Kade looks like he's about to pounce on Nick. Nick isn't stupid–his intelligence is what attracted me to him in the first place–but he's certainly acting stupid now. He's smirking subtly at a fuming Kade.
Nick is playing with fire and has no clue how badly he'll be burned. A furious Kade is extremely dangerous; I've witnessed this aggression first hand and it's not pretty.
Kade could crush Nick under his shoe like a bug. This is a sight I would pay thousands to see. Unfortunately, this is not the time or place for these impulsive shenanigans.
"Kadeee." Elise tugs on the sleeve of his dress shirt for the third time.
"What?" He stares down at his "girlfriend" in aggravation. Elise flinches at the hostility in his dark blue eyes and her lower lip starts to quiver.
She glances back at me, then at Nick's hand, then back at Kade. "Let's go."
"No," Kade almost growls, his eyes moving back to Nick's iron grip on my arm. Hopefully, Nick won't leave bruises, but I tend to bruise like a peach so it's highly likely I'll have finger marks on my arm.
"Why not?" Elise's hazel eyes widen in an attempt to sway Kade from Nick and I.
"Because I don't want to," he snaps.
Nick and I stand still as we watch Kade grab Elise's wrist to pry her fingers from his shirt.
Kade gestures towards the empty stage. "You're free to go, though."
Elise glances between the three of us again, shoots me a dirty look, and huffs. She stomps away from Kade childishly, but pauses to look over her shoulder. When she notices Kade's lack of attention, her eyes water with tears of hurt and she disappears into the crowd.
Elise can go cry about it for all I care. She's too oblivious to notice the severity of this situation.
"I figured you'd like to spend more time with your girlfriend, Dawson. It's good to see that Parker has a friend that cares so much about her wellbeing, but I'm here now and am more than happy to take this one–" He tightens his grip and shakes my arm. "–off your hands. I know she can be a handful." He winks. "Personal experience."
"I'm going to kill you." Kade's voice trembles with rage. His muscles bulge underneath his shirt when he balls his fists and his jaw locks. His narrowed eyes darken with sheer fury and a glint of promise.
Nick merely arches a brow, completely unbothered. "Is that a threat?"
"No." Kade stalks towards us, taking deliberately slow steps. He stops a foot away from us and towers over Nick. "It's a fucking promise."
Nick's dumbass still isn't intimidated. His vice-like grip on my arm remains despite Kade's promise for punishment.
I take my lower lip between my teeth and chew, waiting for Kade's fist to meet Nick's annoyingly smug ugly face. There are a few murmurs and whispers around us as we start to attract an audience. I fidget between my feet nervously and try to pull my arm from Nick's hold.
"What the fuck is going on here?"
My shoulders slump in relief at the sound of my best friend's voice. A furious Avery is shoving her way through the bustling crowd furiously, dragging Logan behind her. Logan's dark brown eyes widen at the sight of Kade about to wring Nick's neck and me trying to yank myself away from him.
"Where the hell have you been?" I ask Avery when she reaches my side.
She shoots me a pointed look. "Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to?"
I roll my eyes and try to pull my arm from Nick's hold again. I wince softly when his fingers dig into my skin. Kade hears my noise of pain and he brings his hand up, ready to break Nick's already uneven nose.
"Stop!" Avery whisper-yells, jumping in front of me. I have a small panic attack when Kade almost punches her, but she is able to take his fist in both her hands and slowly lower his hand back to his side.
"Not here," she says quietly, gesturing with her eyes to the circle of people gathering around us.
"Show's over," Logan barks. "Follow me to the stage because The Pineapples are about to get started."
Avery shoots him a grateful look as the crowd of people trail behind him in excitement. I cast my focus towards my arm when my fingers start to grow numb and watch my skin turn purple. My nincompoop of an ex is cutting off the blood supply to my hand.
"Are you dumb or are you stupid?" she asks Nick incredulously, glaring at him with hatred. "Apparently you can't take a hint."
"What hint is that?" Nick cocks his head to the side.
"To stay the hell away from me," I say, still struggling to slip free from his grip.
Avery releases Kade's hand and turns to Nick. "I suggest you remove your hand from Parker. Next time I might not be here to stop Kade from making an indent in your face. Even if I am, I'll just grab some popcorn to watch the show instead."
Nick purses his lips as he finally uses what little of a brain he has and assesses our situation. The second he loosens his hold, I wrench my arm from his hold and stumble backwards. Thankfully, Kade catches me before I can fall and land on my ass. When he wraps an arm protectively around my waist, I bask in his comforting sandalwood scent.
Avery places both of her hands on Nick's chest and shoves him. Nick only stumbles back a step before regaining his footing. His smug smile has morphed into a menacing scowl and his brown eyes shine with fury towards me. I gulp and my whole body starts to shake in fear for his inevitable futuristic actions.
"Have a lovely evening," Nick grits out through his teeth, giving Avery and Kade the fakest smile I've ever seen.
Even after he spins around and walks away, my body still trembles. I'm normally a badass bitch when sticky situations are involved. I am always able to hold my own and never freeze up. I don't need anyone to swoop in and rescue me from fighting my own battle... except for when Nick is involved. He's the only person that roams this planet able to rattle me and suck the life right out of my body.
"Are you okay, chica?" Avery asks, cupping my cheek in her palm. Her dark brown eyes search mine with worry. Despite my shaking, I've successfully placed my nonchalant mask back in place to cover the trepidation filling my chest.
I nod slowly and tilt my chin up to see Kade fixing me with the same concerned expression, albeit red hot rage still has his jaw ticking and eyes burning.
Avery follows my stare to gaze at Kade and she becomes uneasy at his murderous expression. After checking to make sure I'm okay, he immediately snaps his glare back to where Nick's dumbass retreated into the crowd. Kade doesn't like to back down from a fight, so I know that I am the only person stopping him from storming after Nick and beating him to a pulp.
"Let's get out of here," Avery says, taking note of Kade's arm holding me protectively to his side.
"Don't you want to watch your boyfriend kick ass on stage? I'm sure you used some sort of pussy power to give him extra energy," I joke.
"Now is not the time for joking, Parker," she hisses. "If we don't get him out of here soon, he will kill Nick."
"You should let me," Kade says gruffly, pulling me closer.
"As much as I would love to see that, you can't," she replies regretfully. "You both should step outside to cool off."
"I don't know if I come back inside and exist in the same room as that vermin," I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose between my fingers.
She gazes at me in sympathy and brings me into a hug. Kade releases me from his hold so I can wrap my arms around Avery.
"I love you, P," she says. "Go home and get some rest."
I nod and return the endearment. She places her hands on my shoulders to examine me for any signs of panic. Instead, I'm just exhausted from the recent turn of events.
"Take good care of her tonight," Avery tells Kade with narrowed eyes.
He simply grunts and pulls me back to his chest. My cheeks flush at our close proximity which doesn't go unnoticed by Avery. Despite the fact that Kade is being reckless with his public display of affection, she smirks suggestively.
"Hey, how's everybody doing this evening?" my brother's voice booms across the giant room. I roll my eyes at Avery who bounces up and down, squealing excitedly. I've heard The Pineapples blast their new songs throughout my entire house for the past month, so I'm already aware of their set list.
"I'll tell Peyton you went home," she says over the music as my brother starts to sing.
"Will you be okay on your own?" I question. "I don't want to leave you subject to Amber's torture by yourself."
She waves me off. "That plastic bitch doesn't bat an eye in my direction when you aren't present. It's Elise I have to worry about."
"You've handled her just fine," I say. "I just don't want you to feel alone in a crowded room full of randos."
"I'll move directly in front of the stage so my hunk of a boyfriend keeps his eyes on me at all times." She winks. "I've made sure of it already."
"Gross." My lip curls upwards in disgust and she laughs at my expression.
"Go." She shoos me away with an evocative grin.
I give her a thumbs up as Kade starts to drag me away. He maneuvers his way through the crowd easily given his towering height and big muscles. People naturally move out of his way given his intimidation, but some others take time to swoon over his Greek godliness.
The cold winter air raises goosebumps on my skin so I pull myself closer to Kade's ridiculously hot body (literally). He rubs his hand up and down my left arm and hugs the right side of my body closer to him.
"I have a blanket in my car," Kade says softly. He still has a hint of anger in his tone, but my presence seems to have calmed him down, and vice versa.
"Okay," I say quietly.
My heels make a "click clacking" noise as we walk silently on the pavement. The night sky is void of any clouds, allowing the moon to light up the navy sky and stars to twinkle. As we continue down the sidewalk further away from the massive mansion, my brother's voice grows more distant along with the sound of Logan playing the guitar and Tyler on the drums. The boisterous cheers of people clapping and hollering echoes around the gated neighborhood and I briefly wonder if any noise complaints will be filed.
As soon as we arrive at Kade's car, he grabs my hips and smushes me against his chest. My right cheek rests over his rapidly thudding heart as his arms wrap tightly around me. Tingles spread throughout my body and my eyes flutter closed as I revel in his warmth. His big arms clutching me to his chest fill me with a relieving sense of security. For the first time, I feel safe and protected. Even my shitbag parents never gave me this sense of welfare.
He rests his chin on top of my head and my heart flutters when he plants a kiss on my head. He buries his nose in my hair and deeply inhales.
"Strawberries," he murmurs as he breathes in my scent. I shudder and fist his shirt between my fingers.
He gently pushes me away from him when I start to shiver and unlocks his back door to grab a blanket. I quickly wrap the fuzzy blue material around my body and hop in the front seat of his car. I bury my nose into the fabric and kick my heels off onto the floor so I can curl myself in a ball. Kade slams the door closed and push-starts the car. Lukewarm air flows through the vents and blasts in my face. I rest my right cheek on my knees and am surprised to find him already watching me. His dark blue eyes are gazing at me in adoration and are completely void of anger.
"What're you looking at?" I ask, arching a brow.
The corners of his pink lips twitch into a smile. He reaches over the center console to tuck a strand of curled hair behind my ear. His fingers brush along the side of my face and his touch lingers before he pulls his hand back.
"Everything," he says. He runs his eyes over my entire face before shifting the car into drive and starting the half an hour journey back to my house.
* * *
My parents decided to take a last minute business trip without informing their children, so I came home to find the house unusually peaceful. No screaming, no loud as hell music, nothing.
If I weren't so exhausted from Nick's bitchass, I would dance and sing.
"Okay." I clap my hands together and try not to drool over a business casually dressed Kade. "I'm going to change."
He grabs my waist and pulls me to his chest. I gasp and my eyes fly open to meet his dilated pupils. He slowly runs his eyes up my exposed legs and he lingers on my cleavage for longer than necessary. He pulls his bottom lip in between his teeth and I nearly pass away from the desire swimming in his eyes. Unlike Nick, Kade's stare leaves a trail of fire instead of disgust. My entire body ignites just from his dilated pupils.
"No."
I cross my arms over my chest, but realize my mistake when I push my breasts closer together. His jaw ticks as his focus narrows in on my chest, so I quickly uncross my arms before anything can escalate further. As much as I've been constantly craving Kade, I can't muster up any energy to engage in sexual activities tonight.
"No?"
"No," he says firmly. He runs his hands up the curve of my waist so he can flatten his palms on my bare back. "I like you in this dress."
I roll my lips into my mouth and gaze up at him with big light blue eyes.
"I like you in this shirt," I whisper. My hands have a mind of their own as they run over his taut muscles.
"If you don't stop looking at me like that, I'm not going to be held responsible for my actions," he warns. A lock of brown hair falls on his forehead when he leans his face closer to mine. I gulp when his minty breath fans my face and his lips inch closer to mine.
I manage to push Horny Parker away right before his lips meet mine.
"Nope!" I jump away from him. "Not today, Satan!"
Kade groans in frustration, but amusement shines in his eyes at my words.
"I'm going to get changed now." I walk towards my closet and pause before I shut the door behind me. "Whether you like it or not."
I slam the door shut and my chest fills with warmth at the sound of him chuckling. I quickly pick out a pair of gray sweatpants and a black hoodie after snatching some fresh undergarments. I scurry out of my closet to find Kade laying on my bed with his head propped up against one of my pillows. His brow is furrowed in concentration as he types something on his phone. I shake my head to stop my thoughts from seeping into the gutter and try not to drool over the fine specimen in front of me.
I cough and stand in place awkwardly with an armful of clothes. He turns off his phone and flips it over to rest on his abdomen.
"I'm going to shower now," I squeak, rushing into the bathroom and slamming the door.
"I'll do the same. In Peyton's room," he hastily adds the latter sentence.
I quickly shower and slip on my clothes. I crack open the bathroom door to help air out the steam from the hot water and begin the tedious process of diffusing my wavy hair.
"I took the liberty of ordering us some pizza," Kade says.
I look up from where I'm halfway bent over with a chunk of wet hair in my hand. I shamelessly run my eyes over his black casual t-shirt that reps the Beatles and a pair of black workout shorts. His dark brown hair is darker from his shower and is tousled messily on the top of his head.
Kade is gazing upon a hobo whereas I am looking at an angel.
"What are you doing?" He inquires curiously.
"The unfortunate people cursed with naturally wavy and curly textures have to go through rigorous processes to tame our hair." I bunch some of my waves in my hands and set the diffuser on the counter. "If I don't diffuse and use specific products with my hair, I resemble that of an untamed male lion."
"A very cute lion," he corrects with a smile.
The doorbell rings and Kade rushes out of my room to grab the pizza. I finish diffusing my hair just as Kade hauls in the pizza box.
"Do you need me to pay you?"
He sets the pizza box on my bed and stalks towards me. I tilt my chin further upwards the closer he gets to me. Unconsciously, I tilt my head to the right when he leans down to brush his lips against my ear.
"If you ask me that again, I'll take your payment in a different form," he whispers huskily in my ear. I shiver when his hot breath fans my neck and quickly expel any intrusive explicit images.
I shove his chest and narrow my eyes on his smug face.
"You don't get anything tonight." I wag my finger at him sternly. "I'm too mentally exhausted."
The pout on Kade's face is so adorable I almost "aww" out loud.
I hop on my bed and open the pizza box. Immediately, I rip off the biggest slice and shove it in my mouth, soothing my snarling stomach. I close my eyes and revel in the combination of gooey cheese and marinara sauce blessing my tongue.
"God, this is good," I tell Kade after I swallow. He stands in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing me with amusement. I'm too invested in the food to feel embarrassed by my barbaric way of eating.
"When was the last time you ate?" he asks.
I gaze at him sheepishly and shove another slice in my mouth to prolong my answer. He sits next to me on the bed without looking away, patiently waiting for me to chew the rest of my food.
"Last night," I say.
The way he looks at me reminds me of a parent scolding their child. His scowl imitates my father's almost exactly.
"You need to eat more, Parker," Kade scolds.
I roll my eyes and start on my third slice of pizza. This man has seen almost every inch of my body and still thinks I need to eat more? Pfft.
"I'm serious."
"Fine, whatever." I wave him off.
We eat in silence for the next couple of minutes, in which I try not to swallow so loudly. I gulp down a glass of water in between bites and slump back against my pillows when my stomach is filled to the max. Kade tosses the empty pizza box onto my desk and leans back against my headboard to level his eyes with my own.
"Do you want to watch a movie or something?" I ask, trying not to squirm under his intense stare.
He brings his thumb to the corner of my mouth and swipes some excess marinara sauce from my skin. My lips part in shock when he sucks the tip of his thumb in his mouth, observing me with dark eyes.
"You had some sauce right there," he explains, his voice deepening.
"T-thanks," I stutter like an imbecile. After engaging in multiple intimate moments with Kade, somehow, I'm still nervous when he does little endearing–and borderline sensual–actions such as this.
He smirks knowingly and I internally curse when my cheeks heat. Even Nick never had this effect on me when we dated. Kade is the only person who has driven me to a flustered mess.
I don't recognize who I am anymore. I'm not sure if I like this new (and probably improved) Parker or not.
I grab the remote from my nightstand and turn on the TV. Kade watches as I flick through different streaming platforms, not giving his opinion on any particular movie or show.
"If you don't suggest a movie in the next five seconds, I'm putting The Office on," I warn him.
He maneuvers so that he's laying on his left side with his head propped on his hand. "Why don't we talk instead?"
I drop the remote on the mattress next to me to focus all of my attention on him. "You want to talk about what happened with Nick?"
All happiness morphs into outrage and his sharp jaw ticks. I scoot closer to him so I can rest my hands on his rigid biceps in an attempt to calm him down. He takes this opportunity to pull me flush against his chest so that my nose is buried in his shirt. His wonderful, sandalwood smelling shirt.
"Stopping you was the last thing I wanted to do." I lean back to gaze into his dark blue eyes. "But I've learned the hard way that there's a time and a place."
Kade's hardened expression softens and he plants a small kiss on my forehead. "It seems as if we switched temperaments tonight."
"I'm surprised I didn't go all ape shit on his ass like you were prepared to do," I muse.
"This is the first time in a while that I have almost lost control," he says, grinding his teeth together. "If I didn't have you or Avery there to stop me, that piece of shit would be a pile of blood and broken bones."
"I think my temper was MIA tonight because I froze," I say with a frown. "My lack of a verbal filter never prevents me from biting back at someone who has wronged me. I probably instigate arguments with fantastic rebuttals because both of my parents are lawyers." I roll my eyes. "It must be in my blood."
Kade tucks a damp stand of hair behind my ear with a close lipped smile. "You'd make a fantastic lawyer."
"Too bad I'm not interested," I snort. "My parents still have it in their heads that I'm going to take over the firm. I think they're on some next level crack given that they treat me like the scum on the bottom of their shoe and still want their daughter as a lawyer."
"Family sucks," he agrees, running his thumb over my cheek.
"Speaking of family..." I sit up and cross my legs underneath me. "...Peyton has been acting strange as fuck ever since Nick showed his ugly ass in school a few weeks ago."
"I've noticed." He plays with the sleeve on my sweatshirt.
"I've been meaning to ask his dumbass if he has cancer or some other life threatening disease." I bend forward to rest my elbows on my thighs. "Do you know what my brother is up to?"
Kade shakes his head and I search his eyes for a shred of dishonesty. I sigh in defeat when I realize that he's not lying. I flop back onto the bed and stare at the white ceiling. Kade wordlessly stands and meanders over to the bathroom to brush his teeth. I groan in annoyance and mimic his actions. I cringe at my makeup less disgusting appearance in the mirror as I swish water in my mouth and spit in the sink. Deciding not to linger too much on my reflection, I flick the light off and exit the bathroom to find Kade already burrowed underneath my comforter.
I cross my arms over my chest as I stare at him. "Who says that you're sleeping in my room?"
He widens his eyes hopefully. "You?"
I can't help the edges of my lips from tugging upwards into a smile.
"Well, you're like some sort of furnace, so I'm going to change into some shorts." I skip to my closet and snatch a pair of black Nike sports shorts, quickly sliding my sweatpants down my legs and pulling the short up to my waist.
I hurry back to the bed and pounce on top of Kade, causing him to laugh at my antics. He holds the blanket up so I can slide underneath and then pulls me to his chest. I rest my cheek on his chest and listen to the relaxing sound of his heartbeat, snuggling closer to him when he snakes his arm around me to rub my back.
"Why does Amber hate you so much?"
I lift my head to look at Kade. "That was a random question."
He gently pushes my cheek back to lay on his chest and starts stroking my hair. I drape my left leg over his and fist his shirt in my left hand.
"What did you do to piss her off so much that she put a target on your back?"
I exhale deeply. "I'm not sure. One day I was invisible and the next I was the highlight for her bullying. She first started this bullshit freshman year of high school."
"Maybe she wanted to gain Peyton's attention," Kade says.
"Maybe," I snort. "But the way she acted tonight did not make my brother happy."
"I haven't only been spending less time with Elise because I've been with you," he says. "She's always around that Amber chick and I've made it abundantly clear that I will not be around her when that bitch is present."
I laugh at his irritated expression, eliciting a smile from him. It feels amazing to have someone besides Avery see through Amber's bullshit and side with me.
We chat for a few more minutes, but decide to let the rest of the night go. I want to spend some quality time with him without having to worry about anyone else bursting into my room. Peyton informed me earlier not to wait up for him which means he's either spending the night at that rich kid's mansion or one of his friends'.
We watch a few episodes of The Office before I feel my eyes start to droop. Kade takes note of my exhaustion and turns off the TV. He reaches over to turn off the light so that we're encased in darkness. He tightens his arms around me and kisses my forehead.
"Goodnight, Parker," he says softly.
I mumble something incoherent back and fall into a deep and peaceful sleep.
********************
I'm writing this author's note before I'm even done with the chapter lol. I need to write more after the *** I put in the middle of the chapter. I think I'm going to add some gooey fluff between Kade and Parker since they've been all 👅💦😚
BRB I'm gonna write more 🏃🏼♀️
Okay I'm back after 2 days lol. I wrote more after the *** than I initially thought I would. I've been binge watching Suits so I was doing that instead of finishing this chapter 🤡
This day I finished this was July 30th, but this chapter won't be published until August 10th (I still need to publish chapter 35).
Sooo I've allowed Parker and Kade to bond over the past couple of chapters, but their sweet time together will be short-lived 😈
I'm going back to watching Suits and I think I'm going to make a layout of the next chapter (since I always stray from what I want to include lmao).
Thanks for reading and remember to...
VOTE. COMMENT. FOLLOW. SHARE.
I'll see y'all next time ❤️
~ Coffee_x_Lover 💩