Page 100 of Fly Back to Me
I know I’m wrong.
My eyes skate between his, waiting for him to refute my comment. Waiting for him to understand. Waiting for him to forgive me.
But he just stares, his eyes unsure.
Instantly, my flight response spins into overdrive, and I round the chair to stroll toward the sliding doors.
“Hey!” Cade’s palm engulfs my upper arm, spinning me around to face him. “We’re gonna talk about this,” he demands before shaking his head. “I’m not asking.”
I strip my arm from his hold, gritting my teeth. “Don’t talk to me like that.”
He points a finger at me, his frustration combusting with mine as his eyes flash with caution. “Keep pushing me, Olivia, because I’m not in the mood for your prissy attitude today. When you’re ready to talk to me like an adult, let me know.”
Before I can exhale a breath, he’s treading toward the sliding doors.
Oh, hell no.
The concrete walls around me transform to steel. The need to protect my broken heart more dire than facing Cade.
I trail up to the house, all the rehearsed excuses left in my wake when I slip through the open glass door. “I want my clothes.”
“They’re washed and folded on the couch,” Cade answers, turning left into the kitchen.
My palms hug my lower back, jaw setting as I roll my eyes. “What do you do? Just save the day all the time with every little good deed?”
I turn right to enter the living room, padding up to the beige sofa with the stack of clothes.
“Seems to be what turns you on so much,” he spits back.
I whip around with my jeans and shirt nestled in my hands. “Excuse me?”
His palms are wrapped around the edge of the counter, eyes peeking out the window over the sink. “Dammit, Olivia, you lied to me.”
My lips purse as I slam the pile of clothes on the couch. Tears prick my eyes, the hysteria inside my chest carrying me over the threshold of the living room. “I made a mistake, okay! I know I fucked up!” He lifts off the black countertop, face tight as his eyes glimmer with a sliver of empathy. “But I didn’t lie aboutwho I am. I’ve never been anyone else butme. The only thing I will ever apologize for is not telling you how we met.”
He swallows thickly. “You were in love with me before I bumped into you that day, weren’t you?”
“No,” I whisper quickly. “I-I don’t know.” I ingest a wobbly breath, shaking my head as I shrug. “Maybe. But there’s nothing wrong with that.”
He pivots his head, wiping a palm down his mouth. “I don’t believe this,” he breathes.
His reaction freezes my lungs, forbidding them to contract under the icy crate. “Don’t believe what, Cade?” I snap. “That the woman you fell for is really the helpless woman you found on the ground that night? Not fun or flirty, but weak. The woman you wantednothingto do with. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to grant your wish after today.”
He stabs me with punitive eyes. “Don’t ever say that to me.”
I walk a couple steps to invade his space, clenching my teeth as I punch a fist down. “Thisis the exact reason we’re having this conversation. Because the version you see of me is the only version I want to forget ever existed.”
My body whirls around, trekking back to the living room to swipe my mound of clothes from the sofa. “I’ll put your flannel on your bed before I leave,” I say, exiting the living room.
When I reach the narrow corridor, I gasp when Cade wraps a hand around my arm. He turns me toward him, my eyesskimming his broad chest as I use the pile of clothes as a barrier.
“I want to leave,” I whisper, refusing to look at him.
“Drop the clothes,” Cade demands.
My skin hums, a hot tingle spreading to my core as his fingers knead the fabric of the flannel around my arm. But as much as I want him, his disappointment gnaws at the back of my mind.
I hug my clothes to me, pasting my stare to his gray, long-sleeved top. “I’ll leave you alone, I promise,” I breathe, wagging my head. “Just let me go, please.”
