Page 36 of Suddenly Yours

Because she deserved steadiness.

And I wasn’t sure I trusted myself not to fall apart completely if she kissed me sober and wide awake.

Chapter Ten

Missy

Pretending that I hadn’t pretty much jumped on Cade the night before after an entire bottle of wine was shallow of me.

Still, it was better than owning up to trying to break our agreement to just be friends. I wasn’t ready to be the reason anything came between us. Besides, it was one moment of weakness thanks to the bottle of wine Sarah had ordered for me when she’d dropped by the table after Cade had left.

So that morning, I did what any mature, well-adjusted woman would do.

I lied and overcompensated. A lot.

I joked too loudly at breakfast. I stirred way too much sugar into my coffee, then pretended that’s how I always took it. Which of course Cade knew was a lie. I made unnecessary comments about the weather, the décor, the fact that the butter came in tiny glass jars, anything except acknowledging the way Cade’s eyes kept flicking toward me like he was checking if I was okay… or if I remembered what I’d done.

Which of course I did.

Painfully.

After breakfast, we headed to the indoor pool since the rain was still falling in soft, misty sheets outside.

Since this was my vacation, I wanted to enjoy the water, and an indoor pool was better than none.

I walked beside him like we weren’t vibrating with the unspoken words between us. Like I didn’t keep almost tripping over my own feet because I was hyper-aware of the way his hand occasionally brushed mine.

The pool itself was warm and quiet. He dove into the water, easy and confident, while I slipped in and pretended my heart wasn’t working overtime. We played a few lazy rounds of tag, like we had our entire lives, me being terrible at pretending I wasn’t letting him catch me, and then floated side by side, staring up at the fogged ceiling.

When the rain stopped, we wandered outside. The clouds cracked open like a curtain lifting, letting sunlight spill everywhere. The air still carried that post-storm coolness, so instead of swimming, we ordered drinks and sat in a cabana. When the sun came out a little more, we walked barefoot along the shore and let the icy water nip at our toes.

It felt… easy. Familiar. Like us.

Cade knelt once and tried, poorly, to sculpt a sandcastle moat system that lasted approximately twelve seconds before collapsing. I teased him for it, he splashed water at me, and soon we were both laughing, sandy and breathless.

For a moment, I let myself pretend we weren’t afraid of ruining anything. That we were lovers instead of just two best friends. Just for a moment. Then it was back to reality.

When the breeze picked up, we headed back toward the resort and spent the next couple of hours in full pampering mode.

I lost myself in the bliss of a deep-tissue massage, the kind that melted every knot in my back and shoulders. Then I got my nails and toes done in a frosty, soft pink that reminded me of the spring cupcakes that I had made more than a hundred of the other day. Meanwhile, Cade got a haircut and a clean shave, emerging afterward looking so handsome I forgot how to inhale for a second.

“Looks good,” I’d managed to say.

“Yeah?” he’d asked casually, but his eyes searched mine like my opinion mattered more than it should. “I haven’t shaved off my scruff for almost a year.”

“I like the scruff, but a clean shave is nice too,” I admitted as heat crept up my neck. It was the truth. I’d like his face even if it was covered in thick fur. If he came in looking like a mountain man, I’d probably still sigh into my coffee about it.

He gave a half smile, the kind that tugged up one corner of his mouth and made him look dangerous, devastating, and so very Cade.

“Good to know,” he murmured.

Why did that tiny comment make my stomach flip? Denial had become something of a hobby this weekend.

“Come on,” he said lightly, bumping his shoulder into mine. “I’m starving. And I know for a fact that if I don’t feed you soon, you’re going to turn feral.”

“I turned feral once around Christmas, and suddenly it’s my reputation,” I joked.

He laughed, and we headed downstairs to the dining room.