Yeah, it was probably best to avoid that conversation, especially as nothing was ever going to happen between me and Cade again.
My cheeks flushed with shame as I recalled his hands and mouth on me last night, before I’d embarrassed myself by vomiting everywhere, and the worst part about the whole thing was how damn good it had felt. Granted, I hadn’t known who he was at the time, but even now that I did, it didn’t change the fact that the climax he’d brought me to with his tongue and fingers was the best I’d ever had. I could only imagine what it would be like to actually have sex with him, and my core tingled at the mere thought of his touch.
“Well, let’s have some breakfast. Some dry toast might settle your stomach a bit,” Mom said, pushing past me and snapping me out of my reverie. She grabbed a room service menu from the small table and glanced back at me. “I need you to be in good shape for lunch later today. Keith is very excited to finally meet you. By the way, I told you he has kids, right?”
“Yes, but you didn’t really give me any details,” I said. “All you said was that he has two.” And I really wish you’d told me more, I added silently.
Mom nodded. “Yes, two sons. Evan just turned fourteen, and Jade is almost twenty.”
“Don’t you mean Cade?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
She smiled. “Oh, yes, how silly of me. Cade,” she said. “See, I must’ve given you some details about them, because how else would you know his name? You always whine that I don’t tell you enough, but I think you’re just a bit forgetful.”
She ruffled my hair even more, and I gave her a weak smile. “Erm…yeah,” I replied, not wanting to give away the real reason I knew his name.
“Well, anyway, let’s order that breakfast,” she said. “How many pieces of toast do you want?”
I shrugged. After everything that had happened this morning, I really wasn’t hungry. In fact, as long as I was in the same state as Cade Blackwell, I wasn’t sure I’d ever have the stomach to eat again.
***
After breakfast, Mom left, and I got out my laptop computer and played some games for a while, dreading the clock hitting one P.M. When it did, Mom returned to my room. “Charlotte, we have to go downstairs now. Keith just called me. He’s here.”
I sighed and grabbed my purse before grudgingly following her down to the hotel restaurant. A tall man with dark hair and familiar blue-green eyes strode over upon catching sight of us, and Mom practically squealed like a teenage girl. “Keith! There you are!”
He wrapped her in his arms and hugged her before breaking away and turning to me. “You must be Charlotte. It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”
“You too,” I said, smiling warmly. Just because he was Cade’s father didn’t mean he was an asshole too, so there was no need for me to be rude or stand-offish.
“Well, let’s go and sit down. I reserved that table over there,” he said, pointing across the restaurant.
I glanced over and breathed a quiet sigh of relief as I saw a redheaded teenage boy sitting at the table, with no sign of Cade. Maybe he was skipping out on the lunch. I certainly hoped so, anyway.
We headed over to the table. “Evan, this is Charlotte,” Keith said, addressing his younger son.
Evan got up and politely shook my hand, and he smiled shyly. “Hi, Charlotte.”
“Hi,” I said. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same. Hey, do you like things like rockets?” he asked. “Or space in general?”
“Sure,” I replied, taking a seat across from him. I wasn’t lying just to suck up to him; I was actually a pretty big astronomy buff. My Dad had always loved it too, and when he’d still been alive, he’d taken me out every couple of nights to look through the telescope he’d built himself. I still loved stargazing and reading up on space-related things, because it made me feel close to Dad, even though he wasn’t around anymore.
Evan gave off the impression of being a sweet, smart and ambitious young guy as he launched into a story about how he loved building miniature spaceships which could actually be launched fairly high up, and I listened happily. Mom and Keith were already engrossed in each other, trying to decide which celebratory champagne they wanted during lunch and discussing plans for later today.
“It’s so cool that you like this kinda stuff,” Evan finally said with a grin. “My Dad and brother don’t really care about it. Dad’s more into hunting and politics, and Cade’s into sports. But when I finally finish school and go to college, I’m totally gonna study engineering and then work for NASA.”
“That’s awesome. I’ve actually got my own telescope, you know. It’s in storage now, but when it arrives and we’re all settled in, I’ll show you how to use it. And I’d love to see the rockets you’ve made some time,” I replied.
“Well, you’ll see them when you move in, I’m sure,” a masculine voice said from behind me, before Evan could respond.
My heart sank, and I turned to see Cade standing there. The smile vanished from Keith’s face, and he glared at Cade. “Nice of you to show up fifteen minutes late, son,” he said in a voice that could’ve flash-frozen fish.
“Sorry. I ran into my coach outside, and we got caught up talking about the next game.”
“Oh, you play some type of sport?” Mom said, smiling at Cade. “By the way, I’m Emilia, and this is Charlotte.”
Keith finally seemed to remember his manners, and he nodded and squeezed Mom’s shoulder. “Yes, so sorry, darling. This is my son Cade,” he said before looking back up at Cade. “Cade, this is my fiancée Emilia and her daughter Charlotte.”
Cade nodded. “Right. Nice to meet you, Emilia. And yes, I play college ball. I’m QB for the RMU Bighorns.”
I noticed that Cade hadn’t even acknowledged his introduction to me, even though both Mom and Keith had mentioned my name, and I had to admit, it stung a little bit. Then again, if he was planning on totally ignoring me, that was a better alternative than having to speak to him or interact with him in any other way.
Evan leaned forward and whispered to me from across the table. “Charlotte, how can you find a quarterback at a party?” he asked.
I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t know, how?”
“Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.”
I snickered and high-fived Evan, happy that I wasn’t the only one who thought Cade was an arrogant so-and-so. Apparently Keith wasn’t much of a fan of the football conversation either, because his expression went dark, and he quickly changed the topic to Cade’s studies.
“Football is really just a hobby for Cade,” he explained, looking at my Mom as Cade took a seat next to Evan. “He’s actually studying politics, and after that he’ll be going into law.”
“Oh, wow,” Mom said, her eyes widening. “So you’re smart as well as handsome.”
Cade grunted, and I could tell that his father’s comment about sport simply being a hobby had rubbed him the wrong way.
“Anyway, what are you studying, Charlotte?” Keith asked, turning his attention to me. “I understand you were able to transfer your course to RMU here in Fairview Ridge. That’s where Cade goes.”
Great.
“I’m studying a Bachelor of Science at the moment, and I’m hoping to get into medicine.”
“Ah yes, nursing is a wonderful career for a woman,” he said.
I forced a genial smile. “Actually, when I said medicine, I meant I want to be a doctor one day.”
There was nothing wrong with nursing at all—it was a very important job—but it really pissed me off that some people still assumed that it was the only medical field women could possibly get into.
Keith’s eyebrows rose for a second. “Oh, I see. That’s a noble job. It can be time-consuming, though. What if you want to have a family one day? How would you balance it all?”
Nice work, Mom, I thought. You managed to find a fiancé who’s stuck in a 1950’s time-warp.
“Dad, would you say that stuff to a guy if he was study
ing to be a doctor?” Cade asked, rolling his eyes, and my own eyes widened slightly. He was actually sticking up for me? Maybe after I’d yelled at him this morning, he’d remembered a few of the shitty things he’d done to me back in school and felt bad about it. Maybe he was even planning on being nice to me from this moment onward.
“Besides, she’s only my age. Why the hell would she want to have a bunch of kids now anyway?” he continued.
Keith smiled and held his hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay, I see your point. Sorry, Charlotte,” he said. “Now, has everyone had a chance to look at the menu and figure out what they want to eat?”
“Not sure what I want yet. This hotel has such good food; it’s hard to pick,” Cade replied, before looking right at me. “In fact, I ate something really nice here just last night…”
I narrowed my eyes at the pathetically lewd comment. I’d spoken too soon. He wasn’t being nice, and he definitely wasn’t ignoring me. Quickly turning away from his gaze, I grabbed a bottle of water from the center of the table and filled my glass, my hands shaking the whole time. Dammit, how did he still have such an effect on me after all this time?
“Oh? What did you have?” Mom asked, completely oblivious.
“Something sweet,” Cade said. I continued to ignore him and busied myself by asking Evan what he was having, and we both decided on the steak burgers and sweet potato fries.
The rest of the lunch wasn’t too bad. Despite Cade’s presence, it wasn’t anywhere near as awkward as I’d thought it would be, and I’d found an ally in Evan. He was a really cool kid, and obviously very smart for his age too. I had no idea how he’d turned out so decent with a brother like Cade and a father like Keith. Although I’d initially thought Keith seemed nice, it had quickly become obvious that he was a very controlling person. The way he’d spoken to and glared at Cade when he’d arrived late, the comments to me about my future career, and the way he’d dismissed Cade’s football as a ‘hobby’ made it clear that he felt the need to control people’s lives, especially his sons, and I hoped he didn’t try to do the same to my mother. She could be flighty and a bit absent sometimes, but she was still my mother, and she was the only parent I had left.
However, if she loved Keith, then I was sure he’d turn out to be just fine. Perhaps he was just nervous about us all finally meeting each other, and that had made him act on edge today. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I wasn’t going to do the same for Cade. I already knew for sure that he was a dick.
“Well,” Keith said as we all finished the last of our meals. “I’d just like to say something. I realize this all happened very quickly, and you kids don’t know each other from a bar of soap.”
“Dad,” Evan cut in. “We’re not kids. Cade and Charlotte are nineteen, and I’m fourteen.”
We all laughed, and Keith joined in, obviously in a much better mood now. “Fine, fine. But you all seem like babies to me,” he said with a wink. “Anyway, as I was saying, I know this relationship between Emilia and I has moved very fast, so it’s all a bit awkward and new, but I can’t wait for us to all be living together soon. I think it’ll be really nice to have a full house again, when you two ladies officially move in next week. So cheers to that.”
He lifted his wine glass, and so did Mom. Evan raised his glass of Coke to theirs, and Cade and I joined them with our water glasses. I was still feeling way too hungover to have any of the celebratory champagne, and after draining my glass, I went to refill it. Unfortunately, the glass water bottle was empty, and my Mom eyed it.
“I can go up to the bar and ask for a new bottle, sweetie,” she said.
I shook my head. “No, it’s cool. I’ll go.”
Any excuse to be away from Cade for a minute, I silently added. Speaking of Cade, I could feel his eyes on my back after I excused myself and walked away, and once I’d reached the bar, I realized he’d followed me and was now standing right behind me. God, he was persistent…
After I’d asked for more water, I turned to him.
“Are you getting a drink?” I asked, trying my hardest to feign politeness.
“Nah, thought I’d come help you,” he replied.
A nervous heat ran through my body at his proximity. The muscles in his chest rubbed against the thin fabric of my long-sleeved top as he moved to stand right next to me, and a shockwave burst from my chest to my core as I remembered last night all over again.
I stopped my train of thought dead in its tracks. You don’t really want him, I told myself. Sure, he was hot, and last night felt good, but this was just adrenaline brought on by nervousness. My body’s reaction wasn’t exactly something I could control, but I didn’t have to act on it. All I had to do was tamp it down.
“I don’t need help,” I said, my voice nearly quavering. “I’m just getting a new bottle of water for the table.”
“Hey, you heard my Dad. It’s a woman’s job to raise a family and stay in the kitchen, not carry around heavy glass water bottles,” he said with a sarcastic gleam in his eyes.
I almost laughed at the ridiculous quip, but then I remembered who I was talking to. “I’m sure your Dad didn’t mean it like that,” I replied stiffly. “He seems nice.”
“You’ll see,” Cade said, nodding at the bartender who’d just placed down a new bottle for me. “I noticed you didn’t appreciate my joke earlier.”
“That was supposed to be a joke? If you’re planning on pursuing a career in comedy, don’t quit your day job.”
“You seemed to think I was pretty funny last night,” he said, leaning even closer to me. Violent tingles shot up and down my spine, and I took a deep breath, once more trying to forget what it had felt like to be with him last night.
He was right. I’d enjoyed his company right up until I knew who he was, and he’d also shown some real decency by cleaning up after me when I’d been sick everywhere. Sure, he’d made the gross oral sex reference at the table, right in front of our families—who thankfully hadn’t gotten it—but he’d also stood up for me after Keith had made those rather sexist assumptions and comments about my future career plans.
Maybe I was being petty and immature by holding onto the past so much. Maybe he’d grown up enough to at least be tolerable. I was about to voice these thoughts and tell him that we should try to be friends seeing as we were being forced to be members of the same family, if that was something he was even interested in, but then he slid his mouth close to my ear and murmured his own ‘family’ plans.
“By the way, seeing as we’re going to be living together soon, if you ever have a certain itch that needs to be scratched….I’ll be just up the hall. No one needs to know.”
With that, he ran a hand over my lower back, and I pulled away, resisting the urge to slap him. Nope, he hadn’t changed at all, at least not enough for me to ever want to be friends with him. I stepped away and headed back towards our table, glass water bottle in my hand, and when Cade tried to fall into step beside me, I gave him my best ‘don’t screw with me’ expression and sped up.
“Aw, c’mon, don’t play hard to get now,” he said, easily catching up to me with his longer stride.
“Then don’t play hard to want,” I replied in a saccharine voice.
His eyebrows shot up, and I gave him a sweet smile and sat down.
He obviously thought I was still the weak little girl I’d once been all the way back in grade school, but he didn’t know who I’d become. He had no idea what he was messing with…but he was going to find out.
Chapter Five
Charlotte
Today was the day.
Mom and I had finally left the hotel, and we were moving into the Blackwell’s house so we could all play happy families. I had to admit, it was a damn nice place. It was set on a huge property about fifteen minutes out of Fairview Ridge, and it bordered on a forest which seemed to stretch endlessly beyond the horizon.
The house itself was enormous; a three story Tudor-style mansion with
high ceilings, picture windows all through the lower floor, and dark wood trim. It was a far cry from the small place Mom and I had lived in back in Philly, and I marveled at the interior design as I hauled my first bag in from the car.
“Cade, show Charlotte where her room is,” Keith called out from the front entrance as he headed out to grab a box.
Cade wordlessly directed me upstairs and down the second floor hallway, and when we reached a dark wood door down near the end, he turned to me. “This is your room,” he said. “It has its own bathroom.”
“Cool. Thanks. Where’s your room?”
I blurted out the question before I could even think about it, and he flashed me an amused smirk. “Wow, you’re being a bit forward. Haven’t even been here five minutes, and you’re trying to get in my bedroom.”
I flushed. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just want to know how far away you are from me. The farther the better, obviously.”
His face darkened, and the playful gleam in his eyes vanished. “Sure. I’m down the other end of the hall. Hopefully that’s far enough for your satisfaction, princess.”
He performed a dramatic and clearly sarcastic bow before turning and striding back down the hallway, and I sighed and entered my new room before putting my bag down. It was dim, but decorated beautifully—obviously done by a professional interior designer. The furniture was dark cherry-wood, which matched the trim and the hardwood floors, and the curtains were a dark forest green. I opened them up to let some light in, and I looked down across the spacious property before spying something out of the corner of my eye.
My mother was pulling out of the garage in what appeared to be a brand new silver Volvo with an enormous red bow stuck to the front. She reversed a bit more and then stopped, and when she got out, she saw me up at my window and waved before dangling the car keys in the air and motioning for me to come down.
Tease - A Stepbrother Sports Romance Page 4
