Chapter 6

It felt strange having a man in her home, eating her food, watching her work. As she sat at the kitchen table, she pulled her feet up on the chair and hummed a few bars in her head. Scratching the lyrics down, she frowned. It just wasn’t fitting.

“Your wear these bold and colorful designer dresses when you’re out, but when you’re here, you dress in yoga pants and sweatshirt,” he commented as he watched her.

“There’s no press here, so I can actually let my hair down,” she said with a shrug. “But don’t get me wrong. I like dressing up. There’s no reason that I can’t enjoy both.”

“I can’t argue with that. I certainly like both.”

Slightly irritated, she put her pencil down. “You don’t look like you’re working.”

Pulling out two chairs, he sat in one and put his feet up on the other. He looked incredibly sexy and at ease as he lounged and smiled lazily at her. “I’m always working.” He pointed to his temple. “There always some tune or some lyrics stuck in my head that’s just dying to be a song.”

“How’d you get started? You don’t look like a songwriter.”

“What does a songwriter look like?”

Someone who wasn’t covered in tattoos and looked like sin. “Not you,” she muttered. She was already regretting trying to start a personal conversation with him. It was like there were two different sides to Kade. When they were talking work, he was cool and professional, but when they weren’t, he looked at her like he wanted to devour her.

Even worse, she wanted him to.

“I used to jot down lines of poetry when I was a kid. I won a few contests, but it didn’t really go anywhere for a long time. It was more a hobby than anything else. I kept at it, and then Christopher offered to sell a few songs. After that, he started introducing me to artists.”

“But you don’t work for him?”

He shrugged. “I like working on my own terms. Christopher did me a favor for those first few songs, but once the interest grew, I started paying him a headhunting fee.”

Addilyn cocked her head. “You two are friends,” she observed softly. “That explains his willingness to put up with you.”

Rather than be offended, he just chuckled. “I met Christopher when I was in high school. He’s probably the only person I would consider a friend, but he also makes a lot of money off me. He certainly should want to put up with me. You of all people should understand that.”

“Excuse me?”

“It's obvious that this country thing wasn’t your idea. You talk about letting people control you, but the only person that I see controlling you is Peter Homes. He makes more than a lot of money off you.”

Addilyn stiffened. “Peter was the first person who gave me my big break. His daughter and I were acquaintances, and he’s always protected me. Do I make him an obscene amount of money? Yes, but when my PR teams wanted to parade me around in next to nothing on stage, he supported my decision to avoid sexualization.”

“There’s still tension between you two.”

Staring out the window, Addilyn remembers all too well Peter’s threat to drop her if she didn’t make the switch to country. “We don’t always see eye-to-eye,” she muttered.

“Do you have friends?”

“Of course I have friends!” She was offended that he’d insinuate otherwise. “When I’m in the city, I’m rarely alone.”

“Those aren’t friends,” Kade said as he rolled his eyes. “Those are people who want to be around you, and I know you’re smart enough to know the difference.”

She swallowed hard. He was right, of course. “Gia, my assistant. I treasure her as more than an employee. And I have my friend Phoebe. We met when I was doing a concert at a runway show. She’s a model. We just clicked. I only get to see her a couple of times a year, but we frequently talk over the phone.”

“You have two friends. That’s pretty sad.”

“You have one,” she snapped. “Not counting your kid of course. I’m sure it doesn’t know any better.”

“It is a girl, her name is Cadence, and she’s never complained in all her eleven years.”

“So you’re really a father? The fact that someone procreated with you is astonishing. You’re obviously not married with your reputation.”

“No, I’m not. Cadence’s mother left when things got tough, and had the good sense to stay away when things got good again.”

“So you’re daughter and one friend. What a life.” She scrunched up her nose still not believing he was a father.

“It’s by choice. I stay out of the spotlight.”

“Unless you’re sleeping with someone,” she muttered under her breath.

Kade raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“It sounds to me like you said unless I’m sleeping with someone.” Gazing at her intently, he put his feet back on the floor and rested his elbows on his knees. “Is there something that you want to ask me, Princess?”

“I told you not to call me that. You can save those silly nicknames for your daughter.”

His eyes suddenly hardened, and he stood. “I’m going for a walk. Finish your lyrics, and I’ll look them over dinner.”

His immediate switch in personality stunned her, but she didn’t stop him. Just when she thought she might be getting somewhere with him, he threw a wall up.

Just what made Kade tick? The chemistry between them was evident, but he’d done nothing to act on it. If he was the Casanova that Gia thought he was, why wasn’t he putting the moves on her?