Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
DRAKE
When I walk into the lounge after dinner, Cadence has her legs curled under her on the sofa. The phone in her hand absorbs her attention, a goofy smile on her face.
Fuck Hudson.
Bad enough that he cheated me out of my forfeit by chauffeuring her around today, but I had to watch as he played ‘footsie’ with her in the cafeteria all lunchtime.
Now he’s texting and as each new message arrives, her besotted grin grows wider. The pinch of irritation in my chest grows stronger.
The device buzzes again, and she gives a little snort, shaking her head, more animated than she’s been since arriving home.
And, as promised, I’ve been watching.
I lean on the back of the cushions, digging my chin into her shoulder, openly staring at her screen. She jerks, hunching as she tilts the device away from me, only relaxing again when I head for the recliner chair opposite.
And those muscles immediately tense as I drag it kitty-corner to the sofa just to fuck with her, extending it until I lie almost vertical, knees bent so my legs don’t dangle inches over the end.
Raelene sits behind a coffee table on the far side of the room where a gigantic puzzle lies in a thousand pieces. She glances over, smiling at her daughter before she returns her concentration to the scattered picture.
“Such a secretive girl,” I murmur. “Anyone would think you were plotting to seduce the neighbour.”
Cadence glares, tipping the screen at an even steeper angle.
I can hardly do more with her mother sat there watching, so put on headphones, switching on the sound system and closing my eyes as tunes from a raucous new-wave band fill my ears.
A half hour passes and I’m close to dozing when Raelene gets to her feet, wandering from the room to see where the old man got to. It’s nice to know his new live-in girlfriend can’t win his attention away from his work either, lessening the blow to my ego.
The moment she’s gone, I peel the headphones away from my head, setting them over the armrest before I launch myself at Cadence, wrestling her on the couch.
She squeals and I clamp my fingers over her mouth, watching her eyes widen in fright, then widen further as I tickle her, releasing her to pluck the phone from her hand.
“You’re meant to try to impress people on your first date,” I lecture her, snorting over her movie choices, most of which are strictly PG. “What are you? Ten?”
Cadence snatches it back, scraping back her fringe while she tips her nose in the air. “Not everyone needs to watch sex and violence to be entertained. I prefer a good story.”
“Have you told your one-handed paperback collection that?”
She shoves her heel into my calf muscle, and I pin her to the sofa, the curve of her hip against my prick, my forearm rubbing against her left tit. Her back arches, still fighting, but my body interprets the movement differently, arousal surging until my cock stiffens and I roll behind her, pulling her back against me, grinding my growing erection against her sculpted arse.
“Get off me.”
The words sound earnest, but her nipples harden until they’re poking the soft skin of my inner arm. My hand slides down to cup her breast, pinching and she makes a whimper that sets my brain on fire.
Only the clip of her mother’s shoes drives me to release her, scrambling back into my recliner, headphones on, before she reaches the connecting door.
Cadence pulls herself back together more slowly, licking her lips and curling her knees against her chest. With her flushed cheeks and bright eyes, her face screams pure sex. I bet if I put my fingers between her legs, she'd be soaked.
And am I going to let her loose in a movie theatre like that with Hudson?
Am I, fuck.
A few minutes later, I excuse myself to the kitchen, sending a group message to my friends, asking for help. The contacts are a mix of the boys I knew from Alabaster and the undesirables I clicked with during boot camp.
They’re not much of a network if you want a stock market tip or a helping hand onto the right career ladder from the son of a CEO. They’re not rich like the unwanted acolytes who trail me around school.
What they have are mad skills and low ethics—a handy combination.
I’ve contributed my share to their general delinquency over the years. Being a firebug has its uses.
My request is far different from any I’ve made before, and I huff a relieved breath when Jake comes through with the goods. A reservation for four at the city’s newest and trendiest eatery.
With one favour less in my arsenal, I head back into the lounge, nodding to Arnold who now sits next to Cadence’s mother, working on his laptop while she continues to tackle the puzzle.
I stop in the doorway, feeling an unfamiliar warmth in my stomach.
To outsiders, we look like a normal family. Two parents, two teenagers.
A nice house.
A nice life.
Growing up, this was everything I ever wanted. A father to teach me manly things like how to shave or do odd jobs around the house. A sibling to tease, someone who would always understand who I am because we share the same upbringing.
My ears hum louder the longer I stand there, eyes eating up the scene, wanting more than anything to join and be normal along with them.
Then I glance at Raelene and the short dream falters.
The only way this could be a family is if my mother sat there, giving me her gentle smile of encouragement. Listening to me talk about my day, lending advice when she knows I need it. Staying silent when all that will help is a comforting hug.
Grief hollows me and it’s merciless, sucking everything into its gaping abyss. Even my breath.
Then Cadence’s phone buzzes with another message and anger—my steadfast companion—rushes in to fill the void.
“I just heard from a friend who works at Rodolfo.” I waggle my phone. “He’s organised a booking for a table of four this Saturday.” Arnold frowns and I meet his eyes with a formulated smile. “If we want the reservation. I thought it would be nice to go as a family.”
“The Rodolfo?” His frown turns to cautious optimism. “Doesn’t that place have a six-month waiting list?”
“Yeah.” I give a shrug like it’s no big deal. “He knows I want to welcome everyone. But if you already have plans…”
I stare at Cadence, enjoying the way her expression collapses. Especially when her mother bounces across to the sofa to draw her into an excited dance.
“It sounds fabulous,” Raelene gushes, squeezing her daughter’s shoulder. “What d’you think, love?”
“Great.” Her thin smile doesn’t come close to reaching her eyes. The longer I look, the more it turns into a grimace. “But would next Saturday—”
“It has to be this Saturday,” I interject. “The table’s booked.”
“And if we decline, we’ll never get a reservation again on such short notice,” Arnold agrees, cluelessly coming to my rescue. “Well done, son. I’m proud of the effort you’re making to include everyone.”
I smirk at Cadence, feeling satisfaction at her distress.
But Arnold isn’t finished yet. The old man’s getting positively teary-eyed.
“It’s hard for me to say how grateful I am to have you properly here. Those times you didn’t come home for days, sleeping in your car…” His voice completely chokes, and he shakes his head until it loosens. “Let’s just say it’s nice to have you home at night.”
He opens his arms, and I step into them. Mimicking his hug because he’s never given me one before, and I’m not sure what he expects.
When I pull away, he wipes his eyes.
Fucking hell.
“For a long time, I thought I’d missed my chance to be a father or to have a proper family and now look at us.” He beams like he can’t believe his good fortune. “You’re all so special to me.”
“You’re special to us, too,” Cadence says, reaching over to grasp his hand.
And my head thumps with pain, the deep-seated ache bringing different tears to my eyes as I glance at her. “Yeah, you’re special.”
CADENCE
Twenty minutes later, I walk around to Hudson’s house to give him the bad news in person, needing the exercise to process my irritation.
Drake is going from bad to worse.
I tried to understand him blaming me for boot camp, but so far, the benefit of the doubt has earned me a ridiculous forfeit demand, constant insinuations about my virtue, a food-stained blouse for the last two periods at a school where everyone always looks perfect, and now a ruined date.
And not to forget the theft of my medication. Can’t go past that little treat.
I fold my hands into my armpits to hide my fists and walk past Hudson’s house the first time, needing another minute to find my head.
When I walk up to the door, it opens before I have the chance to knock.
“I thought I’d better come out and grab you before you walked past again.”
Knowing he was watching adds embarrassment to my list of stirred emotions. I can’t stand to wait and blurt, “Drake organised a family dinner on Saturday. I can’t go out.”
“Okaaaaaay,” he says, frowning. “And you can’t postpone?”
“She’s blowing you off, dick head,” a voice calls out. “Told you she didn’t want to fu—”
“You shut the fuck up,” Hudson abruptly shouts, turning and grabbing the boy by the collar, wrestling him from the room. He’s red-faced when he returns. “Ignore Ben. He’s a moron.”
I back away from the entrance, shocked at his burst of bad temper. “Okay.”
“Wait!” Hudson follows me outside, closing the door. “Sorry. He’s been winding me up all night and when he started swearing at you... I lost it.” He shuffles his feet, shooting me an adorably shamefaced grin. “Mum is always yelling at us for yelling.”
The summary makes me chuckle. “Sounds like a bad way to deliver that message.”
He wrinkles his nose before nodding back to the house. “Did you want to come back inside? I promise to be whisper quiet.” His volume mimics the sentiment.
“No, I better get back but... did you want to postpone till the weekend after next?”
The relieved smile lights up his face. “Sure. Sounds great.”