signature?”
“Yep.” He pushed her hair over her left shoulder and leaned in to kiss the back of her neck. He felt the tiny goose bumps break out on her skin and licked them. She squirmed.
“Stop. I’m working.”
“Typing your name is work?” he asked, lips pressed against her neck. So soft. So salty sweet. He sucked her neck just to feel her squirm on him. Her little bottom made him rock hard in an instant.
“Mark . . .”
“Hmm?”
“I have to go to work in thirty minutes.”
“Plenty of time.”
“We haven’t talked about bills like water and electricity,” Cadence said.
“We’ll talk about them later,” Mark replied.
Cadence stood up and turned around on Mark’s lap, straddling him. She plopped her arms around his neck.
“But it’s a big deal, Mark.”
He gazed into her icy blue eyes and realized he’d pay for all of it. Even if he had to work four jobs and deny himself the little pleasures of records and books. He’d do all that to give to her. To make her comfortable. To want for nothing.
“You win,” he said thoughtfully, and she furrowed her brows.
“So we’re gonna sort out the bills?”
He shook his head. “No. Not that. I just meant you win. Generally speaking. You’re the winner.”
“Why’s that?” she asked.
“Because I’ll do anything for you, see? So that makes you the winner.”
Cadence laughed and hugged Mark close.
“You always say these dorky things to me,” she mumbled into his neck.
“Dorky? I thought I said all the right things.”
“You do,” Cadence agreed. “But they’re dorky, too.”
“I’ll take both,” Mark replied. “Now get in that bedroom and take off those panties.”
Cadence hopped up from his lap and walked to the hallway.
“You take them off,” she said, and sprinted to the bedroom.
“Even better.”
***
“You start school in three weeks,” Mark said as he watched Cadence walk through the door.
She tossed her purse on the club chair and walked to the kitchen.
“My loan application was approved?” she asked, grabbing a glass from the cabinet. She filled it with ice and water, then walked back to the living room.
“I don’t know,” Mark replied.
Cadence screwed up her face in thought. “I don’t get it. If my loan application hasn’t been approved, then I’m not starting school in three weeks.”
Mark grinned. “Yeah. You are.”
Cadence sank down on the couch and tipped the glass to her lips. She chugged most of the water before replying.
“I can’t go to school, Mark, if I don’t have money.” She said it with an edgy patience.
Mark sat on the coffee table across from her.
“You don’t need a loan, Cadence. You’re not going into debt to pay for school.”
Cadence shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“I wanna do this for you,” he said softly.
Her eyes went wide. “Do what?”
“Pay for it.”
Cadence froze. He watched her face carefully. First confusion. Then clarity. Next anger. And then helplessness.
“That’s your school money, Mark. No,” she said.
“It’s your school money. I can work and go to school. I planned on it anyway. So what that I can’t take as many classes a semester as I’d hoped? I don’t care. I wanna do this for you. You’re going to college, Cadence, and you’re not coming out with a 25,000 dollar tab when it’s all said and done.”
“You already bought me a car!” Cadence cried.
“Okay.”
“And you pay for just about everything!”
“No big deal.”
“It is to me! I want to contribute. I want to pay my own way,” Cadence said.
“You do contribute,” Mark countered. “I mean, you could pick up your clothes more, but whatever.”
That worked slightly to ease the growing tension in t he room. He watched the corner of her mouth turn up.
“Please let me do this, ” he said.
“You just f eel sorry for me. You’re making a rash decision because you feel sorry for me.”
“No, I’m not. I’ve been thinking about
“Yep.” He pushed her hair over her left shoulder and leaned in to kiss the back of her neck. He felt the tiny goose bumps break out on her skin and licked them. She squirmed.
“Stop. I’m working.”
“Typing your name is work?” he asked, lips pressed against her neck. So soft. So salty sweet. He sucked her neck just to feel her squirm on him. Her little bottom made him rock hard in an instant.
“Mark . . .”
“Hmm?”
“I have to go to work in thirty minutes.”
“Plenty of time.”
“We haven’t talked about bills like water and electricity,” Cadence said.
“We’ll talk about them later,” Mark replied.
Cadence stood up and turned around on Mark’s lap, straddling him. She plopped her arms around his neck.
“But it’s a big deal, Mark.”
He gazed into her icy blue eyes and realized he’d pay for all of it. Even if he had to work four jobs and deny himself the little pleasures of records and books. He’d do all that to give to her. To make her comfortable. To want for nothing.
“You win,” he said thoughtfully, and she furrowed her brows.
“So we’re gonna sort out the bills?”
He shook his head. “No. Not that. I just meant you win. Generally speaking. You’re the winner.”
“Why’s that?” she asked.
“Because I’ll do anything for you, see? So that makes you the winner.”
Cadence laughed and hugged Mark close.
“You always say these dorky things to me,” she mumbled into his neck.
“Dorky? I thought I said all the right things.”
“You do,” Cadence agreed. “But they’re dorky, too.”
“I’ll take both,” Mark replied. “Now get in that bedroom and take off those panties.”
Cadence hopped up from his lap and walked to the hallway.
“You take them off,” she said, and sprinted to the bedroom.
“Even better.”
***
“You start school in three weeks,” Mark said as he watched Cadence walk through the door.
She tossed her purse on the club chair and walked to the kitchen.
“My loan application was approved?” she asked, grabbing a glass from the cabinet. She filled it with ice and water, then walked back to the living room.
“I don’t know,” Mark replied.
Cadence screwed up her face in thought. “I don’t get it. If my loan application hasn’t been approved, then I’m not starting school in three weeks.”
Mark grinned. “Yeah. You are.”
Cadence sank down on the couch and tipped the glass to her lips. She chugged most of the water before replying.
“I can’t go to school, Mark, if I don’t have money.” She said it with an edgy patience.
Mark sat on the coffee table across from her.
“You don’t need a loan, Cadence. You’re not going into debt to pay for school.”
Cadence shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“I wanna do this for you,” he said softly.
Her eyes went wide. “Do what?”
“Pay for it.”
Cadence froze. He watched her face carefully. First confusion. Then clarity. Next anger. And then helplessness.
“That’s your school money, Mark. No,” she said.
“It’s your school money. I can work and go to school. I planned on it anyway. So what that I can’t take as many classes a semester as I’d hoped? I don’t care. I wanna do this for you. You’re going to college, Cadence, and you’re not coming out with a 25,000 dollar tab when it’s all said and done.”
“You already bought me a car!” Cadence cried.
“Okay.”
“And you pay for just about everything!”
“No big deal.”
“It is to me! I want to contribute. I want to pay my own way,” Cadence said.
“You do contribute,” Mark countered. “I mean, you could pick up your clothes more, but whatever.”
That worked slightly to ease the growing tension in t he room. He watched the corner of her mouth turn up.
“Please let me do this, ” he said.
“You just f eel sorry for me. You’re making a rash decision because you feel sorry for me.”
“No, I’m not. I’ve been thinking about
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