“Look, I know I wasn’t able to come over Saturday night, and I didn’t explain, but I will.” She’d decided that it was time to tell him about her sister’s battle with mental illness and all the ways it had impacted her life.
“You think that’s all you have to explain?” he asked coolly, his gaze cold.
She shivered at the harshness in his tone that she didn’t understand. “Kade…”
“Have you seen my watch?” he asked, abruptly changing the subject.
“What?”
“My watch.” He tapped his wrist. “The one I keep on my nightstand,” he said, his gaze never leaving her face.
She felt scrutinized and uncomfortable, and she folded her arms across her chest in a defensive gesture. “Well, I saw it the last time we were together at your apartment.” He liked to touch the surface while he talked. It was part of his morning routine too.
“What about Saturday? When you dropped off the dry cleaning? Did you see it then?”
“No. I went directly to your closet and put away your clothes. Then I threw the plastic into the trash and I left. Why?”
He studied her, his jaw clenched tight.
“Well?”
“Because it’s missing.”
Her breath left on a harsh exhale. “And you think I stole it?” she asked, her voice cracking along with her heart. “How could you accuse me of something like that?”
He strode around the desk, crossing his arms over his chest, mimicking her stance. “Because I know for a fact I saw the timepiece Saturday morning, and you were the only one to enter the apartment between the time I left and when I reached for it the next morning.”
Not the only one, she thought, realizing that her sister had not only been with her but she’d entered the bedroom while Lexie was in the closet. Her body went cold, and fear permeated her insides. Oh my God, no wonder Kendall’s behavior had changed the minute they’d left Kade’s place. Kendall had been antsy and claimed she had a headache and needed to lie down, but instead she’d gone out to meet her new boyfriend. Could he have something to do with her sister stealing? Kendall had her issues, but she’d never resorted to theft. Then again, Lexie didn’t know how much money Kendall owed on her recent purchases.
Nausea filled her throat.
“Nothing to say?” Kade asked sarcastically.
“I didn’t take the watch,” she said, hearing the pleading in her voice. “I swear. But—”
He held up a hand, cutting her off before she could explain. And she was going to do just that. Tell him all about Kendall and beg him not to press charges because her twin was sick and needed help.
“No excuses. I don’t want to hear them. This is all I needed to see.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket, hit a few buttons, and held it up in front of her eyes.
There, on the screen, was a photo of Kendall, in the same clothes she’d worn Saturday, holding hands with a man who must be her boyfriend. “That’s—”
“You and Julian Dane, the man suing me and my partners. I have eyes,” Kade said, not withholding the sarcasm.
She let out a sound of distress. “No,” she whispered, the pieces of a puzzle she hadn’t known she was putting together finally falling into place. Kendall’s new boyfriend, Jay, was Julian.
“Yes. I know everything. You’ve been a busy woman, screwing me at the same time you’re fucking him,” Kade spat.
She flinched at both the ugly accusations and the cold, unfeeling tone of voice. It was as if they’d never been intimate, his body had never been full and thick inside hers.
Dizziness assaulted her, and she fell against the desk, needing something to keep her upright. “It’s not me.”
Kade frowned. “Like I said, I’m not blind. Get your things and get the fuck out.”
“Whoa.” Derek walked into the room and slammed the door behind them.
“I can handle this,” Kade said.
“I don’t think so. The whole office can hear what’s going on in here, and you’re not normally one to air your dirty laundry.”