I wasn’t giving anything away.
She took another sip of her wine, cocking a hand on her hip. “Hell, I could be seven months pregnant with another man’s baby and I’d still want a piece of him.”
“Not helping.” I frowned at her.
She held up her hands. “Sorry, but that’s the truth. Listen, sweetie, you had your fun. Maybe just chalk it up to getting some experience under your belt, and let the rest go.”
What she didn’t understand was that it wasn’t that easy. It wasn’t just Cade that had stolen my heart, it was sweet Lily too. They were a package deal in my mind.
I heard a knock at the door, and then the key turning. It had to be Tyson letting himself in.
MacKenzie perked up at the sound. “You better have pizza!” she called.
We both giggled. We’d called him thirty minutes ago begging him to bring us a pizza. Extra cheese, extra pepperoni.
Tyson entered the living room, a pizza box balanced on his hand. “My ladies.” He placed it on the coffee table between us.
“Ty, you are the best,” I said, reaching toward him for a one-armed hug.
“No problem. I’ll go get some plates and napkins.” He headed into the kitchen while MacKenzie and I opened the lid and inhaled the amazing aroma emanating from the box. I was glad to see there wasn’t any lingering awkwardness between Ty and I. I knew he was still pissed over my little fling with Cade, but for now, he was being civil about it.
“Get yourself a glass,” I called in to Ty.
“And bring another bottle of wine!” MacKenzie added.
Without waiting for the plates, MacKenzie and I each grabbed a slice.
After finishing off the large pizza and three bottles of wine we decided to call it a night. I walked them to the door and grabbed for my wallet to pay Ty back for the pizza. I handed Ty a few bills before hugging them both goodnight.
When I returned my wallet to my purse, my hand bumped something cool and firm. What the—?
I pulled the black bottle from my purse and I held it up to inspect. “The Guardian?” I read the side. “What the hell is this?”
It appeared to be pepper spray. Where in the world…? Oh my gosh. Cade. He’d stuffed something into my purse that night, saying he’d gotten me a gift. I’d forgotten all about it.
I set the offending object on my kitchen island and paced the room. Why did he get me that? Why did he try to act like he cared when he so obviously didn’t?
Without waiting for logic to set in, I grabbed my cell phone and dialed his number. It’d been over a week since the incident, but my newfound liquid courage had provided the fuel needed to make the call.
Despite the late hour, he answered on the first ring.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
His low chuckle washed over me, making my insides tremble. “Are you drunk, cupcake?”
Oh, so I was cupcake again? “No!” Yes.
“Then you’re going to have to explain what the hell you’re referring to. I’m at a loss here, doll.”
He needed to cut the sweet nicknames out. Right f**king now. “This spray you snuck in my purse.”
“It’s just mace. I didn’t want to worry about you alone and helpless on your own. Consider it a gift.”
I sucked in a deep breath. “Well for your information, I already have mace. My dad gave me a canister of it a few years ago. It’s somewhere in my kitchen. And I’m not alone. I’ve started seeing Peter again.” Or at least I would, when I returned his phone call.
Cade hesitated a moment, the silence erecting a wall between us. “That was fast. Good for you. But your mace isn’t going to be much of a help stuck inside some drawer and if it’s a few years old, it’s probably expired. Besides, the one I got you is the best one on the market. Keep it in your purse, cupcake.”
I rolled my eyes and jammed the canister back inside my purse. Bringing up Peter’s name didn’t have quite the response I’d hoped for. “I’ve gotta go.” I hit End on my cell, but not before I heard his rich chuckle vibrate through the speaker. Bastard.
I buried my face in my hands, fighting back tears. God, getting over Cade was going to be so much harder than I ever imagined.
The next morning, a pounding headache and the ache of hearing his voice were my only reminders of last night’s activities. I’d been stupid to call him, but it obviously didn’t change anything between us. Then again, what had I expected to happen? For him to beg for me to come back? Not likely. But now that I had opened up contact, I couldn’t get my mind off Cade no matter what I tried. A long jog around my neighborhood with music blasting loud enough to jar all thoughts from my skull followed by a long hot shower, and then treating myself to my favorite sushi place for lunch. None of it worked. When I got home from my lunch date for one, I was even more down than I was before. Maybe there would always be some strange connection to Cade I would always feel because he was the first guy I really cared about, and the guy I gave my virginity to. Maybe I’d just need to get used to living with the ever-present achy feeling in my chest. God, what a depressing thought.
I picked up my phone and called Peter, reluctantly agreeing to another date just to get my mind off Cade, and then flopped back against my couch.
My laptop sitting next to me gave me an idea. A very, very bad idea.
I clicked a link titled Sebastian and Britney. As I waited for the video to load, butterflies took flight inside my stomach.