“I’ll drive,” Cade said to her when they walked to her car at the end of the large property.
She lifted an eyebrow. “I can assure you I know how to drive since it’s my car.”
“I just figured it’d be easier than me giving you directions,” he said smiling.
She was trying not to laugh at him right now. He always looked perfect and now he looked like a drowned rat.
His hair was sticking up everywhere where he towel-dried it. His shirt was clinging to his body showing exactly why he joked about putting on a show and swimming at parties. And his shorts were molding to parts of his body that had her eyes fighting really hard to stay on his face.
“I’m good at following directions. Point me the right way and then give them to me as needed.”
He kept his smile in place, but she could see he wanted to argue. She had no clue what that was about and was trying not to get annoyed that it seemed he had to be the “man” and the driver right now.
“I’m downtown,” he said, then opened her front door. “I should probably go back and get a towel for your seat.”
“It’s leather, it’s fine, and it’s not that far.”
He shrugged and climbed in, she did the same, then started her car and pulled away.
“I appreciate you giving me a lift,” he said a few minutes later, his eyes straight ahead of him. She had no clue what the heck was wrong with him right now.
“Not a problem. It gives me a break from everyone. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has been wonderful so far, but I’m not used to gatherings like that.”
She actually hated them, which was another issue she and Keith had. He was all about going out and showing off; she liked to stay home and relax.
“We’re a pretty laid back group at the heart of it. If you need a breather, just seek me out.”
“I haven’t been away from your side,” she said laughing.
“Sorry. I can give you space.” He turned to look at her, then turned back to the front again. “I was just introducing you to everyone.”
She frowned. “Not a problem. I didn’t mean anything by it.” He was squirming so much in the seat right now, the sound of his wet shorts squeaking on the leather not something she could avoid. “Are you okay? You can tilt or move the seat back if it’s too close. I don’t care since I never sit over there.”
“I’m fine,” he said quickly.
She shrugged and stopped trying to make conversation with him. “Just tell me when to turn.”
They were quiet for another five minutes. “Take a left up there,” he said fast. “Then go about two miles. It’s faster than going into town.”
“I’ve never been down this way before, but I’m sure you know since you travel from your parents’ and home enough. Are you cold?” she asked, reaching for the thermostat. “I can turn the air conditioning down.”
“I’m good,” he said.
“The goosebumps on your arms and legs say otherwise.”
“It’s fine,” he said again. Whatever. She wasn’t going to argue with him. He’d never been this short with a conversation before. Maybe he was just embarrassed over the dunk in the pool.
Another five minutes and they were pulling into a large condo complex downtown. “Wow, you are right in the heart of the city. Not even that far from Fierce.”
He opened the door fast and got out, then took a few deep breaths. “No. Just a few minutes if there isn’t traffic. Ella is the only other one that lives downtown. Everyone else is on the outskirts. Brody is the farthest on Lake Norman. Aiden is in a development just outside of town. Mason is in the country with a few acres of land not far from my parents.”
She was following behind him as he quickly made his way in the building and to the stairs, not making much eye contact with her and still breathing in and out rapidly.
“You don’t take the elevator?” she asked.
“Not always. The stairs are good exercise. I’m just on the sixth floor.”
Six floors and he was taking the stairs. What the hell? “How many floors here? Ten?”
“Nine floors with condos. The tenth is the penthouse.”
She was running out of breath following him up the stairs so fast. Geez. “I’m surprised you didn’t get the penthouse.”
“I would have, but it was taken.” He opened the door to his floor and made his way to the right. Looked like another condo was on the left and that was it. His place had to be pretty huge.
He punched in a code and walked in, going right for the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water, taking the top off and drinking half of it.
“Do you want one?” he asked, coming up for air. His face looked a little white now that she was really staring at him.
“I’m good. You don’t look it though. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Do you mind if I take a shower quick and wash off the chlorine? Just make yourself at home. Look around if you want. I don’t care,” he said walking to the end of the condo quickly, and behind what she assumed was his bedroom door, not giving her a chance to even answer.
She shook her head and walked around his place. Not really touching, but just more like peeking. He said she could and she needed something to take her mind off the fact that Cade Fierce was getting naked with only a few walls between them.
***
Almost an hour later they were walking in the backyard of his parents’ house again. He made sure to be friendlier on the drive back to make up for his behavior trying to get to his bathroom. Another ten minutes in the car and he would’ve been more embarrassed than he already was.
“I’m going to get another bottle of water. Do you want something else to drink?” he asked Alex.
“I’ll take a water right now too,” she said.
“Ella is waving you over. Why don’t you go see her and I’ll meet you there. If you want to. If not, I understand too because Ella can be overbearing at times.”
She laughed and it was a sound he was thrilled to hear after her confusion during the drive to his condo. He felt he at least was able to get back to the way they were before his cold dunk in the pool. “She’s not overbearing at all and Nic looks to be moving toward her too. I’ll go chat with them.”
He watched her walk away and then made his way to the back patio where all the drinks and taps were stored. He was just shutting the fridge full of water when his father appeared at his side, looked around, then nodded his head to the corner. “Did you get sick on the drive home?”
He wanted to say something sarcastic back like he normally did to his siblings or his mother, but it was his father, who was always upfront and honest with him. He never got wise to his dad. None of them did. “No.”
His father looked down at the water bottle in his hand. “You took a Zofran the minute you got in the house, didn’t you?”
“Hell yeah. I couldn’t run into the bathroom fast enough. It was still dissolving on my tongue when I was stepping in the shower. I even took the stairs, not wanting to risk the motion of the elevator.”
His father laughed at him. “I figured that was going on when it took you so long to get back. How did you kill thirty minutes until you knew it was working?”
“I took a nice long shower. Since I had chills all over me fighting back the nausea on the ride there, I said I was just trying to warm up. She bought it. Then I gave her a tour of the condo. She was none the wiser.”
His father laughed at him. “You always were a smart one when you wanted to be. Just stick with the water this afternoon so you don’t get dehydrated now.”
He didn’t need his father to tell him what to do. He’d been taking Zofran most of his life once they got a doctor to give it to them. It seemed to be the only thing that worked for traveling now.
“If I didn’t know better I’d swear Mom was punishing me for something I didn’t even do,” he said, laughing and drinking some more.
His father placed his large hand on Cade’s shoulder, then grinned. “Don’t worry about your mom. I’ll make sure she is watching where she steps in the future.”