# Chapter 29: The Kiss That Broke the Rules
Hello, dear listeners! It’s me again, back with another chapter of *Searching For Someday free digital audiobook*. I hope you’re cozy, because Chapter 29 is a turning point that crackles with tension, honesty, and a connection neither Kate nor Slade can keep pretending isn’t there. If you thought the battle between business and desire was complicated before, wait until you see what happens when Slade decides to stop playing by the rules.
The chapter opens with Slade following Kate home after their drive. He takes a long swallow of water, wipes his mouth, and grins, asking if he can sit for a few minutes because he’s tired and doesn’t want to fall asleep at the wheel. Kate snorts and tells him he’s good, then teases that maybe if he uses his famous charm on Hannah, he’ll end up in a serious, loving, happy relationship. Slade immediately catches the compliment she let slip earlier—she called him hot in the car—and now she’s admitting he has charm. Kate ignores the bait, grabs a bottle of water, and heads into the living room.
Slade follows and takes in her home. The outside matches the inside: small but cheerful, with a yellow love seat, a worn recliner, a massive entertainment center, braided rugs over cherry hardwood floors, delicate lace curtains, and colorful artwork. But what really catches his attention is the bookcase covering an entire wall, stuffed with books, framed photos, strange ceramic vases, and tiny full-bellied Buddhas. He wanders toward it, intrigued by her reading habits and her DVD collection—comedies slanted toward male humor and history series. He tells her he likes her place. Kate thanks him coolly and asks why he’s still there.
That question opens the door to everything they’ve been dancing around. Slade asks why she’s always trying to get rid of him. Kate says she doesn’t want him getting ideas about “us.” Her job is to find him a satisfying, fulfilling relationship with someone else, and she doesn’t want him losing sight of the goal. Slade steps forward and asks what if he told her his goal is clearly in sight? The connection between them surges like a live current. The air thickens. Kate struggles to breathe and throws her hands out as if warding him off. She accuses him of setting her up to fail, of wanting to expose her as a con artist and save his sister from her evil clutches. She reminds him that he has to prove her intentions, and so far he’s been lousy at holding up his end of the contract. Seducing her, she insists, is just another way to prove Kinnections doesn’t work.
Slade should be angry at the insults, but instead he wants to laugh and pull her close. He pauses, gives her space, and tells her she isn’t giving herself enough credit. What if he doesn’t want to keep ignoring the attraction between them? Why set him up with another woman when they might be good for each other? Kate’s eyes widen in horror. They’re complete opposites, unsuited for anything long-term. She saw his requirements and knows she’ll never fit. Besides, she never dates clients.
Slade argues that they fit rather well, and that this thing between them is blocking him from finding the right mate. He needs her help. Kate sputters, saying she may be a typical blonde, but she’s been around the block—not sleeping around, but dealing with men who assume she’s stupid. Slade says he’d never insult her intelligence. They have a problem that can be easily solved: they’re attracted to each other, so how can he open his heart to Hannah or anyone else if he’s stuck on Kate? Kate denies it, but her composure finally cracks. Slade tells her it’s a lie. He bets if he put his hand on her—inside her—he could make her shatter in minutes. She calls him an arrogant lawyer. He corrects her: confident. Maybe if she didn’t electrocute him when they kissed, he’d believe she wasn’t attracted.
Kate stays stubbornly silent. Slade eases closer, and her breathing turns into short little pants. He asks why she felt the need to deceive him with Robert. He’s embarrassed he fell for the old trick—almost like believing a woman is a man because of her nickname. But she obviously felt the need to protect herself from him. Why? Kate simmers with pent-up temper and says she likes her privacy. He was poking around too much. He’s a client, no more, no less. Slade calls that another lie. She’s scared to be alone with him, but fear is getting in the way of business. They’re two grown adults with a strong sexual attraction. He suggests they spend the night together. She says they’re not suited long-term. Fine. But don’t they owe it to each other to try?
Kate gasps. Robert lifts his head, studies them, then drops back to his mat. She asks if he’s propositioning her for a one-night stand. Sorry, counselor, she’s not interested, though the argument was well presented. Slade lowers his voice and steps closer again. Isn’t she tired of running? No one gets hurt, and all they gain is pleasure. He promises her great pleasure—he’s not a selfish lover. Kate sneers that every man says that. Slade says he’ll enjoy backing up his words with actions.
Kate shakes her head and lets out a strangled laugh. How about she just takes his word for it? Her job is to find him a long-term mate, and she intends to do it. She asks him to leave and agrees to wipe the whole conversation from their minds. Slade faces a risky decision: retreat with the idea planted in her mind, or push the physical connection so she can’t deny it. One wrong move could lose his case. He decides.
He places the water bottle on the table, draws himself up, and slowly closes the distance between them. Kate stands her ground until panic hits. Her eyes widen, and she hurries back until she hits the wall. Too late. Slade says he doesn’t want to forget this conversation. He moves slowly, deliberately, stroking her hair, using his voice to wrap her in security. Kate tells him not to touch her. He asks if she’s afraid of him. She lifts her chin and says she’s dealt with bigger snakes. His lips quirk, and he keeps stroking her hair. He can’t get her out of his head. He keeps thinking about that kiss. Has she thought about it? No, she says. He has. Every single night. Wanting more.
She gives a tiny moan and tries to muster the energy to fight him. Slade doesn’t give her the chance. He places both hands on her bare arms, skin to skin, and the explosion between them rocks his sanity. Burning heat races through his palms and bursts in his gut, as if the simple touch set off a crazy array of currents. Her slight cry tells him she feels it too. His brain shuts down in a raw urge to arouse, possess, pleasure. This time, he’s prepared. This time, he lets the energy take hold and flow through every cell. Her scent—sugar and musk—swamps him. Her blue eyes darken, her pale pink lips open as she fights for air, and her body trembles. But he already knows it isn’t fear. It’s the knowledge she can’t hide anymore.
She moans one last “No.” He lowers his mouth, stops inches from hers, and says, “Yes. Oh, yes.” Then his lips cover hers.
Kate drowns. From the first sizzling touch, everything she’s been fighting to believe fizzles away. She’s ripped down to a shaking need and lust that refuses to be sated. His mouth is heat and greed, devouring hers. She opens for him without hesitation, and his tongue sweeps inside. He tastes of mint, cognac, and chocolate. He nips her bottom lip, soothes it with his tongue, and dives deep to uncover every secret she tries to hide. Kate clutches him, digging her nails into his shoulders. He presses his body against hers, and she groans with sheer relief, needing his strength as her knees give out. His hips cradle hers, and a rush of warmth pulses between her legs. She tries to shift closer, to ease the empty ache tearing her apart.
She’s been with men before on various physical scales. She may be a technical virgin, but she considers herself adept in lovemaking and foreplay. Yet never has she been so completely overtaken by a fierce lust to mate—to rip off her clothes, climb on top, and bury him deep inside her. He feasts on her lips, then trails downward to lick and bite her neck while his fingers work up the hem of her dress. Kate thrashes her head from side to side, hitting the wall, unable to verbalize what her body is experiencing. Slade cuts through any conversation with pure action. Her dress hits her hips, and he lifts her higher against the wall, hooking her leg high on his hip so she’s spread open. His hands reach around to unzip her dress until the front falls forward, exposing her black lace bra. His warm palm cups her, rolling her nipple, then gently pinching it as he watches her face.
“Oh, God!” The twist of pleasure and pain shoots straight through her. Her skin tightens, her breasts swell, demanding more of him. Slade lowers his mouth and licks her nipple through the rough lace, pulling the fabric taut so the hard tip rubs against the barrier. He never lets up the frantic pace, as if driven by the same crazed lust she feels. His fingers trail along her inner thigh, covering her skin in goose bumps. “No more lies,” he says. The front clasp of her bra clicks open, and her breasts spring free. Cool air rushes over her prickling skin, and Kate cries out, arching against him for more of his tongue and teeth. “Tell me you want me. Now.”
He sucks on her nipple while his fingers dance over the thin fabric of her black panties. She drips with need, her clit so swollen that the slightest rub might set her off. What is she doing? He’s a client. All wrong for her. She fights her body’s reaction with sheer survival instinct, knowing if he dips her under the seething surface of sex, she’ll never come up for air again. Hell, she’ll never want to. “We can’t do this,” she moans, even as another shudder racks through her. His index finger traces the swollen mound, playing with the edge of elastic that holds all her secrets. “It will complicate everything. Let’s talk about this like rational businesspeople.”
His soft laugh hits her ears at the exact moment his hot breath streams over her aching nipple. “I’m not doing my job if you’re still talking business.” He lifts his head and gazes directly into her eyes. She sinks into emerald depths so hot they turn to molten gold, full of power and masculine demand. The raw need carved in his features tells Kate she’s past the point of no return. This man was meant to claim her, all of her. She sucks in her breath, poised on the pinnacle of a massive change that terrifies her to the core. “From the moment we met, I’ve been imagining your face when you come, my fingers inside you, my tongue in your mouth, my dick buried so tight in your heat we don’t know where one of us ends and the other begins. I’m tired of being denied you. Now, come for me, Kate, show me what you’ve been hiding from me all this time.”
She stares with helpless fascination, entranced by his voice and words. Then his mouth crashes over hers, and his fingers hook under her panties and plunge. He swallows her cries, refusing to let her fight her response, using his body as a weapon to get her to give him everything he commands. His thumb rubs her swollen clit while his fingers thrust inside her clenching channel. His tongue battles hers, wins, and claims his bounty while his hips rock back and forth. The dueling rhythm pushes her fast toward the edge until Kate screams as the orgasm takes hold, pleasure shattering in waves and breaking her into tiny pieces. He whispers her name in triumph, helping her ride it out, gentling his touch but coaxing every last shudder as she slumps against the wall in complete surrender.
He nibbles on her swollen lips, pressing kisses across her jaw and neck. His arms hold her tight, and she feels wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and security, as if her body senses he’ll keep her safe, hold her, take care of her in a way no other man ever could. Kate lets the odd thought flow past, too far gone to worry about the fallout when her brain clicks back on. “Magnificent,” he murmurs. “I could watch you orgasm for hours, challenging myself to bring you to climax in a thousand different ways.” His erection presses against the damp barrier of her panties. “I want to take you to bed and fuck you so many times you forget every man before me. That’s how crazy you make me, Kate Seymour.”
“Yes,” she says, holding on tight. “Yes.” He lets out a vicious curse. His jaw clenches, and he seems to lock down every muscle, fighting for control. “But not tonight.” She blinks, trying to cut through the fog. Why? He presses his forehead to hers—an intimate, tender gesture that startles her. “Because I want more. And you’re not ready for that tonight. I needed to show you what we can be together in bed, but you have to come to me, Kate. I have to know you want it just as bad as I do. And I don’t want you calling foul play in the morning when you can hide behind alcohol, or exhaustion, or my dominance.”
She manages to find her voice, though the words come out slurred. “I make no excuses for my choices, counselor. Get over yourself.” He chuckles and takes her mouth in a quick, bruising kiss. “I like the way you make counselor sound like a dirty word. I may make you beg with my title rather than my name. Would be an interesting battle.” The idea racks a delicate shudder through her, but she sneers, “Like that will ever happen.” “Oh, it will.” She asks if he’s offering one night together, a relationship, what? He cups her chin and says those are silly terms to make sense out of uncontrollable human emotions. Affair, relationship, one-night stand—pick a tag that makes her happy. But soon, Kate. He doesn’t think he can wait much longer. He doesn’t give her a chance to respond. He eases her gently back to her feet and walks out of the living room without a glance back.
The chapter then shifts to Kate at an eclectic café, ordering another café mocha and keeping a close eye on the corner table. Adele croons from the speakers, and the scents of coconut and chocolate drift around her. The café is perfect for Jane’s first two official dates—a popular place to meet friends and potential mates. The battered oak coffee bar, mismatched tables, and bright yellow and green décor give it a cozy feel. Local artists display their works on canvas, so Kate’s vision always blurs a bit from the vivid colors. Still, it’s another reason she wanted to settle in Verily. There are no outsiders here, because everyone belongs. She’s spent most of her life trying to hide, terrified of being laughed at and isolated. Verily wrapped her in acceptance and forced her to mingle. She’s grown so much here and is now completely happy with herself, who she is, and where she’s going.
Well. Kind of. The image of Slade flickers past her vision. Damn him. One full week since their episode, and he took her lead with a politeness that pisses her off. He was right to leave. When she woke in the morning, she blamed the kiss and her temporary physical weakness on a bunch of factors. If they’d spent the night together, she would’ve regretted her actions and probably blamed him out of her own crippling guilt. Kate glances at her chic black-and-rhinestone watch. He’d be getting ready for his date with Hannah. She decides to put the incident behind them. After all, they’d both been curious, especially with the strange connection they share. Kate figured she’d reschedule his date with Hannah and get him back on track. Of course, when she contacted him, all crisp and businesslike, he readily agreed and refused to even mention Saturday night. Like he’d never wrung an orgasm from her body, whispered naughty things in her ear, or kissed her like he was starving and she was the only thing standing between survival and death. Over it. She is so over it.
---
## Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating
This chapter is pure fire and frustration in the best way. Kate’s internal battle is so real—she wants to be professional, she wants to protect herself, but Slade keeps knocking down every wall with terrifying precision. The way he stops things before they go too far is both infuriating and romantic. He’s not just trying to win a game; he’s making her choose him. That forehead press? That was the moment my heart cracked a little. And Kate’s “I’m so over it” at the end? Girl, no one believes you.
**Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.9 / 5 Stars**
## Next Chapter Prediction
Next chapter, I predict Kate will try to bury herself in work and pretend the café scene with Jane’s dates is the only thing on her mind. But Slade will go on his date with Hannah and compare every moment to Kate. The polite distance between them won’t last. Something—maybe Jane’s date, maybe Hannah, maybe Robert—will force them back into each other’s orbit. And when Slade finally decides he’s done waiting, Kate will have to face the terrifying truth: she doesn’t just want him. She wants to be chosen by him.
To listen free the next reviews chatpers, please access website novelsaudio.com and search keyword: Searching For Someday free digital audiobook or click the link in the description of this video or if you want to listen or read full the Searching For Someday free digital audiobook please access website novelsaudio.com