When he saw the slight change in her eyes, the want, the need, he closed off the gap and covered her mouth with his.
Chapter Three
Exhaustion was never a part of Cade's vocabulary. Her mother used to say that she never ran out of energy as a little kid. She was always getting into mischief with the new friends she met along the way. It must be the new emotions rallying in her head which caused her fatigue she had never known before.
Cade had no one to come home to. No husband, boyfriend, an annoying roommate, a needy dog or indifferent cat, not even a goldfish. The afternoon's interactions with Harley, Jax, and even Tina made her wish she had someone to come home to with whom she could share her thoughts. She peeled out of the oversized suit and threw it in the laundry basket. Zee had told her to wear comfortable but professional clothes the next day. What the heck did that mean?
Pulling her closet doors open, she eyed the rows of ill-fitting suits hanging neatly, one more drab than the next. Her life lacked colour. Why wouldn't her closet? She turned to spot a pair of her most beloved jeans folded on her bed. They were comfortable, but would they be professional enough? If only she had asked for the next day's itinerary, apart from the school visit, then she would have a better idea what her day would be like. She pulled on the jeans then shrugged into a tattered college sweatshirt.
A buzzing hit her ears as soon as she pushed her head out of the sweatshirt's neckline. She had left her phone in one of the suit jacket pockets. Maybe Zee was calling her to give her more details. Or Mac to ask for a report on how the day had gone. She pulled it out and saw a photo of Juliette, taken from last year's Christmas party, on her screen that she didn't remember taking nor saving in her phone.
"Hey, Jul-"
"So how was it?" Juliette interrupted. "Was he hot? Was he all you thought he'd be? What's the daughter like? Is she a brat? She's a brat, isn't she? Oh, I knew it!"
"Calm down with the queries. How'd you know I'm home?" An audible sigh went through the line. Juliette worked as a PI when she wasn't answering phones at work. "Never mind, don't answer that. They're nice people."
Cade almost felt Juliette's eyes rolling through her phone. "Puh-lease. Don't give me that flowers and sunshine bit. Tell me the good stuff."
Cade brushed a hand through her hair, untangling it from the tight elastic at the nape of her neck. She could almost feel the jolt of electricity Jax's touch had elicited when he pulled on her ponytail as he kissed her. "I just got home, Juls, and I'm hungry."
"Oh good. I'll pick you up in a minute. Wait for me outside." That was followed by silence. Her friend hung up on her without even saying goodbye, and even worse yet, without asking if she wanted to be picked up. There wasn't any point in arguing with Juliette. She'd always claim victory one way or another.
After shrugging into her leather jacket and putting on low-heeled studded boots, Cade walked out of her apartment building just in time for Juliette to stop her red Mini Cooper with a loud screech.
"I don't want to hear anything else until we're seated." Juliette didn't glance her way. Cade busied herself with the seatbelt, remaining quiet. "And fed. You look half dead. Can't wait to find out what they did to you." Cade noted a bit of excitement in her friend's tone.
Juliette turned up the volume on her stereo seconds before a pop love song started, while she peeled away from the curb. Cade half turned to her friend and raised a brow. Without looking her way, Juliette got defensive.
"What? It's 1D." Cade waited for more information. "One Direction. They're only the hottest band since, I don't know, the Beatles?"
Cade laughed at her friend's statement. She could argue that there had been hundreds of great bands since the Beatles, but Juliette was a force to be reckoned with, and anything pop and current was Juliette's expertise. She decided to let it go and just enjoy the music, reminiscent of her favourite 80's songs. There were many other worries to think about, all of which Juliette would be dissecting one by one.
***
"He what?"
About ten other people seated around them gawked their way after Juliette's outburst.
If only Cade could make herself invisible. She slid her buttocks towards the edge of the vinyl-covered seat and leaned on the sticky table. "Tone it down, will you?"
Juliette flicked her hands around, waving away unwanted attention. "Cade, you can't be serious! We are talking about Jax Clark, rock supremo!"