Page 41 of Mariposa
“Of course,mija. We love you.”
Click.
I stride to the door, still in my pajamas, holding my grandma’s blue bear.
Opening it, my breath hitches as I drink in Kade. He’s dressed in his Army greens, his hair gelled to the side, his beardtrimmed, and his cedar scent mixed with whatever addicting cologne hits me all at once.
The way he’s looking at me, though… It’s frightening. There’s a bit of an edge to his green, scarred eye. His jaw tightens, and he looks at the cell phone in my hands as if it’s a threat.
“Who were you talking to?” his deep voice is strangely calm.
Was he listening to my conversation through the door? How much did he hear?
“What? You heard that?”
Bowing his head, he thinks momentarily, like he’s trying to dial back his actions.
“Never mind, it doesn’t matter. I know how this goes. You guys break up to say I love you hours later,” he scoffs, reaching for his pocket. He pulls out a pack of Marlboros.
“Kade, that wasn’t?—”
“Booker wants you in his office at 1400 hours,” he changes the subject nonchalantly. He’s distant again. His gaze cuts through me, back to playing teacher and student one last time. I can’t stop thinking about what happened just hours ago.
Is he thinking about it as much as I am?
“Okay.”
He nods once before turning to walk away.
Wait? That’s it?
“Kade.” I reach for his hand, but I pull back before our flesh can connect.
His jaw clenches.
“It’s Master Sergeant,” he corrects.
“So we’re not going to talk about what happened last night?”
He sucks in a long breath as he continues to keep his locked gaze down the hall toward the exit.
“You don’t have to worry about Willis or those guys who hurt you. They’ve been taken care of.”
“You know that’s not what I’m talking about,” I whisper. Turning to my left and right, poking my head into the hallway, ensuring we’re alone, so that we can speak freely.
He pauses, which makes my heart thunder rapidly against my rib cage as I wait for his response. I like him, and I’m desperate to know his thoughts. He’s so unreadable, almost a robot, but I know there’s more to him. I saw it last night.
“If there’s nothing you have to say to me regarding this school or work, then we’re done here.” He quirks a brow while he plays with the watch on his wrist. He doesn’t bother to look at me, and I wish I could say my ego is tough enough to handle his distant behavior, but it’s not.
I’m so stupid. What do I expect? For him to admit there’s an attraction between us?
I click my tongue, then run it over my teeth, pushing his rejection down my throat.
At the end of the day, Kade O’Connell is ‘Special Operator Beast’, known as the soldier who has a heart of steel. Tangible but non-feeling.
Clenching the doorknob and squeezing the bear in the crook of my arm, I mimic his stoic expression. “We’re done.”
“Kade motherfucking O’Connell.”
