Except when I pull into the driveway, the sight of a shitty Volvo parked beside the cabin cuts that thought clean off as my pulse picks up and I grip my handlebars tighter.
As I roll to a stop and kill the engine, the front door slams open so hard it rattles against the wall.
“No. Oh, fuck no. Get the fuck out of here!”
My jaw clenches so hard I feel like I could crack a fucking tooth, and every muscle in me twitches, begging to break my fury loose. Cade doesn’t let go of my waist, adjusting slightly in his seat behind me, like he’s unsure what to do. He just waits while I stare down Maple on the porch, where she stands with her hands planted on her hips, shooting daggers at me with her icy glare.
“And what the fuck areyoudoing here?” I kick the stand down and tap Cade’s leg for him to climb off.
I keep my eyes on her as he slips from the bike, but when her gaze flicks to him, I push to my feet and swing a leg over as well.
“I asked you a question, Maple.” I hang our helmets on the handlebars and cock an eyebrow at her. “Did another boyfriend send you packing?”
She ignores me and jerks her chin towards Cade. “And who’s this?”
I step in front of him, blocking her view as my fists curl. “Fuck off,” I snarl. “What. Are. You. Doing. Here?”
She rolls her eyes with a huff. “In case you haven’t noticed, Mom’s still away. Someone needs to look after the place.”
I throw my arms wide. “Someone’s right here.”
She lifts one of her dark eyebrows and kicks a pot at her feet with a dead plant in it. I want to say… a tomato plant…
“Doing a great job as always, making sure things don’t die.”
Heat tears through me as anger fills every part of my body, and the only thing left is a fire that has its sights set directly on her.
I step forward, planting both hands on the railings, and look up at her. “Come down here and say that to my face,” I say through gritted teeth.
She crosses her arms and smirks. “I’m good. I can see your tantrum just fine from here.”
Cade steps up beside me just as I’m about to lunge up the stairs.
“Ok,” he says, placing a hand on my arm. He quickly glances between us, then lowers his voice so it’s meant for me, but impossible for her to miss. “Potential energy with nowhere to land always burns itself out.”
Fuck. Me.
Ilovethis man.
Maple stares at him, and for once in her fucking life, she doesn’t have a comeback.
“Cade,” I say, straightening up and gesturing at her with a lazy flick of my hand. “This is my fuckwit sister, Maple.”
Cade just nods at her, while Maple shoots me a scathing look.
“And she was just leaving,” I add.
She scoffs. “No, Alder, I’m fucking not.”
“Ah,” I say, casually slipping my hands into my pockets. “So youdon’thave a home to crawl back to. Who was it this time? Let me guess. A supercool drummer dude from a garage band, going to make it big, any day now…”
“Fuck off,” she snaps, then turns her attention to Cade. “Blink twice if you need help. No one in their right mind would willingly show up here with this meathead.”
Cade shrugs and shifts his gaze to meet mine. “Sanity’s not something I come by easily.”
I groan and reach down to adjust my hardening cock. Maple needs to get the fuck out of here—now.
I point a finger at her as I reluctantly turn away from Cade. “Leave, or you’re about to get a show.”
