Page 36 of Gorgeous

He nods. “I’ll come with you.”

We finish shopping and check out with a cart full of groceries. Cade never thanks me or even acknowledges what we did in front of Samantha back in the produce section. Instead, he loads the bags into the cart and tells me to put my feet on the bottom rack. Then, he jogs down the parking lot before jumping on behind me, sandwiching me between his hard chest and the cart’s handle. We race down the rows of cars, and it’s so exhilarating that I throw my hands up like I’m on some kind of roller coaster.

And the craziest thing happens.

Cade laughs.

And it’s the most precious sound in the entire world.

“I’m ready to go upstairs.” His gruff admission pulls my attention from the notebook resting on my lap. I was almost finished with the new X-Men review before he interrupted me.

I set the pencil down in the spine and feel myself smile at him for saying goodnight. Maybe he is warming up to me after all. But when I get a good look at his face in the glow of the porch light, he’s frowning. Frowning isn’t necessarily a bad sign with Cade. He tends to do it a lot. I like to call it his lazy smile.

“Okay, goodnight,” I respond cheerfully, hoping he’ll grace me with a real smile.

It doesn’t work.

He huffs out a breath instead and turns to face the backyard so I can’t see his face any longer. “No. I mean, I want to go upstairs but I can’t until you’re inside, and I’ve locked up.”

Oh.

He wasn’t just being nice and telling me goodnight. I pick up my pencil, slightly disappointed that he wasn’t being sweet, and go back to my review. “Oh,” I say, focused on my sloppy handwriting. “I’ll lock up. I want to finish this review, and it’s peaceful out here.”

I take a peek at Cade. His head hangs low in defeat. When he says nothing, I go back to writing and try my best to ignore that he’s pouting at the edge of the patio.

A noise, almost a groan, snaps my head up as I catch Cade raking a hand through his hair. I watch as he takes several deep breaths and turns, facing me with that fucking frown again. Without a word, and six—yes, I count—sighs later, he comes over, grabbing the lounger beside me and pulling it a few feet away, throwing himself down into it.

“Are you planning to wait on me?”

Cade leans back in the chair and looks up at the stars above. “Yes.”

Okay. That’s not what I was expecting.

“You don’t have to wait. I promise, I know how to lock a door.”

“Finish your review, B.”

He called me B. Does calling someone by a nickname mean they are getting comfortable around you?

I’m going with yes.

The grin I’m donning is brighter than the stars he’s staring at but I keep my head down and focus on this review so Jess doesn’t cuss me out in the morning for not having it ready.

Mystique, although misguided in this film, delivers, once again, a flawless performance of how women superheroes are stealing the spotlight away from their male counterparts.

“What movie are you reviewing?”

Oh, hell. He’s making small talk with me. I can do this. We can do this. It’s just talking. Who cares if it’s awkward?

“X-Men: Days of Future Past.”

Silence.

Men are taking the roles as sidekicks to these exceptional women—

“What did you think of it?”

“I … uh.” I set my pencil down and close my notebook, clearing my throat. “I loved it. I’m digging the women superheroes these days. It’s very refreshing.” Cade tips his chin at the stars like they answered instead of me. “What about you? Do you like superhero movies?”

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