I hiked my pants back up and grabbed a clean towel from the shelf near the sink and ran it under warm water, then moved back to where Lainey still sat on the edge of the prep table. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was a mess, and I'd never seen anything more beautiful in my life.
"Here," I said softly, gently cleaning her up with careful strokes. She watched me finish cleaning her, then wipe myself off. I tossed the towel aside and helped her down from the table, then handed her her leggings before tucking my sensitive dick back into my pants and zipping up.
When she was dressed again, I pulled her close. She rested her head against my chest and I wrapped my arms around her. I felt so connected to her. I never wanted this feeling to stop. It felt like she and I were made for each other, like fate had somehow made a way for us to find each other against all odds.
"Lainey," I started, trying to find the right words. "I need to tell you something."
She looked up at me and I could see curiosity in her expression. I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I've been doing a lot of thinking and?—"
My phone rang and cut me off mid-sentence. I could've ignored it entirely, but I was nervous. I'd never had feelings for a woman before. Confessing them felt like a huge step. So instead I pulled it from my pocket and saw my father's name on the screen. It ruined the mood completely, though Dad's calls could never stop me from feeling the way I did about her. I just had to deal with this first.
"I'm sorry," I said to Lainey. "I have to take this."
She nodded and stepped back, straightening her clothes while I answered the call.
"What?" I grumbled into the phone, not bothering to hide my irritation.
My father's voice came through so loud I had to hold the phone away from my ear. Lainey could hear every word even from where she stood a few feet away.
"What the hell are you doing?" He was shouting like some dramatic event had happened, but to my knowledge nothing had cropped up recently that I hadn't heard of.
"Dad, calm down. I?—"
"I've had enough of this nonsense, Kade. Get rid of the gold digger or you're cut off permanently. Not this temporary throttling of your finances. I mean completely cut off. No more money, no more credit cards, no more access to anything. You'll be on your own."
Rage surged through me and I felt my jaw clench. "Are you serious right now?"
"I've been patient with you, but this has gone too far. That woman's using you and you're too blind to see it. End it now or face the consequences."
I looked at Lainey and saw her face had gone pale. She'd heard every word and I could see the hurt in her eyes. She stood with her arms wrapped around her middle and her bottom lip trembling.
"I've heard enough," I said into the phone, my voice cold. "Don't call me again."
I hung up before he could make this any worse and shoved the phone back in my pocket. My hands were shaking with anger. I wanted to throw something, break something, do anything to release the fury building in my chest.
"Kade—" Lainey started, but I cut her off.
"Don't listen to him. He doesn't know what he's talking about." I moved toward her, but she took a step back. "My parents have been treating me this way my entire life. Nothing I do is ever good enough for them. They control everything with money and threats, and cutting me off is their favorite weapon. It doesn't mean anything."
"It means something to me." Her voice was quiet and I could hear the tremor in it.
"It shouldn't." I ran a hand through my hair and tried to organize my thoughts. "They've always been this way. When I was in boarding school and I got in trouble, they'd threaten to cut me off. When I dropped out of college, they actually did it for six months until I came crawling back. This is what they do. They demonize anyone who gets close to me because they think everyone's after the family money."
"Maybe they're right to be concerned." She moved away from me and started looking for something. "Maybe I shouldn't be here with you."
"What are you talking about?" I followed her and tried to catch her hand, but she pulled away. "This has nothing to do with you. This is about them and their need to control every aspect of my life." I felt confused and I was so angry with my father, though that entire thing could've been avoided if I'd just had enough guts to tell her I was falling in love with her and ignore my phone.
"It has everything to do with me." She picked up a towel and stooped to wipe up the floor, then the edge of the table where our mess still sat. "It's obvious what they think of me."
"They're wrong, Lainey." I moved closer and she backed up until she hit the counter. "You're not what they say. I know you’re not just trying to get something out of me." This entire conversation had taken such a turn for the worse.
"But I am getting something out of you." She looked up at me and there were tears forming in her eyes. "You're helping my bakery. You're giving me money to do the fundraiser."
"That's not the same thing," I snarled, and I realized my temper was getting out of control. I didn’t want to hurt her. I loved her. I wanted her to listen to me. "They don't know you. They've never even met you. They're judging you based on assumptions and prejudice, and I won't let them do that."
"You can't stop them." She pushed past me and tossed the soiled towel in a bin, then picked up her purse. "And you can't change what they think of me."
I felt completely helpless. This was falling apart right in front of me and I had no idea how to fix it. I'd spent my entire life fighting with my parents, but I'd never cared this much about what they thought or said. Now their words were driving a wedge between me and the one person I actually wanted in my life.
