Page 21 of Sweet Temptation (Men of Honor 2)
Calm down, Grace. You don’t have a right to feel this way.
My heart doesn’t listen to my head and a small sob breaks free. Standing up straight, I start to run but don’t make it far. “Grace, wait!” Cade yells, running out of the building.
He catches up to me and grabs my arm. “Let me give you a ride home,” he says softly.
I can barely make out his hulking form through my blurry vision. Wiping my face, I nod; words are too hard to speak right now. He’s still holding the pie as I follow him to his truck. He opens the door and helps me in. When he gets in on the other side I give him directions, then rest my forehead against the cool glass of the window.
Not wanting to embarrass myself more, I continue wiping my eyes and keep in the sobs that want to break free. I know I don’t have a right to feel this way. I shouldn’t feel heart-broken and betrayed, because we were nothin’ more than friends, but for some reason those are the only emotions I’m feelin’ right now.
Cade clears his throat, “Sorry you had to hear that, Grace.” I wave away his sincere words. “Don’t be. It’s my fault.”
He grunts, “I doubt that. Most of the time, if there’s a fuck up, it’s normally Sawyer’s fault. Trust me I’ve known him a long time, his pride and ego can fuck with his judgment.”
I think about that statement. Was that why he’s with her? Because I hurt his pride? Did he have to choose her of all people?
Oh yes, I knew that snooty, annoying voice. That bitch Jenny was always lookin’ down her nose at me. Anger starts creepin’ in, mixing with my pain.
“Is it terrible of me to hope his dick falls off after?” I blurt out the words before I can think better of it.
I start to feel incredibly embarrassed, but it vanishes quickly when I chance a look at Cade and see his lips twitch before he lets out a laugh. It’s low and rusty, as if the concept is foreign to him, which I know it is. It’s the first time I have ever seen his cold, hard mask replaced with a smile, and whoa boy is it lethal. He’s always been extremely attractive, but how he looks now? Well there isn’t even a word for it.
Even though my heart is still heavy with pain, I cover my mouth and join in on his laughter.
He gets a strange look on his face, as if just realizing he was laughing. His face softens but doesn’t go back to the hard mask he normally has. “No. It’s not awful. I, for one, would find it funny as fuck.”
I smile back at him then turn to look out the window so he can’t see my tears startin’ to form again.
“You know, Cade, normally I’m a girl who always tries to see the glass half-full, but life just really sucks sometimes,” I say quietly.
He grunts, “You fucking got that right,” he pauses for a minute, then says something that will stick with me for life: “it’s good you still try to see the glass half-full, Grace. Whatever you do, don’t lose that, because once you do there’s nothing left.”
My heart becomes heavier at the pain in his voice. Turning, I see him staring straight ahead, and I can tell this tidbit of information he just shared with me isn’t something he normally does, which makes me feel pretty darn special. I have a feeling Cade knows exactly what kind of pain I have buried deep inside.
Soon he’s pullin’ into my driveway, and when he puts the truck in park I do the one thing that I have wanted to do since he opened up. Taking off my seat belt, I crawl over to his side and wrap my arms around his neck. He tenses, not expecting the gesture.
“My Mama always used to say that God never gives you more than you can handle. I personally think that’s a giant load of crap.” He chuckles and wraps his arms around me, returning my embrace awkwardly. “But she was a real smart lady, so I try to stick with that mantra.”
He doesn’t say anything back, but I didn’t expect him to. Pulling away, I wipe my wet cheeks with the back of my hand and open his truck door. “Thank you for givin’ me a ride home, Cade. It was awful nice of you.”
“No problem, Grace. Did you want to take your pie back?”
I look over at the pie with the note that’s pasted to it. “No. He should still have it. You can have some too.”
“Did you want me to throw it in his face?” He seems rather hopeful for me to say yes.
I chuckle as I hop out of his truck. Even though the thought appeals to me, I shake my head, “That’s all right, but thanks for offerin’.”
Then, before I close the door, I decide to say one more thing, “You should smile more often, Cade. It suits you.”
After closing the truck door, I run into my house and head straight to bed. As I lay there I try real hard not to let those awful moans fill my head in the silence.
I slowly come awake the next morning and wonder what the fuck happened to me last night, because I’m pretty sure I’m fucking dying. When I take a chance at opening my eyes, I quickly squeeze them shut and groan from the sudden sharp pain that spears my head.
Rolling over, I hit something; I snap my eyes open again and ignore the throbbing. My gaze lands on the sleeping, naked chick next to me, and everything comes rushing back in a hazy flash.
Oh jesus fucking christ!
I shoot out of bed like my ass is on fire, and crash into the fucking wall in my haste. Which was stupid, since it caused my big fucking mistake to wake up.
Jenny sits up, dropping the sheet, and smiles at me. “Why are you getting up so early? Come back to bed,” she pats the bed beside her.
