Complicated Desire

Chapter Six

Kade held out her chair, nerves poking at his skin and tying his stomach into knots; a feeling he hadn't experienced since his first date back in high school. Just as a small smile hadn't caused a twitch in his pants since that same date. Sparkling white teeth, beautiful, full, blush-tinted lips, that held just the slightest curve. While her smile didn't allow him into her mind to read her thoughts, the way she peered up at him through long thick lashes as she sat down certainly filled in a few blanks.

He'd seen photos of her a few times before, and hated himself for finding her beautiful then, but then it'd just been a passing thought. The photos couldn't capture that essence, which made her truly remarkable. They didn't capture the warm gaze in her eyes, or her blushing cheeks. And her candid smile was so much more delicate than when she'd posed for the photos.

The first they'd met the day before, Kade had been so focused on taking her all in that he hadn't had time to study her and see if he was having the same effect on her that she had on him. Before they left to house to drive to the restaurant, he'd been able to spend an hour with her. She was charming as all hell, more soft-spoken than the day before. She had a laugh that left him feeling instantly intoxicated. So much so, he'd nursed the same drink that entire hour.

Bianca hadn't looked at him that much while they all enjoyed a cocktail, or in her case, two, but whenever he caught her stare, Kade could see it.

Her pupils would dilate; the chocolate brown taken over by the midnight black.

Her cheeks grew pink, and she'd look down in an attempt to hide it.

Her voice would go just an octave higher when she responded to something he said. It was subtle, but he heard it.

All the same things she was doing right now. "Thank you."

Kade flashed her a smile as he stood above her, hoping she didn't notice the movement in his pants. Or perhaps he did want her to notice it. "You're welcome."

He allowed his finger to graze her bare shoulder as he stepped away from her chair, taking the seat across from her when he noticed Matt in the seat by her side.

Matt.

Despite Kade trying his best to subdue his feelings for the man's sister, and despite his attempt to be subtle, he wasn't successful in either regard.

It wasn't Kade's intentions to fall for the woman. Truth was, he'd stayed clear of women in general these last five years. If he provided a woman with a lavish lifestyle, helped her create a beautiful daughter, and did his best to keep her sexually satisfied, all while taking her wherever she desired and giving her everything she asked for, and she still couldn't be faithful to him through most of their marriage? He hated himself for putting all women in the same box as his ex-wife, but honestly, he'd just had enough. Or thought he had.

Kade felt he reached a stage in his life where dating and desire wasn't a necessity anymore. He wasn't looking to fuck, or to date, or to share his life with someone. Which was why it surprised the hell out of him to find he couldn't take his eyes off the woman sitting across from him. It truly felt physically impossible.

"Do you like wine, Bianca?"

He hadn't meant to exclude his daughter or her husband the last hour and a half, but was starting to notice that he hadn't spoken more than a few sentences to them since he arrived at their house, minus his short conversation with Matt in the car. He knew exactly why that was, however. Not only did he want to know every single thing there was to know about this woman, but he was desperate to hear her voice.

Bianca let out a breathy laugh as she looked down at the menu placed in front of her, trying to hide the blush on her face that was deepening in color by the second. "Honestly, not really. I want to like it, but no matter how many times I try it, I can't get a taste for it. I take it you're a fan of wine?"

Kade shook his head, giving her a small smile. "I'm not a fan, no. I feel like an outsider when everyone around me is drinking it, and I'd rather consume a glass of bleach than a glass of wine."

A snort. That's exactly what she did. Yesterday, Kade thought he'd imagined it, but here it was again. He had no idea why that strange, awkward sound captivated him.

"Guess we should just order a bottle of scotch for the table then," Matt quipped next to Bianca. "Something tells me I'll be needing it."

Though he'd muttered the last part, Kade heard every word of it, and knew exactly what he meant by it. The thing of it was, he couldn't call him out on it. At this point, he'd honestly be lucky if Matt didn't order that bottle just to bash Kade over the head with it.

"Not a fan of scotch, either," Bianca spoke. "I should probably just stick to water. My drinks at the house were strong enough."

Matt wiped at his forehead. "Seems like someone was trying to get you drunk."

More muttering done too loud to go unheard.

Kade had gone a little heavy on the booze when he'd made the drinks. It had nothing to do with getting Bianca, or anyone else, drunk. It was because he'd been damn distracted the whole time. "My apologies, Bianca. I'm afraid I have a habit of making people's drinks the way I prefer them. I'll try to pour with a lighter touch next time."

A shiver seemed to cross Bianca's body when he spoke those final words.

"So, dad," Kara interjected, seeming to sense the friction at the table, "are you still planning on going to Argentina at the end of the year?"

Bianca perked up at the question, which seemed counterproductive to Kara's intentions. "Argentina?"

"I bought a house there right after the divorce," Kade told her. "Since I'm fluent in Spanish, they don't treat me too much like an outsider. I try to make it there at least once a year. The rest of the time, friends and family are more than welcome to use the house."

"I've never traveled," Bianca admitted.

He bit his tongue when the words, 'we'll have to change that' entered his mind and nearly slipped out of his mouth. He didn't have to look at Matt to know he was already walking on thin enough ice as it was. "Maybe Matt and Kara will take you with them the next time they go."

That is, unless Kade couldn't hold himself together. He was about ten seconds away from taking her hand and leading her to the nearest airport.

"One can only hope," Bianca said.

She was either responding to the words he'd said aloud, or the ones likely written all over his face.