Chapter 16

The warmth of the evening staves off the nervous goosebumps attempting to climb up the length of my arms. I stuff my hands into my denim pockets and force myself to take a deep breath. The humidity is almost unbearable. It's like breathing in diluted, warm water. The pressure of it feels heavy on my chest, and I hastily exhale.

My stomach knots into a solid ball when headlights flash into the alley. For a split second I have the unrealistic notion that it's Blake, but then I remember that we're not at the front of the bar.

He wouldn't know to find me here.

Cade's grey Prius comes to a stop beside me. The windows are already rolled down and he gives me a confident smirk.

"Hey there, handsome," he purrs. "How much?"

"More than you could afford."

Cade chuckles and licks his lips, the movement slow enough to catch my attention. His tongue and lips seem to glisten against the lights of the city. My mouth waters, but I'm not sure why.

"Try me," Cade presses. "Even if I had to dip into savings, I'm sure a night with you would make it worthwhile."

I roll my eyes and hop in the car. The man is impossible. Cade pulls away from the curb and the two of us become lost into the sea of headlights filling the downtown streets of Miami with as much fervor as a Christmas tree.

"Fuck, is there always so much traffic?" I ask, still trying to rid the image of Cade's lips from my mind.

The blasting of car horns becomes frequent, an unspoken – yet very key piece - of the driving etiquette down here, apparently.

"Not during the week," Cade says with a shrug. "But during the weekends? Yea. You get used to it, though."

He relaxes into his seat and reaches over to rest his right hand on my thigh. It's a casual touch, done with such confidence you'd think he did this on a daily basis. Hell, maybe he does.

I stare at his hand, frowning at his masculine fingers as they curl around my leg. The feel of him touching me isn't exactly wanted, but – to my surprise – it doesn't bother me either. Cade rubs his thumb against my outer thigh. I focus on the touch, and a tingling sensation shoots up my leg and into my groin.

Instead of pushing him away, I let him keep his hand where it is.

Again, not sure why.

I huff and stare out the unrolled window. A few women pass along the sidewalk. Their clothes are skin tight, the entirety of their 'assets' hanging out for the world to see.

"Which one do you like?" Cade asks, following my gaze to the eye candy.

"I'd need to see them up close. Their bodies look decent from here. If any of them wanted it to be anything more than doggy style though, they better have a face to match it."

Cade barks out a laugh and shakes his head. "You're a shallow prick, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

"I can see why Blake has his work cut out for him."

Speaking of which...

I push away Cade's hand and dig into my pocket to pull out my phone. Four unread texts.

And two missed calls.

Blake: I'm here. Where are you?

Blake: Answer me, Callum.

Blake: I'm coming inside.

Blake: One of the bartenders said they saw you leave out the back. If you left with that Cade character...

I shudder. He knows. As I continue to stare at the texts, another phone call comes through. Blake's number dances across the screen. My breathing becomes shallow wondering what he would say if I answered the phone right now.

Cade glances over and grins. "Want me to answer?"

I stare at my phone, unable to do anything but focus on Blake's name permanently etched across my screen.

"I don't think – "

Cade waves off my worry. He snatches the phone from my hand and swipes the green button before pressing it to his ear.

"Hello?"

Pause.

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

Cade chuckles at the ridiculousness of his own joke. I can barely hear Blake's voice on the other end, but his serious tone is unmistakable. Cade clutches the phone closer to his ear and his smile slips.

"What? No! He wanted to leave," he explains to the unheard voice. "I just thought –"

Silence.

Cade blanches. The sudden change in his demeanor coats the palms of my hands with sweat. What is Blake saying to him? Cade mumbles something into the phone and then he's silent again.

His lips downturn into a frown and he looks away from me.

"Yea, I understand. He'll be there."

He disconnects the call and shoves the phone back into my hand. The car behind us honks once. Cade snaps to attention and puts on his blinker, doing his best to maneuver his car into the turning lane.

"What'd he say?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

Cade shrugs. "Needs you back at the hotel. Work-related issue came up, apparently."

"Right..."

Tension. It's the only thing I feel as Cade drives me back to my hotel. Neither of us speaks a word until we are just a block away. He shakes his head and licks his lips.

"Well that certainly didn't tip the scales in his favor," Cade says with a dry laugh. "Whether he's into you or not, I'm no longer on his side."

I raise a brow and he tentatively puts his hand back on my leg. This time it doesn't feel like a joke. He sidles up to the curb of the hotel and puts the car into park. The two of us sit there, my phone still clutched in my hands, and Cade's touch still lingering on my thigh.

He turns to me, his eyes studying my every feature. The heat of his gaze is unsettling, reminding me of Blake, but in a different way. My stomach tightens, and suddenly the Floridian heat feels suffocating.

"It doesn't matter if you're on his side or not," I respond with a straight face. "I already told you. I'm not ga-"

Cade's lips crash against mine. I freeze, my eyes widening with surprise. Cade's expression is relaxed. His eyes are closed, his long lashes splayed across the tips of his high and masculine cheeks. He brings his hand up to my face, cupping my jaw to tilt my lips closer to his.

And then I close my eyes.

His lips are warm and supple. Unlike Blake's rough stubble, Cade's jaw is smooth and soft. It feels different but still good. He kisses me gently, his lips working against mine with delicate precision. I tilt my head back, and it's enough of an invitation for Cade to slip his tongue into my mouth. Our kiss deepens, tongues dancing deeper and rougher against each other.

My phone buzzes. I break away from Cade and catch my breath. Another missed call from Blake.

"Shit," I mumble. "I got to go."

The kiss with Cade is so different than I expected. He's the second dude I've kissed in less than 48 hours. What the fuck is wrong with me? The seductive bartender stares back at me with hopeful eyes.

"I want to see you again," he insists. "Please."

I shake my head. "Our flight's tomorrow morning."

"I'll come by later tonight," he tries again.

"Blake would fuckin' shit a brick."

Cade pulls a slip of paper from his dashboard and pulls a pen from the glove compartment. His fingers feverishly write down his phone number. He holds it between his fingers and stares at me.

"Text me," he requests. "Anytime. I'll answer."

I grab the paper from his hand and stare at it. "Why?"

Cade's shoulders relax. An easy smile finds its way back onto his lips.

"Why not?"

Blake's name starts flashing across my phone again. I stuff the piece of paper into my pocket and fling open the car door. Cade gives me a slight nod and I rush inside the hotel, not bothering to breathe until I reach the elevator.

I smash my finger against the top-most button for the penthouse suite. Each floor passes slower than the last. My fingers twitch at my sides when the elevator dings.

Is Blake waiting right outside these doors? What will he do when he sees me?

Once again I find myself holding my breath as the doors open. I expect Blake's face to be there, but it's not. Instead I'm greeted with silence, just the soft glow of the TV lighting the vast, dark room. The couch is empty, and my eyes scour the living room until settling on the man of the hour.

Blake leans against the window. He stares outside, his posture deceivingly relaxed but his shoulders rigid. I take a step into the room, glancing around for any traces of that fagtoid Phil.

The silence of the room is unsettling. Step by step I cross through the living room, slowly closing the distance between Blake and me. He can't know what I'm thinking. And he definitely can't know the way he's making me feel.

I clear my throat and stand beside him, leaving enough space for us not to touch. "Cade said there was some work related emergency?"

Silence.

I swallow and glance up at Blake. He doesn't look at me. His eyes are fixated out the window, his jaw working itself tighter and tighter. I follow his gaze and my eyes land on a grey Prius...the very one I got out of only minutes ago.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Did he see it? Did he see us?

I desperately try to change the subject.

"Where's Phil?"

"Gone."

His voice is hard and quiet. A silent threat that makes me shiver.

"Did he have a work related emergency too?"

I say it as a joke, but my voice breaks at the end of it. Blake squints, still refusing to turn my way.

"I told him he needed to leave."

The moment of tension and fear subsides temporarily. A sliver of unexplainable hope blooms in my chest. Blake turns to me then. His eyes are ablaze with a fury I expected to see...but not with this intensity.

My mouth flounders open. Closed.

"Why?" I finally ask to fill the silence.

Blake tilts his head to the side. "Phil and I...we're over."

Over...

I mentally echo his words in disbelief. Did they end because of me?

No, I quickly decide. There's no way. So what the hell happened over dinner?

"Damn. That sucks," I respond pathetically.

"Mmm."

Blake hums in his throat and turns back to look out the window. A beat of silence passes between us. He glances at me from the corner of his eye, and the ice in his voice freezes me in place.

"But tell me, Callum. Is he a better kisser than I am?"