Cade knew he was dreaming, or he thought he was. Maybe hoped. Only he couldn’t get his brain to wake up no matter how hard he tried to push the fog aside.
“I wasn’t aware you three were friends,” Cade said to Sarah, looking around the sorority house at the three girls who had set him up. How he wished he’d seen what was in front of his face back then.
“We aren’t,” Allison said. “I’m friends with both of them. They’re each in one of my classes. I was talking about my date last Friday in class with each of them.
Cade gulped. Last Friday had been the first time he and Allison had had sex. He wanted to make it special for her. “What did you say?”
“I told them how the most handsome man on campus took me to a hot spot downtown. Then he impressed me with all his knowledge of food and beer,” Allison said. “That one of his brothers was going to be a famous chef and another brother was already brewing beer.”
Him and his big mouth trying to impress the women.
“Imagine my surprise,” Allison said, “when Sarah overheard me and said she was dating someone that did the very same thing.”
“Imagine that,” Cade said. “Small world.” Though he wouldn’t consider what he had with any of them actually dating since he hadn’t talked to Sarah in weeks or Lori for that matter. Three dates were all he had with Allison in the past two weeks.
“Small indeed,” Allison said. “Then I went to another class and was bragging to someone else about the second part of our date. The part where you took me to a hotel and made me feel special, not like you just wanted to get in my pants. That most college kids wouldn’t spring for a hotel; they’d just want to go back to their room.”
“It was a special night,” Cade said. “And I’m not sure I said we were exclusive at all.”
Allison just bared her teeth, making him wish he didn’t let that slip out.
But damn it all, he’d heard Allison was seen with her ex that she was bashing just two days ago. Part of him was thinking she was only using him to make her ex jealous. Since he wasn’t looking for a relationship and just some fun, he didn’t have a problem with that. But now he had a problem if she was going to turn the tables on him.
Lori jumped in and said, “I had the hotel experience too. See, that’s pretty uncommon around here. Seems you like to make women feel special the first time they sleep with you, right?”
He felt like a pig at a hillbilly barbeque right now trying to figure out a way to not get roasted.
“No, ladies. You all had a great time when we were together and I don’t remember one of you saying you didn’t want to go to the hotel room either. And I repeat, I never said we were dating exclusively—to any of you—nor did any of you ask or say that is what you were looking for.”
“You think that makes it right,” Sarah said. That pleasure that was in her eyes earlier was now the torch ready to light the flame under him while he was hogtied.
“Right or wrong, I never lied to any of you. Can you say that I have? Have any of you ever asked me if I was seeing someone else? I know I never asked any of you that question, yet I’ve seen you, Lori, and you, Sarah, with guys making out at a party just last week.”
There was silence for the moment while the three of them narrowed their eyes at him. His siblings always said he could talk the Devil into handing over his pitchfork, yet for some reason he couldn’t figure a way out of this other than being honest.
Which he was trying and they were listening, but he wasn’t stupid enough to think they’d let him walk out of here without some forks stuck in his carcass.
“So it’s our fault?” Lori asked, crossing her arms.
“You asked me on the first date, Lori,” he said. “And now that I think about it, so did you, Sarah. The only person I asked out was Allison, which was just two weeks ago. And I did it because you were throwing enough hints my way that a blind man could have caught them all. But both you and Sarah approached me first over a month ago,” he said to Lori.
The girls were all staring at each other now. “You told me he approached you,” Lori said to Sarah. “And that you were with him last weekend when I said I was with him.”
Holy cow, honesty might get him out of this. He was inching back while the two girls started going at each other, accusing each other of lying. They both were lying; he’d only been with Allison in the past two weeks.
“So you liked me the best then,” Allison said, her eyes lighting up. “You approached me, so I’ve got to think you were just passing time with them and they didn’t mean anything?” She was walking closer to him, her eyes all soft. What the hell was going on now? Was she really into him? Had he read that wrong too?
“You’re all disgusting.”
Cade turned to see his sister, Ella, standing there. Part of him was thrilled, the other part mortified. Great, she’d get to witness this and hold it over his head.
“Excuse me?” Allison said. “Is he seeing you too?”
Cade wanted to roll his eyes. Anyone could tell Ella was his sister. “Really, Cade?” Ella said. “You can’t find them smarter than this? No, I’m his sister. And it’s disgusting because you all planned this. You all planned on trapping him tonight. Did he ever tell you it was anything more than a couple of nights together? No, he didn’t, did he?” Ella answered before they could. “You know why? Because if you three think you’re the only ones, you’re fruitier than a box of sugary cereal. And how do I know that? Because I just had a talk with a few girls upstairs.”
Sarah’s face turned red. “You have no right to come in here and talk to my sorority sisters.”
“Really?” Ella said. “Considering they were all up there laughing about what was going on down here. One of them is actually a friend of mine and clued me in on what was going down tonight. She also informed me that Cade is the man most of the women want to spend a night with. Or at least try to, and that the three of you actually planned this. You all thought you could catch him in a lie and make it look like you had something over him. That you could get some rebellion or movement going on about all the cads on campus. Making you girls all look like victims. For what? To gain more popularity? Your pride lets you screw a man for that?” Cade cringed, glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of Ella’s rant right now. These girls had no idea of her wrath.
“Is that why you approached me, Sarah?” he asked, feeling some shame mixed in with embarrassment now. “What about you, Lori?” It’s not that he wasn’t approached often, but he found it odd that it happened twice in a short period of time like it had a month ago. “And like I said, Allison, you were throwing every sign out to me, all but begging me to ask you out.”
Sarah snorted. “Everyone wants a piece of you and you gladly take what is offered.”
He started to open his mouth, but Ella turned and glared at him, so he closed it. Probably wise.
“I didn’t know who he was,” Allison argued.
“Give it up, Allison,” Lori said. “Some bitch upstairs spilled it all. Don’t try to come out of this smelling like a rose. You were hoping Bobby would get jealous enough to take you back, or fight Cade for you.”
Ella rolled her eyes. “You all had your fun at Cade’s expense. Let’s go now,” she said to him.
He wasn’t about to argue, not when Ella got them all to go back at each other and accuse the other of messing up the plans tonight. Whatever the plans might have been.
They were outside now, walking fast and toward the sidewalk to get back to their dorms. “Thanks,” he said. “That was close.”
She turned and punched his arm. “I meant you too when I said they were all disgusting. What is wrong with you, Cade?”
“Nothing,” he said. “You said it yourself: they were all after me. I’d be stupid to say no.”
She stopped and turned, then narrowed her eyes under the streetlight. She may be barely five foot three and just over a hundred pounds, but he was shrinking back faster now than when the three girls were ready to clamp his balls in a vise and take turns twisting.
“One of these days you’ll grow up. Just be lucky I heard what was going on.”
“I would have been fine,” he argued.
She laughed. “Whatever. Everyone thought I needed one of my brothers at the same college to protect me. Looks like I’m the one that’s been protecting your butt more than anything.”
“One time, Ella. Give me a break.” She lifted her eyebrow at him and smirked, looking just like their mother. “Fine, four times now.”
“Grow up, Cade.”
He sat up in bed fast now, hating that dream from college. Hating that he hadn’t had it in years. That he’d thought he was so smooth with the ladies back in the day.
He learned his lesson. He didn’t change his ways in terms of relationships, but he was smarter about it. He sure the hell didn’t try to date more than one person at a time and he was damn clear up front what he was looking for when he met someone.
Many were fine with it and he’d entered the fun mode with them. Those that weren’t, walked away.
Why did he have this dream tonight when he hadn’t in a while?
Because he’d stopped to pick up the first order of items from Alex today and spent some time talking with her. She showed him around her operation. She told him his parents had stopped over and she took an hour out of her day to help them decide on what they wanted for the throwback line.
And because she asked for his help.
No one ever asked him to help them.
No one ever thought he was good for much more than a fun time or arm candy at an event.
He knew it was his own damn fault. He worked hard to get that persona when he was younger. When he was trying to find his identity separate from just being the “fourth boy of the Fierce Five.”
When everyone was someone but him.
He’d made himself into someone now and though he knew his family believed in him when it mattered, many others didn’t.
Now he used his carefree laid-back attitude to surprise people for work. Most didn’t see it coming when he started to negotiate and accomplish what he set out for.
He liked that. He liked the element of surprise more than he thought he would.
What he didn’t like was that for once in his life he was looking at a woman he’d like to get to know more and she only wanted his help with work.
Sometimes offering to help someone really sucked when you’d love nothing more than to yank them in and kiss them hard.