The Exception (23 page)

I heard Max’s voice in the kitchen as I made my way downstairs. The anger I had felt the night before when I realized he was going after Cane was muted a bit. I recalled the fury in Max’s eyes when he realized Simon was responsible for my arm. Max wasn’t just a friend to Cane or to Kari; he was a friend to me, too.

I rounded the corner and paused in the doorway, holding my breath that maybe Cane would be sitting there with his friend. I glanced around the room and saw Max leaning against the island and Kari sitting at the table, holding a cup of coffee.

And that was it.

Any hope I had been holding on to melted away. I sighed, accepting reality and made my way dejectedly to the coffee pot.
I gave him every chance. And last night was the last one.

“How do you feel?” Kari watched me move across the room.

“Wonderful,” I uttered sourly, pouring creamer into my mug.

“I’m betting that Simon is feeling worse.” Max chucked, shaking his head. “Cane would’ve killed him. I’ve seen that look in his eye a time or two and it never ends well for the other guy.”

I sipped my coffee and gave Max a look over the brim. He shook his head at my demeanor and that just irritated me farther.

“Something wrong, Jada?” he smirked.

“Why would anything be wrong?”

The sound of the front door opening took me by surprise and I nearly dropped my coffee. Max’s smirk deepened at my reaction, obviously knowing what I came downstairs thinking.

Maybe I don’t like Max after all.

I held my breath as a rustling sound making its way towards the kitchen, trying hard not to wish too badly that it was Cane. I didn’t want to be disappointed, but it was pointless to deny the hope that had blossomed.

I looked to the doorway and there he stood—light denim jeans, a plain black t-shirt, red baseball cap, and his sunglasses tucked through the front of his shirt. When our eyes met, I could see his smile in them and I melted a little.

He hadn’t left me after all.

Cane sat three bags on the countertop and made his way to me slowly, narrowing his eyes. The corner of his mouth was upturned. I started to speak but he kissed me before I could get any words out.

Holding my head in his hands, he examined my face with his eyes, trying to read what I was thinking. “How are you today?”

“Fine,” I whispered, embarrassed. “Better now.”

“I just ran home to grab some clothes and then to the grocery for some stuff for lunch,” he said as I looked away, my heart bursting. “What? You didn’t think I left you, did you?”

“No, you would never do something like that,” I laughed.

He laughed and kissed me gently. “We are in this together. Just relax.”

I turned into a little puddle.
Together. He wants us to be in this together.
I couldn’t wipe the silly grin off my face if I tried. That one word,
together
, held so much promise.

“It’s none of my business, I know that,” Kari said loudly. “But you know I make everything my business, so … what’s up with you kissing my sister?”

“Kari,” Max warned, shooting her a look.

“It’s about damn time,” Kari said.

“I’ll say,” Max said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Cane was getting soft on me, crying around all the time.”

“Really? That’s interesting,” Cane replied, pulling me in front of him and wrapping his arms around me, careful to avoid my arm. “I don’t recall crying. Ever.”

“Whatever you say,” Max smirked. “I won’t tell everything I know.”

“That’s the biggest load of dumbfuckery I’ve ever heard.” Cane shook his head at Max and I laughed at his choice of words.

“I think it’s cute that you guys cry in front of each other,” Kari said, egging them on. “Who would have thought?”

“Keep it up,” Max said, raising his eyebrows towards her.

“Or what?”

Max sighed as he stood up, grabbed Kari, and threw her over his shoulder. Kari squealed, pounding her fists against Max’s wide back. Cane and I couldn’t contain our laughter as Max carried her outside and threw her into the pool while she screamed for mercy.

“They seem occupied,” Cane said, leaving kisses up my neck. “We really need to see about getting you in an apartment of your own.”

“I know. I’ve been looking.” I tilted my head to the side. He made his way back to my mouth before pulling away, his eyes turning serious.

“On second thought, maybe you should stay here just a little while longer.” His throat bobbed as he forced a swallow. “I like knowing you aren’t alone right now.”

“I would probably be a little nervous by myself right now anyway, considering the past twenty-four hours.”

Cane pressed his forehead to mine. “Speaking of which, what do you want to do about that? Do you want to call the police?”

I closed my eyes, wishing I had never answered Simon’s call.
Why did I have to answer that?!

But if I hadn’t, would Cane be here right now?

“I just want it to go away, Cane.”

He pulled back and kissed my forehead. “I know, baby. I wish this never happened, too. But you can’t pretend it didn’t happen.”

“Do you think this will be the last we hear from him?”

“I think so. I’m still going to keep an eye on him. But I think even he is smart enough to know better than to come after you again.”

“Well, I would rather not call the police. I know I should.” I bit my fingernail. “I just don’t want to deal with the drama. And who knows if they go to arrest him, he’ll say what you did to him. And I don’t want you in any trouble because of me. And then there’s the tie to my father’s company. He doesn’t need bad publicity.”

“It’s your call. Don’t factor me into the equation; I can handle myself. I want you to be confident that you are doing what you want to do.”

I sagged against him. “Kari has pictures of my arm, so if I want to do something about it later, I can. I really just want to go on with my life.”

He kissed me gently and positioned himself between my legs. I wrapped them around his waist, locking my ankles behind his back. “I will just have to keep an eye on you then. Be warned, I can be a little overprotective. And I have no intentions on leaving you alone … in a number of ways.”

“I think I like the sound of that.”

He lifted me off the countertop and carried me to the staircase. He took them two at a time before reaching the top and kicking the door open with his foot. He sat me on the bed before taking a step back, his eyes becoming darker. Focused.

“Take off your robe,” he said, his eyes hooded.

I untied it slowly, my eyes never leaving his, and tossed it on the floor.

“Your shirt, too.”

I looked down to see that I was only wearing the t-shirt I had worn to bed. I pulled it over my head and tossed it to the floor. I took a deep breath, feeling nervous about being so exposed in front of him.

He nodded towards the bed and I lay back, my chest rising and falling quickly, anxiety and sexual need coursing through me. He added his shirt to the growing pile on the floor and I just wanted to run my hands down his sculpted chest.

“I don’t know if you are more beautiful or more sexy.” His voice was gravelly as he grabbed my ankles and dragged me across the bed until I was laying on the edge.

He threw both of my legs over his shoulders and then laid kisses up the inside of my right leg until he reached the apex of my thighs. He blew gently on my throbbing sex, making me shiver.

“Please,” I begged, my body desperate for a release.

“Patience,” he whispered teasingly as he ran a finger between my legs. “You are so fucking wet. I love that.”

“Cane,” I whined, sticking out my bottom lip.

He pressed his thumb onto my clit, rubbing it in a small circle. “Are you ready, Jada?”

“Please.” I whimpered as he strummed my clit methodically, inching my body closer to its peak. I was so worked up, so wound with need that it wasn’t going to take long.

He licked slowly up my slit and I could hear him growl before pressing his face between my thighs, licking up, swirling at the top, and down again before dipping his tongue into me.

I was so close to the brink, my body humming, sparking, demanding more. He removed his thumb before inserting a finger, then two, inside me and I literally saw stars as he moved them in and out in a fluid motion. He watched me, the corner of his mouth upturned, as my world began to spin out of control. He leaned in slowly, my body anticipating what was to come. His mouth was back on me again, roughly this time, licking and sucking, sending me higher and higher. I could feel his stubble on my sensitive skin, a contrast that added its own element to my overloaded senses.

It was more than I could take. It was my undoing. I could feel his eyes on me as my fingers found his hair again, pulling his face into my body as I rode out my orgasm. His gaze never left me, watching me, taking his cue from me, decreasing the tempo slowly until I shuddered as I came back to Earth. It was ecstasy.

Cane stood and wiped his face with the back of his hand, smiling mischievously.

“I’d ask if that was good, but I fucking know it was,” he said cockily. “You are so responsive.”

I wanted to refute his declaration, to knock him down a few pegs, but I couldn’t work the brain-to-mouth function yet. He knew what he had done to me, anyway. There was no point in trying to dispute it.

“That was amazing,” I said, trying to catch my breath. The white sparkles I had floating across my sight were beginning to diminish.

“Get on your hands and knees.”

I rolled over and got onto all fours without a second thought. I normally hated being in this position. It seemed so crass, so unattractive. But with Cane, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal.

I could hear him remove his pants and the sound of cellophane crunching as he removed a condom from its wrapper. He wrapped one arm around my stomach and pulled me to the end of the bed, until I was actually standing on the floor with my stomach lying on the top of the mattress.

He caressed my ass with his hands, smacking it smartly before grabbing his cock and guiding it into my wetness. “This is going to be quick. I need it too much to make it last.”

I was still sensitive and the contact made me yelp. He grabbed my hips with his hands roughly and pounded into me, his pace growing quicker with each thrust. I called out, my body exploding again before he pressed into me and stilled, finding his release. He pulled out of me slowly and I climbed onto the bed, burying myself in the blankets. Cane was quick to join me, pulling me into him, my back into his front. He rested his chin on top of my head and I could hear his heart beating steadily … reliably. I took comfort in that, nestling back against him.

“How are you feeling?” His voice was soft against my ear.

“Good. Relaxed. How do you feel?”

“Strange.”

I turned to look at him. “Care to explain?”

He laughed. “I’m not a cuddler, Jada. This is cuddling.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

“I am kind of liking this right now. I hope you don’t have any plans for a while.”

“It’s your lucky day.”

“I haven’t had any of those in a while.”

“Me either,” I said with disdain.

“Hey! I don’t want to hear any of that,” he said, kissing my cheek. “We’ve both had some shitty days, but they got us here.”

“I like being here.”

“Me, too, Jada. Me, too.”

JADA

Breathe, Jada. Breathe.

I pulled up to Kari’s cream colored stucco house and looked around nervously before I got out of the car. Everything looked normal. The neighbor lady across the street was watering her bushes and a teenager a couple of houses down was tossing a basketball through a hoop.

I gave the house a final once over. The curtains were all drawn, the wooden door closed, the landscaping tidy. Nothing looked out of place.

I exited the Jeep and made my way to the house. My steps were quicker than normal, my heart matching my steps stride-for-stride.

Even though none of us had heard from Simon since the incident, I still felt a lot of anxiety when I was alone.

What if he came for me again?

I unlocked the door swiftly and locked it behind me. The security system began beeping and I disarmed and rearmed it, before tossing my things on the chair by the stairs and making my way over to Kari’s sofa.

I sat down and kicked my feet up on the coffee table, smiling to myself that if my sister was home, she would be going on and on about how unsanitary it was.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.

Cane had stayed with me the entire weekend; he seemed as unsure about leaving me as I felt about him going. We had the house to ourselves because Kari worked a couple of shifts and then spent the rest of the weekend at Max’s. I was worried that it would feel weird because we knew so little about each other.

Despite my concerns, everything was great. Maybe even perfect … until Sunday.

I needed to call my father and explain most of what had happened. Cane thought we should go see him in person and then drive to
his
house stay the night. I didn’t want to discuss everything with my father in front of Cane. Moreover, I didn’t want to leave the house. And staying at Cane’s so soon just seemed like a bad idea. It was too much, too soon.