“Kade, you told me you'd take me shopping!” Ashley whines. Her voice just pisses me off. She still has some faint bruising on her face from when I punched her out, which she’s tried to cover up.
“I’ve got some work to do, Ashley, but we can go after, okay?” Kade placates her.
Why? He doesn’t even baby Layla that much, and he freaking adores Layla.
Ashley pouts, “Fine. I’m going to sunbathe on the deck. She rips her already mini dress over her head right in front of Kade, basically shoving her small br**sts in his face. She poses for a few moments before she walks outside in her pink bikini, giving me an evil look on the way out. Kade, oblivious as usual, gives me a smile in greeting. He opens the fridge and gives me a water bottle before I get the chance to get it myself.
“Thanks,” I mumble, taking a huge gulp of water.
“Wanna come shopping later?” Kade asks once I’ve finished drinking.
“Fuck, no,” I scoff. Kade’s eyes narrow.
“Why?” he asks, confused. He really has no idea.
“I just have a few things to do,” I say vaguely, then mumble under my breath, “Like I would go anywhere with her.” He searches my eyes for a minute before nodding, obviously not hearing my mumbled words. He knows we don’t like each other; I’m not sure why he insists on us getting along. It would never work.
“Okay, I’m gonna try get some work done,” he sighs. Kade is graduating soon. He has a heap of work he needs to get done. He playfully grabs my ass as he passes me, taking his hand back just in time to avoid my playful slap.
“Hands off the merchandise, buddy,” I say playfully.
He shakes his head and chuckles, retreating to his room, which is now the master bedroom.
As soon as he is out of view I see Ashley standing at the door staring daggers at me.
“He'll never be yours,” she spits out, her nails curled into her palms.
“Fuck you, Ashley,” I say in a saccharine tone before I head into the bathroom for a shower.
******
After Kade and Ashley depart, I hang out with James. He's been gone a lot more lately, and he's being very tight-lipped about it. I’m playing the new Tomb Raider game on PS3, and James is sitting beside me and laughing his ass off every time I scream and throw the controller. It’s not my fault that people and animals jump out of nowhere! He also finds my frequent cursing amusing, and laughs harder with each creative swear word. About an hour later Kade and Ashley walk in just as James and I had changed the game to Call of Duty. With one glance, I can tell she’s drunk. She’s clinging onto Kade and using him for support.
“Just gonna get her into bed,” Kade mumbles as he walks by us. Seriously? Which bed would that be? I’m having an Aubrey and Chase flashback.
Kade comes back a few minutes later. “Where did you put her?” I ask curiously.
“In my bed. Listen, Nikki, don’t get mad, but can I sleep with you tonight? I’ll keep my hands to myself, I swear.”
Shit, do I possess that much self-control? Him that close... All night long... Hmm. Shit. But the other option is him sleeping with Ashley.
“Yeah, that’s fine, as long as you don’t sleep naked,” I huff.
Kade chuckles, walking out of the room.
“So, James. You never did tell me the story between you and Sasha,” I say.
“I know,” James says with a grin.
“Care to elaborate?” I ask hopefully.
“Nope,” he answers, popping the P.
“You suck,” I grumble, making James laugh.
“Fine, I’ll just ask Sasha,” I pout.
“Just leave it alone, Nikki,” James mumbles, shaking his head.
“Don’t worry, she wouldn’t tell me anyway. We get along, barely, and only because of Layla.” I smile at him.
James frowns. “I am sensing a story here.”
I smile. “Oh, you know, we may have got into it once or twice, back in the day.”
“Care to explain it in detail?” James says, looking almost interested all of a sudden.
“No way. You give a little, you get a little. And you haven’t given me anything!” I grumble.
James just chuckles. Infuriating man.
We finish up the game and I head into my room, noticing Kade is already in my bed. He's sitting, propped up by my pillows, his hands crossed behind his head. His chest is bare. He's f**king gorgeous. He looks a little ridiculous against my pink bed sheets though. I grab my stuff to go into the bathroom to change. “You can change here, you know, I’ve seen it all before anyway,” Kade says, smirking.
I roll my eyes and head into the bathroom. When I come out dressed in my pajamas, I set the ground rules. “Okay, no cuddling, no copping any feels, stay on your own side, and keep the underwear on!”
“Can’t promise what I’ll do in my sleep,” he says with a cheeky grin.
I can’t either.
I crawl into bed and turn out the light. I can hear his breathing, smell his delicious scent. That alone gets my heart racing. How am I supposed to sleep with him right next to me?
“Night, Nikki,” he says quietly.
“Night,” I mumble back.
A few moments later I hear his breathing even out, and know he's asleep.
An hour or so later, I do the same.
Chapter Fifteen
I wake up in the middle of the night to find Kade cuddling me. God, this feels nice. My body fits snuggly into his. I should probably move over a bit, but I can’t help but savor the moment. I drift back to sleep moments later.