade each time they were close.

Brad remained up–trail, sprawled out on another fallen log. He hadn’t wanted to go hiking with them and had spent most of the day sulking.

Star exchanged a look with Emma. The little girl shook her head sadly.

“Okay,” Cade said. “Let’s get you up.” He pulled Star to her feet. “How do you feel?” He kept his hands locked around her forearms, steadying her.

Star tested her weight on her feet. “Better. Thanks.”

Cade took her arm. “Let’s go. We’re almost there.”

Each step Star took felt like fire, even with the moleskin on, but she ignored her pain and kept walking. A definite limp accompanied her steps.

Cade kept pace with her, his arm going around her for support. They walked together, almost as one, their sides bumping. Star’s internal inferno rose and kept rising.

“Stop,” Cade said.

“Why?” She wanted to reach the end of the trail as quickly as possible and put an end to whatever it was that was happening between them.

“Put your arms around my neck.” Cade held his arms out to her.

“Excuse me?”

“Do it, Star.”

Realization dawned. He wanted to carry her. “No way, O’Brien. I can make it.”

He came at her, lifting Star off her feet, leaving her no choice but to throw her arms around his neck.

“Put me down.” His face was too close to hers, his arms too intimate around her. To her distress, her long dormant hormones roared to life and she prayed he couldn’t hear the rapid tempo of her heart.

“It’s only a quarter of a mile more.” He started forward.

“I’m too heavy.”

“No, you’re not.” Cade charged ahead. “You don’t weigh anything at all.”

Star had no choice but to let him carry her. And in truth, it felt wonderful to take the weight off her aching feet. Beyond them, the kids walked, Finn and Emma pausing every now and again to admire a bird or a pretty flower. The heady scent of earth and warmed spruce and wild berries filled Star’s head. But it was Cade’s scent that nearly did her in. He smelled of fresh air and sweat and something else, fabric softener? The combination put butterflies in Star’s stomach. His hair tickled the back of her hand and she resisted the urge to let her fingers creep up into the softness.

“Relax,” he whispered, his lips near her ear, the word a caress on her skin.

How could she? Her body tensed. She couldn’t relax. She couldn’t draw air.

When they exited the path, Star sighed. She didn’t miss Cade’s amused smile. The twins and Brad waited at the truck.

Cade set her down, and Star used him to steady herself. “Thank you.”

Cade grinned. “My pleasure.”

For a second they didn’t move, then Emma said, “Open the truck, Dad.”

Cade glanced away. He let the kids into the truck before helping Star into the passenger seat, passing each of them a cold bottle of water. They made the ride home in silence. Finn slept, soft snores coming from his slack mouth. Emma’s head leaned against the window, then she too, slept. Brad’s eyes were closed, his ear buds in his ears, his iPod cranked up.

The hum of the engine relaxed Star. She let the purr pull her under and the next thing she knew they were in the O’Briens’ driveway.

Cade cut the engine.

Brad exited the truck, the action waking Finn and Emma. The little girl yawned.

Cade helped the kids out of the truck.

Star opened her own door.

Cade rounded the truck. “Scoot to me.”

“I can walk to the house.” Star swiveled her legs toward the open truck door. “My feet aren’t that bad.”

Brad, Emma, and Finn headed for the house. All three kids looked as wiped out as Star felt. Hiking, while fun, was exercise, and she’d had more than her share today. She ached all over but in a good way.

“I disagree,” Cade said. “I saw the way you were limping. You should have said something sooner. Because you didn’t, we’re doing things my way now.”

He scooped her from the truck, leaving Star no choice but to hang on. Once inside, he set her on the couch in the family room.

“Wait here,” he ordered with a stern look.

Star wanted to protest but kept her mouth shut. What good would it do? She wouldn’t win against Cade. He was a man on a mission, and his mission was to take care of her feet.

At the sound of Ron’s voice, Star’s ears perked up.

“Any update?” Cade asked his brother.

“John had the tests. They’ve released him. Destiny is on her way back here.”

“That’s good news,” Cade said.

“Sounds like it.”

“Trudy?”

“She’s good,” Ron said. “We had a relaxing day. How was the hike?”

“Great, but Star’s feet are pretty torn up.”

“That’s not good,” Ron said with sympathy. “City feet.”

“Yeah,” Cade agreed.

The men moved out of earshot. Star bent and removed her borrowed boots and bloody socks. She grimaced. Two red, raw sores marred her heels. She’d never admit to Cade that her heels had already been damaged when she’d walked home from his place her first day in Seward. Now it would be days before she could wear real shoes again. Thank goodness for flip flops.

Cade returned with a dishpan full of steaming water.

“I don’t know,” Star said skeptically. “That hot water looks painful.”

He set the pan at her feet. “You’ll feel better after you soak. He kneeled at her feet, his hands closing around them, his touch gentle. Her feet in his hands, he slid them into the water.

The warm water stung at first but quickly began to ease some of the ache.

“Soak,” he said. “I’ll be back.”

Star watched him walk away, her gaze sliding across his broad shoulders, down his strong back, and lower, to his rear end. When she realized she was practically drooling, she gave herself a mental check.

Yet, a nagging voice said, you want him. Use him. Make him your first. Be a modern girl. It’s just sex. Her mother had sex all the time. Brandi had sex. Tawney and Ruby Sue had sex. Everyone but her had sex.

She wanted to have sex with Cade. She couldn’t deny her urges any longer. For the first time she wanted to understand what the fuss was all about. If she made love with him, she’d have to live with the consequences. She’d return to her life and leave him behind.

In fact, he’d be the perfect partner, no strings attached. He’d become a memory, albeit, a great one. She could do it, because the alternative would be to leave here without sleeping with him, and that was a choice she didn’t want to make. Better to give herself to him, than to walk away and never know the joy of spending the night in his arms.

“How do you feel now?” Cade asked, snapping her out of her musings.

“Better.” She smiled, the choice clear in her mind. Loving Cade, even for one night, was worth the risk to her heart.

Cade grinned back. Star heated all over.

All over.

* * *

“It was awful, Star. Just awful.”

Star took a sip of her ice tea and exchanged an exasperated look with Cade before replying, “He’s on the mend now, Mom. Let it go.”

Destiny shook her head. “I can’t. I feel so responsible. I could have killed him. I had no idea I was that good in bed.”

Beside her, Cade made a funny sound and Star felt sure he was biting back a full–out belly laugh.

“Have some more wine.” Star refilled her mother’s glass. They sat around the outdoor table on the O’Briens’ back patio, enjoying the warm evening. Trudy sat nearby in her lounge chair, Ron beside her in a deck chair. The kids had gone inside, leaving the grownups alone to rehash the past twenty–four hours.

It had rained earlier, and the air smelled twice as sweet as usual. Star inhaled deeply, wanting to remember the scents, knowing she’d go back over this day a million times once she was back in Seattle.

Destiny chugged her wine. “I’m a wreck.”

“You’ve been through a lot,” Trudy said with sympathy.

“John was glad you were there,” Ron added.

“Yes, he was.” Destiny smiled. “He told me so over and over again. He’s asked me to come home with him, you know.”

Star choked, coughing. They all knew. This was the third time Destiny had delivered the news. She tuned out her mother and mentally counted the days she had left in Seward; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, fly home Sunday. Six more nights. She could do it. She could make it.

“Want to take a walk?” Under the table, Cade’s hand found hers.

She gave him a grateful smile. “I’d love to.”

Destiny kept talking, and for a moment, Star felt bad leaving Trudy and Ron with her mother, but Cade took her elbow and guided her from the patio. Her feet felt better now, able to stretch and relax in her flip flops.

As they walked away, Star missed the darkness that night brought in Seattle. She longed to be swallowed up in the shadows, longed for the privacy a dark evening would give them. The never–ending daylight left them exposed and part of everything going on around them. Now that she’d made the decision to sleep with Cade, she wanted to be alone with him.

“Come on.” Cade led her around the corner of the garage, to the side door. He opened the door and pulled her inside.

“What are we—” before she could finish her question, he kicked the door closed, and then he was kissing her, delivering one mind blowing kiss after another.

Star’s thoughts scrambled. In the semi–darkness, her fingers curled into the front of his T–shirt and she held on for dear life. The scent of damp earth and man fueled her.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you all day,” Cade said between kisses. He nibbled at her lip, her jaw, kissed the pulse point on her neck. “I give up, Star. I can’t stay away from you. Don’t push me away this time.”

Star’s back met the side of the garage. Cade leaned against her, pressed against her, rubbed against her.

“Meet me tonight,” Cade whispered against her mouth, his voice raw with need.

“Where?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “My bedroom?”

“Too risky.”

“Right.” He kissed her again. “The walls are thin.”

Star’s eyes popped open a little wider at that remark.

“Patsy’s?” he asked.

“No. Yuck.”

He smiled against her mouth. “I don’t care where, Star.”

“What about here?” Star asked. It was dark, private.

“The garage?” Cade shook his head. “No. I want to make a memory.”

His hands crept under her shirt, up to her bra. With one hand, Cade unhooked the strap.

Star gave a low gasp.

“Eagle Ridge? The parking lot at the bottom of the ridge. Should be empty at night.”

“What?” Star asked, losing her train of thought as his hands came around and slipped under her bra to cup her breasts. Her eyes slid shut.

“Eagle Ridge?” he repeated, his fingers finding her nipples.

“Okay.” At this moment, she didn’t care where they met, so long as they did.

“It’s private,” Cade said.

“Yes,” she whispered.

He captured her mouth.

Star kissed him back. She wanted more. She wanted him, all of him. He was unfinished business, that was all. After tonight, she could return home and get on with the rest of her life.

Cade released her breasts and brought his hands to her hips, pulling her tight against him. The hard shaft of his arousal pressed against her belly.

Outside the garage, Destiny’s laughter pierced the air.

“We should get back,” Star said. “Mom’s drunk.”

Cade sighed. “Put her to bed. I’ll put the kids to bed then meet you downstairs.”

Star nodded.

Cade kissed her hard and long before letting her go. Like an expert, he refastened her bra.

Together they left the garage, both of them aching with need, both of them craving release.

* * *

Star pulled the covers up over Destiny. Her mother hiccupped. Star smoothed her mother’s hair back from her forehead. She’d been unable to talk Destiny into washing her face. Black mascara ringed her mother’s eyes, stained her cheeks. Tonight, Destiny looked faded, older, not as bright and shiny as she once had been. Sadness settled in Star’s heart. She didn’t want to wind up like her mother, alone and the object of pity.

“I can’t do it,” Destiny said, her eyes on Star.

“Do what, Mom?”

“Be a nurse to him.”

Star glanced at her mother. “To John?”

Destiny shook her head. “I don’t want an invalid for a husband.”

“You’re not marrying him, Mom,” Star reminded her. “You just met the guy.”

“He’s expecting me to move to Canada. To play nursemaid.”

“So tell him you’ve changed your mind,” Star said. “He’ll understand. He barely knows you. If he did, he’d know you’re not nurse material. Besides, I don’t think he needs a nurse. He’s going to be fine.”

Tears filled Destiny’s eyes. “I’ve screwed up again, haven’t I, baby?”

Star sighed. She’d heard it all before, the self–pity, the apology that came whenever her mother broke up with another man.

“No, Mom.” Star geared up for her usual pep talk. “You’re right to step back. Absolutely right.”

Destiny smiled. “Really, baby?”

“Really. Now go to sleep. Everything will be better tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“I do.” Star crossed her heart. “Now, sleep.”

Destiny snuggled under the covers. Star sat with her mom until soft snores came, slow and steady.

Some things never changed. She was still the mother and Destiny was still her child. The thought saddened her and brought on a melancholy she wished she could shake off.

A soft knock sounded on their door. Star left the bed and opened the door.

“Everything okay?” Cade asked, but his eyes said, come with me. I want you.

Star glanced at her mother. “I should stay with Mom. She’s a mess.”

“Live your own life, Star.” He touched her cheek, his touch tender. “Destiny will land on her feet. She always does. Come with me.”

A painful longing squeezed her chest. “I don’t know.”

Cade took her hand, giving it a tug. “Come on, Star. Come out and play.” He smiled.

Star caved. “Okay.”

Cade pulled her into the hall and closed the door.

“Are the twins asleep?” Star asked.

“You just can’t help being responsible, can you?” Cade asked with wonder. “The kids are fine. Ron will keep an ear open for them and for Brad.”

Cade was right. She was responsible to a fault. For once, she wanted to be the irresponsible one. What did irresponsibility feel like? Was it liberating?

Cade tugged her down the stairs and out the front door. They ran all the way to the truck. Star giggled, feeling like a teenager, like being with Cade was forbidden.

Once in the truck, Cade did a U–turn, and then headed down the driveway. He flashed her a sexy grin, a grin filled with the promise of forbidden sexual delights. Desire rushed Star, flooded her, and she couldn’t stand not knowing another second. She wanted an end to her virginity now.

“Pull over.”

“What?” He glanced at her, and he must have seen the desire on her face because he practically skidded off the road. He threw the truck into park, cut the engine, and reached for Star, dragging her across his lap.

And Star knew. The wait was finally over.