“You two have more sexual tension than a porno.”
She climbs out of the car, leaving Colby and I alone as she heads for the elevator. I smirk and lean closer into Colby, lowering my lids and parting my lips slightly. When I'm inches away from him, I stop.
“In your dreams, playboy,” I murmur, pushing him away by his forehead and climbing out of the car.
He chuckles and follows suit, and the conversation stays where it belongs—far away from me. I have a boyfriend, and as gorgeous as Colby Hendrix may be, Kellan is special. He’s a possessive little shit, but he's mine.
AFTER SPENDING HOURS GOING over all the different things we want to have at our graduation party and listening to Colby groan a hundred times about how we're going to destroy his house, I have to get home for family dinner. My dad insisted last night that I be there for it.
Family. It's such a funny word for our household dynamic right now. I mean, I didn't even meet Nora until my dad was telling me she was moving in, and I didn't meet her kids until their stuff was already filling my house. I'd hardly call that a family. It's a foster home at best.
Thankfully, I'm at least allowed to have Kellan there, which shows how badly my dad wants my acceptance of all this. He and Kellan met a couple months ago, right before prom, and my dad put the fear of God into him. He's always scared away any boy I've had the slightest interest in, but Kellan wouldn't budge. I thought maybe that would buy him some respect from the Kensington Bradwell, being a man of loyalty and all that, but it didn't. My dad still watches him like a hawk whenever he's around.
“You all right?” Colby asks me from the driver's seat.
I must have been lost in thought, because I hadn't even realized we're almost to my house. “Yeah. I'm just not exactly thrilled about this combined family thing.”
“Don't get along with the new fam?”
I shrug. “Nora and Molly aren't so bad. It's Cade I have a problem with. The dude has some serious anger issues.”
Colby's grip tightens on the steering wheel. “He hasn't done anything to you, has he?”
“No,” I assure him. “Nothing like that. He just got in my face when I wouldn’t help him break our parents up.”
Turning into my driveway, we're both faced with Cade sitting on the front steps. He's wearing a pair of board shorts and a tank top as he holds a cigarette between his fingers.
“That him?”
I nod. “Yep. My new roommate.”
Colby reaches over to pull me into a hug. “If he fucks with you, even a little, call me. I'll teach him a lesson.”
I chuckle. “Okay, my big, scary protector.”
Going to back away, he stops me and holds my chin between his thumb and index finger, keeping my gaze locked with his.
“I'm serious, Lennon. Even a little.”
Unable to speak due to the close proximity, I simply nod and he releases me. I climb out of the car and wave goodbye as I walk toward the house. Cade's gaze meets mine, and he rolls his eyes.
“Of course, you're dating Colby fucking Hendrix. Why am I not surprised?”
I roll my eyes. “I'm not, not that it's any of your business.”
He puts the cigarette between his lips and inhales, making his cheeks hollow at the movement. Then, he lets it out in a way that looks way more erotic than it should. All my attention is focused entirely on his lips as he moistens them with his tongue.
“See something you like?”
That manages to pull me from the weird haze I was locked in. My upper lip curls in disgust, and I shake my head. “Get over yourself.”
I step by him but stop as soon as I open the front door.
“Also, if my dad sees that cigarette, he's going to lose his shit.”
Cade gets up and focuses all his attention on me as he drops the butt onto the step and puts it out with his shoe. He steps by me and into the house, leaving the half-smoked cigarette there for all to see. I run my fingers through my hair and follow behind.
Well, living with him won’t be boring.
6
CADE
If I had to pick one person who is pissing me off the most lately, it's Lennon. She's infuriatingly spoiled and walks around like she owns the whole goddamn world. I guess with a dad as rich and powerful as hers is, she kind of does—and that only irks me more.
Seeing her in the car with Colby Hendrix, football extraordinaire and known ladies’ man, it sparked some emotions I wasn't expecting.
Curiosity.
Confusion.
Anger.
Jealousy.
I watched her walk toward me like a fucking goddess, with her blonde hair falling to the sides of her face and her turquoise eyes staring into mine. With the sun hitting her just right, even a blind man would admit she's beautiful, and that's part of the problem.
For the first time since the morning, I head up the stairs and into my room. When I get there, however, I practically stop breathing and my eyes double in size. Laying on my bed is a Lost LayZ Toy II surfboard. It's probably the best one on the market right now, and I almost drool at the sight of it.
A note lies on top, and I notice the girly handwriting on it before I even pick it up.
Cade,
Sorry for breaking your other one.
- Lennon
Fuck. I was wondering how I'd pull together the money for a new one. I was even considering trying to get mommy's rich new boyfriend to buy me one, but it looks like now I won't have to. A part of me wonders when she even had time to do this, because it definitely wasn't here this morning, and I left after her.
After admiring my new board for a little longer, I head out of my room and over to the balcony that overlooks the living room. Lennon is down there, sitting next to Molly and helping her with her homework. The way my sister looks at her is enough to make me wonder if I'm going about this the wrong way. Maybe Lennon isn't all that bad, and if Molly likes her, I guess I could get along with her for my sister's sake.
Just as I'm about to walk down the stairs and suggest a do-over, the doorbell rings.
“I got it!” Lennon shouts.
I watch as she jogs over to the door and opens it. She greets whoever is on the other side with a big smile, and when he steps inside, my jaw drops. It’s none other than Kellan fucking Spencer. He pulls her into his arms and presses his lips to hers. Lennon laces their fingers and drags him into another room, out of my view.
Every single one of my previous thoughts go flying out the window. Not only is she the daughter of the guy who played a key part in causing my parents' divorce, but she's dating the one person in the world I might hate more than Kensington Bradwell. That, by default, makes her the enemy and at the top of my shit list.
A HALF HOUR OF avoiding being seen later, we're all called to dinner through an obnoxious intercom system in every room of the house. I roll my eyes and force myself off my bed. For a minute, I hope that Kellan isn't here anymore, but that hope dies when I hear his voice echo down the hall. I step out just in time to see them coming from the direction of Lennon's room. The second Kellan's eyes meet mine, his eyes narrow and he swallows hard.