sitting way up here?” I groused. I liked to sit somewhere in the middle and close to the front.
Kade rolled his eyes as he sat, one ankle resting on the opposite knee. “Have I taught you nothing? Like I want someone sticking a knife in my back. Or yours.”
Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. I sighed, suddenly tired. I’d briefly forgotten that Gage was trying to kill me.
“Here, you hold this,” Kade said, handing me the popcorn. He dipped his fingers in the bucket and extracted a handful, munching on it as his eyes scanned the theater.
I realized he wanted his hands free in case something should happen. Kade wasn’t wearing his holster—the theater prohibited weapons—but I knew he had a gun on him somewhere as well as a knife that made me shudder to remember the last time I’d seen him use it.
Kade had killed a man in cold blood because he’d hurt me, threatened to kill me.
It wasn’t something a girl forgot.
The movie was decent and I lost myself in it for a couple of hours. I had the feeling Kade only half paid attention, but that was fine. To my surprise, by the time the movie was over I’d eaten my box of candy and made a pretty big dent in the popcorn, too, though Kade hadn’t eaten much more than a few handfuls.
It didn’t escape my notice that Kade was trying to get me to eat. His carefully hidden concern was sweet, though he’d probably make me walk back to my apartment if I said so.
“That movie sucked,” Kade said as we sauntered back to his car.
It was late, the heat of the day finally fading with the onset of night. The moon was full, dispersing the darkness with its silvery wash of light.
“I liked it,” I said, somewhat surprised that he hadn’t.
“That’s because it had a happy ending and the hero got the girl,” Kade said, opening the passenger door for me.
“Well, yeah. I like happy endings, so sue me.”
Kade’s smile held more than a trace of bitterness. “There’s no such thing as a happy ending.”
He shut the door before I could reply. When he got in his side and started the car, I said, “That’s not true. Life is full of happily-ever-afters.”
“Name one,” Kade said.
I thought. “My parents.”
“Both dead.”
Ouch. “Well, they were happy before that,” I argued. “It is possible and it does happen.”
Kade just glanced at me before looking back at the road. “If you say so.”
Staring at his profile, faintly lit by the glow from the dash, I began to doubt myself. Maybe he was right. Maybe there really were no happy endings.
I rested my head against the seat, turning my body more fully to face him. I watched him as he drove and if he noticed, he didn’t say anything. The darkness gave me courage.
“Why did you leave?” I finally asked, hoping I wouldn’t regret the question.
Kade’s eyes flicked briefly to mine. “I told you why.”
He’d told me he hadn’t wanted to stay and watch me marry Blane, that it would be a huge mistake for me to do so.
“That doesn’t explain why you didn’t come back,” I persisted. “Even after…” My voice faltered. “After Blane and I had broken up” was what I left unsaid.
Kade was silent, his only reaction the tightening of his grip on the steering wheel.
I cleared my throat and ventured out onto that shaky limb again. “I could have really used a friend.”
Kade still didn’t reply and I didn’t have the courage to say anything more. An awkward silence descended.
After a few minutes, we pulled into my lot and he turned off the car. He shifted to face me and suddenly the inside of the car felt much smaller. The air between us was heavy, pressing on my chest. I wondered ifI’d said too much, had again made myself stupidly vulnerable to a man who had the power to hurt me.
“Don’t depend on me, princess,” Kade finally said. “I’ll disappoint you every time.”
He went to get out of the car but my hand flashed out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, stopping him. The look
Kade rolled his eyes as he sat, one ankle resting on the opposite knee. “Have I taught you nothing? Like I want someone sticking a knife in my back. Or yours.”
Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. I sighed, suddenly tired. I’d briefly forgotten that Gage was trying to kill me.
“Here, you hold this,” Kade said, handing me the popcorn. He dipped his fingers in the bucket and extracted a handful, munching on it as his eyes scanned the theater.
I realized he wanted his hands free in case something should happen. Kade wasn’t wearing his holster—the theater prohibited weapons—but I knew he had a gun on him somewhere as well as a knife that made me shudder to remember the last time I’d seen him use it.
Kade had killed a man in cold blood because he’d hurt me, threatened to kill me.
It wasn’t something a girl forgot.
The movie was decent and I lost myself in it for a couple of hours. I had the feeling Kade only half paid attention, but that was fine. To my surprise, by the time the movie was over I’d eaten my box of candy and made a pretty big dent in the popcorn, too, though Kade hadn’t eaten much more than a few handfuls.
It didn’t escape my notice that Kade was trying to get me to eat. His carefully hidden concern was sweet, though he’d probably make me walk back to my apartment if I said so.
“That movie sucked,” Kade said as we sauntered back to his car.
It was late, the heat of the day finally fading with the onset of night. The moon was full, dispersing the darkness with its silvery wash of light.
“I liked it,” I said, somewhat surprised that he hadn’t.
“That’s because it had a happy ending and the hero got the girl,” Kade said, opening the passenger door for me.
“Well, yeah. I like happy endings, so sue me.”
Kade’s smile held more than a trace of bitterness. “There’s no such thing as a happy ending.”
He shut the door before I could reply. When he got in his side and started the car, I said, “That’s not true. Life is full of happily-ever-afters.”
“Name one,” Kade said.
I thought. “My parents.”
“Both dead.”
Ouch. “Well, they were happy before that,” I argued. “It is possible and it does happen.”
Kade just glanced at me before looking back at the road. “If you say so.”
Staring at his profile, faintly lit by the glow from the dash, I began to doubt myself. Maybe he was right. Maybe there really were no happy endings.
I rested my head against the seat, turning my body more fully to face him. I watched him as he drove and if he noticed, he didn’t say anything. The darkness gave me courage.
“Why did you leave?” I finally asked, hoping I wouldn’t regret the question.
Kade’s eyes flicked briefly to mine. “I told you why.”
He’d told me he hadn’t wanted to stay and watch me marry Blane, that it would be a huge mistake for me to do so.
“That doesn’t explain why you didn’t come back,” I persisted. “Even after…” My voice faltered. “After Blane and I had broken up” was what I left unsaid.
Kade was silent, his only reaction the tightening of his grip on the steering wheel.
I cleared my throat and ventured out onto that shaky limb again. “I could have really used a friend.”
Kade still didn’t reply and I didn’t have the courage to say anything more. An awkward silence descended.
After a few minutes, we pulled into my lot and he turned off the car. He shifted to face me and suddenly the inside of the car felt much smaller. The air between us was heavy, pressing on my chest. I wondered ifI’d said too much, had again made myself stupidly vulnerable to a man who had the power to hurt me.
“Don’t depend on me, princess,” Kade finally said. “I’ll disappoint you every time.”
He went to get out of the car but my hand flashed out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, stopping him. The look
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