CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Kade's grip tightens on my arm as he leads me through a cluster of chatting people. They shoot us a few frowns, but this doesn't seem to bother Kade by the slightest. The eyes that follow make me nervous but I'm excited to see what's so important to Kade.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

My question is met by a chuckle and, "Be patient."

My eyes scan over our surroundings but nothing pokes out of the extravagant ordinary. We walk through a side hallway almost tucked behind a display of boards for the charity their supporting. Kade and I walk down the hallway and I frown with confusion. The only marked door is for the bathrooms. This can't be right, I don't understand. However, I keep following, curiosity getting the better of me.

As we continue down the hall, a shorter man steps in our pathway. Instead of shifting to the side, Kade greats the man with open arms. From the glow of excitement on his face, it looks they're great friends.

"Hello, guys." He nods his head in each of our direction. "How are we this evening?" he asks.

"Very well, thank you." Kade answers him. "Excuse me for a moment?"

Kade angles his body towards mine as he learn in. "Keeping going straight, follow the hallway to the second, or was it the third door?" He playfully frowns and addresses the stranger, "I always forget."

"Thanks for the guidance." He slowly releases his grip on my waist.

"Have a goodnight," slips out of my lips as I promptly nod my head. I smile politely and slip past them.

I circle around the corner and keep walking. The second door is unmarked while the third door has the sign to the ladies bathroom. I understand that Kade reached the conclusion for the answer to be the third door, but he mentioned the second one to me and then the third to the stranger.

Looking both ways, I push the second door open and walking inside. Despite the dark and creepy vibes I'm getting from the supply room, I push through it. From the tight grip on my waist, and the excitement in his eyes, this must be the right place. It's an odd place to meet, but I like the secretive feel of it.

I pull my phone out of my clutch and turn the flashlight on. The device shoots out a beam of white light and the room is lit up in a small glow. I'm not scared of the dark but I think happy thoughts about kittens and Kade.

With the glow of the torchlight, I scan the room to familiarize myself with it. There's broken chairs in the corner, an open cupboard with stacks of table cloths, and napkins along with candle sticks and fake flowers for decorations. It's not bad, but I'd prefer a stinky bathroom any day.

I hear footsteps walking along the creaky floorboard outside so I turn my light off and wait. The footsteps stop in front of the supply door and I get excited. I bet Kade finally managed to shake that other man away and escape here.

The door opens and a tall dark figure slips inside the room. They quickly close the gap between us and their arms wrap around my waist. A pair of warm moist lips touch the base my neck. I automatically arch my head to the side.

Bright lights flick on and my eyes go wide in fright. Little dots appear in my vision as I see Kade standing at the door. My heart jerks and awkwardly beat with fear.

Looking over my shoulder, I see a tall boy with messy black hair around my age. I frown and push him away from me in disgust. The boy stumbles two feet back but manages to steady himself when he holds his arms out like an airplane.

"Luke," Kade shouts. "Get away from my girlfriend."

He jumps at the sharp tone of Kade's voice. Luke quickly drags his fingers through his sleek black hair, causing the straight tendrils to become muddled up and messy.

"Sorry," he mutters embarrassedly as he quickly exits the room.

Kade stares the boy down as he retreats down the hallway. When the coast is clear, he steps inside the room and locks the door.

"Are you okay?" he asks. Kade walks towards me, a look of concern and anger floating through his eyes.

"Fine, he just had the chance to hug me," I lie.

I don't think it's a good idea to discuss the details of the neck kiss or how it made me feel. To be fair, I thought it was Kade. If it had been Luke, or whatever his make, I'd have punched him in the balls. It just, it makes me curious. I wonder how Kade knows Luke or what he knows about Alessia's past.

"Good." He nods his head firmly. "I'd hate to think he touched you." Kade growls under his breath.

The spot where Luke had kissed me burns like a hot iron. Worry consumes my stomach as I think about the consequences of lying to Kade Taylor. Hopefully, I never find out. My body tingles with the desire to understand Kade's knowledge about a boy named Luke.

Kade takes a step forwards and swallows the space with his body. With one hand pressed on the middle of my back, he lightly brushes his fingertips over my back in a soothing gesture. My gaze is caught by his piercing stare which makes me lose my breath.

His hand continues to wanders up my neck. Kade's slender fingers tangle themselves within the stands of my hair. Kade's lips finally press against mine. A boat load of tingles float through my system as desire builds within the pit of my stomach.

Kade's lips gently part as his teeth playfully nip the middle of my lip. A small giggle escapes my lips and breaks the serious silence between us. I unwind my hands from around his neck and run them down his chest. I give him a slight shove to put some space between our heated bodies.

"What are we doing?" I ask.

I know I'm a bad person for helping Kade cheat on his girlfriend, but I don't think she was an honest woman herself. In a twisted sense of reality, I don't feel bad. I should feel terrible but I don't. Luke is evidence enough to show that she wasn't with Kade for the right reasons. I'm not sure what reason she had to be with Kade.

My eyes look at the ground as I wait for Kade's answer. I can't look at him and feel confident about what I'm going to say.

"I don't know, showing you affection?" Kade tosses into the air almost carefree.

"What about Alessia, your girlfriend?" I ask. My fingertips find the end of my hair and I begin to swirl the strands around two of my fingers as I wait.

Kade lets out a hearty chuckle. "I'm not in love with Alessia, I haven't been in a while."

"Then why are you doing so much to help her?"

"Because I can't sit and watch her tear her life apart. I know she's done some terrible things, but." He sighs. "It's complicated."

"Do you still love her?" I ask.

"I'll always love her, Lydia."

"Oh," I mutter.

"But that doesn't mean I want to be with her," he clarifies. "We've been over for a long time. She just wanted the appearance and I was happy enough to go with it. She fucked up and I bailed her out. This is the last time. I can't keep doing it. I have . . ." Kade trails off.

"What do you have?" I question.

"I have you," he says. "If it isn't already obvious Lydia, I really like you." His confession makes me giggle with happiness.

"If it isn't obvious Kade Taylor." I smile. "I might possibly be falling for you."

Sure, it might be a quick descend but sometimes you can't help that. If I fall on my face, then I fall on my face. But at least I'll know, I wasn't hesitating when I took the jump to know Kade Taylor. I wasn't lying, pretending, or trying to hide myself. I fell for him completely being myself. And if he happens to catch me in that fall, well, maybe that's the beginning of a relationship.

"Now, kiss me, Mr. Taylor." I laugh.

"Hm, is that right?" he asks.

"Yes, it sure is." Kade hooks his arm around my waist and we fall against a shelf with the flowers stacked on it. There's a slight wobble, but it doesn't break our passionate kiss. We can't be missing for too long but hey, what's another reason for Mrs. Taylor to hate me?