I grinned. He’d given me this room on purpose. That sneaky, gorgeous, sexy bear. Holy crap … I was in love with a damn bear. Who would have ever guessed that was in the cards for me.
It had been a long day, so a shower was first order of business, in and out, no time to waste. The drawers in this room were already filled with brand new clothes and underwear. Calista probably gave Kade’s people all my sizes. Lord knows I’d never had to shop for my own things before. I was grateful for all the thoughtfulness. After slipping on some underwear and night clothes, I opened the double glass doors to my balcony. Peeking my head around, I was happy to see that Calista’s room had no balcony, and her curtains were drawn. The universe clearly wanted this to happen as much as me.
To my right was a stone ladder, built right into the wall. It led up and over to Kade’s balcony, and I could see that his doors were open. Here goes nothing. I never in a million years thought I would be sneaking into the bear king’s bedroom. Hah! A burst of laughter almost escaped at the thought. In all honesty, I had been dreaming of this day since I was fifteen. Kade had captivated me on that day, and his hold had been strong ever since.
I took each step silently until I had reached the top. The height, danger, and physical activity had my wolf prancing happily inside. She’d been bored. Okay, she was probably more excited about the Kade part; she already thought of the bear as her pack mate. I was right there with her.
After crossing the balcony, I hesitated on the edge of his room. The curtains were billowing out a little, the interior dark. My stomach was all tied up in knots and I wondered if I should just stroll in. Or should I knock? What would I say? This was pretty much a booty call. Maybe I should turn back?
“Are you just going to stand out there all night?” Kade’s gruff voice came from just inside the door. He moved slightly and now a swath of moonlight bathed across him and I could see that he was shirtless. Keyword: shirtless.
I cleared my throat and stepped into his room, the same room he had placed me in after I passed out when fighting off that fae in his backyard. Now I felt bold, confident. This was Kade. He had been taking care of me since I became queen, and if I could trust him with my heart, I could trust him with my body.
“Thank you for getting Calista the tablet,” I said, striding closer to him, my bare feet silent on his thick carpet. Our eyes locked together. His were fire and life and beauty. Somehow everything was wrapped in those swirling copper depths.
“You’re welcome.”
He stepped forward, eating up the final distance between us in two long strides. As if we were two magnets and I had no control over my body, my hands reached out and landed on his chest; his stroked my back.
“I have a confession,” he said, that low rumbly voice echoing around the darkness. I tensed slightly; that sentence never ended well. Maybe he did have a kid somewhere after all.
“Okay…” I swallowed hard and Kade chuckled seeing my reaction.
“Relax, it’s a happy confession.”
Some of my tension eased, and a real smile broke across my face.
Kade continued on, his low voice weaving a tale. “After that kiss on the Island when we were fifteen … I forced my father’s palace magic born to cloak me and take me into Manhattan to check up on you.”
My grin grew. “Check up on me? I don’t know, Bear King, that sounds an awful lot like stalking?”
He gave me a playful glare. “No, I checked up on you. Had the magic born ask around and find out where you lived. I wasn’t okay with never seeing you again.”
His words stirred a deep, hot emotion inside of me; it was so strong and potent. I had pined over him for weeks after that kiss. Talked to Violet about ways to find him again. I even went back to that same place on the Island a few days later, but he wasn’t there. So I figured it wasn’t meant to be and he didn’t feel the same, so I worked hard to forget about him. Hearing now that he had searched for me … it confirmed everything I had felt at the time. We were meant to be together.
“What happened?” I asked, because I never saw him again until that day in his garden.
His face darkened, and I was confused for a moment until he said, “I found you in the park. You were crying.”
Crying? I thought back to when I was fifteen, after the summer festival.
Oh. Yes. My mother died right after I kissed him. She gave birth to Winnie and didn’t make it. I was distraught for weeks. He must have come in that timeframe.
Kade stroked my cheek as a tear I didn’t realize was there began to fall. “I then heard about your mother’s passing and knew the timing wasn’t right. So I waited.”
I nodded. “But then I moved,” I finished for him.
He nodded as well. “You were an heir, I had found out. You inherited the Bronx and I couldn’t travel there. Then my father discovered I was going to the city to check on you…”
“Stalk me,” I said, and he smiled.
“After my brother disappeared, everything changed for me. Circumstances changed for both of us, but I want you to know that I intended for you to be mine back then.”
My hands were curled around his biceps now as I pulled myself closer to him. The hot nub of emotions in my chest, all about Kade, swelled until it felt like mecca and energy and life was going to literally burst from me. His declaration was the full circle of our life together. It would be what I held on to no matter the fallout of our love. He had claimed me when I was fifteen, and even though it had taken five years for us to finally be together, it was worth the wait. It was funny how life worked, like no matter what, things would turn out as they should. It just took time and patience.
“I love you,” I whispered. “I’ve been in love with a damn bear since I was fifteen years old, and even though I promised I would never sacrifice anything for the crown, you are worth that much to me. You are more than my duty. You are everything.”
Kade’s eyes were aged whiskey again, his hands on my face and tangled in my hair. “Say it again,” he murmured against my lips. “Tell me.”
He was awfully demanding tonight. “I’m in love with you, damn bear,” I said, my voice growly.
He threw back his head and laughed then. “How long have you been calling me ‘damn bear?’” he finally said, flashing all those white teeth at me.
I grinned back at him. “Not long enough. I think I have a few more years of insults in me.”