Chapter One

 

Becca groaned, pulling the covers over her head to block out the blaring sunlight. Still, it didn’t help to ease her headache. She’d overindulged the previous evening during the celebration of Mitchell Winery’s and Harrison Hotels’ collaboration. And it hadn’t been the only celebration of the evening. Addison Mitchell, her best friend, and Sterling Harrison had announced their engagement. The two had fallen in love while their two companies built a brand together. In Becca’s delight for them, she’d enjoyed one too many toasts for the joyous occasion.

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       She’d also achieved a monumental accomplishment for herself last night. Over the past few years, she’d achieved remarkable success in the photography field. However, her work for the event had opened doors she’d never imagined by securing meetings for future projects.

The only flaw in the evening had been Cade Mitchell and his relentless pursuit of her.

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       Becca had succumbed to the passion simmering between them on more than one occasion. She fought to resist him at every turn, but he kept chasing after her. Every flirtatious comment held more charm than the one before it. He wore down her defenses so easily because he knew every single one of her weaknesses.

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       If Becca hoped to prevent a broken heart, then she had to fill her days and nights with work. With her two best friends happily in love, it left her as the fifth wheel in their budding relationships. Falling for Cade would be a colossal mistake. The man was a player who always ended his evening with a different woman to warm his bed. His perfection of flirting left many women in tears if he didn’t choose them. Becca refused to be his latest flavor. No matter how tempting his kisses were. Not to mention how seductive he was under the bedsheets.

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       “Grr.” Becca groaned again. She needed to purge Cade Mitchell from her thoughts.

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        With another tug of the blankets, Becca tried to snuggle deeper into the warm bed. However, she froze when a masculine groan drifted across the bed and a leg trapped her in place. She didn’t dare move to draw attention to herself. When his moan changed into a snore, she lowered the blanket and shook the hair from her eyes. When her gaze landed on her bed partner, she hid under the covers again.

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       “Damn, damn, damn,” she muttered.

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       What had she done? Not only had she slept with Cade again but she’d found herself in the very place she wanted to avoid. His bed. A bed he’d shared with the countless women before her. She was just another notch on his bedpost. On the two other occasions when her weakness gave in to his seduction, they’d been in her apartment. It had been so easy to throw him out afterward.

 

       However, with this mistake, she wouldn’t easily escape his clutches. Especially when he trapped her with his godly form. Sneaking out of his apartment would be impossible without waking him. Not to mention she’d have to endure his countless questions about why they shouldn’t pursue a relationship. An absurd notion on his part, since Cade Mitchell didn’t do relationships.

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       She’d obviously had one too many tequila shots at the party. She’d been so thrilled for Addison and Sterling that she’d thrown back a shot after every toast. Becca remembered the exact moment when her defenses crumbled. It’d been toward the end of the party when the engaged couple took to the dance floor for a slow song. Soon her other best friend, Eve, and her husband, Grayson Mitchell, had joined them. Melancholy had settled in as she watched them dance. She’d wished a man would gaze at her with the same adoration.

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        When Cade held out his hand, she’d been powerless to resist him. He’d drawn her into his arms and swayed in rhythm with the music. In her drunken haze, Becca had fooled herself into believing that Cade loved and adored her. She’d given into the sinful evening between the bedsheets with each whispered word of affection and the gentle caress of his fingers gliding up and down her back.

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       And what a sinful evening it had been. They’d barely made it inside his apartment before he stripped the dress off her body and took her against the wall. The intensity of their need had left them unable to wait a second longer. Cade had devoured her lips as he staked his claim with the passionate onslaught of his desires. Becca ran her thumb across her bruised lips as she remembered each delicious kiss.

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      She had torn his shirt off so she could feel his warm flesh against hers. Still, it hadn’t been enough for either of them. After their passionate exchange, Cade had carried her to his bed, where he’d made love to her with a slowness that had left her begging for more. Even now, Becca ached for him to slide between her thighs again and stroke their flame higher.

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      Her need for Cade grew stronger after each time they had sex. And that was what she needed to remind herself. It was sex. Nothing more. Only lust. Not love. Love would be impossible between them, and she had to keep reminding herself of that. If not, the inevitable outcome would only lead to heartache. Sleeping with Cade Mitchell was a colossal mistake she shouldn’t have indulged in and one she had to fix immediately.

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       Once Becca removed herself from Cade’s bed and returned home, she promised she’d find someone to date. A reliable man who wanted a commitment. Not one whose only game was to bed her. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have any offers. She’d refused them because she'd foolishly thought Cade had sincere intentions toward her. However, his behavior the previous evening proved once again that he only wanted her as a bedmate. They might’ve ended the evening together, but he’d spent the entire celebration flirting with one woman after another, spreading his charm far and wide.

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       Becca attempted to slide out from underneath Cade but failed when he threw his arm over her and pulled her into his body. She fought not to sigh and snuggle in closer. However, if she showed him any sign of wanting him, he would swoop in and take full advantage of her willingness to be more than what they were. When he dug his fingers into her hip, she realized he was no longer asleep. If he had been at all. Knowing Cade, he’d been awake the entire time she stewed next to him, itching to leave.

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       “Don’t overthink. Just enjoy how amazing we feel wrapped around each other.” Cade’s gravelly morning voice only weakened what remained of her resistance.

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       “One of us needs to.”

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       He pulled the blanket down and nuzzled Becca’s neck. “You didn’t last night. Why start now?”

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       She shoved at him. “Because my head is clear and no longer under the influence of alcohol.”

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       “Ahh, Becca. When will you admit to the attraction between us?”

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       Once she wrangled herself free, she jumped out of bed and wrapped the sheet around her. “Alcohol lowers my inhibitions.”

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       Cade propped himself against the headboard with his hands behind his head, watching Becca search for her clothes. He didn’t reply to her comment because it would be a pointless battle. She wore her determined expression to keep him at arm’s length, a spot he’d found comfortable lately. While most men would’ve given up at her cold front, he found the chase quite stimulating. However, she held the impression he only enjoyed the chase, but actually he wanted a lifetime by her side.

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       However, convincing her otherwise had become a daunting challenge he endured. How else would he win her heart? He should’ve stayed away from her last night, but her vulnerability had punched him in the gut. When she stood watching his brother and sister dance with their respective partners, sadness had hovered underneath her smile. Not that Becca wasn’t ecstatic for her friends. It was only because she wished to experience the same romance. Had he taken advantage of her vulnerability? Maybe. But he’d been powerless to resist the tempting package of her last night.

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       Her dress had clung to her, displaying her assets to every red-blooded male in attendance. She’d worked the room alongside Sterling, gaining prospective clients like she was a natural. He was so damn proud of her. Although it irritated him, he couldn’t have been the one to introduce her around. But Becca had kept her distance between them since she arrived at the venue. Even when they toasted Addison and Sterling’s engagement, she’d avoided being anywhere near him. However, when she stared wistfully at the dance floor, he’d grabbed his chance and turned on the seduction with one whispered promise after another. By the time they left, they’d both been breathless with anticipation.

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       He smiled. “Do you want to ride with me to the estate?”

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       Becca paused. She’d forgotten about brunch at the Mitchell estate. She’d never missed one, unless she was out of town on assignment. Addison’s parents had extended the long-running invitation since they became friends in junior high school. She couldn’t miss this one since she’d promised Mrs. Mitchell she’d be there to help celebrate the engagement. Also, Addison wanted to start making plans for her wedding today. Her friend was impatient to wed Sterling Harrison.

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       Becca didn’t answer Cade. Instead, she wandered out of the bedroom toward the entranceway, where her clothes lay scattered around. He chuckled as she pretended to be indifferent to his invitation. He figured she’d refuse, just for the fact that she didn’t want his mother to speculate about them or have Addison and Eve tease her. Even so, he hoped she’d accept his invitation. He wanted to arrive with her to show his family his seriousness in pursuing a relationship with Becca. Addison had warned him away from her friend. At first, he had pacified his sister. However, all gloves were off now since Addison had found happiness with Sterling. Cade deserved the same happiness. And his happiness was with Becca Grant.

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       “I can drive you back to your place for a change of clothes before we leave town.”

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       Becca frowned at her dress with a rip down the side. “No.”

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       Cade leaned against the wall. “Why not?”

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       She picked up Cade’s shirt to wear but noticed the missing buttons. “Because it’d give everyone the wrong impression.”

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       He followed her back into his bedroom. “What impression do you think they’ll have?”

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       She pulled open the dresser drawers, looking for something to wear. “That we're a couple.”

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       He left his bedroom and returned a few minutes later, throwing some clothes on the bed. “Well, we did leave the party last night together. Assumptions have already been made.”

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       Her eyes widened. “They have?”

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       He fought to keep a serious expression. “My mother is already planning the wedding.”

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       She growled at the humor lighting his eyes. “You are so annoying.”

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       “You love that about me,” he teased.

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       She scoffed. “Love and you are two words not in my vocabulary together.”

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       He shrugged. “Not yet, anyhow.”

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       “Never,” she swore under her breath.

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       Deny. Deny. Deny. She would deny her feelings to the very end. She could never allow Cade to know how she truly felt about him. If so, she would never stand a chance at protecting her heart.

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       Cade took pity on Becca and pointed at the clothes. “You can wear those home. I apologize for destroying your dress. I’ll buy you another one to replace it.”

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       Becca glared at the clothing. “I refuse to wear your ex’s cast-offs. Did they hope if they left their clothes behind, you would invite them to enjoy another night in your bed?”

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       “Morning. Afternoon. Night. I was never too picky.”

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       “Grr.” She grabbed a shirt out of his closet, stalked into the bathroom, and slammed the door behind her.

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       Cade swiped a hand down his face. What in the hell was wrong with him? Comments like those wouldn’t convince Becca that he had changed. A girl hated to hear about the other women a guy fucked before her. It was moments like those that gave Becca every reason to evade his pursuit.

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       He slid on a pair of shorts and strolled to the kitchen to prepare Becca a mug of tea. He hoped to redeem himself with her favorite tea and the cinnamon rolls she loved. Gina, his parents' cook, kept him stocked with her famous rolls every week. They were also Becca’s favorite treat, and she’d forgive anyone to be able to bite into one. He waited patiently after he prepared her a plate and a mug of Earl Grey.

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       Becca jerked Cade’s shirt on and buttoned it up to her throat. She squeezed some toothpaste onto her finger and brushed her drunken morning breath away. She opened and closed the drawers until she found a brush to fix her rat’s nest hair. A night spent with Cade running his fingers through her tresses countless times had left her looking like a wanton mess. She checked herself out in the mirror to make sure she looked presentable enough before she left Cade’s apartment.

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       She couldn’t believe he had the audacity to brag about other women after they’d shared the night together. Becca wanted to go home and sulk before she joined his family for brunch. She only hoped nobody would mention them leaving together the night before. She didn’t want the Mitchell family to make assumptions about their relationship.

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       She overheard Cade in the kitchen and avoided the area, searching for her shoes and purse. However, she couldn’t find them anywhere. She’d have to confront him since she needed her purse to call a rideshare home. She stepped into the kitchen and saw her purse sitting next to a plate of Gina’s delicious cinnamon rolls. Cade propped himself against the counter with a satisfied smirk.

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      Why, that conniving, arrogant ... She lost track of all the derogatory names she wanted to call him. He had heated the cinnamon rolls, and their aroma drifted through the air. She inhaled the heavenly scent. Damn him for knowing her weaknesses.

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       He lifted a mug to his lips. “A peace offering to tide you over until brunch. I hear cinnamon rolls are an excellent remedy for hangovers.”

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       Becca grumbled an incoherent reply. She swiped her finger across the homemade frosting dripping off the roll. Drawing her finger into her mouth, she sucked off the frosting. “Mmm.”

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       Cade fought back a groan at the decadent sight before him. Didn’t she know how alluring she was in his button-down shirt, moaning at the treat he’d set out for her? She was a walking invitation to sin. He itched to throw her over his shoulder and return to bed. To hell with his family and morning brunch. Addison could find another time to discuss her nuptials. Making love to Becca again consumed his thoughts. He wanted to step forward and kiss the sweet concoction from her lips.

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       However, she had raised her defensive shields again. While he wanted her to embrace them as a couple, he was smart enough to retreat and plan his attack for another time. After all, he had waited patiently these past few months. What were a few more days?

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       He nudged the plate closer to her. “Enjoy the cinnamon rolls. I’m going to take a shower before I drive you home.”

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       Becca watched Cade from the corner of her eye as he strolled down the hallway to his bedroom. She didn’t know whether to sigh with relief that he gave her some breathing room. Or moan at how gorgeous he looked strolling away from her. Even more mouthwatering delicious than the cinnamon rolls before her. There wasn’t a single inch of him that wasn’t sculpted with perfection. From the wild mane of his dark hair to every muscle engraved in his frame.

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       She licked her lip, wishing she could taste him again. He was even more tempting than the pastry in front of her. She wished she could forget her inhibitions and follow him into the shower. A forced laugh escaped past her lips. She could imagine his shock at her bold act, but he wouldn’t let it deter him from showing her the fun they could have in the shower together.

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       However, to give in to her desires would be an act of rebellion she’d never recover from. Cade would enjoy his fun with her, then once it waned, he’d be after his next bed partner, leaving her alone with a broken heart. Because that was Cade’s story. A fun-loving playboy who took nothing serious. One who played as hard as he worked and whose motto was to hell with the consequences. Becca couldn’t handle the outcome. She had a vision for herself, and being Cade Mitchell’s plaything wasn’t it.

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       Oh, but it would feel so amazing even if it was a colossal mistake.

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       Becca needed to make her escape once the shower started. While it was inevitable, she’d see him later that morning. She needed time to gather her thoughts and reinforce her resistance.

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       She slid the cinnamon roll back into the container and grabbed it to take with her. Just because she wanted to avoid Cade, it didn’t mean she had to forsake her favorite breakfast treat. She slid on her shoes, gathered her purse, and left before Cade could stop her. As the elevator descended, she ordered a rideshare. Luckily, one was nearby, and she wouldn’t have to wait too long.

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       Because waiting only led to giving in to temptation.

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