Safe Haven
. . .
Ellie
Jarred awake from a restless sleep, instinct made me thrust my elbow out at my attacker—only for them to effortlessly block the move.
I blinked, finding Cade lying between me and the couch’s back, and his hand holding my elbow.
… Lame. Why couldn’t my reflexes do that back when he elbowed me in the face?
I yanked my arm back with a scowl. “Cade?”
He grabbed a throw pillow and tucked it under his head, looking comfortable as could be next to me on a couch slimmer than a twin bed. “You’re a hard woman to find.”
I frowned, gazing bleary-eyed around the intimate movie theater and hardly believing he was on this couch with me. “What are you doing here?”
“Sleeping next to my fiancée,” he answered easily.
I wasn’t amused in the slightest, and my stare let Cade know that before I turned my back to him. Lying back down and smashing my head into my pillow, I squeezed my eyes shut to pretend he wasn’t there.
“You should go back to the cabin,” I said, hoping he took the suggestion. I didn’t want to be around him right now.
Instead of leaving, Cade got closer—settling in behind me and wrapping an arm around my middle. The move, along with the warmth of his broad chest against my back, made my throat tighten.
“What?” he whispered close to my ear. “A man can’t cuddle with his fiancée?”
I almost laughed at the absurdity of the question.
“Save it,” I muttered. “You can stop pretending when we’re alone.”
Cade squeezed my waist. “Who’s pretending? I’m just getting what I paid for.”
I stiffened in his hold. “… Are you serious?”
A sigh tickled my ear. “It was a joke, El—”
“It’s not funny,” I snapped. I wriggled out of his arms and sat up to face him. “You’ve never taken my job seriously, but now you’re mocking it. If you’re going to be a jerk, then we can just end our agreement now.”
I wanted to. I was tired. And cranky. And just… done.
Done with today.
Done feeling like I wasn’t enough.
Done.
A flash of uncertainty crossed Cade’s face, and he propped himself up on his elbow.
“We’re not ending the agreement,” he said, voice low.
“Then I need a minute to breathe.” I shook my head, looking away. “To—to think.”
His eyes narrowed. “What’s there to think about?”
I pressed my lips together, searching for the words to explain how crummy this all felt.
“I know I don’t fit in with everyone here,” I said carefully.
“It’s obvious I’m not like the rest of you.
But aside from Candace’s annoying mean-girl comments, nobody’s made me feel unwelcome.
Not until you treated me like arm candy today.
You acted like I was a mindless prop, Cade. I’ve never felt so small before.”
“My mother notices everything.” He moved to sit up, eyeing me closely. “If you talked to her more today, she would’ve seen through our act in a heartbeat. I did that to keep her in the dark.”
I forced a tight, pained smile. “Great strategy, then. It worked perfectly. Well done.”
He frowned. “It was the best shot at reaching our goals. Me getting the UK division, and you getting the money for your cat. If you expect me to pretend to be a sweet guy—”
“I don’t expect that,” I said shortly—even though, stupidly, I had expected him to treat me like a freaking human being. Or at least to not throw the money back in my face. “And I won’t expect anything from you in the future, but I’d really like to be alone right now. Please.”
To my horror, a lump formed in my throat, and I turned away before he could notice. I squeezed my eyes shut to hold the tears back. Over my dead body would I cry in front of Cade.
Whiskey rubbed against my leg, and I scooped him up for comfort. Holding him against my chest, I settled back onto my side.
There was a long pause before Cade spoke behind me. “At least let me sleep on another couch. If anyone sees you alone in here, they’ll ask questions.”
I shrugged as best I could while lying down.
“I’ll say I fell asleep while watching a movie,” I whispered. “Don’t worry. I won’t ruin your precious plan.”
Cade didn’t say anything to that, and the silence stretched—strained and awkward and so unlike the quiet of the other nights we’d spent cuddling. I could feel his gaze on me, and my effort to pretend I was already sleeping wasn’t fooling anyone.
Finally, when my heart had lodged in my throat and tears felt inevitable, Cade slowly got up, and paused again before walking away. Whiskey instantly wiggled in my arms until I let him go, and he jumped down from the couch. The tags on his collar clinked as he followed Cade, and I felt even worse.
My cat was leaving me, too.
Traitor.
Unwelcome tears pooled in my eyes as the door shut behind them, and I grabbed a throw pillow to hold instead.
“Don’t you dare feel guilty, Ellie,” I whispered, hugging the pillow closer. “He’s the one who acted like a jerk. Not you.”
Too bad the heart didn’t care about logic.
Sniffling, I settled in for a long, lonely night.