Cora flopped down on the couch and sighed as Dade came into the room. “Am I ungrateful to be relieved they all finally went home?”
Dade grinned and sat down, setting the screwdriver across his lap. “Nope. I’ll also get out of your face in a moment to leave you in exhausted peace, just as soon as I find the energy to stand.”
She laughed. “I can’t even tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done today, Dade.” She leaned forward. “I have just enough energy left to make a nice cup of tea, would you like one? I’ll make it energizing, so you don’t have to crawl home.”
He grinned. “Don’t make it too energizing, I had a few problems sleeping last night and I don’t want to be awake all night again.” He smirked at her as she looked away.
“Hmm. About that, I didn’t mean to project to you.” She got up and went to the kitchen.
Sighing, he pulled himself up to follow her. “I know you didn’t, the first one at least. I’m not complaining. Kind of an ego boost to know you were thinking of me enough to accidentally send your thoughts my way.”
Cora put the kettle on and fished in a box for the teapot. “I should have known you’d see it that way.” She turned and looked at him then back to the sink to rinse the teapot. “I was mortified when I got that message and realized what I’d done.” She rinsed a cup. “Honing the skill is rather complicated at times.”
Dade went over and leaned against the counter beside her. “If you need to practice, I don’t mind being on the receiving end.” He brushed the long dark auburn curls back from her shoulder so he could see her face. “And don’t be embarrassed by what you sent. I’m the one that should be embarrassed, not even remembering. I can definitely say I wasn’t at my best that night.”
Cora smirked down at the sink as she rinsed the second cup out. “Then I don’t think I could take you at your best, Dade Jones, I’m clearly lacking in experience.”
He studied her for a moment. The male in him wanted to grin at her comment, but his brain kicked in and expunged that reaction quickly. He touched the ends of her hair hanging over her arm. “I still can’t help but feel a little regret, I couldn’t have been gentle, I never imagined you wouldn’t have…
She turned and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, Dade, let’s just say gentle or not I’m not complaining.” She picked up a towel and dried her hands. “We really don’t need to discuss it, Dade…”
He took her arm gently and turned her. “I don’t want to discuss details, honey, I just don’t know, well…what you were doing there in the first place.” He kept his voice soft and easy. “You said I told you I tried to drink you away, what else did I say?” He brushed the hair back from her face. “It’s driving me crazy, Cora, the not knowing. I’m not proud of what I did that week, but I at least know I did it alone, until you got there.”
Dade brushed his thumb lightly against her cheek. “We were in such a good place with each other before that clingy little blonde at the fire, tell me what I have to do to get back there?” He didn’t touch her or step any closer, just stood there watching her eyes search his and waited.
Cora closed her eyes for a moment. Sighing, she opened them and motioned to the table. “Sit down.” She reached over and took the kettle off. “I was worried about you that night, so Leena asked Owen to go over and see if everything was all right.” She poured the water into the pot and turned to set it on the table. “When he came back, I knew something was wrong. After we left I went to your place to see what was going on.” She got the cups and fished in a box for the honey. “The door was unlocked, so I went in when you didn’t answer.”
She sat down and smirked at him. “It was pretty clear from the mess what you’d been doing.” She poured his tea. “I was going to sneak back out when I saw Owen and Steven’s notes.”
He sat there watching her without saying anything.
“Then I was worried again, and went up to see if you were doing okay.”
Dade put the honey in his cup and then looked back up at her. “Was I asleep at that point?”
“Yes, you were all curled up on the edge of your bed, so I tried to move you away from the edge, you should move that table away. The edge is higher than the mattress and you could hurt yourself.” She sighed and then looked at the table for a few seconds. “I finally managed to get you into the center of the bed when you grabbed my arm.” She picked up her cup and took a small sip. “Startled me half to death, I thought you’d be out for days, judging by everything downstairs.” She took a breath. “You were kind of mumbling to me in a sleepy sort of way.”
“Now I talk in my sleep? That’s new.”
Cora smiled. “Oh, you were making sense, sort of, I suppose. You thought you were dreaming me. I didn’t know whether to wake you or not, and you asked me to lie down with you.” She looked at him for a moment. “It was kind of sad, the way you were talking, Dade.” She looked at the cup between her palms. “Then you began to cuddle into me, I was trapped, you outweigh me by a lot.” She stared into the tea. “You kissed me and started saying, well, other things that I don’t think I could repeat. They were quite heartbreaking yet sexy at the same time.”
Cora took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I really wasn’t sure if you were awake or asleep at that point, but you kept kissing me all over and talking so softly, shortly after that it wasn’t just you, I did nothing to stop after a certain point.” She looked up at him briefly, then back to her cup. “Hmm. I had no idea how…well… I didn’t know what to expect really, but I definitely do now.” She was grinning down into her cup.
He reached over and placed his hand under her chin to lift it gently. He looked at the smile in her eyes and on her lips. “I was so worried when I woke up the next day and found the buttons and the stain, I was so afraid I’d hurt you, honey. I went through my own hell that day.” He looked at her mouth for a moment, longing. “I feel a little better knowing how it happened and that you weren’t hurt. I will never be happy about not remembering everything though, more than you know.”
She placed her hand on his and lowered it from her face. “Why did you do that, Dade? Why did you try to drink me away?”
He pulled his hand back over to his cup and looked down at it. “I know how I’ve been in the past put many black marks against me in your eyes, but I’ll try to explain, if you’ll listen.”
She nodded.
“First, I didn’t not touch or kiss that little blonde cling-on at the fire. I was trying to help her head in the direction of her cabin before she passed out on the ground.”
Cora continued to look at him without speaking. “I know you don’t believe me and that I can’t blame you for it with my past record, but it’s the truth, Cora.” He swallowed and wished she’d say something. “You think I’m joking when I say I’m a changed man, but I’m not. At least not in some areas.”
He reached over and touched her hand gently. “I haven’t been with a woman in two years, until the other night with you.”
Her eyes widened.
“It’s the truth.” He said it quietly. “I wanted to be with you, Cora, all this time.”
Dade pulled his hand back and grinned. “Imagine my surprise when you said you’d been waiting for me for ten years. You couldn’t have hit me harder if you’d used a hammer.”
He took a sip of the tea his throat suddenly feeling dry. “So, when we got back and you ignored my calls, I went to go see you. That was the night Kevin was there, I was across the street and watched you pull up then him and…”
She covered her mouth. “You thought I was with Kevin?” She smirked. “Oh, Dade, he’s so adorable, in a cute little brother sort of way.” She grinned. “You really think I’d confess what I did to you then turn to someone like him? Talk about day and night.”
He shrugged. “I see that now. Anyway, I went home and tried to let you go. That didn’t work, every time I closed my eyes there you were and then I’d just get mad, at me, at you, at everything.” He took another sip of the tea. “Next thing I know I’m standing in my shower fully clothed, freezing my ass off, with Doc holding me under the spray.”
She sat back and looked at him for a moment. “I’m really the only woman you’ve been with, in two years?”
He nodded not knowing what he could add to it to make her believe him.
“Well.” Was all she said softly. She leaned forward again and picked up her cup and stared into it for several moments. “I don’t know what to say to that.” She sipped the tea.
“I’m not asking for a reply or comment, Coralee. I just wanted you to understand. Of course, I planned on talking to you when we got back and went on our date, but apparently we got that a bit mixed up.” He watched her and couldn’t help wanting her. It didn’t seem to matter what happened or what was said she was always calm and steady.
Cora smirked. “Yes, things have gotten a bit mixed up.” She closed her eyes for a second then looked at him. “I don’t know if things can go back to the place we were before everything, Dade.”
He leaned over and took her hand. “We don’t have to try to go back, I don’t think that’s possible, but tell me that we can at least move past it and see what happens from here.”
“That we can do.” She yawned and covered her mouth.
He smirked. “Now I need to get home so we can both get some rest, although tonight I’m completely exhausted, so sleep shouldn’t be an issue.” He stood up. “What time is your stove coming tomorrow? I’ll be here when it’s delivered.”
“I’ll get you a key.” She went out to find her purse.
Dade followed her and found her by the door.
“They said it would be here around eleven. I really appreciate this, Dade.” She held out her hand with a key in it.
He tucked the key into his pocket. “It’s not a problem.” He looked at her eyes getting cloudier from needing sleep. “I’ll get going so you can get some sleep, honey.” He leaned over and brushed his lips lightly over hers. “Did I mention in my sleep how much I love your mouth and kissing it?” His lips brushed her again.
“You mentioned something like that, and more.” She smiled against his mouth remembering.
“Let me see if I can still do this while awake.” When she didn’t move away, he brushed his mouth over hers again. Then covered her lips with his own and took his time tasting her.
She didn’t move away from him, but she didn’t move any closer either. She was almost afraid to let him continue, but she didn’t want him to stop at the same time.
He gently cupped her face with one hand and kissed her deeply. He didn’t try to touch her in any other way. Lifting his head, he smiled at her. “It seems I can.” She continued to look at him with heavy eyes. Not just because she’s tired, he thought. “I better leave now.” He dropped his head again and kissed her hard. “Sleep well.”
She smiled as he stepped to the door. “You also, Mr. Jones. I’ll keep my thoughts to myself tonight.”
He stood in the open door and grinned. “If you must. But as I said before, I don’t mind helping you hone your new skill, Cora.” Closing the door, he walked quickly to his van.
The end of this day left him feeling much better than he had in a few weeks. Now all he had to do was find a way to be close to her again.
Of course with the handfast coming up, and all the preparations. time was going to be short.
His guts clenched when he thought of having to go see Charlie in the coming week, Chris better know what he was doing, he really didn’t like the idea of Cora going at all. The way she’d been so weak after the last encounter, he didn’t want to take a chance again…but he also wanted that man locked up far away for the rest of his days.
Pulling into his driveway he got out and went inside. He hadn’t noticed the chill in the air with the lifting and carrying all day. There was another time eater, he had volunteered to do all the decorating for the handfast. What did he really know about any of that? Nothing. But if it made Cora and the other women happy then he decided he’d better figure it out quickly how to decorate and set up a party for fifty people.
He climbed into the shower, knowing if he didn’t soak a few of his tired muscles in the hot spray he’d be too stiff to get out of bed tomorrow.