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As if in a trance, his dad smiled back at her and nodded. He jerked his head to where Caden and Kase stood and mouthed, “Assholes.” He turned toward the deserted lot and headed to her car. What the fuck?
Caden stepped forward, but Marissa blocked him in one swift, wide shuffle.
“You are not taking him anywhere.” Caden straightened his back, bringing him to full height, which towered over her tiny frame.
She held up her hands. “I’m not going to hurt him.” She blinked and tilted her head. “If I wanted to, why would I have called you and stayed here with him until you came?”
“’Cause you’re a fucking psycho?” Kase interjected, brushing against Cade’s shoulder.
Marissa turned her gaze on Kase and rolled her eyes. “I just want to help him.” Her tone was riddled with sincerity, which caught him off guard. Maybe life had made him jaded in his thirty-five years, but it’d been a long time since he’d met someone who wanted to help out of the goodness of their heart. It was bullshit, everyone had an ulterior motive, and he wanted to know hers.
“Why?” Caden barked. No one did anything without wanting something in return.
Marissa pinned him with her stare. Pale, green eyes staring back at him. Fuck, forget pretty, she was beautiful.
She smiled softly. “Can I be honest?”
Kase’s condescending laugh echoed in the lot. “No, lie to us, Fruity Pebbles, we love that shit.”
Caden noticed she didn’t even flinch. Usually, Kase’s harsh mouth got a reaction from women, from men, hell, he’d even seen a baby or two wail from the mere sound of his voice. But her? Nothing. She didn’t even spare a glance his brother’s way. Her eyes remained locked on Caden, with a small curve in her mouth.
“I have an unyielding urge to help him.”
“What the fuck?” Kase said, and Caden shot his hand in the air trying to shut him up. Kase burst out laughing with amusement this time.
He turned back to Marissa and shook his head. “Not good enough.” He paused, gauging her reaction. “Tell me why you want to help him.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. She seemed to be either contemplating sharing or coming up with a lie. Caden folded his arms and glared down at her.
She drew in a breath. “I had an uncle who lived with me when I was little. He had dementia too. My mom used to tell me the best thing to do was to go along with whatever he said as long as it didn’t hurt him or anyone else.” She shrugged. “Your dad seems comfortable with me.” She glanced over her shoulder to her beat-up car. Jack had already gotten in. She turned back to the brothers. “I’m not going to hurt him, I promise.”
“Your promise don’t mean shit. We don’t fucking know you,” Kase sneered. It was harsh and would have warranted a reaction.
She bit down on her bottom lip, which was pink and plump. He mentally berated himself for even noticing. Marissa glanced over her shoulder and then turned back and sighed. “Okay, then if you can get him out of my car, I’ll be on my way.”
Fuck. Trying to get his dad out now was definitely gonna turn ugly in five seconds. Caden scowled at the woman standing in front of him. He should be thanking her, but he couldn’t strum up appreciation when she had just made this situation a complete clusterfuck. He groaned, running his hand through his hair.
“Fucking ridiculous.”
“Christ, Kase,” Caden hushed.
Caden may not have said it, but he was in sync with Kase. What the fuck were they going to do now? It would take at least twenty minutes for Dylan to get here, and it would be a fucking rumble between them and their dad to get him out of her car. Fuck!
Caden’s eyes shot up when she approached him, stopping only a foot away. “Why won’t you let me help?”
Standing this close, he was able to get a good look at her. His first assessment hadn’t been off. She was beautiful. Her bright eyes gazing up at him through dark-colored lashes had him adjusting his stance. It didn’t help he took notice of the adorable freckles peppering her nose. Fuck, stop looking at her.
Caden’s heart recklessly beat against his chest, and his blood heated. He had reached his boiling point. His balled fists tightened, driving his short nails into the palms. He leaned forward, hovering over her and waiting on some show of fear. “You don’t even fucking know him. Why the hell do you want to help him?”
She didn’t cower or back away. He had almost a foot on her and outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds. She should be shrinking away, crying or running. What the fuck was wrong with her? She glanced up with her innocent doe eyes.
“Helping others is good for the soul.”
“Oh fuck me, she’s a religious freak.” Kase snorted. “Better than a psycho.”
“Shut up, Kase.” He didn’t take his eyes off Marissa, and she didn’t look away. After thirty-five years, he’d looked a lot of people in the eye, but something with her was different. She stared back at him with an authenticity he hadn’t seen in years. He almost believed her.
“Are we considering letting Fruity Fucking Pebbles here take Pop? Are you fucking serious, Cade?”
