She shrugs. “Whatever. Cade, you’re staying. I’m not going to be the only one trying to eat while those two are being disgusting with each other.”
“Are you cooking?” Cade sounds dubious about the whole thing, and I laugh since it’s obvious his reply depends on whether my sister plans on doing anything in the kitchen. He’s known her long enough, I’m surprised he even has to ask.
She gives him a death glare. “No, I’m not. Takeout tacos or fried chicken. Take your pick.”
Kat’s not been gone long when Grace arrives. As Cade silently checks out her car, she comes toward me with a smile that always makes me want to grab her and never let her go.
To hell with it. Cade’s never given me a hard time about the way Grace nearly passed out when I took her for her tat, or the way I held her afterward. And even if he had, I don’t care anymore. Grace is mine, and if anyone has a problem with that, I’m happy to set them straight with the help of my fists.
I pull her close and kiss her like we haven’t seen in each in years instead of four days. Considering I was never a great one for kissing before I met her, I’m sure making up for it now.
She pulls back, looking a little flustered, and glances at Cade. “Hi.”
“Hey.” He even gives her a brief smile. “Had any trouble with the tat?”
“It’s been great. No problems at all.”
I’m still holding her hand as they pass a few more comments, and it’s weird. Not Grace being friendly and polite, because that’s just the kind of girl she is. It’s Cade. He’s treating her as though she’s Kat, or Ty’s kid sister Savannah, not a hot chick who shares my bed.
My fingers tighten around hers. Cade’s accepted her as part of my life, and I don’t even know how I feel about it. I enjoy hooking up with her and we’re great together. Hell, we even text each other, and I’m not just talking about sexting. I’ve never thought any more about what we have because it’s nothing serious.
How can it be serious when she’s from Malibu?
I’ve no idea where I’m going with this, and it’s starting to freak me out, so I shove it to the back of my mind. Why ruin a good thing by over thinking it?
…
A couple of hours later, the four of us are in the living room drinking beer and hanging out as if this is something we do all the time. Truth is, I expected Cade to leave as soon as we’d eaten, but he looks set for the night, sprawled on one of the armchairs with his legs stretched out.
Grace is curled up on the sofa next to me and my arm’s draped around her shoulders. And while I can’t wait to get her to bed, I’m in no hurry to drag her there right now, in front of my sister and Cade, like I would with any other chick.
Which is crazy, as I want Grace more than any other woman I’ve ever met, but I know her, and she’ll go red and stress that they’ll hear everything we do. It’s like no one has sex in her world, or if they do it’s all done in secret with the lights out.
But that’s okay. She’s not going anywhere tonight. And the strange thing is I’m enjoying this evening, as much as if I was hanging with a couple of my brothers instead of my girl.
“So how many tattoos do you have?” Grace asks my sister, who’s perched on the arm of Cade’s chair.
“Five.”
I frown. “Thought you only had three.”
“You don’t knoweverythingabout me, Zach.”
I transfer my frown to Cade, who appears to find nothing wrong with this conversation. “You give her all five?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, of course he did.” Kat sounds irritated. “And why would he tell you every time I get one done? I don’t need you to hold my hand the way you did for Grace.”
That’s not the issue, and she damn well knows it. “Where’re the extra two tats?”
“On my ass.”
Cade chokes on his beer. “They’re not on her ass.”
Grace snorts with laughter. “I nearly had my iris done on my ass.”
That manages to distract me from the fact Cade failed to let me know when my sister commissioned two more tats from him, and I give Grace a disbelieving grin.
