“When we talk, we only end up fighting. I figured I’d take a different tactic.” He leaned closer until his lips were millimeters from mine.
All I wanted to do was kiss him. I rose up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his. At first, he held back, surprised that I’d actually kissed him back. But then, the shock must have worn off because he wrapped his arms around me and pressed me so close that it took my breath away.
He deepened the kiss. He wanted to tell me something through this kiss, and I wanted to know what it was. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I needed to hold onto him; I was worried that he would pull back. What if this had been a joke? I wasn’t sure I’d survive that kind of humiliation.
A guttural sound came from his throat as he bent down and pulled me up, setting me on the trunk of the car. I wrapped my legs around him and held him close. Why did this have to feel so perfect? Like all we were made to do was argue and kiss.
He began to pull away, but I wouldn’t let him. I didn’t want to hear whatever he wanted to say. He chuckled as he pulled gently on my arms.
“You gotta let me breathe, Pen,” he said.
I relaxed my grip, and he backed up a few inches. I kept my gaze down, too scared of what his expression looked like. If he winked at me, so help me, I was going to punch him.
Suddenly, his hand was there, and his fingers pressed against my chin. “What’s wrong?” He asked. His voice was deep. Caring. It made my heart hurt.
“I’m worried,” I confessed. Probably one of the most truthful things I’d ever said to him.
He dipped down and came into my view. It hurt to see the concern in his gaze. This hadn’t been a joke to him. What was I supposed to say to that? He was confusing me and surprising me, and it was unsettling.
“Why are you worried?”
I held my breath for a moment before I told him exactly how I felt. Was I being a fool, trusting him with my feelings? “I’m scared you’ll hurt me.”
His expression turned pained as he met my gaze. “Penny, I would never hurt you.”
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to trust him wholeheartedly. But there was something holding me back. “But how can I know for sure?”
He rested his hands on either side of my face and pressed his lips gently against mine. I could feel everything he wanted to say to me. Everything he wanted me to believe. When he pulled back, he kissed my nose, my cheeks, and my forehead.
“Because I couldn’t. It’s not physically possible for me.” He met my gaze, and I saw the force of his intentions. “Now, teasing you, that I can’t help. But I will never hurt you.”
I pushed him back and he obliged. I focused on him, trying to read his body language. And, even though the sensible portion of my brain told me not to, I trusted him.
And then, the only thing I could think about was how much I wanted to kiss him. I pulled him toward me and crushed my lips against his. He chuckled and allowed me to take charge. It wasn’t until he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me next to him, that he took over.
Chapter Twelve
You know how everyone says that makeup kisses are the best? Well, imagine you have years of arguments to make up for. We spent a good twenty minutes making out next to Cade’s car. It was like we had all this pent-up frustration, and it was finally getting vented out.
When we finally came up for air, he turned and hopped up onto the trunk, where he wrapped his hand around mine and entwined our fingers together. We were both breathing pretty hard.
“Well, Pen, I have to admit, that was…”
I pressed my fingers against my lips and giggled. “Intense?”
He glanced over at me. “Yeah.”
I studied our hands, running my finger across his knuckles. “So where do we go from here?” And then I winced. Since when did I become the so where do you see this relationship going type of girl?
Whoa. I couldn’t believe that I just put the word relationship in a sentence about Cade. But it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.
When I turned to look at him, he was studying me. “Where do you see it going?” he asked.
I cleared my throat. There was no way I was going to talk about what I wanted before he did. I wasn’t ready to be that vulnerable.
“You go first,” I said.
He laughed and leaned forward, cradling my hand in his. “Well, I like you. There. Was that what you were waiting for?”
I eyed him. “You like your grandma. Is it that kind of relationship?”
He wrinkled his nose. “Um, no. Gross.” His voice trailed off as he reached up and tucked a curl behind my ear. “I like you, like you.”
The temperature of my body rose. Whoa. “So, what does that mean? Do you…?” I didn’t want to ask him if that meant we were together in the boyfriend-girlfriend kind of way. It felt stupid and dumb. Why couldn’t he just tell me what we were?
He pressed his hand against his chest. “Oh, you want me to take charge now? But back in the diner, I was, like, forbidden to buy you food.”
I dropped his hand and shoved his shoulder. “I want you to take charge on the important things. Come on, that’s what every girl wants.”
He furrowed his brow. “Why are girls so complicated? Men are not mind readers.”
I rolled my eyes. There was no way I wanted to have a men-are-from-Mars–women-are-from-Venus talk. Sure, both sexes were complicated, but we didn’t need to solve those differences tonight.
So I took a deep breath and allowed myself to be vulnerable. Just as I parted my lips to speak, Cade pressed his finger to them.
“I want us to be together.” He focused his gaze as he studied me.
My heart stuttered to a stop as I studied him. Never in my life did I imagine that those few words would mean as much as they did. Especially not when they came from Cade Kelley, my once-sworn enemy.
I didn’t trust my voice, so I nodded and leaned forward. He let his hand fall to my lap, and I pressed my lips to his and kissed him gently. I wanted him to know how I felt about what he said.
When I pulled back, his gaze was hazy as he studied me. “Wow,” he whispered. “Should I take that as a yes?”
I chewed my bottom lip and nodded.
After a few more kisses, he pulled away. He leaned back with his arm propped up behind him. “What do you want to do now? I mean, I could spend the whole night kissing you, but I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
I laughed, leaning forward to wrap my arms around my knees. It wasn’t too comfortable, sitting on the trunk, making out. “Yeah, we should probably try to be functioning members of society. We need to learn how to be around other people now that we are…what we are.” The last words lingered on my tongue. It was sweet and oddly satisfying to say.
He quirked an eyebrow as if he, too, enjoyed the way that sounded. “Okay. We still have that party to go to, and you look fabulous.” He leaned back and bit his lip in an exaggerated way.
I rolled my eyes and shoved his shoulder.
He feigned pain as he grabbed my hand. “Geez, remind me to never compliment you again.”
I sighed. There he was. The Cade I knew and, most recently, liked. “I’m game for the party,” I said, wiggling my fingers from his grasp.
At first, he fought it, but then, just before he let me go, he used it to pull me closer and press his lips against mine. I leaned back and met his gaze.
He shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for taking advantage of the situation.”
I rolled my eyes and jumped off the trunk. “Let’s go before you find other advantages to take.”
He chuckled as he jumped off and followed me around to the passenger’s side. “Oh, honey, we’re just getting started.” He pulled open the door with a flourishing bow.
Oh man, what had I gotten myself into.
The bass coming from the party could be heard a block away. Cade pulled up along the curb behind a long line of cars. I glanced out and took in the crowded street.
“How long do you think this will last?” I asked.
Cade shrugged. “Eh, probably an hour more before the neighbors go crazy and call the cops.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “But we’ll have our fun until then.”
I rolled my eyes at the way he emphasized fun and got out of the car. When he stepped up next to me, his hand engulfed mine and sent shivers up my arm. Was I ever going to get used to his touch? Secretly, I hoped not.
I let him lead me up the sidewalk and across the lawn. After all, this was his friend’s party, not mine. Nerves raced through my stomach at that thought. What was his posse going to say when they saw us together? I was the exact opposite of the tattooed, underage smoker group he’d started hanging out with.
I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be celebrating that we were finally together.
We stepped into the foyer through the already-open front door. Someone yelled Cade’s name from another room, and he nodded toward them in acknowledgment.
There was a loud squeal—which I could only assume came from Tiffanii—and the crowds parted. She sauntered over to us but then stopped when her gaze landed on our hands.
“What happened?” she spat. I was pretty sure that, at that moment, her spit was mixed with venom.
“Tiff, you remember Penny. She’s my…good friend,” he said, holding up our still entwined hands.
From the death stare she gave me, panic rose in my chest. I tried to wiggle my fingers free, but Cade wouldn’t let me go. Desperate for protection, I scooted closer to him. If the crap hit the fan, I was using him as a human shield.
“I remember loser Penny. I don’t remember the good friend part.” Her overly lined lids narrowed as she swept her gaze from Cade back to me.
My breath hitched in my throat. Why had I agreed to come here? I should have known that this was a bad idea. I snuck a look over at Cade. His jaw was clenched, but the rest of his expression remained steady. I tried to channel his confidence as I turned and stared Tiffanii down. Her eyebrows rose as she studied me.
It didn’t seem like my intended show of strength was doing its job. She didn’t look threatened, and, eventually, her confusion morphed into a mocking smile.
“Well, it’s good to see that Penny has some sass.” She stepped forward and linked arms with me. “Come on, let me get you a drink,” she said, tugging me away from Cade.
Cade tightened his grip, but I nodded that it was okay. I really didn’t want to be the rope in their game of tug-of-war. Honestly, I felt that it was better to be on the right side of the devil than in her path. If she wanted to hang on my arm and parade me around the room, so be it.
I was sure I’d survive. Probably.
I could see the reluctance in Cade’s expression as he dropped my hand. I shot him a confident smile as Tiffanii pulled me through the crowd. Once he was out of sight, I took a deep breath. I was okay. I could do this.
I peeked over at Tiffanii who was staring straight ahead. I wanted to ask her what her intentions were—'cause apparently, that’s what I do with everyone. But I secretly wanted to know if this was, like, another version of the whole, girls all go to the bathroom together thing or if she was taking me to the kitchen to have a knife fight.
I parted my lips, but before I could ask anything, she stepped up to the counter and nodded toward the punch bowl, which sat next to a huge cake. Apparently, this party was for some guy named Peter, and someone was wishing him a “Rocking Birthday.”
“Thirsty?” she asked, nodding toward the bright-red punch.
I glanced down, wondering what concoction of alcohol was mixed with it and then shook my head. “I’m good,” I said, meeting her gaze.
She furrowed her brow. “What?”
The bass of the music thumped so loud I could feel it reverberating in my chest. I leaned closer and shook my head. “I’m good,” I yelled.
“A cup?” she asked, reaching over and grabbing one of the red cups stacked next to the bowl.
“No. I said…” But it was too late. She was already filling up my cup with some of the bright red liquid. Well, no point in trying to tell her I didn’t want it. Either she didn’t hear me and wanted to be nice—yeah right—or she heard me and just wanted to get me drunk.
When she stuffed the cup into my hand, I smiled over at her. I raised the brim to my lips and pretended to drink. The bitter smell of alcohol met my nostrils, and I tried not to wrinkle my nose.
If I wanted Cade and I to have a fighting chance, I needed to play along with whatever dance Tiffanii was trying to engage me in. Not only was she one of the scariest people in school, she was also psycho. If I didn’t want my picture to end up on the news, I needed to make nice with her.
Once she had a cup in hand, she led me to the back door and stepped outside. The music was muffled, which allowed for better conversation. For some reason, I doubted she just wanted to take me out here so we could chat, have a girl-to-girl conversation about boys. I wouldn’t be surprised if she took me out here because there were fewer witnesses.
I should have grabbed one of those plastic knives that were sitting next to the cake. Anything was better than nothing.
Tiffanii led me over to a cluster of lawn chairs and took a seat. She brought her legs out and crossed them. Then she lay back and tipped her face toward the sky. Like she was sunbathing, even though it was close to ten o’clock at night.
When I didn’t move, she glanced over at me. “Well?” she asked, nodding toward the empty lawn chair next to her.
I studied it and then sat down, keeping my feet planted on the ground for a fast getaway. Whatever she had planned, I’d be ready for it.
A few more minutes of silence ticked by before she sighed and glanced over at me. “So, what’s with you and Cade?” she asked.
Bile rose up in my throat. I didn’t want to talk to her about Cade. I wasn’t even a hundred percent sure what I thought about him or the two of us. Having “girl talk” with Tiffanii felt strange and forced.
“We’re…” The words just weren’t coming. There was no way I was going to tell Tiffanii that I liked Cade. Like, really liked him. I wouldn’t expose my vulnerable side to her. I gathered my wits and settled on, “We’re trying things out.”
She raised one of her ridiculously thin eyebrows. “Trying things out?” She laughed. It sounded just like the villain in a Disney movie. “Honey. Let me help you with that.” She sat up and swung her legs around so they were right in front of me. She rested her elbows on her knees and leaned in. “It’s never going to work,” she whispered.
I pulled back, trying to distance myself from her. I hated how her one statement made me doubt everything I’d just experienced with Cade. I scoffed and leaned back on one arm. “That’s what you think.” I pinched my lips together and glanced back over at her.
What was I thinking? Why was I engaging this girl? I didn’t need this insipid girl to like me. I felt like an idiot for even allowing her to bring me out here. I didn’t need her permission to like or date Cade. She only had the power I was giving her.
“If that’s all you have to say to me, we’re done,” I said, mustering my courage and standing. I shot a glance down at her, hoping it came across as strong and confident.
She laughed. Loud and mocking. Her eyes turned stormy as she narrowed them at me. “It won’t last long. Cade will come back.” She reached out and grabbed my hand. Her fingernails dug into my skin. “Cade is not like you. He’s like me.”
I twisted my arm, but her grasp on me just tightened. “Let me go,” I said.
She held on for a moment before she loosened her grip and I pulled free. I glared at her as I stepped to move around the lawn chair.
“Has he told you what he got busted for?” she called out as I passed in front of her.
For some reason, her words caused me to stop. I kept my gaze on the ground but could see her mocking smile from the corner of my eye.
“Ah, he hasn’t told you,” she said as she leaned back,
resting her hands behind her head. “Interesting.”
Not wanting to stand there anymore, feeling more exposed than I’d felt in a long time, I walked away as fast as I could. My stomach hurt. My head hurt.
What was with people today?
The memory of the conversation with Cade’s mom raced through my head, which was then followed by Tiffanii’s words. Didn’t anyone believe that Cade and I could make it? Were we fools to think that once-sworn enemies could actually sustain a relationship?
Once I got inside of the house, I found an empty bathroom and locked the door. After kicking the toilet lid down with my foot, I sat on it, pinching the bridge of my nose and squeezing my eyes shut.
I was going to stay here until all the negativity finally loosened its hold on my chest. The only thing I wanted on my mind was Cade.
Chapter Thirteen
I wish I could say that, after taking a fifteen-minute time-out, I felt better. But I didn’t.
Maybe it was because, with what was going on at home and at school, it felt like my life was out of control. I was trying to find something to grab onto while the ocean of life kept pulling me under.
I was drowning, and there was nothing I could do about it.
I wanted to reach out and hang onto Cade. He was rapidly becoming the only person in my life that made any sense—which was strange to admit. But the fear that we would never work and that he’d only break my heart kept gnawing on my mind.
My phone buzzed, and I saw that Cade had texted me. I rubbed my cheeks before I picked it up and swiped it on.
Cade: Where are you? I’m beginning to think that Tiffanii killed you and buried the body
Rule #2: You Can't Crush on Your Sworn Enemy (The Rules of Love) Page 8