Kaden

by S. Nelson

  “You comin’ or you gonna hang out in here all day?” Linc brushed past me, not waiting for me to answer before he disappeared back outside to join the others. Tag occupied one of the stools by the tiki bar, drinking a beer and watching everyone. Brick and Ace were already in the pool. Chelsea lounged on one of the blow-up rafts in the deep end, yelling at Ace who swam up behind her, threatening to tip her over, but after he whispered something in her ear, she smiled.

  Those two were weird. It was clear they liked each other, but for whatever reason they wouldn’t admit it. At least, Ace wouldn’t. I wasn’t sure what Chelsea had said to anyone, but Ace mentioned that while she sometimes seemed excited when he invited her somewhere, other times, she’d ghost him for days. It was one of the main reasons I’d decided to remain unattached since Riley and I split. Who needed the games? Besides the club taking up most of my time, I didn’t have patience for any of that dating bullshit.

  Standing in the kitchen, I observed the activities for several more minutes before deciding to join them. And even though the plan was to try and relax, there was no way I’d be able to, not with Riley so close, dressed in that damn bathing suit.

  I grabbed the last beer in the fridge and opened the sliding glass door. One step outside and already my focus was solely on Riley. She looked over at me but then refocused her attention on her book. Because I didn’t want her to take off, like she’d done other times in the past whenever I showed up where she happened to be, I stayed put, looking more like a creeper than someone who was just hangin’ out.

  Tag walked up to me, glancing at Riley a few times in the process.

  “Hey, man.”

  “Hey,” I responded, none too excited to entertain him right then.

  “What’s her name?” He took a swig of his beer, his attention bouncing between me and Riley. My heart thumped in my chest at the notion he was interested in her. I saw the way she and Chelsea both looked at him when he walked out in a pair of Linc’s swim trunks. The guy kept himself in shape and was covered in tattoos, something Riley had said she thought was an attractive attribute. It was one of the reasons I’d gotten my ink, although I wasn’t covered like this guy was. Both his arms were inked as well as his chest.

  “Unavailable,” I barked, reeling it back in when he showed me his palms.

  “Got it.” He took a step back before swallowing another sip of his beer. Realizing he didn’t deserve any of my anger, I relaxed my shoulders and cracked my neck, downing half my drink in several gulps.

  “Riley, get your ass in here,” Chelsea shouted, paddling her way toward the edge of the pool.

  “I’m good.”

  “Come on. Don’t leave me in here with these guys.” Ace kept close to her, splashing her every now and then, mainly whenever she closed her eyes. “Please. Come on. Rileyyyyy. I’d do it for you. Please,” she repeated, her incessant rambling enough to make me wanna jump in the goddamn pool and dunk her beneath the water just to get her to shut up.

  “Oh my God. All right.”

  Riley closed her book and placed it on the edge of her seat before she stood, adjusting her bikini bottoms. I’d always been excited by the sight of Riley’s body, but seeing her now, all filled out, it was gonna be difficult not to sport a hard-on for the rest of the day. Her tits were bigger as was her ass, her hips takin’ on the curves of a woman.

  I didn’t dare glance over at Tag because if I saw him staring at her, I was gonna lose my shit. Turning my attention to Brick and Ace, I noticed they both looked at her, but lucky for them their glance perused her quickly before they went back to messin’ around in the pool. Linc’s cannonball in the middle of the deep end sent water flying everywhere, generously splashing his sister. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, except for me. I was too on edge to enjoy myself and watching Riley smile and goof around made my heart ache.

  She used to play with me.

  She used to smile at me, washing away my stress.

  But no more. I could barely get her to talk to me, let alone gift me with one of her smiles.

  Lost in thought, I never heard him until he stood directly behind me, shouting in my ear and startling me.

  “Lincoln! What the hell did I tell you about drinking all my beer?” I turned around to find a pissed-off Stone, holding an empty case of his favorite beverage. “Your ass is gonna get me some more.” He raked a hand through his hair in frustration and rightfully so. If I’d come home to find all my beer was gone, I’d be a little more than pissy.

  “Sorry, Pops. I thought you had more.”

  “Bullshit.” Stone turned to look at me. “Hey.” Then his eyes found Tag and he frowned. “Who the fuck are you?” Encountering a surly Stone was enough to make most men quiver where they stood. Luckily for me, I grew up with the guy, and was used to his attitude and temper. Although, if he ever found out about me and Riley, I’d be the one shittin’ my pants.

  “Tag.” The guy stepped forward and extended his hand, but after several seconds of no reciprocation from Stone, he let his arm fall to his side.

  “I don’t know you.”

  Linc saw the interaction and interjected, realizing his dad didn’t care much for strangers. He pulled himself from the pool and strode toward us.

  “Tag is the guy I told you about the other day. The one who helped Guy and Hendrix at the club.”

  Stone gave him a once-over. “What’s he doin’ here?”

  I spoke up that time. “On our way over, we saw him broke down on the side of the road. Linc recognized him, so… we helped him out.”

  “And that involves inviting a stranger back to my house?” Before Linc or I could answer, he shoved past us and stalked toward Riley, who had just emerged from the pool. “What the hell are you wearin’?”

  “Hi to you too, Dad,” she said, rolling her eyes because she knew what was coming. We all did. Well, those of us who were privy to Stone’s overprotectiveness of his one and only daughter.

  “Get in the house and put somethin’ else on.”

  Both stood toe to toe, Riley with her hands on her hips and Stone with his fists clenched at his sides. I could see the vein in his nick thicken all the way from here. Unfortunately, Riley was used to this type of behavior from her father, constantly embarrassing her whenever there were other men present, whether he knew them or not.

  “I’m swimming. What else would you like me to put on?” She cocked her head right before her eyes became narrow slits.

  “Somethin’ other than this.” Stone waved his hand over her from head to toe. “Somethin’ that doesn’t show your tits to everyone here.”

  “Dad!” she shouted. “Godddd… you’re so embarrassing.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I’m twenty-two years old. I can wear what I want.”

  “Not with these guys around.” I glanced over at Ace and Brick and they’d somehow submerged themselves up to their necks. I supposed it was their way of trying not to call attention to themselves, although they’d done nothin’ wrong… except be present. Chelsea watched the scene with interest but kept her mouth shut. Sometimes she tried to make a joke to lighten the situation, but today she realized if she spoke up on behalf of her friend, she’d be making the wrong move. When I looked at Linc, he was smirking but shaking his head, all too familiar with the way his dad reacted to shit where his sister was involved.

  “Besides, I’m sure they’ve seen plenty of tits. Why would they care about mine?”

  “That guy is intense,” Tag said, stepping closer so as not to have Stone hear him. Not that Stone could focus on anything but his daughter right now.

  “That’s an understatement.” I flashed him a half smile before turning back to the scene in front of me. The two of them argued, back and forth, and just when I thought they’d never concede, Addy appeared next to me.

  “What is all this yelling for?”

  I leaned over and kissed her cheek. Because of everything goin’ on with me and Riley over the years, I’d stopped coming
over here, so it wasn’t often I saw Addy. Or should I say, not often enough, according to her?

  “Stone doesn’t like what Riley’s wearin’.” Short and to the point. Addy didn’t ask any further questions because she knew as well as we did, that he was over the top when it came to her.

  “I swear he’s still gonna give her a hard time when she’s forty. Married off and havin’ kids of her own won’t stop this shit.” She chuckled but it was short-lived when Stone turned and headed straight for us. I didn’t have time to hate her implication that her daughter would shack up with some guy and have his babies. Instead, all my focus was on the heated grimace of the man who looked like he wanted to kill someone.

  Stone was a hothead, had been for as long as I’d known him, and from the stories I’d heard over the years, longer than that. But something was goin’ on with him these past few months. He erupted quicker than usual, and he seemed to be in a permanently pissed-off mood. Gone was any trace of the cool demeanor or relaxed mood from time to time. Whenever any of the guys asked him about it, he’d bark at them and storm off.

  Addy reached out to touch his arm when he was close enough. “Honey, you can’t go off—”

  He shrugged away from her. “I’m fuckin’ tired of not bein’ listened to in my own goddamn house.” His wife flinched at his words before walking off behind him.

  Any plans I had to talk to Riley right then flew out the window after that display. She needed time to calm down, and when she did, I’d be waiting.

  10

  I could have screamed. I’d like to say I was used to my father’s reaction to what I wore or who I chose to hang out with, but every time he freaked out over stupid shit and embarrassed me, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. That demise would be easier to deal with than everyone looking at me, uncomfortable and nervous as shit as to what was gonna happen next.

  Thankfully, my mom had come outside to save me. Sort of. I caught a glimpse of her next to Kaden and all I wanted to do was walk away from my dad and join them, curious as to what she was sayin’ to him. Did she invite him over for dinner? Did she tell him she missed seeing him around our house? I couldn’t deal with being made to interact with someone who tossed me away. And while I realized I was a grown woman, and no one could make me do anything, my family had a way of guilting me into doing shit.

  My dad’s parting words to me were, “Obviously, you wanna send me to an early grave,” before he stalked off toward the house, my mom close behind him.

  Mortification was a feeling I should be used to, but the heat in my cheeks and the thumping of my heart distressed me yet again.

  I hadn’t seen Chelsea get out of the pool before she was next to me, slinging her arm over my shoulder. “He just can’t let go of the fact that you’re grown now and not his little girl.”

  “He’ll never stop.”

  “Even though he’s over the top with you, I envy you.” My mouth fell open at her confession. Who the hell would be envious over having to deal with someone like my dad? “I wish I had a father who cared about me, tryin’ to protect me and shit.” The corners of her mouth lifted, and even though she tried to put a light spin on her words, not having a dad in her life was a sore point with Chelsea. But only her close friends knew that about her.

  “Wanna borrow mine?”

  “Maybe when he calms down some.” She laughed, which helped to relieve a tiny bit of tension.

  “Yeah, not sure when that’s gonna be.”

  “Well, until then, why don’t you try and relax and have some fun. I doubt he’ll be back out here anytime soon. If anything, your mom is probably reading him the riot act right now for what he just did.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Even though I had no doubt my mom was indeed tellin’ him about himself, there was a strain between them, so I didn’t know how much effect her chastisement would have on my dad.

  After downing the remainder of my brother’s beer, which he stupidly left unattended, I spotted the new guy standing close by. I had no idea who he was, but one thing was for sure, he was hot. While I loved a guy with scruff, he was clean-shaven, which fit him perfectly. He had thick dark hair, a smokin’ sun-kissed body, and was covered with tattoos. He put these other guys to shame with the amount of ink he had. I couldn’t deny it… I was a sucker for a guy with tats. Most of the guys in the club had them, some had several, but this guy… he was like a walking piece of art.

  The moment Kaden stepped into the house, I walked over to him, deciding it best not to have the attention of the guy I wanted to avoid on me when I chatted up his buddy.

  His eyes followed my every step, raking over me from head to toe as I approached.

  I extended my hand. “Hi, I’m Riley. Are you new to the club?” Linc or my dad never mentioned anyone visiting from another charter or taking on a new prospect. Not that they discussed club business with me, but sometimes they’d mention stuff when my mom asked how things were going.

  His large hand enveloped mine. “I’m Tag. And no, I’m not with the club.” Upon closer look, he appeared to be a few years older than me, maybe twenty-five or twenty-six, if I had to guess.

  “Oh. How do you know Linc and Kaden, then?”

  He proceeded to tell me the story of his involvement at Indulge, then his latest debacle of being stranded by the side of the road. Kaden and my brother must have a good feeling about this guy, otherwise they wouldn’t bother with him, and they sure wouldn’t have invited him here.

  “Are you from around here?” I asked, genuinely interested in getting to know a little bit about him, and while I wasn’t flirting with him, per se, I did pick up on some chemistry flowing between us.

  “Originally, but I left when I was really young to stay with my grandparents in Boston. I’ve only just moved back to help care for my mom.” He hesitated for a moment. “She’s sick.”

  I reached out and touched his arm. “I’m so sorry to hear that.” A flicker of awkwardness ensued, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of the topic or because I touched him. Oddly, I hoped for the former. I removed my hand and switched topics to be safe. “So, is Tag short for something, or just a random nickname?”

  “Taggert.” He rolled his eyes. “So, you can see why I prefer to go by Tag.”

  “Uh, yeah. I don’t blame you there.” We both chuckled, and for the first time in for as long as I could remember, I was having a good time with someone of the opposite sex. After Kaden and I split up, I tried to date, but most times nothing panned out. And the one time I threw caution to the wind and continued the date back at the guy’s place, he turned out to have a girlfriend, an important detail he failed to mention. I found out this tidbit of information as I left his apartment the next morning, right when she was coming home from her evening shift at the hotel she worked at. I barely escaped before she started throwing shit, screaming so loudly there was no way she didn’t wake up every neighbor in their building.

  Deciding to go out on a limb, I took a breath and counted to five. “Do you think we can grab dinner sometime?” Tag’s eyes widened in what I thought was gleeful surprise, but when he shook his head and frowned, my ego was obliterated in the span of a second.

  “I can’t.”

  “Oh. Okay.” I tried not to sound hurt at the rejection. “I understand.”

  “Uh… I don’t think you do.” He not only shifted his feet but his eyes as well, looking everywhere but at me.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was told you were unavailable.”

  “What?” I practically shouted. “By who?”

  “Kaden.”

  “Who?” I sounded more like an owl than a confused woman, needing Tag to repeat the name of the person who told him I was off-limits.

  “Kaden. I asked about you earlier and he told me you were unavailable,” he repeated. “And I don’t wanna cause any issues, especially since he’s doin’ me a huge favor. I… I hope you understand.”

  I should’ve felt rel
ieved that he wasn’t rejecting me because he wasn’t interested, but the only thing I could focus on was the audacity of Kaden. To warn away a guy just because… what? He didn’t want me seeing anyone? He had no rights to me or my life or who I chose to spend my time with. He was more like my dad than I cared to admit, stepping in and serving up a dish of cliterference, as Chelsea would say.

  I had no more words, wanting to save all of them for the guy who was gonna get an earful as soon as I found his irritating ass. I smiled at Tag and gave him a curt nod before making up some bullshit excuse for my departure.

  11

  I tore through my house, looking in every room. Kaden had disappeared inside close to twenty minutes ago, and since he hadn’t come back outside, he still had to be in here somewhere. I passed my parents in the kitchen. They were standing close, and I believed I even saw a smile on my dad’s face, a good sign considering what just happened.

  Taking the stairs two at a time, I pushed open the door to each room. As I came to the end of the hallway, there were only two bedrooms left, mine and Linc’s. If he had the balls to go into my bedroom, and was still hangin’ out in there, he better watch out. I was on a freakin’ warpath and there was no telling the damage I’d leave in my wake.

  With barely controlled breaths, I checked my room first, relief flooding me when I came to realize the space was empty. There was only one other room where he could be. Several steps took me to my brother’s space, the door slightly ajar, and when I stepped inside, I saw his bathroom door was opened a crack.

  I was two seconds away from barging in when I heard the shower turn off, which could only mean one thing.

  Kaden Marek was wet and naked, a thin wooden door shielding him from me. Bolstering my anger didn’t do a damn thing to relieve me of my memories of seeing him in all his glory. I’d been so in love with him years ago that the simple sight of him used to turn me on. And whenever he stripped down, I could barely control my hormones, jumping on him every spare chance we got to be alone. The things he used to do to me made me blush, even now. The way his tongue….