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well. She made a face of disgust.
    "Damn," Kade said in a drawn-out fashion as he
lifted a mini-whip and massage oil out of the box of
tricks.
    "Tricks from a trick," Garcelle muttered under
her breath. She was glad Kadina hadn't come out
and found the box first. How would she explain the
gargantuan chocolate dildo nested in the bottom
of the box?
    "Huh?" Kade asked, looking up at her as he
dropped the items he held back into the box.
    Garcelle shook her head and feigned confusion.
"Nothing."
    "Is this from you?" he asked as he rose to his full
height.
    Garcelle cocked a brow. "No disrespect intended,
Kade Strong, but you must be out your-"
    Kade held up his hands. "Why don't I just read
the card before you flip?"
    "Yes. Do that," she told him, with attitude.
    Kade actually chuckled before he read the card
and then tore it in half. He scooped up the box.
"You want any of this before I toss it?" he asked.
    Garcelle held up a hand.
    "It's all new," he joked, with a twinkle in his warm
brown eyes, which lit up his face.
    Garcelle almost dropped four of her fingers.
    Kade laughed as he made his way down the stairs,
with the balloon floating in the air behind him.
Without hesitation or a pause in his movements, he
dumped all of it into the large garbage container
sitting in the front of the house.
    Garcelle was surprised by the move. She bit her
bottom lip as she watched him make his way back up the steps and onto the porch. "Didn't you want
your ... gifts?" she asked him, her accent heavy.

    Kade shook his head as he came to a stop in front
of her. "If I was looking to get involved with a
woman-which I'm not-it wouldn't be one who
sends a man sex toys."
    Garcelle nodded in understanding.
    Kade moved past her to walk into the house. He
paused in the doorway, and Garcelle looked up at
him. There were just inches between them. Inches
that were infinitely filled with power.
    "Thanks so much for helping out with Kadina,"
he told her in that masculine voice that was everything good: a hot toddy during a bad cold, great
sex, sweet and hot double chocolate, a foot massage
after a hard day of work, winning the lottery...
    Garcelle swallowed a lump in her throat. "You're
welcome," she said as she fought off her awareness
of him.
    "Do you want me to follow you home?" he asked,
as he'd done every evening since she'd taken the job.
    "No, I'll be fine. I'll call, like always, to let you
know I got home okay."
    "Good."
    "I better be going," she said, turning to walk into
the house.
    "Garcelle."
    She turned at the sound of him saying her name.
Her eyes locked with his. ". Si?"
    "I was only joking earlier," he said, with a smile. "I
didn't ever think you sent that box to me. Trust me."
    Garcelle nodded and smiled playfully. "I didn't
think you were crazy."
    Kade flung his head back and laughed, and the light from the porch bounced off of his silver curls.
"You don't bite your tongue, do you?"

    She shook her head. "Never."
    They fell into a comfortable silence.
    "Listen, I better warn you," she said suddenly. "T he
ladies feel like you're open for business since you
moved back in your house. Your little gift tonight is
just the start of it. You are the talk of Holtsville."
    Kade looked disbelieving. "Me?" he asked, pointing to himself.
    Garcelle shook her head. "Don't pretend like
you don't know you're cute, Kade Strong."
    His eyes locked on her, and she saw them fill with
hesitation.
    "I'm not feeling you like that," she balked, reaching up to pinch his arm. She tried not to notice the
steel beneath her fingertips. "In fact, I'm probably
one of the few single women in Holtsville who ain't
on the prowl."
    Kade sat down on the top step of the porch. In
the quiet, the sounds of night creatures echoed
loudly. He dropped his face into his hands before
he wiped his eyes and then dragged his long fingers
through his soft hair. His eyes were troubled as he
looked up at the full moon, which seemed three