Page 44 of Gorgeous

I spring from the bed, racing through my door to Hayes’ room. I rap lightly, hoping not to wake everyone with my crazy. “Hayes, open the door.”

No answer.

I’m tempted to just open it and crawl into bed with him. He probably won’t even notice. I bet it’s normal for him to wake up next to a woman he doesn’t remember getting into bed with.

I’m just going to do it. The worst thing that could happen is that he’s naked. I can live with that image burned into my brain.

Inching the door open, I peek inside before a warm hand wraps around my arm. I try to scream but a hand clamps over my mouth, smothering the sound.

“What are you doing?”

Cade.

Oh God, it’s just Cade.

My heart beats wildly, slamming against my ribs, no thanks to Cade scaring the shit out of me.

I push away and he lets me go but not before spinning me around to face him.

Emerald eyes watch me cautiously under the glow of the nightlight illuminating the hallway from a nearby outlet. “You nearly made me wet my pants,” I admit in a harsh whisper.

Cade’s eyes drift past the hem of my shirt, past my bare legs, before stopping at my blue painted toes. “You’re not wearing any pants,” he says rather all-knowingly. It annoys me that he’s being so literal and judging my choice of words when he just about gave me a freaking heart attack. I open my mouth to argue but he continues his assessment of me and asks, “What’s wrong?”

I turn and give Hayes’ door another glance, hoping he’ll step out, but Cade answers my unspoken question. “He’s out.”

Great. He convinces me to watch a scary movie and then trots off to a booty call, leaving me defenseless. What a friend.

“Breck.” Cade saying my name stops me cold. My name sounds sacred when he lets it float in the air between us. When all I do is stare, he tries again. “What’s wrong, Brecklyn?”

I mentally bank the way he seems concerned and nurturing right now and make a note to analyze it later with Jess. She’s good at reading underlying meanings with the opposite sex. Cade grazes his knuckles across my bare arm and causes a fit of shivers along my skin, a subtle hint to answer his question.

“I, uh … something is outside my window,” I admit with shame.

Cade’s forehead scrunches as he weighs out what I’m saying. “How do you know?”

How do I say that I don’t really, but that watching some horror movie has me a little paranoid?

You don’t, is the answer.

In no way do you look in the eyes of this hulk of a man—which may be a little amused at the moment—and admit weakness.

So I exaggerate a bit.

“Something is clawing at my window, trying to get in.”

Cade’s hand swipes across his lips as he tries to hide his smile. “On the second floor?”

Did I mention he annoys me? I stand a little taller and narrow my eyes at the cute fucking grin peeking out. “Maybe it’s a vampire,” I argue.

It’s completely possible.

A weird noise—almost like a laugh—seeps between Cade’s fingers before he straightens up and says, “I could always offer you a ride home. That way the vampires will stay here and pick us off one by one while you’re safe at the orchard.”

Smartass can be so sexy.

But not at one in the morning.

My hand inches up my side, about to flip him the bird, when he grins, looking ten years younger.

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