Page 15

I clutched my chest, my breaths fast and uneven.

“What the fuck, Kadence?” he bellowed. His expression was hard, and wreaked strongly of fury. His bulky frame was even more menacing as he bent forward, filling the doorway of my car.

“C-Caleb,” I paused, wondering how I was going explain myself out of this, “What are you doing?”

“The real question is what are you doing?”

I stared at him, and tried to formulate a believable response. There wasn’t one. I’d spent the last three days living out of my car, and was so very tired of keeping up a false pretense.

I raised my chin, refusing to be debased by my shitty circumstances, and defended myself with sarcasm. “Well, I was getting changed, until you showed up.”

“Changed for what?” he snapped. His grip on my door tightened until his knuckles turned white, and the metal creaked in protest. I was sure he could break it off its hinges if he tried hard enough.

“For bed,” I retorted. “What does it look like?”

“It looks like you’re living in your fucking car!”

I opened my mouth, willing my brain to come up with some smart-ass comeback, but I had nothing so I pinched my lips together, and looked down. He was right, and I was smart enough not to try convincing him that how he’d found me wasn’t at all what it looked like.

The bite of humiliation warmed my cheeks, and I fiddled with the hem of my t-shirt with trembling fingers.

I felt rather than saw the moment Caleb stepped back, and jumped when he yelled, “Goddammit!”

It echoed, and bounced between the walls of the basement. I wondered what he must be thinking, what I must look like to him. The fear that he was going to tell me leave, or worse, tell me I was fired, had me inhaling a shaky breath.

His shadow fell over my backseat again, and when I lifted my gaze, he bit out, “Get out. Now.”

I hesitated, and then decided it was probably better if I just did as he said. I would have to deal with whatever he was going to say, but I had to find the courage to listen to him first. I climbed from the backseat, very aware that I had nothing but an oversized college t-shirt and cotton panties covering my body.

Caleb’s eyes went from a chilling blue to the color of a midnight sky as he looked me over. His jaw tightened, his brows furrowed, and his fingers twitched where they rested on his hips.

He was wearing a plain black t-shirt, and grey sweats with trainers on his feet. It was obvious he’d just come from the gym, and again I wished I’d factored that into my ridiculous plan.

“You want to explain what’s going on here?” he asked harshly. I didn’t like the way he was talking to me, the way his tone was filled with derision, and judgment. It made me feel small, and so insignificant, like I was nothing more than dirt on his shoe.

That angered me, enough to have me lashing out.

“Why would I do that when you’ve drawn your own conclusions?”

“Kadence.” He growled my name. “Do not test my patience.”

A realization so sharp, and so severe hit me then. He knew exactly who I was.

And it only fueled my ire.

“Fine.” I threw my hands up, and scowled. “I’m living in my car. You caught me.”

“That’s pretty obvious, but I want to know why?”

“Don’t yell at me!” My voice cracked, and I fought the urge to crack under his scrutiny, his apparent disdain. I sucked in some much-needed air, feeling far too vulnerable and worn down. “The building I lived in caught fire the night of the Gala, and I didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I thought I could stay in my car until next week, just until I got my first paycheck.”

“You planned on staying in your car for another week?” Caleb’s incredulity hit me hard, not that I needed it to make me see the ludicrousness of that idea.

“I didn’t have another choice!” I said loudly.

His response was to scoff, and I had to admit that it hurt.

“I highly doubt that,” he said. “We both know your parents would be able to help you if you asked.”