"Awesome. We can go to the Banging Bean around the corner. They have great scones, too."
She smiled but couldn't answer because the professor entered the room then. But all through class, whenever their eyes met, Troy had a smile for her. By the time class was over, she was actually excited to hang out with him. He wasn't Cage, but that was probably a good thing. As long as Troy didn't have a crazy ex-girlfriend planning to pop up any time soon, then he was already ahead in the game.
They made small talk as they packed up their things. He put a hand on her lower back to motion for her to walk in front of him. She appreciated the show of manners, even if the touch made her a little uncomfortable. But it wasn't until they emerged into the hallway outside the classroom and Troy stopped dead in his tracks that she paid attention.
To Cage leaning against the wall right outside the classroom door.
Troy gulped and glanced over at her. "I thought you said that guy wasn't your boyfriend."
Cage looked between them at Troy's statement. "Talia, I need to talk to you."
She ignored him and turned to Troy. "He's not my boyfriend. He's just some guy I used to know. Let's go."
As they left, Talia could swear she felt the heat of Cage's eyes on them until they left the building. It should have felt good, walking off with a cute guy and leaving him in the dust. Strangely, it just felt hollow.
Cage watched them leave and was shocked he didn't break a finger from clutching his fists so tight. So Talia had already moved on, huh? She really thought that little hipster was going to be able to satisfy her after what they'd shared?
It wasn't like he hadn't known that she would be angry. He understood, even. That's why he'd tried to get her out of there. Jenna was his problem and his mistake. Talia shouldn’t have to be subjected to Jenna’s manipulations and threats. He knew from experience just how savage she could be when she didn't get her way. But he'd figured he'd talk to Jenna and then go find Talia afterward. He hadn't thought she'd just disappear on him and refuse to take his calls. What the hell? Then he'd realized how shady it looked that he'd asked her to leave while Jenna stayed.
He sighed. He was going to have to do more than the standard level of groveling to even get her to listen to him.
Things had long been over between him and Jenna but he could understand how annoying it was to have his ex thrown in her face. Cage couldn't promise that he'd handle it as well if one of her exes showed up. Just the thought of some dude with his hands all over Talia made him want to fuck somebody up.
Just like Trevor is going to fuck you up once he finds out?
Cage grunted. This whole thing was so upside down. He was supposed to be protecting Talia and keeping guys away from her. Now he was the one who needed to be kept away, especially since he was currently stalking her and her new hipster boyfriend as they walked into some coffee place.
He wrinkled his nose at the fancy names of the coffee painted on the window. When had it become so complicated just to order a coffee? You needed to have an advanced degree and damn near speak Italian just to understand the menu. Cage hated places like this and not just because Talia and that pretty boy were settling into a booth next to the window and...were they holding hands?
He blew out a breath and whirled around. The anger was rising and a vivid hallucination of storming into that fancy-ass place and punching dude's lights out danced behind his eyes.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Cage opened his eyes. Bailey stood on the sidewalk next to him, watching him with a little smile. He didn't even bother to pretend that he was just passing by. Talia and her...date were clearly visible in the window. They would have been able to see him standing here looking like a lunatic if they'd bothered to look outside. But they were too wrapped up in each other.
"That dude looks like he's wearing more makeup than she is."
Bailey rolled her eyes. "I don't think so. That guy is hot. And he was totally into her at the party. I bet he's thrilled to have a chance to get to know her."
Cage wanted to say so many things to that, but what could he say really? He'd screwed things up. The last thing he needed was pity from everyone on campus because he'd been dumped for the first time.
"He'd better be thrilled. Talia is way the fuck out of his league. He should be kissing the ground she walks on."
Bailey sighed. "Holy moly, boys are dumb."
"What? Why?"
"Because I was all ready to cuss you out and then you go and say something nice like that? What the hell? If that's how you feel, then why was Talia crying her eyes out all weekend?"
Cage squirmed under her pointed gaze. "It's hard to explain. We had a misunderstanding."
Bailey crossed her arms. "A blond girl showing up at your apartment doesn’t sound like a misunderstanding to me."
Any hope he'd had for privacy vanished. "She told you?"
Bailey smacked him on the arm and Cage jumped at the sudden attack.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"For being a monumental jackass. You have some chick on the side and now you're following her around? What kind of game are you playing?"
"No games. I promise. She wouldn't talk to me. I couldn't just let her walk off with...him." He said it in the same tone of voice that he'd pronounce the word rat or roach.
"Why do you even care?" Bailey asked softly.
"What am I supposed to do? Just let that guy take my girl?"
"Is she your girl?"
The question took him off guard and Cage had the unsettling certainty that his feelings were written all over his face. So he answered honestly.
"I want her to be. I've never wanted anything so much."
Bailey let out a huge sigh. "Well, you need to find a way to convince Talia of that. Because from what I heard, you made your choice. And it wasn't Talia."
Thirteen
"Talia, please, I wish you would pick up the phone. I'm so sorry. I really don't want to keep apologizing to your phone, and seeing as you are never home, according to Bailey, I don't really have any options right now. I just need you to talk to me. I can explain."
Talia didn't bother listening to the rest of the message. Cage had been leaving her similar messages for the past three days. Just hearing his voice made her stomach cramp. Why did this hurt so much? They'd only had one night. But it had really been more than one night. It had been years, in theory. Years of wanting him. And now, if possible, she felt worse than she ever had then.
And so far, Bailey's plan wasn't exactly going as expected. Talia's date yesterday, though cute, was boring as hell. He was very nice. Great. Lovely. Just so damn dull. Who knew there was so much to learn about vinyl? Sure, she liked music. But the guy was into the most obscure bands, droning on about how the sound quality was better and going on and on about how he loved live music and went as often as he could.
Yeah, she would not be going out with him again.
The last thing she wanted to do was go to class today. She kept trying to psych herself up. "You can do this. This won't suck." It was all about the lies she could tell herself. There was a knock at the door while she was brushing through her hair. "Just a minute."
When she was done, she ran to the door and yanked it open. But there was no one there. There was just coffee, and a croissant. She checked the coffee cup and sure enough, it was an Americano. That was her order. And the croissant in the bag was the flaky one she liked from the bakery around the corner that had Nutella instead of chocolate filling.
Cage.
She had half a mind to throw out the coffee and croissant. But her stomach rumbled. She did need caffeine. Damn him. Why couldn't he just let this go? She knew what this was. After all, hadn't he done the same thing with the doughnut cake? Some big grand gesture? He didn't mean any of it. But still, it didn't stop her from smiling a little. "No. Be strong. Coffee and breakfast is not going to fix this."
And that's what she kept telling herself all through her first set of clas
ses. And when she went to the coffee cart. Milo, the owner, greeted her with a big smile.
"Hey, Milo. I'll have my usual."
"Oh, I know." He handed her a coffee and an extra cookie.
Talia laughed. "I think you're losing your touch. I never order a cookie."
His grin widened if possible. "Oh, this was already ordered for you and paid for."
She frowned. "Let me guess, Cage Ward was here?"
He chuckled as he nodded. "Yep. Sure was. He left a hefty tip, too. Thanks for that."
Talia took her coffee and the cookie. She wasn't crazy enough to leave behind the cookie. She loved cookies. She would only be spiting herself if she didn't eat it.
And so it continued through the day. Lunch at her favorite spot, already covered. When she returned to her room, her favorite kind of smoothie was waiting. He was taking care of her. How did he even know all of her favorites? Had he been paying that close of attention?
All the attention during the day had begun to soften her a little towards him. But what really got her was his last voicemail. "I hope you had a good day. I tried to get everything right. If I missed anything, I'll make sure to do it right tomorrow."
Why did he have to do stuff like this? All it did was confuse her. The problem was, she would always have a soft spot for him. And right now, he was wearing her down.
Was he wasting his time? Cage had no idea. But he was going to keep trying. Until she explicitly told him that she didn't want to see him anymore. He didn't care how long it took. He wasn't going to blow this shot. And he wasn't going to let Jenna or any of their past bullshit get in the way of being with Talia.
Again, he'd driven all the way up to Orange County to get doughnut cakes.
He knew she hadn't noticed him at all her usual haunts. But he'd been watching every time she'd arrive for coffee or lunch to find out that he'd already paid for it. That small smile on her face was worth everything. So he would just keep working on it. Until, at the very least, she would talk to him. That was the first step. If he could just explain and say he was sorry.
Jenna was next-level crazy, and he hadn't wanted Talia anywhere near that. He would've just had her wait in the bedroom, but with Jenna in spin-out mode, that could have taken all day. But none of that would be happening again. He'd changed his locks, and changed his personal entry code downstairs.
Jenna was his past; Talia was his future if she allowed it.
He knocked, ready to leave the doughnut cakes at the door when she surprised him and opened the door right away. "Talia—" She looked amazing, dark hair flowing in waves behind her. Her wide dark eyes watched him with trepidation.
"So you're my fairy godmother."
He rocked back on his heels. "I guess I am. I didn't think you'd open the door."
"Yeah well, I wasn’t sure I'd open it either."
He held up the box of doughnut cakes. "Can I come in for a minute?"
She bit her lip, but stepped aside to let him in. Once inside, he got the chance to explore her place better. The first time he'd been here, he hadn't been paying close attention. He’d been so focused on finding the girl who'd kissed him at the club, his brain hadn't taken anything else in. And the last time he'd been here, it was dark. In the bright daylight he could see more, such as the light streaming through the dreamcatchers they had hanging in the windows. The room was girly, but not overly done with fluffy pink throw pillows everywhere. It was subtle, but feminine. Like Talia.
"Cage. Thank you for all the things you’ve been doing for me lately, but you don't have to do that. And frankly, it's not going to change my mind."
"Look, you have a right to be angry with me. But please let me explain."
"What's there to explain? Your girlfriend showed up and you kicked me out. It was a one-night thing. No big deal. That had been my plan all along anyway. A one-time engagement."
He shook his head. "Please don't say that. You don't mean that."
"You don't know what I mean."
Cage ran his hand through his hair. "Talia, I'm so sorry. I made the wrong choice. I know that. In the moment, I don't know what I was thinking. All I wanted to do was to keep her away from you. And for the record, Jenna is my ex. We broke up over a month ago. And that was her choice. She gave me an ultimatum about moving with her to LA. I told her I wasn't going to do it and she decided she was going anyway. It was actually a good time for us to go our separate ways because things hadn't been right with us for a long time. I was so done with her bullshit. I was done with having to chase after her, I was done with the emotional blackmail. I was just done. I should've done it years ago. She was like a bad habit."
Talia frowned and tucked her hand into her back pocket. "She still had a key."
"I did not know she had a key. I'd asked for my key back when we broke up. And she gave it back too. I didn't know she had a copy. How could you think that I would still be seeing her and trying to be with you? I meant everything I said. I want to be with you. You are the best part of the memories I have from way back then, and from now. I should want my freedom after Jenna, but all I want is to be with you."
"Then when it came down to it, why did you choose her?"
"Jesus, I didn't choose her. I was choosing to protect you. Jenna gets crazy. She'll threaten to stab you, she'll threaten to shave you bald. One time, she said she was going to poison me. She's crazy enough to do it, too. I can't prove it, but she had some fight with a girl in her sorority house freshman year and she gave the girl a box of Ex-Lax chocolates. The whole thing was a disaster. Jenna, of course, denied it. But the doctors said the girl ingested a hell of a lot of laxatives. She can be terrifying."
Talia stared at him. "But that's insane."
He nodded. "I know. That time she threatened to poison me, I couldn't trust anything I ate for weeks. So I just threw everything out and only ate out. I still have a habit of double-checking my water bottles to make sure I get a fresh bottle. Being with someone like that can warp everything."
"Why were you with her for so long?"
"I don't know. I thought I could fix her. Like I couldn't fix my dad. It's fucked up, I know. But you're the best thing that ever happened in my life. I didn't want any of her ugliness to touch you. I didn't realize how telling you to leave was going to look or feel to you. And I'm sorry for that. You have to know that I'm going to make mistakes. A lot of them. But I will never intentionally hurt you. So you just have to know that I'm going to keep trying. I just hope that I haven't blown my shot."
Fourteen
Talia smiled at Cage for the first time since she'd opened the door. It would have been almost impossible not to.
She'd stood in front of the door for a while, contemplating not opening it. But as always around Cage, she was compelled against her better judgment. With him, she didn't want to play it safe and even though it hurt, she was drawn to him.
Looking at him standing in her doorway with his heart in his eyes, she finally understood why. This was it. He was it. People searched their whole lives to find someone who made them feel alive and she'd found her someone when she was a shy teen, kissing the boy of her dreams.
"You're not going to give up, are you?" She asked finally.
Cage shook his head. "Not until you answer the question."
She had been so busy trying to figure him out that she hadn't even been listening. "What was it?"
"Is it too late? Have I blown my shot with you? Because I know that a guy like me doesn't get unlimited chances with a girl like you."
"A girl like me? What kind of girl am I?" Talia really wanted to know. Because for so long, she hadn't been able to answer that herself.
"The kind that's worth it. The kind that you buy chocolates and flowers for because you know she's way too good for you."
Unbelievably flattered, Talia pretended to think about it. He looked adorable biting his lip and looking worried. Her big, tough, guy had come here to grovel and how could she resist that?
Simp
le. She couldn't.
"No, you haven't blown your shot."
His answering smile was so relieved that she almost laughed. Talia grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him into the room. Luckily Bailey was gone already, off to meet her boyfriend for breakfast.
"How did you know that dessert is my weakness?"
Cage exhaled a long breath and then pulled her into his arms. Talia went willingly, burying her face in the front of his shirt. He smelled like sandalwood and ocean...and Cage. Like home.
"I pay attention. I’ve always paid attention."
It was so insane to think that all these years when she'd had a thing for Cage, that he'd secretly felt the same way about her. How different things could have been if she'd had the nerve to confront him about that kiss years ago. Although she wasn't fooling herself that things would have been smooth sailing. Cage had needed to grow up a bit, and honestly so had she. She wouldn't have been ready to handle a guy like him before she'd tuned into her own confidence.
But now she was ready. And more than willing.
"I can't believe you really felt that way about me all along. For so many years, I wished you would see me. But maybe this is the way things were supposed to happen. Maybe we were supposed to figure things out when we were older and wiser."
Cage considered the words. "Sounds right to me."
"Plus there's the fact that Trevor definitely would have interfered if he'd known back then. He's so overprotective sometimes. But I'm old enough to tell him to back off now. I'm not sure I would have been strong enough to do that before."
"I know what he thinks matters to you, Talia. You don't have to pretend with me. Trev has seen me at my very worst and he's not going to be happy about us getting together."
Talia pulled back, alarmed by the resignation in his voice. "But I don't care about that. I'm not going to let what he thinks keep us apart. Are you?"
For a long agonizing minute, she wasn't sure what he was going to say. But then his arms tightened around her and he kissed her softly.
Bad Intentions Page 9