“Kaiden’s not capable of romantic love. He’s too closed off. Whatever love he has in his heart he reserves for his family and his friends. Not for me.”
She eyes me for a long time, opening and closing her mouth in quick succession as her gaze flits from my face to my ring and back again. I doubt she knows much of my background, so I guess she’s assuming I’m engaged to Kaiden. Perhaps she was going to ask me but thinks better of it. “I’m not sure that’s true, but you know him better than I do.” She casts a glance at her phone. “Shoot. I need to go before James sends out a search party.” She drains the last of her coffee. “And you’re sure you want to stay?”
“I’m good, but thank you for asking.”
“Okay then.” She stands, pulling me into a quick hug. “I wish we had more time to chat. I have a feeling you and I’d get on like a house on fire.”
“Me too.” My warm smile is genuine.
She slips a card into my hand. “That’s my contact info. Call or email me anytime. I mean it. If you need anything or you’re in trouble, get in touch.”
“Thank you so much. You’ve no idea what that means to me.” That this stranger would make such an offer reminds me there are good, generous, kind people in this world.
I haven’t encountered many of them.
It also reminds me of Jane, and I wonder where she is and if she’s doing okay. I can’t imagine she’s coping well without Drew, and I wish I was there to help her deal with her broken heart.
“Take care of yourself.” She gives me one final hug before leaving, and I turn to the sink, rinsing out my mug in slow motion, waiting for him to announce his presence.
I dry and put my mug away when he steps forward.
He wears a mask I haven’t seen in a while, but it’s one I’m well accustomed to. Disgust clings to his eyes, and his emotions are on lockdown as he stalks toward me. I knew he was listening, and I knew my comments would hurt him—but not this much. A pang of remorse hits me in my chest, and it’s getting harder to hold on to my anger.
Kai is getting to me, and my head is a mess as I now questioneverythingI’m doing to get back at him.
But I stand my ground, refusing to be intimidated or take it back.
He deserves to hurt.
To grovel.
To fight to prove his feelings for me are genuine.
I demand no less.
I deserve no less.
He steps up close, his chest brushing against mine as he glares at me. “You don’t know what I’m capable of.” His tone screams death and destruction, and a shiver works its way up my spine, but I hold firm, maintaining a cool composure. “But keep pushing me, and you might just find out.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The house is much quieter without the Anderson brothers, and I’m rapidly going out of my mind as boredom sets in. Sawyer is locked in his office for most of the day while Jackson has returned to his stoner ways, and it’s not as much fun now I can’t partake. Kaiden is avoiding me, and he spends a lot of his time in the impressive gym housed in one of the outbuildings. The rest of the time he’s holed up with Sawyer, but every time I suggest I can help, the door is literally closed in my face.
“Here.” Kai strides into the bedroom, thrusting a small package at me. Now the others have gone, there are two spare bedrooms, and he moved into one without me even asking. My comments to Faye about his ability to love seems to have struck a nerve. He’s maintaining distance between us, and I’m woman enough to admit I can’t stand it even if I’m the one who orchestrated it.
However, I know he still sneaks in here at night, because I’m attuned to his presence, and I always feel him in the room. He doesn’t know I’m aware, and I’d rather keep it that way. My feelings are an epic clusterfuck of disastrous proportions, and the more my anger fades, the more I crave him.
I don’t know how much longer I can keep hiding the truth.
“What is it?” I ask, accepting the package and ignoring the way my skin heats when his fingers brush mine.
“Something to stop your bitching and whining.” He walks off, and it’s natural to shove my middle finger up at his retreating form. “I felt that,” he says, and I flip him off another few times for good measure.
When he’s gone, I open the box, and my heart soars when I remove a Kindle Oasis e-reader. It’s linked to his account, and he’s set up a Kindle Unlimited subscription for me. A couple of pregnancy books are already loaded to the device, and my heart feels like it might beat a path out of my chest. I set it down and go after him, heading to his bedroom first.
I rap on the door, and it eases open. Sounds from the bathroom confirm he’s in the shower, and I’m backing out of his room when I spy the open sketchpad on the bed. I’m a nosy bitch, especially with Kai’s artistic talent, and I feel only a little twinge of guilt as I stride toward the bed. I sit down and snatch it up, turning it over onto his current drawing.
Pressure sits on my chest as I take in every exquisite detail of the sketch. A dog-eared photo is paperclipped to the top of the page, and Kai’s replica is almost a mirror image. He is just that good.
