Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A nnie
I woke up before Cade and slipped on a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. I went downstairs and got us both glasses of orange juice from the kitchen. After that workout last night, I was parched.
When I make it back up to the room, Cade is getting up. He is stretching in bed. The blanket barely covers his waist and my mouth waters, taking in every exquisite inch of his body.
“Here you go.” I pass him the glass of orange juice. “I have class in an hour.”
He takes the glass and chugs it. “Thanks. I start in about half an hour. I better get going. Luckily Coach cancelled morning skate. The Sports Complex is covered in snow. It wasn’t cleaned in time.” It is odd that I know he doesn’t drink coffee every morning. That he would be content with a glass of orange juice too. It’s a very specific detail. Not a detail you would know about a hookup, and that’s because Cade and I have managed to get to know each other and share small details about ourselves. He gets out of bed and stands tall. He is an Adonis. Every inch of him is sculpted muscle and his cock is perfect. It is long and just the right thickness. I daydream about what it would be like to ride him, even if he didn’t want to introduce sex to this arrangement. He walks over to his clothes and looks back at me.
“You’re ogling, Annie.” He laughs.
“Your body is just so …” I’m speechless. I can’t even try to hide I was checking him out.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Cade is very comfortable and confident being naked.
“It is.” I swallow, blink, and turn away.
“I’m going to hop into the shower,” I tell him, needing some space. Last night was off the charts. So now I know that is Cade is a super sweet and nice guy plus he’s good in bed. No, we are good together. Better than good. Off-the-charts amazing.
“I have to head back to the hockey house to get my things for school,” he says as he puts on his sweater.
“Okay.”
“Annie, I don’t want things to be awkward between us now. I want what happened last night to happen again,” he says and his words excite me and scare me. I’ve never had this kind of chemistry with someone before. I’ve never orgasmed with a partner before. That only happened when I was using my sex toys and the feeling with a man was a million times better. It is addictive.
“I want that too,” I admit.
“Why do I feel you hesitating?” Cade asks. The fact he can read me so well is unnerving.
“I’ve never had a no-strings relationship before. I’m pretty sure I mixed up my feelings with Ford thinking sex was somehow equivalent to love,” I explain. “I don’t want to fall for you because I know how you feel about relationships. I’m on the same page as you. I just don’t want a broken heart because this isn’t leading anywhere.”
He walks up to me and places his hands on my arms. “Don’t overthink this, Annie. Last night was off the charts. Let’s have fun and not read into things,” he suggests.
“Yeah, okay,” I say. “I’m an overthinker so that works.”
“I know.” He smiles.
“Hey, we have a home game on Thursday. Do you want to come?” he asks. “I’m pretty sure Charlie and Ruby will be there.”
“That sounds great. Where do I get tickets?” I ask him.
“I’ll arrange it. Don’t worry.” He winks and kisses my cheek. “I gotta run. Have a good day.”
“The landlord usually shows up early in the morning to clean the driveway so you should be okay.”
“Thanks. If I can’t get out, I’ll call an Uber.”
“Okay, have a good day.”
Cade waves and leaves. I head into the shower, but I can’t stop thinking of Cade. My body is sore like I’ve had great sex. We didn’t even go all the way. I wonder what it will feel like if Cade and I have sex. Even though I know we probably won’t get to that point. Ford will hopefully back off since Cade punched him and Scarlett will probably move on to her next athlete. Then Cade and I will have no reason to continue our little ruse.
After my shower, I get dressed and head to the kitchen to have some breakfast before leaving for class. Both Sadie and Elle are at the kitchen table working on their laptops.
“Saw your guest leave,” Elle says waggling her brows.
We aren’t friends so I don’t feel like I owe her an explanation.
I smile and shrug. “The weather was bad last night.”
I get to work making myself a Greek yogurt bowl with some fruit and hemp hearts.
I eat quickly and head out. Sadie and Elle are the last people I’ll be sharing the details of my sex life with.
I head out to school and my first class goes by in a whir. By lunch time Ruby messages me that she, Charlie, and Briar are in the student center having lunch if I want to join. I head over there to see them already seated at a table.
“Annie, are you okay? Last night was crazy. I didn’t want to text you because I thought that you might have your hands full.” Briar waggles her brows.
The other girls wait for me to answer.
“Is Cade okay?” Ruby asks. “He looked so stricken after punching Ford.”
“He deserved it,” Charlie says.
“The police came but Ford said he didn’t want to press charges,” Briar says. That gives me relief.
“Cade is fine,” I assure my friends.
“And did something happen with you guys because the sexual tension between you two was off the charts last night,” Briar says.
“How would you know that?” I ask her.
“When Ruby made it back to the table without you, Cade was searching for you. When he spotted you in Ford’s arms, his face fell. But when he realized Ford was holding you against your will, he lost his shit and charged for you. It was so damn sexy. He was on a mission to rescue you.”
“I was a little freaked out about the way he punched Ford so brutally,” I admit to the girls.
“Finn said Cade scraps on the ice. He ensures the guys get the pucks to make goals. He’s a fighter,” Charlie explains.
I hear what Charlie is saying, but I was also there in the aftermath. Cade isn’t a fighter. It seems like fighting made him feel physically ill. His head was all over the place.
“So are you guys hooking up?” Briar asks.
I give her a look.
“Come on, it’s just a matter of time the way you both look at each other,” she says.
“We have decided on some benefits to our relationship,” I share.
“I knew it,” Ruby cheers. “You guys all owe me five bucks.”
“You guys bet on me and Cade?” I ask in shock.
“Come on. It was obvious to me,” Ruby says.
“I bet it wouldn’t happen because of how resistant you are to relationships,” Briar says.
“You aren’t wrong, but Cade and I set boundaries. We are both on the same page,” I explain. “So, the benefits have been a nice added perk to this fake dating.”
“Cade is a super nice guy. We got close last semester,” Charlie says. “I feel like there was more to why he stayed with Scarlet.”
“He shared some things with me,” I admit, but I don’t elaborate because it’s not my place. “He doesn’t want her back and that’s where I come in.”
“Do you think Ford will back off now?” Ruby asks.
“Sadly, I’m not sure. The way he grabbed me last night and wouldn’t let me go was scary,” I admit.
“What are you going to do?” Briar asks. “Should you go to the police?”
“Absolutely not. Ford didn’t press charges against Cade. I can never do that to him while he is helping my family,” I state.
“But at what cost?” Briar asks.
“I was going to ask the same thing,” Ruby says.
“I don’t know but I’m considering graduating in the spring and not returning next fall for my master’s. Maybe I’ll take the year off or if things go south with the farm, then maybe I’ll go to veterinary school. I always wanted to take care of animals, but I also didn’t want to let my family down.”
“You should do what makes you happy. Having to leave Riverside because your ex is a nut is very unfair. Just watch your back,” Charlie cautions.
“Are we getting food? I’m starving,” Briar interrupts. “And I have a practice later, I need time to digest.”
We all get up and order food from different vendors. We meet back at the table and eat lunch. The girls have given me some things to think about. I need to watch my back. I know if I told Daddy what was going on with Ford he would fire his dad’s firm, but we need all the help we can get. Me attending Riverside U is costly for my parents. Now with all the environmental renovations that have to be done on the farm, plus paying penalties for the damages to the water systems, things are more than tight.
After we finish eating lunch, Charlie brings up Thursday’s hockey game.
“Are you all coming?” she asks. “It isn’t often the guys play in town.”
“I’ll be there,” Ruby says.
“Cade asked me to come watch,” I add.
“It’s going to be so much fun attending a game with my girls. Do you all have jerseys?” Charlie asks.
“Nope,” Ruby says.
“Me either,” I reply. “Cade said he’d take care of the ticket.”
“Finn got me a jersey with his number on it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mack and Cade get you both jerseys. The guys like their women to show up in them,” Charlie explains. She is also working with the team, so she knows the ins and outs.
“I won’t be getting a jersey considering Cade and I are temporary,” I note.
“I better run to class,” Briar says, and she hugs each of us.
We all say our goodbyes and run off to class. I think of a time when the ruse between Cade and I will be over, and it doesn’t seem right that he won’t be in my life. I like talking to him and spending time with him. I love all the orgasms he delivers. I push the thought out of my mind. I don’t need to overthink this. When it’s time to move on we will. Simple as that.