of a good friend, which was exactly what he was.
Except I didn’t have that friend anymore, and I never would. Friends were not an option for me. I stood there and stared at his back as he let himself out the door and broke into a jog at the bottom of the porch steps.
“Excuse us.” I jumped out of my skin and whirled around to confront the speaker, my heart pounding and my body poised for flight. Stupid, I know, as all the person probably wanted was extra coffee for their room.
Caro and Geneva stood several feet away wearing twin guilty expressions.
Busted.
They’d been eavesdropping, and I was mortified. It was bad enough that Steele knew details of my sordid affair with Kaden, but now these women knew something.
“Sorry, we were looking for books in the library,” Caro said.
“And couldn’t help overhearing,” Geneva added. She held up a worn novel to prove her point.
I started to back away, but they advanced on me, like two she-lions stalking a very suspecting prey. Fight or flight. I had nowhere to go, so I stood my ground.
“So you’re the one?” Caro studied me. Her eyes weren’t full of judgment but of kindness and sympathy.
I nodded slowly, even as I asked the question. “The one?”
“Yes, the mystery woman Kaden’s been tied up in knots over for the last several months,” Caro said.
“The one who disappeared on him,” Geneva added.
“We’ve already talked. It’s over. It was nothing but sex anyway,” I lied, and they saw right through me.
“Nothing but sex?” Caro shook her head in denial. “I don’t think so.”
“Did you know the night you disappeared on him he was so upset he got shit-faced, involved in a barroom brawl, and suspended from the team? This wasn’t just about sex to him. He was devastated when you removed yourself from his life. He loves you.” Geneva’s eyes blazed with recrimination. They were behaving like overprotective big sisters defending their brother’s heart. It was sweet and scary as shit at the same time.
“What?” I was incredulous. I hadn’t known. My stomach was in turmoil, and I couldn’t have hurt as much if they’d literally shoved me to the ground and kicked me while I was down.
“You didn’t know?” Geneva shook her head, as if to clear it. Her anger dissipated, but her pity was almost worse.
“I—” I choked, unable to complete my sentence, as emotions stronger than a rogue wave rolled over me, sucking me downward, beneath churning waters. Gasping, I fought for air. Alarmed, Caro and Geneva led me to the closest couch and sat me down. Sitting on either side of me, they murmured words of comfort that made no sense, and I struggled to control what might surely be one of the few panic attacks I’d ever had.
“Is…is he still on the team?” I hugged my stomach and rocked back and forth. Caro patted my back, while Geneva didn’t seem to know what to do. She wasn’t the touchy-feely type. I got that.
“Yes, but it was touch-and-go at first.” Caro’s tone softened to the one she probably used when trying to comfort her children.
“I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt him. I mean, he has plenty of women around. I thought he’d get over me quickly.”
“None of them are you,” Geneva said.
“Are you married? What’s with the secrecy?” Caro asked.
“I’m…I’m not married. I led Kaden to believe I was in order to get him to move on and forget about me.”
“Why would you do that?” Geneva clearly thought I wasn’t operating with a full set of hockey sticks, or that my puck didn’t go all the way to the net. I’d be laughing at my clever hockey comparisons if this entire situation didn’t suck.
“I’m not available. I can’t be. There are things in my past, horrible things that prevent me from ever getting close to someone. I’m not good for him.”
“Don’t you think he’s the one who should decide if you’re good for him?”
I met their gazes and shrugged. Hell if I knew the answer to that question. I’d been so busy saving myself and everyone else, the thought had never occurred to me.
Perhaps it should’ve.
Chapter Twelve
The Setup
~~Kaden~~
Later that afternoon, Steele returned. He was quieter than usual. Something was off, but I didn’t ask what because he wouldn’t tell me anyway. Steele was closemouthed at the best of times. Regardless, I couldn’t dispel the niggling suspicion he was keeping something from me.
Together, we loaded the car and drove over to the cottage Axel