Don't Kiss The Heartbreaker (Billionaire Academy YA Romance Book 3)

by Holly Stevenson

  Someone whistled from across the pond, and we pulled apart, turning to see who it was. My stomach dropped when I saw Tom, one of Cade’s friends, with Chloe on his arm. Even from here, I could see the fire in her eyes.

  “Way to go, Carlisle,” Tom cheered, doing a fist pump. “Does that mean you’ve got a new girlfriend?”

  “You better believe it,” Cade called back, taking my hand in his.

  Something about the way Tom phrased the question bothered me a little, as if I was Cade’s “newest” girlfriend, fresh off the conveyor belt—one in so many dozens he’d dated at RLA. A sliver of a doubt worked its way into my mind, but I dismissed it. It was a harmless question, and I trusted Cade. Besides, the way Chloe stormed away, leaving Tom to hurry after her, was more than a little satisfying.

  Cade turned back to me and gently brushed a strand of my hair back from my cheek. “I could stay here with you for hours, but I don’t want your pretty dress to go to waste. Now that we’ve got things settled between us, how about I take you to the dance?”

  I smiled. “Sounds great.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  We walked into the gymnasium, but if I didn’t know the school so well, I never would have guessed it was the gym. The theme was Arabian Nights, and the entire room was decorated to look like the inside of a palace fit for Aladdin. I blinked several times, taking in the ornate tapestries, the oil lamps, and the impressive columns around the room. “Holy cow … this is amazing,” I said.

  Cade nodded. “They hired a film production company to come set all of this up,” he said, turning to me. “Remember the medieval theme from last year with the knights and the castle backdrops? This is the same company.”

  “I heard about it, but I didn’t go last year,” I admitted. He really didn’t know how inexperienced I was in the whole dating arena. I was pretty sure he didn’t even know that he was my first kiss. I was a novice compared to a seasoned dater like him.

  We met up with the other couples in our group, and I was dismayed to see that Tom and Chloe were part of the group. It made sense, since Cade and Tom were both on the lacrosse team together, but Chloe’s looks were more vicious than ever. There was a sort of calculatedness about her glares that unsettled me.

  We had our dance pictures taken, and then Cade took me on the dance floor where we danced to several songs. We had fun with the fast songs, meeting up with Lacey and Oliver and having fun, but I looked forward to each slow song. I loved being held in Cade’s embrace as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He smelled so good and pulled me close enough that I could hear his heart beating beneath his tux jacket.

  There were more than a few stares our way throughout the dance, and it warmed me inside to know that I was Cade’s girlfriend. With all of the jealous looks I was getting, and not just from Chloe, I wondered again why he’d chosen me. But whatever the reason, I was glad. Nothing felt righter than being here with him. When I was with Cade, it was like my heart was nestled safe. Home where it belonged.

  After several songs, we went to the refreshment table for some punch. Cade handed me a cup, but just before he reached for his, Mindy Sampson, one of the cheerleaders, approached him.

  “Cade, I think there might be an issue out in the hallway. Can you come help for a second?” Her eyes flicked to me and then back to Cade.

  “Sure.” He gave her a curious look and then turned to me. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.” I watched as he walked off with Mindy, trying not to be bothered with her flirtatious giggle when he said something to her. Mindy flirted with everyone. It wasn’t like Cade was flirting back. He could have said something about the weather and she probably would have giggled like that.

  “Where’s Cade going?”

  I turned, feeling slightly sick when I saw Chloe behind me, looking smug. “He had to help Mindy with something,” I said.

  She blinked, her smile widening. “Huh. Interesting. That’s what he said the last time he went off to make out with a cheerleader in the utility closet.”

  I rolled my eyes, ignoring her as I went to get a cookie from the table, but she followed me.

  “I just thought it’s only fair to tell you—after I saw you kissing Cade and he claimed that you were his girlfriend and everything—”

  I spun to face her, heat rising to my cheeks. “Tell me that he’s going to go make out with Mindy in the utility closet? Thanks, but I doubt that’s what’s happening.” In spite of my words, the whisper of doubt returned.

  She sneered. “Actually, that’s not what I was going to tell you.” She tilted her hip, exaggerating the already ultra-revealing slit in her black dress as she regarded me. “What I was going to tell you was that Tom told me that the only reason that Cade asked you out in the first place is because his parents are wanting to merge companies with your parents. So don’t get your hopes up too high.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  She shrugged. “Believe what you want. Cade’s a player. But if you want to get your heart broken, go right ahead.” She gave me a nasty little wave and sauntered away.

  I stood there, amazed that Chloe would come up with a story like that. It was so far out there—a merger? I mean, his parents owned a tech company too, and they’d been eager to invite my parents over for dinner … but surely if my parents were thinking of merging the company with anyone, I would have heard about it … wouldn’t I?

  I turned away from the refreshment table and pulled out my phone, sending Mom a quick text.

  You guys aren’t thinking of merging the company with the Carlisles’, are you?

  Her answer came right away.

  Goodness, are you and Cade talking business at the prom? Go dance! Have fun! Put your phone away.

  I felt sick. She hadn’t denied it. The room spun as I texted her again.

  Mom, I want to know … is it happening?

  We’ve only just started discussing it, and that’s the last I’ll say. Is Cade asking you about it?

  The screen blurred, and I put my phone into the hidden pocket of my dress, needing to get air. I pushed through the mass of dancing couples until I broke free of the gym. I heard a giggle and turned to see Mindy walking with Cade on the opposite end of the hall, moving toward me.

  He smiled when he saw me, and then his brow furrowed in concern. “Tia, what’s wrong?”

  I shook my head, desperate to get away from him. I dashed the tears from my cheeks and slipped off my heels, running as fast as I could down the hall toward the exit.

  “Tia!” he yelled, his footsteps echoing off the walls as he chased me.

  I ran faster, forcing the doors open and running into the darkness. He would catch me if I ran in a straight line, so I took a hard left and darted to the side of the building, heedless of the twigs and pebbles scratching my feet as I hid behind a row of hedges.

  The door slammed open. “Tia!” Cade yelled, his voice strained with worry.

  I put a hand over my mouth to cover the sound of my breathing. I flipped my phone to silent so he wouldn’t hear it if he called. Seconds later, the screen lit up with his number. I hid the screen in my dress, my pulse pounding in my ears. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. But most of all, I wanted the throbbing pain in my chest to subside.

  As the tears streamed silently down my cheeks, I realized Tennyson was wrong. It wasn’t better to have loved and lost. I’d been right all along: Cade was a heartbreaker. But this was so much worse than if he’d asked me out and then broken my heart. His parents had told him to ask me out, which meant the whole thing was just a game from the beginning. A horrible, humiliating, heart-wrenching game.

  Chapter Sixteen

  After minutes passed and I was confident that Cade was gone, I finally pulled out my phone. There were several missed calls and texts from him.

  What happened?

  Are you okay?

  Tia, I’m worried about you. Please call me back.

  I didn’t want him c
alling my mom or doing something drastic, so I sent a simple text in reply.

  It’s over. Please don’t contact me again. I blocked his number and put the phone back in my pocket. After taking a shaky breath, I climbed out from behind the hedge and made my way back to my dorm. The campus was fairly deserted, since almost everyone was at the dance. A light rain began to fall, and I hugged my arms around myself to fight against the spring chill, but it also felt like I was trying to keep my heart from pouring out onto the concrete.

  I replayed all of the conversations I’d had with Cade. It made so much sense now: him asking me on a date out of the blue when he didn’t even know me. Stopping at his parents’ house so he could pretend to get his new laptop. The dinner invitation from his parents to mine … all of it had been carefully orchestrated. I’d been nothing more than a pawn in the Carlisles’ scheme to merge companies with my parents’. And every word Cade had said to me—every single look—had all been fake.

  My dress was soaked through by the time I made it back to my dorm room, and my teeth chattered. I took a hot shower, crying fresh tears as a new wave of pain hit, wrenching my heart like twisted sponge. After I’d cried myself out, I dried off, got my pajamas on, and climbed into bed, burying myself under the covers.

  There was a knock on my door. “Tia? Are you in there?” Cade called.

  I stayed silent, not daring to breathe. The lights were off, so hopefully he would assume I wasn’t there and leave. Tears dripped down my nose and onto my pillow as I waited. When over a minute of silence passed, my muscles relaxed. There was another knock, and I tensed again.

  “Tia, if you’re in there—please let’s just talk this through. I don’t know what happened, but it must be some kind of misunderstanding.” Several seconds of silence followed. He blew out a frustrated sigh before his footsteps could be heard retreating down the hall.

  I brushed the tears from my cheeks, releasing the breath I’d been holding. What part of “please don’t contact me again” did he not understand? And his claim that there was some kind of misunderstanding was laughable. There definitely had been a misunderstanding—one where I thought he’d actually cared about me, and I’d been stupid enough to fall for it. I should have listened to Chloe from the beginning. There was no way that a guy like Cade Carlisle would be legitimately interested in a girl like me.

  I rolled over and put the pillow over my face, wishing I could block out this entire day—maybe even the entire past month, ever since that day in the cafeteria when Cade first asked me out. I replayed that scene, and instead of accepting his date offer, I gave him a sassy look and said, “Thanks, but no thanks.” And the Cade in my imagination was super offended and stormed off, showing his true colors.

  My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I picked it up, both relieved and heartbroken knowing it wasn’t Cade since I’d blocked his number. It was a text from Mom.

  I hope you’re having the best time, honey! I can’t wait to hear all about it tomorrow. Remember, you’ll need to be backstage by three o’clock to start getting ready. See you then!

  I groaned and put my phone back on the nightstand. I’d forgotten all about the pageant. I would talk to Mom and tell her everything, but not until after the pageant was over. I didn’t want to ruin it for her. Just because I was miserable didn’t mean that she had to be.

  I would cry all of my tears out tonight, and then I would put on my fake smile tomorrow. Fake was my comfort zone. It was what I was good at. Maybe that was one thing I had in common with Cade—except I was only fake to please my parents, not to form a fake relationship and tear another person’s heart out. That was the key difference between us.

  I swallowed and rolled over again, willing myself to fall asleep. But it was well over an hour and many tears later before the welcome fog took over and I fell into a fitful, dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Lipstick! I need lipstick!” a woman called in a panicked voice from the vanity station neighboring mine. “My lipstick melted in the car.” She held up the offending tube.

  “Here you go, honey,” Jillian said, handing her a lipstick from the myriad colors she kept in her makeup artist bag.

  “Bless you!” The woman held the lipstick in the air triumphantly before applying it to her teenage daughter’s lips.

  I smiled. I knew a lot of the girls in the pageant. After so many years of competing against each other, we knew each other fairly well. And since I didn’t care about where I placed, I’d been able to form a sort of friendship with many of them. The pageant did have its virtues, like scholarship programs and building onstage confidence. For girls who didn’t come from a wealthy background, I could see the merit in it. Many of the girls lived for the pageant life, while others, like me, were only there to make their moms happy.

  Speaking of moms, mine was uncharacteristically late. I’d been here for nearly thirty minutes and was almost finished with makeup. Mom was never late for a pageant. In fact, she was usually early, hanging my outfits so they were ready to go when I arrived. That way I could do my first wardrobe change before I had my hair done so it wouldn’t mess it up too much.

  I checked my watch, trying not to think about the fact that the art show at the academy would be starting soon. I pushed the thought aside and texted Mom.

  Where are you? Is everything okay? Jillian’s almost done.

  “I’m here,” Mom called from down the hallway. She carried garment bags draped over one arm and a huge bouquet of flowers in the other.

  My shoulders relaxed. “I was starting to worry you were in an accident or something.”

  Mom laughed and kissed me on the cheek. “Nope. Sorry I’m late, but I knew you’d be smart and start on makeup rather than hair. And these—” She handed me the bouquet. “—are for you.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” I accepted the wrapped flowers. “That’s really sweet of you. I hope it’s not what made you late.”

  “Actually, they’re not from me.” She winked and moved to the clothes rack to hang up the outfits. “Read the card.”

  My stomach twisted as I looked more closely at the arrangement. They were long-stemmed pink roses. Cade. I opened the small card with trembling fingers.

  Tia,

  I don’t know what happened or what I did to make you mad, but whatever it is, I’m really sorry and I want to make it right. Good luck tonight. You’ll be amazing. And if you feel like talking, I’m here.

  Love,

  Cade

  I stared at the note, fixating on the word “love,” and anger seeped into my veins. How dare he use that word. To pretend to that extent. “Oh, I’ll bet you have no idea,” I mumbled sarcastically. “Absolutely no clue that you and your parents schemed this up.” I tossed the card and the bouquet onto the vanity table.

  Mom’s face paled. “Tia, what’s gotten into you? That’s no way to treat those gorgeous flowers.” She stepped toward me. “And what’s that you were saying about his parents?”

  I shrugged, not wanting to spoil this night for my mom. “It’s nothing,” I lied.

  She folded her arms. “Jillian, would you excuse us for a moment?”

  Jillian looked surprised, and I could feel the surprise on my own face.

  “Mom, I don’t have much time before we have to start on hair.” Not that I gave a hoot about it, but if I didn’t make the curtain call, I’d be disqualified and all of Mom’s hard work would be wasted.

  “This will only take a minute,” she said.

  “Of course.” Jillian lifted an eyebrow as she collected her makeup bag and walked out of hearing distance. There was enough commotion going on in the dressing room that she didn’t have to go far. It was always pandemonium before a pageant.

  Mom turned and faced me again, pinning me with a look. “Now will you tell me what’s going on, or do I need to call Lacey and ask her? Cade looked pretty sad when he dropped these flowers off earlier.”

  I pressed my lips together, deciding I might as well g
et it off my chest. “When we were at prom, someone told me that Cade only asked me out because his parents told him to. She said his parents were trying to merge companies, so they wanted to get in your good graces by having their handsome son take out your pathetic loser daughter.” Maybe Chloe hadn’t phrased it in exactly that way, but that was how it felt, so that was how I described it.

  Mom frowned, uncrossing her arms. “Wait … I’m confused.” She paused. “Someone told you that Cade only asked you out because his parents told him to? Because of the merger?”

  “Yep.” I sucked in my cheeks. “I’m sorry you had to find out like this. I know you and Dad really like the Carlisles, and if you want to do business with them, don’t worry about hurting my feelings. But when you confirmed that you were considering the merger, I knew it was true.”

  She shook her head, still frowning. “First of all, I have no idea how this person even heard about the merger … I thought Cade must have brought it up. Who told you this information?”

  I grimaced. “Chloe Davenport.”

  “Davenport,” Mom repeated, looking furious as understanding dawned. “She must be Fred Davenport’s daughter. He’s the lawyer going over the logistics of the merger.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or I should say, he was our lawyer looking into it. We don’t do business with attorneys who can’t keep their mouths shut. I’ll have to talk to your father about that.” She shook her head, waving a hand. “Anyway, the point is …” She stepped forward and gently took my shoulders. “Dad is the one who proposed the merger to the Carlisles—not the other way around.”

  I blinked. “What?”

  She nodded, straightening. “He’s been looking for ways to grow the business, and after talking with Craig Carlisle, he did some more research on the company and made the offer.” She tipped her head. “I’m guessing little Miss Davenport was probably jealous and skewed the information to make you feel bad.”