Dare to Kiss (The Maxwell Series Book 1) (28 page)

“Sure.” It was time to clear the air about our friendship. I didn’t want to lose him as a friend.

The conversations around me suddenly quieted. Then girls tittered and whispered.

“Hey, Kade.” A girl’s voice hitched.

Tyler moved aside just as I was leaning, not to see Kade, but to see the cheerleader who was gushing or foaming at the mouth. Every instinct in me wanted to shut her up or cut her eyes out.
Whoa
! I hadn’t been jealous in the past. Even when girls had swooned over Brad, it never bothered me. This was a new feeling.

I almost sprang out of my seat like a jumping bean. The petite cheerleader drooled as she watched Kade swagger over to my table.

Kade appeared to have one thing on his mind—actually, one person. He homed in on me.

“He looks pissed,” Tyler said. “The last time I saw that look on his face, he beat the crap out of Sullivan. Do you want me to stay, Lacey?”

“No. Let me know about Thursday.” Kade wasn’t going to hurt me.

Tyler hesitated for a minute before he nodded at Kade then faded from my vision.

Kade pulled out a chair beside me, twirled it, then straddled the seat with his arms on the back, facing me.

“Hi,” I said hesitantly.

He glowered at me. The room fell eerily silent. I darted my gaze around. Yep, we definitely had an audience. They waited like vultures to see what happened between Kade and me. Did they expect him to wig out on me like he had with Greg?

“Are you going to talk or stare?” I asked in a low voice.

He still didn’t say a word. He shot daggers at me as he glared. Even angry, the guy knew how to twist my insides in a delicious uproar.
Oh, heck
. I leaned over and smacked my lips to his. If he wasn’t going to talk, then I’d at least get some reaction out of him.
Toad face.
My tongue traced the outline of his lips. The same ones that had been everywhere on my body just Saturday, and I wanted on me right now. Anger or no anger, I didn’t care.
Didn’t they say angry sex was hot
?

He kept his lips glued together, not moving. “People are watching, Lace,” he finally said.

“So? It didn’t stop you from making love to my ear at the football game in front of hundreds of people. Or what about the picture Greg took of us kissing? Remember?”

No reaction from him. A faint ringing hummed in my ears. The doubt had awakened. He usually growled or grunted at the mention of his enemy. I pushed my tongue through his lips—at least I tried. The guy still didn’t budge.

What the heck
? Now the ringing turned into a drone as crankiness took root.

He grinned.

I plunged my tongue into his mouth.

“Fuck, Lace. Are you trying to kill me here?” he said, his voice low.

“Kiss me. Maybe our audience will mind their own damn business.”

“I’m mad at you,” he said, taking the mechanical pencil out of my hand.

Did he think I was going to use it as a weapon? “Kiss me, then we can talk.”

“Goddamn, woman. You know I can’t just kiss you.” He set the pencil down on my open trig book.

“Buck up, big guy. No one’s going to see your hard-on.”

“You’re something else.” He nipped my lips before his tongue plunged into my mouth.

Our tongues tangoed for a few minutes before he broke free. I whimpered. He laughed.
Good. At least he was laughing
. The buzzing in my head died.

Conversations around us had resumed.

“Why didn’t you talk with Coach?” Kade asked.

“Is that why you’re ornery?”

“Coach told you to be in his office on Monday to talk. So why weren’t you?”

My stomach suddenly hurt, killing my mood. “Why are you so set on me talking with Coach? Wait. Did he run to you when I didn’t show?”

I waited. No response. A completely blank face stared back at me.

I sighed. “I’m not a snitch. I told you that. And I’m not so sure Aaron isn’t all talk.”

The skin around his eyes tightened while his lips formed into a thin line. “Did you not hear what we told you the other night about Aaron? You need to tell Coach he threatened you.”

“Why? Because you told me he’s good at getting into people’s heads, and baseball is his life? Newsflash—baseball is my life, too. Besides, what’s Coach going to do? Yell at Aaron because he told me in so many words he doesn’t want me on the team? He’ll deny it. Then he’ll only pick on me more.”

“Coach can help. He knows what went down a couple of years ago. Hell, when we found out you enrolled…” He combed his fingers through his hair and looked past me.

A large ball of hysteria collected in my chest. “Finish that sentence.” Tiny little pinpricks covered my body as numbness set in.

“Shit.” His lids slid shut.

“Kade? Finish the fucking sentence.” My voice rose.

A male voice from somewhere in the room said, “Oh, shit.”

I didn’t turn to look. Instead the blood drained from my body.

He opened his eyes and immediately looked away again. Not good.

“Talk,” I demanded in a shaky voice, my hands clenching into fists.

The freaking bell rang, and I flinched. The crowd filed out. Dings, thuds and clangs sounded, I imagined from students dumping their trash and trays.

“We need to get to class,” he said, about to stand.

“Oh, fuck no. You’re talking.” The devil invaded my body, or at least his voice did.

His eyebrows went up. I wasn’t sure if he was shocked I had said the F-word, or the hardness in my tone. Either way, I didn’t care. A fire could break out in the kitchen—Kade was still going to talk.

“They’ll kick us out of here,” he said.

The badass guy who’d been in jail was worried about us getting kicked out of the cafeteria. Really
?

“So let them. Until they do, talk.” No emotion in my voice.

“Fuck.” He ran his hands through his hair again. “We found out”—he met my eyes—“you were coming to this school.”

My mouth gaped open. “Excuse me? You knew about me before I got here?” The hairs on my arms stood up. I knew Coach had to have done his homework on me. Any coach would’ve. But Kade? Why would he have known who I was? I didn’t want to panic, but the way he was acting scared me. I had the sudden feeling I’d been violated.

A few expletives spewed from his lips.

Silence dangled between us.

I slammed my book shut, the sound echoing over the two lunch ladies chatting behind the food line. “You going to talk? If not, I’m out of here.” I couldn’t breathe. I needed air.

He grasped my wrist. “Please. Don’t go.”

“Do I even want to hear this, Kade?” Tears welled up. My angry bee circled inside my head. My hands became clammy.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he said.

“Wrong answer.” I kicked back my chair, wrenching away my hand.

“Lace?” He said my name so low I wasn’t sure I heard it.

“Why did you pursue me so hard?” All I could hear were Coach’s words.
The Maxwell brothers protected Mandy.
“Did Coach put you up to it?”
If that were true, was our relationship a lie?

He dropped his gaze. Pain shot through my chest as though someone stuck a knife in me. I threw my books in my backpack and stepped around the table.
Exit. I had to find the nearest one.

“Coach came to me in July.” His tone matched the regret in his eyes.

I stilled.

“He told me about a kick-ass female ball player who was enrolling for her senior year,” Kade continued. “He knew Aaron might make waves. And he was worried about history repeating itself. He knew my brothers were going to spend their last year at Kensington and play baseball. He saw a perfect storm. He wanted my help.”

Air. Need air.
The buzzing in my head intensified, as did the pounding of my heart in my chest.

“That first night I met you. You weren’t at the ball field looking for Kelton, were you?”

“Lace.”

“Tell me!” I was on the verge of becoming a hysterical sociopath.

“Shit.” He shook his head. “I didn’t want a repeat of two years ago,” he said softly.

“So you were only pursuing me because you were told to? Everything you said to me is a lie, then. You don’t love me.” My heart severed in two. “I was a job to you. Protect the girl so I don’t end up like Mandy. Well, don’t do me any favors. I can protect myself.”

“Baby, it’s not like that.” He jumped out his chair and reached for me.

I backed away. “Isn’t it?” I stormed out. The halls were empty. Once outside, I sprinted to my car. The fall air provided a welcome relief against my heated skin.
Why was I such a moron when it came to reading people? Brad had turned out to be gay. Now, Kade had only been babysitting me.

“Lace!” Kade yelled behind me.

The wind whipped my hair in all directions. Holding onto what was left of my heart, I ran across campus and out into the lot. Tears spilled as I passed cars.

Boy, Tyler was right. “Trust me when I tell you: stay away from Kade.” Kade showered me with words, and I fell for every freaking one of them.
God, how stupid was I
? With shaking hands, I rummaged through my bag for my car keys. My backpack fell, books spilling out, papers swirling in the wind.
Fucking great
! I dropped to the ground, propping back my head against my car door.
Idiot.

“Lace,” Kade’s voice was strained, above me.

“Get out of here!” I screamed.

“Baby, please.”

“I’m not your baby.”

He sat on the ground opposite me with his back against someone else’s car door. “My feelings for you are real.”

“So tell me something. Are your brothers only friends with me because it’s their job, too?”

“Hell, no. They adore you, Lace. You snared them, just like you got me.”

I wasn’t so sure I snared anyone. I wiped my nose with the back of my hand.

“Lace.” His voice quivered. “Please, don’t shut me out.”

I desperately wanted to believe him.
I couldn’t. Not right now
. I had to think. “I can’t do this, Kade. Us. This isn’t going to work. I came here to fix what was broken inside me, not to break it more. I gave you my heart.” Tears streamed down my face.

Scooting closer, he reached out to wipe a tear away, and I flinched.

“Crap. Let me touch you. Don’t do this,” he pleaded.

I pushed to my feet. My papers blew away, but I didn’t care. I picked up my books. He stood, helping me. I found my keys. My hands shook as I tried to unlock my door.

He grabbed the keys and unlocked it for me. He leaned in, kissed my neck softly, and then he left.

Blowing out all the air in my lungs, I opened my door and fell into my car. I sobbed against my steering wheel. After what seemed like hours, I wiped my face with my fingers, started the engine and took off. I had no idea where I was going. I couldn’t stay here. Someone would see me. I couldn’t go home. Dad and Mary would grill me, and I wasn’t ready for their onslaught of questions.

I drove and before long, small quaint buildings lined the streets of Lancaster. I rolled into the small space outside of Dr. Davis’s office. Throwing the car into park, I slumped over the steering wheel, contemplating whether or not to go in. My appointment with him wasn’t until tomorrow.
Maybe he had time to see me today
.

A knock on the window snapped me back. I rolled down the window.

“Lacey?” Dr. Davis had his head tilted to one side. “Is everything okay?” He was holding a Wendy’s bag. He must’ve been bringing lunch back to the office.

I shook my head.

“Follow me. I don’t have another appointment for thirty minutes.”

After locking my car, I followed him upstairs and into his office, where he set the Wendy’s bag down on his desk.

“I’m sorry. I’m interrupting your lunch,” I said.

“Sit.” He motioned to his couch while he pushed a button on his desk phone.

I sat on the edge of the cushion, bouncing my knee.

“Tell me what happened.” He eased down into a chair opposite me, crossing one leg over the other.

“Are you sure I’m not bothering you?” I twined a strand of my hair between my fingers.

“You’re not.” He crossed his hands in his lap.

Before I even said a word, I started crying as I thought about Kade. I grabbed the box of tissues off the end table and set it in my lap. In between sobbing and blowing my nose, I finally spilled my guts to him about what Kade had told me. Afterwards, I didn’t feel any better. Just recounting the story made me feel worse.

“Let me get this straight.” He rubbed his goatee. “You’re upset because Coach is worried about your wellbeing and that he wanted Kade to watch out for you so you wouldn’t be bullied.”

I nodded, patting my nose with a Kleenex. He made it sound like I was off my rocker.

“Is Kade doing this for the other girls on the team?” With his elbow on the arm of the chair he held up his chin with his fingers.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.” Were the Maxwell brothers protecting Renee too? I filed the thought away. It wouldn’t change how I felt at the moment. I made a mental note to ask Kade. Well, if I ever spoke to him again.

“What else, Lacey? It seems like you may be upset about more than you told me.”

“You know how you asked me to play that get-to-know-you game?”

His chin dipped once.

“I did with Kade. Or at least I think I did. The more I hung out with Kade, the more we talked. He told me a few things about his past. I told him about my PTSD, my mom, and my sister. He told me he loved me. One thing led to another, and I shared my feelings with him.” I left out the intimate details, of course. “But he lied to me. I was only a job to him.”

“You think Kade told you how he felt to protect you? And his feelings aren’t real?” He dropped his hand from his chin.

“It’s all a lie.” I didn’t know what to believe anymore. The softness of his touch, the love in his eyes, the passion behind his kiss was real.
Wasn’t it? Could someone turn feelings on and off in the blink of an eye?

“Why, Lacey?” He tilted his head.

“Coach put him up to it.”

“Did Coach Dean tell Kade to love you?”

“Well…no,” I said in a small voice, dropping my gaze.

“People don’t just tell others they love them because someone else put them up to it. Love is a strong emotion. In my personal experience, the majority of people in this world tread carefully when first using the word love. And I believe it’s harder for men to express that emotion. Besides, how is the fact that Kade loves you going to protect you? Some would argue that if Kade had any enemies, you would be in more danger.”