ready for Juilliard. Just let loose for a bit. You've earned it.”
I smile and turn away, and my eyes land directly on Cade. He looks happy, throwing his head back laughing at something Bryce said. But what really catches my attention is the girl hanging on his arm. She's only wearing shorts and what barely constitutes as a bikini top. If she wasn't so young, I'd wonder if he hired hookers for tonight.
His gaze meets mine and he winks, pulling the girl closer and moving his hand to her ass. She stares up at him like he can do no wrong, and all I want to do is punch her in the face. He's doing this to get to me, and fuck if it isn't working.
“Now we just need to figure out what you're going to do about him,” Tessa says while watching Cade.
I sigh. “I'm going to do what I've been doing all week. Give him a dose of his own medicine.”
OKAY SO MAYBE INVITING famous NFL player Colby Hendrix to a party wasn't exactly the smartest choice. It worked, just not exactly in the way I thought that it would. I intended to hang all over Colby and make Cade jealous the same way he was doing with that girl, but instead, Colby became a magnet for every girl here. Even the one looking at Cade like he’s a holy sex God ditched him the second she saw Colby from across the backyard.
Now, I'm standing here being forced to watch over a hundred girls throw themselves at my best friend. He glances at me and gives me a dimpled grin—one that makes it impossible for me to hold a grudge. When he realizes I'm not mad, he goes back to his groupies.
“See what you did?” Cade asks accusingly, appearing next to me out of nowhere.
I roll my eyes. “Aw, I'm sorry. Did Colby take away your little slut?”
Laughter bubbles out of him, and he smiles down at the ground. “Nah, he can do whatever he wants with her. You, on the other hand...”
He backs away, and I watch as he leaves without finishing that sentence. I swear, that guy has more mood swings than a pregnant woman. One minute he's ready to kill me with his bare hands, and the next he's saying things that make my whole body tingle.
Could it all be part of him messing with me? Of course, but it feels too real to be faked. At least for me it is.
Tessa comes over with a couple shots, and I sigh in relief as I see her.
“Thank God.” I grab a shot and down it in one go.
She hands me the other one. “You look like you need both.”
A SHOOTING PAIN RADIATES through my head as I feel all the consequences of a night full of drinking. I groan, crawling out of bed in search of some aspirin. As I walk down the stairs, a part of me expects to find a huge mess from last night, but instead, it's all in order. Thank you, Melani.
The windows in the kitchen showcase the storm brewing outside. Thunder, lightning, and pouring rain—the whole nine yards. So much for going shopping with Tessa. Knowing her, she won't want to venture out in this. Besides, watching storms from the penthouse is one of her favorite things to do. She's got the view of the world up there.
It takes a few minutes for the meds to kick in, but the pain fades a little as they do. That is, until Cade walks in. He grabs a bottle of water from the fridge then kicks it closed.
“I'm going surfing,” he says, without sparing me a single glance.
Okay, so either he's deaf or just downright stupid. “I don't think that's a good idea.”
He laughs dryly. “Thanks, Mom.”
I jump down from the counter I was sitting on and follow him to the front door. “I'm serious. You really should stay home.”
“And why's that? So I can sit here listening to your shit all day?” He opens the door and freezes when he notices a tree branch fly past our driveway.
“More like so you don't drown or get struck by lightning,” I reply. “But I take it back, you should go.”
His unamused eyes look back at me, and I smile sweetly. Douche.
THE LONGER I'M STUCK alone with Cade, the more I realize I should have just let him go surfing. Granted, he would have seen the storm without me saying anything, but maybe if