“Considering what?” he asked with a playful twinkle in his eyes.
I lifted a shoulder, knowing he was goading me. “Considering most of us come from wealth.”
He pretended to look offended. “Tia, I didn’t realize you were such a snob.”
I laughed and swatted his arm. “You’re the one who made me say it! They don’t nickname it ‘Billionaire Academy’ for nothing.”
He grinned, revealing his dimple. “I know. I’m only teasing.” He opened the massive front door, gesturing for me to go first. “I applied for an academic scholarship and was more surprised than anyone that I got it. I mean, I worked hard, and being in student body government probably helped. My parents could have paid for school, but I wanted to see what I could do on my own, you know?”
“I guess so,” I said, stepping into the cathedral-like entry. It was just another unexpected thing about Cade. I hadn’t thought about paying my own way through college, and I hadn’t met anyone else at RLA who did either. Why would we, when everything had been handed to us our whole lives?
“You ‘guess so’?” he asked, sounding amused.
“I mean …” I gestured to the ornately decorated, cavernous room. “You have to admit, it’s pretty unusual that you’re wanting to pay your own way—in a good way, though,” I hurried to add.
He chuckled, the sound low in his throat and achingly attractive. “You’re cute when you’re flustered. Has anyone told you that?”
I swallowed, willing myself not to blush as I lifted my chin and met his gaze. “You seem to enjoy making me flustered. Something tells me it’s a skill you’ve developed with all of your dates.”
He raised both eyebrows, but before he could answer, a woman came walking down the marble hallway toward us.
“Cade, who is this adorable girl you’ve brought with you?” She smiled at me, her striking features and dark hair similar to Cade’s.
“Hey, Mom.” He moved toward her and accepted her hug before turning to me. “This is Tia Radcliffe.”
Her eyes lit with interest. “That’s right, I’d heard that the Radcliffes had a daughter at RLA.” Her smile deepened. “It’s so nice to meet you, Tia.”
I smiled back. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Carlisle.”
She waved a hand. “Please, call me Valerie.”
“Okay.” I twisted the ring on my middle finger. “You have a beautiful home.” Growing up, I’d been trained in proper social introductions and etiquette, but I’d never mastered overcoming the awkwardness of small talk.
“Thank you, dear.” She looked between Cade and me, beaming. “Can I get either of you something to eat or drink?”
Cade glanced around. “Where’s Gladys? I was surprised she didn’t meet us when we came through the door.”
Valerie blinked. “Oh, we gave her the night off. Poor thing, she works so hard and I didn’t want to wear her out.” She turned to me. “It’s so difficult to find a decent maid these days, you know.”
I nodded, pretending I understood. Mom always took care of the housekeeping staff. I’d gotten to know a few of our maids over the years, but they all seemed competent as far as I could tell.
“Well, I hate to make this a quick visit, but we’re kind of in a hurry to get back in time for curfew,” Cade said, giving her an apologetic look. “Do you have that laptop you wanted to give me?”
“What a shame.” Valerie’s full lips drew into a pout. “I was hoping you could stay a while so we could get to know Tia better.”
“It’ll have to be another time,” Cade said.
“All right.” Her shoulders slouched. “I’ll just run upstairs and grab the laptop—but only if you promise to bring Tia back another time so we can have a proper visit.”
Cade gave me an uncertain smile. “I’m game if she is?”
“Uh … sure.” Was that another date invitation? The idea sent tingles down my spine. This was not good. Another date with Cade would make it that much harder to ignore my growing feelings. I wasn’t supposed to get attached to the heartbreaker. It was supposed to be a one-time deal.
“Wonderful!” Valerie gushed. “I’ll set something up with Cade.”
“What’s all the commotion out here?” A man wearing a golfing polo and tan slacks appeared. He smiled, taking the slim box he carried under his arm and handing it to Cade. “Here’s your laptop, son.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Cade took the box from him with a grateful nod.
“You beat me to it, Richard,” Valerie said. “I was just about to get the laptop for Cade.” She moved to stand next to her husband and gestured to me. “This is Tia, Cade’s date from the academy.”
“Nice to meet you, Tia,” Mr. Carlisle said, stepping forward to give me a firm handshake. “I have a lot of respect for your father’s company. He’s created quite a name for himself in the tech community.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” I said, returning the handshake. “And thanks …” I paused, not exactly sure how to respond to this particular praise. “It is a good company.” Lame. But what else could I say?
Mr. Carlisle smiled and released the handshake, turning to Cade. “Can the two of you stay for a little while? We can turn on the lights in the bowling alley if you’re in the mood for a game, or get a movie going in the theater.” He looked between us, hopeful.
“Oh, that sounds really nice,” I began, feeling bad. It was obvious that Cade’s parents missed him and were excited to have him home.
Cade scratched the back of his neck. “Thanks, but I’ve got to get Tia back before curfew.”
Richard’s face fell, and Valerie took his arm. “But he promised to bring Tia back very soon, didn’t you, sweetheart?”
We both nodded.
“I’ll talk to Tia and find out a time that works best.” Cade touched the small of my back, guiding me toward the door. “Thanks again for the laptop,” he said, nodding at both of them.
“Let me know if you have any trouble with it,” Valerie said, giving us a little wave. “It has a three-year warranty.”
“And she’ll buy you a new one in six months anyway,” Richard added with a wink.
“This will be great and should last a while.” Cade tucked the laptop under his arm and opened the door, gently guiding me outside as he looked over his shoulder at them. “I’ll FaceTime tomorrow.”
“Okay. Love you, honey,” Valerie said.
“Love you guys too.”
“It was nice meeting you,” I added, waving at both of them before Cade closed the door.
“Sorry,” he said. “They get pretty talkative. Mom was extra excited that I brought a date, so I thought it would be safest to get you out of there.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t usually bring your dates home?”
“Never.”
I stared. “Why not?”
He shrugged. “Partly because I know my parents can be a bit—intense. Mom’s been dying for me to have a steady girlfriend so she can fuss over her.” He shook his head. “And partly because there was never anyone that I really wanted to introduce my parents to before.”
I put a hand to my heart, dramatically fluttering my eyelashes. “I’m flattered—even if you didn’t technically choose to bring me here,” I teased. “I’m glad you needed to get the laptop so I could meet your parents. They’re really nice, and I can tell they miss you.”
“I did choose to bring you,” he corrected, looking at me sideways as we walked to his car. “If I didn’t want to, I would have come up with an excuse not to swing by.”
I gave him a disbelieving look. “It’s okay, Cade. You don’t have to pretend for my sake.” I climbed into the passenger seat as he held the door open.
He leaned his elbows on the door. “You don’t believe me?”
I shook my head. “No, but it’s sweet of you to try.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “What if I told you that I’ve been working up the courage to ask you out for weeks now?”
He tilted his head, his eyes dancing. “You’re not very trusting, are you, Tia?”
“It depends on the person.”
“Ouch.” He straightened. “What have I done to lose your trust?”
I bit my lip, debating how much I should say. I didn’t want to hurt Cade’s feelings, but even more, I didn’t want to become his next heartbreak victim. The silence stretched on for a few beats, and instead of saying anything, I faced forward, leaning my head against the seat. “We’d better get going. It’s almost curfew.”
He studied me a moment longer before nodding. “Okay.” He closed the door and circled around to the driver’s side.
My thoughts were a tornado, spinning so fast I couldn’t make sense of them. Cade climbed in and started the ignition, uncharacteristically quiet. He didn’t seem mad … just contemplative.
He turned on some music and we drove in silence for what felt like a long time, but it was probably less than a minute before he spoke again. “I know why you don’t trust me.”
“You do?” I braved a glance at him.
He nodded, taking his eyes off of the road long enough to meet my gaze, his eyes searching mine. “I know I’ve got a reputation,” he said with a wry smile before looking back at the road. “But you can’t believe everything you hear.” He paused as if choosing his words carefully. “The reason I haven’t had a lasting relationship is because I haven’t found anyone I’ve really connected with yet.”
I faced forward, staring out the windshield without really seeing anything. I wanted to believe him … but I was scared. My doubts were the only thing keeping my heart safe right now, and if what he said was true, that would mean no more barrier to fall back on.
“You still don’t believe me, do you?” he said, giving me another quick glance.
Ugh. Why did he have to smell so good and say all the perfect things? He was a charmer, drawing me in like some kind of hypnotic force. No wonder so many girls got their hearts broken by him. He was irresistible. But I had to stay strong. I cleared my throat. “It’s just … today was the first time I’ve actually spoken to you. I don’t know you well enough yet to know what to believe.”
He shrugged. “That’s fair. I guess the only way I can prove it to you is to take you out again.”
My heart hiccupped. I was not expecting that. I wanted to say yes, but I also desperately wanted to keep my heart safe—so I decided on a compromise. He waited expectantly for my answer, so I nodded. “I’ll go out with you again … on one condition.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“That the date be something fun, like tonight. Nothing too romantic.”
He chuckled, and the sound did crazy things to my stomach. “I told you that you weren’t like the other girls at the academy,” he said.
I raised my chin, undeterred. “Do we have a deal?”
He blew out a breath, still smiling. “Yes, we have a deal. No romance.” He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “For now.”
I swallowed and warmth spread through my chest. Cade Carlisle was flirting with me … and he wanted to take me out again. I was teetering dangerously on a precipice—and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay on solid ground or let myself fall.
Chapter Four
“Your assignment is due next week, so make sure you don’t leave it until the last minute to finish,” Mr. Norton, my biology teacher, warned.
“I’m pretty sure he said that for my benefit,” my friend Jovi said under her breath in the seat beside me on our shared lab table.
I hid a smile. Jovi was the daughter of a rock star and had created her own fame as a reality TV star. The streak of pink in her blond bangs perfectly fit her outgoing personality.
As Mr. Norton droned on about the assignment, she leaned toward me. “I heard you went out with Cade Carlisle over the weekend. How did it go?”
“It was fine,” I said, glancing over my shoulder to where Chloe sat a few tables over from us. She’d been shooting daggers at me with her eyes all period.
“Fine?” Jovi arched an eyebrow, drawing my attention back to her. “That’s the best you can come up with?” She leaned the side of her face in her hand, studying me in amusement.
I shrugged. “It was a last-minute thing. We just sort of hung out.”
“Huh.” She didn’t look convinced. “As far as I know, Cade doesn’t ask a girl out unless he’s interested. Just be careful … he leaves a string of broken hearts wherever he goes.”
I cringed inside but played it off with a smirk. “Trust me, there’s no danger there. It was just one date. I doubt he’ll ask me out again.”
Jovi looked like she wanted to protest, but I was saved by the bell.
“See you tomorrow,” I said, stuffing my book into my bag as I darted out of the room. I liked talking to Jovi, but I didn’t want to answer any more questions about Cade, and the last thing I needed was a confrontation with Chloe. She would inevitably corner me at some point, but I was determined to put it off as long as possible. Chloe and her sidekick Jenny could be downright brutal. I’d managed to stay out of their target range for as long as I could—but I knew the fact that Cade had asked me out put a bullseye on my back.
I stepped into the hallway and turned left, so focused on getting away from Chloe that I ran straight into Cade.
“Whoa,” he said, smiling as he held his hands out to steady me. “What’s the hurry, Radcliffe?”
My heart jumped into my throat, and I blushed, completely caught off guard. I’d thought about him all weekend after our date, so seeing him again was like a jolt to my system. I blinked. “I’ve never seen you in this hall between classes before.”
He dropped his hands, casually sliding them into the pockets of his grey uniform slacks. We all wore the uniform, but Cade made it look better than most. Instead of the standard sweater vest over his white collared shirt, he had on his RLA student body sweater … but even the layers couldn’t hide his well-toned arms and shoulders.
“I’m not usually in this hall,” he admitted, giving me a sideways smile, “but I wanted to see you.”
My stomach jumped, and I was vaguely aware of the passing stares of our classmates walking by.
“Do you mind if I walk you to your next class?” he asked. “I had some thoughts about the charity auction.”
“Oh.” My heart dipped in disappointment. He’d come to talk about the auction … not because he wanted to see me. That was fine. I was the one keeping him at a distance, after all. “Sure.” I managed a smile as we walked down the hall together. “What are you thinking?”
“Cade! Hold on.”
The honey-sweet voice was like ice water in my veins, and I stiffened, turning to see Chloe hurrying toward us, with an ultra-bright smile aimed directly at Cade.
He shifted his weight. “Hey, Chloe,” he said.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “I thought you had student government next hour.”
I gave an inner eye roll. She had his schedule memorized. Why did that not surprise me?
Cade ran a hand down the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’m heading there. I was just talking something over with Tia on the way to her class.”
Chloe sized me up, keeping her smile in place while her eyes mocked me. “Really? What about?”
“It’s still in the works.” He gave her a polite smile that clearly said he was done with the conversation, but Chloe wasn’t taking the hint.
“Well, I happen to be an excellent brainstormer … maybe I can help,” she said, moving between us and looping her arm through Cade’s. “Mind if I walk with you guys?” She blinked up at him through a fringe of fake lashes.
Cade glanced at me, his eyes tightening in the corners, before he
looked back at her. “Uh … sure.”
I’d learned a long time ago that silence and retreat were the two best tactics when it came to Chloe Davenport, so I let her take over the conversation, remaining silent as we walked toward my tech class. Any other time I might have made an excuse and bolted, but I was curious what Cade had to say about the auction.
“So what is this top-secret, still-in-the-works project you’re working on?” she pried, squeezing his arm.
“Tia and I talked about doing an academy clothes auction. We were thinking it would be a good way to raise money for charity this year.” Cade looked over the top of Chloe’s head to give me a smile.
“What a great idea!” Chloe gushed, keeping her focus on Cade. “If you’re looking for donations, I’m getting ready to replace my spring wardrobe, so I’d be happy to donate the old one toward a good cause.”
“Awesome.” He cleared his throat. “Maybe you could start asking around to get a feel for how many students would be willing to donate, and I’ll submit the idea to the principal and start putting things in motion.”
“That sounds fabulous. I’ll be sure to spread the word.” Chloe flipped her blond hair to the side, nearly whipping me in the face with it.
Cade looked past her to me again. “Tia, since you’re such a talented artist, I was hoping you’d be willing to design some flyers and posters for the event.”
“Oh.” My face warmed at his compliment. “Sure. I can come up with something.”
His smile was infectious. “Cool. I can’t wait to see it.”
Chloe looked at me with barely concealed annoyance. “I didn’t know you were an artist.”
I shrugged. “I doodle here and there.” The last thing I wanted was to give Chloe any details about my life that she could try to use as ammo for ridicule. The less she knew about me, the better.
Cade scoffed. “She does way more than doodle. You should see her sketchbook. She’s amazing.”
Chloe’s steel-blue eyes shifted back to me. “Huh. Really? I’d love to look through it.”
I could practically see the schemes hatching in her devious brain. It was time for tactic number two: flight. “Mm-hmm,” I answered in a noncommittal way before glancing at Cade. “I’d better run so I’m not late to class. Let me know what info you want on the flyers, and I’ll get something started.”
Don't Kiss The Heartbreaker (Billionaire Academy YA Romance Book 3) Page 3
