Hooked on the Game (The Sterling Shore Series #1) (10 page)

I run back to the room, barge through the door, and then slam it shut.  Kade jumps, startled by my abrupt reentrance, and my heartbeat quickens when I see him in nothing more than his boxers.

"I thought you'd be longer," he says, grinning as he picks up his gray pants to start sliding on.

Oh damn.

"Sorry," I say with burning cheeks while covering my eyes.  "It's dangerous out there right now."

He laughs, and I hear the bed creak as he slides into place.  I lower my hands, though I regret such a foolish action.  My old bed looks so flashy with him half-naked.  I need a cold shower - after I've bleached the hell out of it to rid it of my stepbrother's filthy exhibition.

"You can change in here... since it's dangerous.  I'll head out," he says, sliding off the bed.

The second he opens the door and hears the nightmarish sounds decorating the hallway, he slams it back, letting his laughter roar free as I cover my humiliated face.

"Damn.  They work quick."

"Don't talk about it.  I'll puke."

He laughs harder while flopping down to the bed.  "I'll close my eyes."

The second he shuts his eyes, I start tearing out of my clothes to hurriedly get ready for bed.  Of course, the only thing I can think about with his eyes closed is how badly I want to go straddle him and watch his reaction.  He'd probably toss me to the ground.  That's sobering.

I might be moving past our great divide, but he hasn't shown any interest in me yet.  I doubt he ever will.

Chapter 9

Losing Boundaries

His hand cupping my ass has me throbbing.  His lips have brushed mine all night long, and he doesn't even realize it.  He grabbed my leg during the night and hauled it over his waist, but it was a subconscious action.  He has no clue what he's done.

Without making a sound, I run my hand through the feather-soft strands of dark, almost black hair.
Mmm.
  I could picture my hands staying here.

His hand on my ass gets tighter, and he pulls me closer, making my throbbing center beg for more.  I'm almost in need right now.  I remember the three times I had sex.  They weren't anything spectacular, but I'd bet it would be better with Kade.  I never wanted Jeremy as much as I want this incredible man wrapped around me.

"Raya," he murmurs softly, almost making it a whisper as he pulls me even closer.

Is he dreaming about me?  Surely not.

His lips press against my collarbone, and my breath hitches as his hand slides up my waist to my breast.  He picks that second to wake up, and his eyes widen in shock as he jerks back.  One problem...  My bed is smaller than his, so he runs out of room to leap back.

He thuds to the ground, taking my small nightstand and all its contents with him.  Great.  Touching me freaks him out every time.

"You okay?" I grumble, trying not to let him see how incredibly frustrated and teased he's left me.

"Yeah," he groans, cursing under his breath as a few things rattle around him.  "I'll clean that up.  I need... I need a smoke."

I rarely see him smoke.  Usually school pushes him to grab a cigarette because he's stressed, but I rarely ever see him smoke at home.

He grabs his pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his bag, and then he darts out the door - barefoot and shirtless.  I drop back and pull the cover over my head.  I'm stupid to have thought the two of us could be more than friends.  If we're even that.

The day drags on,
but fortunately, Kade seems to have pushed aside our morning fiasco.  He's back to touching me for no reason, since all Sterling Shore people love to touch.

After my mother broke out the old pictures of me, I decided to take Kade to town.  Most of the people have avoided me - nothing new.  I'm the spawn of the conman, after all.  The biggest scandal to ever hit this small town is still talked about.

"People like to stare," Kade says as he threads his fingers with mine, igniting a beastly desire he has no clue exists within me.

I stare at the connection as he studies all the eyes on us.  "You're new in town," I lie, praying no one has the audacity to actually clue him in.

"I guess I get what they say about small towns now."

I force a weak smile.  He doesn't understand small towns at all.  He stops completely, right in the middle of the sidewalk.  With his hand still holding mine, I'm forced to stop just as abruptly and stumble into him.

"What's that smell?" he groans, seeming intoxicated.

I chuckle loudly as I stare at the vendor just down the sidewalk.  I'd know that smell anywhere.  "Mrs. Bates's cherry pie.  She's won the state fair pie contest for the past ten years with that recipe."

"Please tell me it's not soy, fat free, or gluten free," he almost whimpers, making my smile perk up even more.

Sterling
Shore is a town for health fanatics; not the hungry.  Kade is like a hungry wolf stalking his prey as he abandons me on the sidewalk to go track down the smell that is calling to him.

I giggle to myself when he almost runs to get in line behind three others.  It's odd seeing him in a place like this.  He's dressed casual, but he still stands out.

In his designer blue jeans and his long-sleeved pull-over, he almost fits in, but then you see his stride, his posture, and his amazing, untainted beauty.

"Raya?" a familiar, gut-wrenching voice says.

I turn slowly, trying not to let my heart crash into my stomach.  The second I meet the brown eyes that stared into mine when he cut my heart out, I fight back all the tears I thought I had finished shedding.

"Jeremy," I almost whisper, and then my eyes settle on the ornament on his arm.  My ex-best friend.  "Vickie," I add coldly.

Her soft eyes meet mine as she forces a sad smile.

"Hey, Raya.  You look really good," she says in a small voice, treating me as though I might break if she speaks too loudly.

She's wrong.  They already broke me once.  It's not possible to break me again.

"Yeah," Jeremy says, scanning me up and down.  "You look so... different."

I glance down at the Colton ensemble I'm wearing.  The sleek, deep blue shirt fits perfectly, the stylish tan leather jacket stops at the top of my jeweled jeans.

"I... made some changes."

Before I know what's going on, I feel a warm arm around me, soft lips on my neck, and heated breaths stroking me in places they can't even touch.  My breath catches in my throat seconds before Kade's incredible lips find mine.

I lose myself in the unexpected kiss, and one of my hands slides up to tug at his soft, perfect hair.  He pulls me closer, making my whole body flame like we've been tossed into the belly of a volcano.

Just when I'm ready to push my tongue between his lips, he smiles against our kiss before drawing back, leaving me breathless, and then he turns to face the people I've completely forgotten.

"Sorry," he says, sounding sincere.  "Are you friends of Raya's?"

Did he... why did he...
oh.
  He must have figured out who they are.  He kissed me to keep me from looking pathetic and alone.  Shit.  Now I like him even more.  Damn it.

"I'm Jeremy and this is Vickie," Jeremy says with a slight frown.  "And you?"

"Um... yeah.  This is Kade," I say with a grin, relishing the lingering taste he's left on my lips.

"
Colton," Kade says, as if I forgot to mention his last name.

"As in Colton Fashion industries?" Vickie gushes, her eyes wide and excited.

"Paul Colton is my father," Kade says with a small smirk.

His arm snakes around my waist and he kisses my forehead.  Jeremy has no idea what Colton Fashion is, but Vickie seems star-struck.

"We should go, babe," Kade says before pressing a chaste kiss to my lips.  "I've got pie, and I'm desperate to eat it.  I've also got the perfect wine to go with it."

I'm still reeling from the mind-numbing kiss.  How can I think about pie and wine right now?

"Yeah.  Um... I guess I'll see you guys later," I mutter insincerely.

Kade guides me to the Range Rover parked at the curb, and I smile to myself, knowing their eyes are still on us.  Is it petty to rub their noses in this and make them think I'm dating the prince?  Probably.  Am I above such a thing?  Hell no.

Kade shuts my door for me and then walks over and puts the pie in the back seat before hopping up front beside me.  After he cranks it, he smiles.

"They're still watching."

I can't tear my eyes off him long enough to even try to glance at Jeremy and Vickie.  I want to play with his tongue ring right now.  He has turned my mind into mush.

He looks over at me, and his eyes change as I stare longingly at his lips.  He tilts his head as if he's studying me, and for a second, I swear he's about to kiss me again.  Of all the times for it to happen, my phone starts ringing, playing Halestorm's
Mz. Hyde
.

Kade laughs when he hears it ringing, and the possible moment is ruined.  I could have just imagined it to begin with.

"Hello," I mutter, trying not to sound as agitated as I feel while we pull out onto the road.

"Put loverboy on the phone," Josh chuckles.

"He's not... no.  I don't trust you."

He laughs harder, and Kade tilts his head.

"I swear I won't say anything to embarrass you."

I snort derisively, refusing to hand over the phone.

"If you don't hand him the phone, I'll walk around the house naked when you guys get back."

Shit.

"Fine.  Play nice."

Kade snickers as I hand him the phone, and I listen and watch as he greets my brother.

"Sure," he says.  "We'll be back in about five minutes or less.  I'd like to eat some pie first."

I grin involuntarily when his smile becomes infectious.  I forget all about Josh and the promise of disaster when all I can focus on is Kade.

"They've been gone too
long," I mumble while pacing back and forth.

"Your brother is good with guns.  Stop worrying," Mom says dismissively.

I offer her an incredulous gawk.  "I realize he's good with guns. 
That's
why I'm worried."

"They're just shooting skeets," she chuckles out.  "Josh isn't stupid enough to shoot him."

"He'd better not be."

I feel my whole body relax when Kade's Range Rover rolls up in the yard.  Kade is laughing with my brother when they get out, and more relief fills me.  To keep everyone from seeing how crazy-strung I am, I clamber back to my room and collapse face-first onto the bed.

Their laughter carries through the house when they come in.  I just press my face into the pillow, trying to get a hold of myself before Kade sees what a freak I've become.

"Where's Raya?" Kade asks, his voice only slightly muffled by my closed door.

"She's in her room," my mother says.  I can actually hear her smiling.  She has too much confidence in me if she thinks I can get a guy like Kade to see me as more than a friend.

I hear the door, but I don't bother lifting my head.  A breath of air gushes through my lips when Kade drops down on top of me and buries his face in my neck.

"Your brother is one crazy motherfucker," he murmurs against my neck, and I choke out a laugh.

He laughs, too, but I'm more focused on the fact his body is pressed tightly against mine.  I think he's torturing me.

"You didn't get shot," my brother calls from the living room, making both of us laugh louder.

"Only because the gun jammed," Kade says back, making me gasp.

"It's was a joke, Raya!" Josh says quickly before I can berate him.

I relax once that's cleared up, but Kade's body, still pressed against mine, makes me tense for a whole new reason.

"You guys ready for supper?" Mom calls, making Kade sigh.

"You're exhausted, aren't you?" I mumble into the pillow.

"You feel more tense than I was the whole time," he teases.

"I know Josh better than you do."

He chuckles and then stands up, pulling me with him.  I smile as I walk over to my bag and pull out a box I've wrapped for him.  Luckily for me, Mom had all the ingredients handy.  And though he'll probably laugh at the pathetic excuse for a present, I couldn't let him come to our family's Christmas without giving him anything.  After the way he ran after that pie, I decided this gift would be as close to perfect as I could get.

"What's this?" he asks as I hand it over.

"Something for you.  It's impossible to buy a Colton anything unless you're the Queen of England, but I wanted to get you something."

He smiles as he sits down on the edge of the bed, but then his smile falls.

"I didn't even think... Raya, my family hasn't done presents since we were kids.  I didn't even think to get you anything."

"I don't expect anything.  Believe me, this is nothing exciting.  Open it."

He seems sad now, like he's let me down.  It's adorable, but it's also taking away all my
oomph
.

He tears the paper away, and a smile graces his lips when the smell from the box in his hands finally registers.  He opens it up to find several packs of various cookies, brownies, and one small apple pie.

"Seriously?  You can cook like this and you're just now telling me?"

I chuckle lightly and he places the box on the bed before pulling me to him in a hug.  I willingly wrap my arms around his waist and breathe him in.  Damn, he smells so good.

"It's perfect, Raya.  Thank you."

I smile a little bashfully, but I just revel in the feel of his embrace.  When his soft lips brush my forehead, a content sigh slips through my lips.

"Raya, I think we-"

"Come on!" Mom yells, interrupting whatever Kade was about to say.  "Food's ready!"

I pull back to look up at Kade, who brushes my hair from my face with a sweet caress of his hand.

"What were you going to say?" I ask.

"It's nothing.  We'll... talk later.  I'm starving."

His grin is enough to make any girl dissolve.