AMELIA’S P.O.V

Everyone in the house knew that Kaden snuck into my room. I wasn’t sure if I was pissed at them for not telling me or if I understood. It felt like a mixture between both emotions so I simply decided not to bring it up. We all pretended like they didn’t overhear the argument between Kaden and I while I pretended like they weren’t as complicit as he was.


Sometime around noon, there was a knock on the door. I was the only one in the living room at the time so I went to open it. I should have checked through the peephole but I didn’t so I was taken aback when I saw Kaden standing there.

His head was cast down as if he was scared to look at me. I knew he was a bit embarrassed about what happened last night and wasn’t sure how I was going to react to it. I wasn’t that upset about it but I needed to remain firm in my standpoint so he wouldn’t think I was acceptable to repeat.

“I know you probably don’t want to see me,” he began. “But I want to make it up to you and I want you to give me that chance. I have something planned for us by two. If you agree then I’ll be back here. If you don’t, then ignore when I knock on the door.”


“Okay.”

I didn’t give any indication on what I was going to do. I saw him smile almost sadly then he walked away. I stood there by the door as he drove away and it wasn’t until his car disappeared down the street that I finally shut the door. I turned around and nearly jumped when I saw Clara standing there.


“What are you going to do?” she asked. “Will you go the date or not?”

“I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “But the good thing is that I still have almost two hours to decide.”

“Well then, allow me pick out an outfit for you just in case.”

By two, I was seated in the living room completely dressed. I still hadn’t decided if I wanted to go or not, I was waiting for Kaden to arrive before I made my choice. It was a sunny day so I chose a pair of jeans shorts with a simple crop top and sneakers. Clara swore it was beautiful and she tied my hair into a messy ponytail at the top of my head. Kaden never told me where he was taking me so we were just winging it.

By two on the dot, there was a knock on the door. My breath caught in my throat because I knew it was Kaden directly behind it. I stood to my feet and touched the knob but I couldn’t bring myself to turn it. He knocked a second time and this time, I felt a lurch directly in my heart.

My hands still refused to move. I was terrified. I didn’t want him to think I was giving in too easily but I also didn’t want him to think I was playing hard to get and lose interest in me. My thoughts were warring against each other and it left me feeling more confused.

“Listen to your heart,” I heard Tara say softly in my head. “Just do whatever you think is right and we will bear the consequences.”

“Are you sure?” I asked and she hummed in agreement.

This time, I didn’t hesitate before turning the knob. Kaden was already on his way back to his car but when he saw me, he let out a sigh of relief. I walked out and took the hand that he stretched out for me.

“Sorry I took so long.”

“I’m just glad that you’re here,” he smiled. “So, are you ready?”

Kaden absolutely refused to tell me where we were going. I was bristling with anticipation the entire ride and it only made it worse that he had me closing my eyes. The moment the car stopped, I didn’t wait for him before I threw them open. My mouth fell open because of all the places I had expected him to take me to, the lake where we first met was not one of them. I had completely forgotten about how beautiful it was until now. I got out of the car in awe.

“I figured it was a perfect day for a swim,” he said casually. “Before you talk about not having a swim suit, I took the liberty of getting you some. I wasn’t sure if you preferred bikinis or-”

I didn’t wait for him to finish before I threw my arms around his torso. I was amazed that he had taken time out to do something so beautiful for me. His words caught in his throat and he wrapped his arms around me. It wasn’t until he released me that I realized what I had done. I flushed pink and quickly took a step back.

“The waterfall covers a cave,” Kaden cleared his throat. “There’s a back entrance there where you can change. People rarely come here anyways so no one will see you.”

He reached into the back of his car and took out a plastic bag. I gingerly took it from him and rushed over to the back of the cave like he said. I peered into the bag and sure enough there were three swim suits. One was a very decent black one piece with a slightly plunging backside. It covered me completely. The second was also a one piece but was slightly more revealing. It had a decent cleavage opening and was a thong. The third was a bikini.

It was absolutely beautiful but also scandalous. It was held together by a few strings and was tie-dyed. I loved it and I wanted to wear it but I was unsure of how Kaden would react to me in it. I decided to take a leap of faith and bit my lower lip as I slowly pulled it on. I felt self conscious going back in just my bikini so I wore my shorts over it.

By the time I got there, Kaden had his back to me. He was in his swim trunks and my mouth watered as I took in his ripped back. He was well built, I already knew that but it felt different seeing it again. His body rippled with muscles but as I got closer, I noticed some old and faded scars on his back. I reached out and traced my finger over one of them.

He inhaled sharply but didn’t move. He knew it was me and he knew I wasn’t a threat to him. He stayed completely immobile as I traced some of the scars and when I pulled my hand away, he refused to turn around.

“How did you get them?” I asked unable to stop my curiosity.

“When I was younger, I was impressionable and I wanted to make a statement. I rushed into battle without a plan and I was taken. I was whipped before my father could rescue me. The wounds healed but because they used silver whips, the scars remained.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged as if to say it didn’t matter anymore. Finally, he turned to me and I saw his throat bob as he took me in. He fisted his hands by his side and I knew it was in a deliberate attempt not to touch me. Our bodies were so close that all he had to do was reach out and touch me but he held himself back. He smiled at me and took a step back instead then held out a hand for me instead.

“Do you want to take a dive?”

I nodded and pulled off my shorts then placed the clothes into his car. I could feel his eyes on me the entire time but he refused to act. I took his outstretched hand and he led me towards the lake. I put my foot in it first and snatched it back when I realized how cold it was. Kaden rolled his eyes playfully and dived into the water making sure to splash me as he did so.

“I promise it’s not that cold,” he said after he had resurfaced. “Just come in slowly.”

I muttered a small prayer under my breath and slowly made my way in. I stopped when the water was at my chest and shivered from the cold.

“You lied to me.” I pointed an accusing finger at Kaden and he laughed in response.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him. There was something about his laughter that pulled me in. It was like a song that I could not get enough of. It was melodious and it made him seem less like the scary Alpha and more like my mate. I wanted to hear the sound over and over again.

We swam laps together and it was both relaxing and fun. I couldn’t help but wonder if Kaden needed the distraction more than I did. The tension I saw earlier had left his shoulders and he seemed relieved. Things were going smoothly until he splashed me. I froze in complete shock because I never expected Kaden to do something like that.

He mistook my shock for offense and he began to apologize. Once he was close enough, I splashed him back. Thus began a splashing war that somehow ended with me being pressed up against him completely,

The laughter died down and was replaced with intense heat in his eyes. I opened my mouth to speak but no words would come out. Our bodies were practically meshed together and I could feel every line and contour of his hard chest against mine. With every ragged breath we took, my breasts brushed up against his body and my nipples puckered. If I were in my right senses, I would have pulled back but I didn’t.

Kaden’s hands moved. One wrapped around my lower back while the other moved to cup the back of my neck. “You are absolutely stunning.”

He moved his head to the crook of my neck and dragged his lips over the spot. I inhaled sharply waiting for him to make a move but he didn’t. He just nuzzled his face there and inhaled my scent. I couldn’t have done anything if I wanted because the way he held me, I was completely at his mercy.

As quickly as he started, he stopped. He pulled back and cleared his throat leaving me wanting his heat and missing it.

“I agreed to take it slow,” he said in a hoarse tone and although I wanted to shout that I didn’t want that, I stayed quiet. “We should get going before we do something we shouldn’t.”

Every fiber in my body told me to tell him I wouldn’t regret it but what my mouth said was, “You’re right.”