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SEVENTEEN
In the kitchen, leaning against the island, I sipped my drink while I chatted
to a couple of girls from my economics class, idly admiring Cade as he talked to Z and another guy. Every now and then he’d catch my eye, giving me a smile or a cheeky wink, and every time, my heart skipped a beat. We were both wearing jeans, standing out like sore thumbs in the midst of the crowd still dressed in their ball gowns, tuxes, and suits, but to me, he looked better than anyone else in the room. I’d been teasing earlier when I’d called him King Caiden, but the way his presence dominated the room, everyone deferring to him? I wasn’t wrong. He was a born leader, someone that other people looked up to and admired. Admired a bit too much, if we were talking about the girls who were constantly vying for his attention.
“You’ve worked miracles.”
I turned around to see Cassius behind me. He motioned with his head, and I said goodbye to the girls, following him out through the sliding doors onto the back decked area with the hot tub, which was mostly empty thanks to the chill in the air. I opened the wooden storage unit we kept outside and pulled out two thick, fluffy blankets, handing one to Cassius, then sank into the reclining chair next to his, huddling under my blanket.
“What do you mean, I’ve worked miracles?” I picked up the conversation where we’d left off inside.
“Cade. He’s, I dunno, happy.”
A smile spread across my face. “Elaborate?”
He settled back in his chair, taking a swig from his beer bottle before continuing. “When we were younger, yeah, he used to play up and get into trouble, but he was more like West. More…carefree, I guess? But ever since his mum died, he’s been kind of angry and brooding a lot of the time—most of the time, in fact. The whole burden he took on, the responsibility of what happened, and all that shit with your mother… He didn’t seem like he had much to smile about, y’know? Until you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Look at him, in there.”
I turned to look back into the kitchen, watching. Caiden spoke animatedly to the guy he was with, then tipped his head back in laughter, playfully punching the guy in the shoulder.
“I like him so much, Cass.” My voice came out as a whisper, my emotions overwhelming me.
“The feeling’s mutual, babe. He’s fucking crazy about you.” Resting his beer bottle on the arm of his chair, he sighed heavily, adding, “He’s lucky to have you.”
“Yep.” I smirked at him, and he grinned, his tone lightening.
“Not that I want to be tied down to one woman, but if I did, you’d be top of my list, of course.”
“Of course.” Laughing, I reached for my drink but stiffened as I glanced over at Caiden again and saw Jessa making a beeline for him, putting her hand on his arm and reaching up to speak into his ear.
I held my breath, watching to see what he would do.
He shrugged her arm off, an angry look on his face, shaking his head and taking a step back from her. She took a step forwards, pressing against him and hooking her arms around his neck.
That. Was. It.
I saw red, shooting out of my chair and storming through the doors, stalking up behind her and gripping a handful of her hair, using it to jerk her backwards. Not too hard, but enough to tell her that I wouldn’t take her shit anymore.
“What. The fuck. Do you think. You’re doing?”
She dropped her arms from Cade’s neck, a look of shock on her face as I spun her to face me. I let go of her hair, glaring at her, and her eyes widened at my expression before she tried to recover, her lips curling into a sneer. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m spending time with my date. Got a problem with that?”
Unfortunately, with her being in skyscraper heels, and me being in the scuffed pair of trainers I’d thrown on after my shower, the effect I was going for was kind of ruined as I had to look up at her, rather than us being a similar height. Even so, I wasn’t about to let her intimidate me. No, I was way, way past being intimidated.
I was raging.
It was a build-up of things. The scathing looks, the catty comments, the blatant hitting on Cade right in front of me…didn’t she have any self-respect? And shouldn’t women be trying to build each other up, rather than tear each other down?
That final thought was the only thing that kept my temper from completely boiling over and slapping the smug, disdainful look off her face.
“Jessa. Listen carefully, because I’m only going to say this once.” I stepped closer, my teeth gritted and my firsts clenched as I hissed out the words. “You—”
I never got to finish my sentence.
In one quick movement, Caiden brushed past Jessa, moving around behind me, spinning me around and lifting me into his arms, and then his mouth was on mine. My rage melted away, and Jessa was instantly forgotten, as my legs went around his waist and I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back. He flicked his tongue against my lips, and I opened my mouth for him, sliding my tongue against his, my eyes closing. I dimly heard noises around us, as he carried me, holding me effortlessly.
