Chapter 19

Warm, minty breath fans across my face. I breathe it in and sigh, pulling the scent into dreamland where Blake has made far too many appearances in one night. Fingers press against my hip, their pressure too gentle for my taste. I frown and buck my hips up, a silent invitation for more.

A chuckle.

Soft lips press against the side of my mouth and I freeze. Reality and dreamland become severed in one swift, jarring moment. My eyes snap open and Cade's curious grin comes into view. He's dangerously close to me, has fingers still trailing along my exposed stomach.

"Wha-whe-what are you doing here?" I ask through layers of sleep.

It's a poor question choice, because of course I know why he's here. My dumb ass fell asleep. Apparently his dumb ass did too. Cade grins and removes his hand from my side. His dark hair is brushed to the side, clear eyes staring down at me with keen interest.

Whatever expression is on my face makes Cade hold up his hands in mock defense.

"Calm down, I was trying to find a fun way to wake you up. And I see that it worked."

He glances down at my growing erection and I blush. Fiercely. If it was just casual morning wood, I would tell him to piss off. This erection is different though, caused by the leading role of my far-too-sexual dream. Blake.

I don't bother correcting Cade's assumption, and instead brush off him off before jumping out of bed. My towel is still balled up in a damp heap on the floor from last night. A streak of panic fills me when I switch my gaze to the nightstand.

"Shit."

Cade's brow puckers and he follows me gaze to the clock. "What's wrong?"

I grit my teeth and fling open my suitcase. All the clothes in sight are thrown inside without being folded. If my brother was here, he'd be throwing in all the toilet paper and tissue boxes into my suitcase too. 'It's included in the price of the room,' he'd always say whenever we went on a family vacation.

"Do you need my help, Callum?" Cade asks, regaining my attention.

His tone is light but serious, genuine concern lacing his words. I grab a pair of jeans and head to the bathroom.

"My flight leaves in less than two hours," I explain, shutting the door behind me. "And Blake told me to meet him in the lobby at 9:00 AM. Sharp."

I mimic my boss's voice, nailing the timbre and tone flawlessly. Cade stifles a laugh and I can almost see him smiling from the other side of the door.

"Man's got you on a tight leash," he comments.

Yea. Something like that.

I finish changing and hurry out of the bathroom to finish packing. By the time I close the zipper of my suitcase, Cade has the hotel room looking immaculate. He gives me an impish shrug and stuffs his hands into his back pockets.

"Force of habit," he says. "I cleaned hotel rooms before I became a bartender."

I'm about to make a snide joke about how his talent for making beds far exceeds his ability to make a stiff drink, but my eyes fixate on the clock again.

9:27 AM.

"Fuck. I gotta go, man."

I check my phone, half-expecting there to be gobs of unread texts and unanswered phone calls waiting for me. There aren't. A frown creeps across my brow. For some reason, the lack of communication from Blake has me more on edge than ever.

My fingers curl around the handle of my suitcase and I haul it to the door. Cade follows just a step behind me.

"Have a safe flight," he says. "Feel free to text me whenever."

I turn towards him, not really sure what to say. We had a 'bro' night, after all. We chilled, watched sports, had some pizza – albeit incredibly boring pizza – and just relaxed. It shouldn't be so awkward to say goodbye then, should it?

I mean, yea, there was a weird cuddling session amongst that too. But -

Cade catches me off-guard and plants a whisper of a kiss on my lips. It's different than his kiss in the car, this one softer and more familiar. His minty taste lingers on my lips and I stare at him, more confused than ever on what to say next. He reaches out and sends a playful punch to my arm.

"Would you stop thinking so much?" He laughs and shakes his head. "I had fun. We'll leave it at that."

"Yea, alright."

Cade opens the door for me and pops his head outside first, glancing from left to right. Then his voice drops to a whisper.

"I'll give you a twenty minute lead before I head out. Just to make sure the coast is clear."

He leaves enough room for me to pass him. I wonder why he doesn't just move out of the damn way, but then he grabs my ass, effectively answering my question for me. My cheeks clench together, unsure of the new touch. I roll my eyes and don't look back.

What an idiot.

As if sensing my tardiness, the elevator takes no time getting me down to the lobby. I stroll across the marbled tile with purposeful strides, realizing my attire is a bit lackluster compared to the hoity-toity employees running this joint.

My stomach tightens when I get to the lobby. A few people are scattered around, most of them reading the newspaper. One old dude bypasses the paper altogether, his sole focus trying to get his e-cigarette to work. My gaze sweeps over every chair and person in the lounge, but I come up empty handed.

Where is he?

I glance out the front windows and let out a sigh of relief when I see that Todd is parked right outside the doors. Blake leans against the car with his usual, unflappable poise. Steams of sunlight bounce off his expensive attire, a personal spotlight every time he moves. The two of them seem to have a casual conversation going back and forth. Either they're oblivious to how late I am, or for once they don't care.

The first is impossible, and the second seems unlikely.

I readjust my suitcase and take a deep breath before walking outside. The coolness of the indoors is engulfed by the smothering humidity. My jeans feel too heavy and hot, making me wish I'd just worn the sweatpants instead.

Todd notices me first. His eyes narrow to slits and he clears his throat. My boss turns towards me, inclining his head to give me a nod of acknowledgement. Sunglasses cover his eyes – aviators no less – making him look sexier than I'd care to admit.

"Ah, there he is," Blake says to me with calculated kindness.

His tone is shrewd and he gives me a smile that looks forced. Todd, on the other hand, has zero problem shooting me a sinister glare. Of course he's mad. Here I am holding up the show. Yet again.

An apology sits at the top of my tongue but never make its way out into the open. It's one thing feeling a sliver of humiliation when it comes to Blake.

Asshole Todd is another story.

"When Blake asked you to meet him down here at 9:00 AM, he meant Eastern time. Not 'Callum time,'" Todd mocks, using his thin fingers to put air quotes around his invented time zone.

My defenses flare, and take a menacing step towards the car.

"Apologies, Todd," I sneer. "But there's room for only one nose to be shoved up Blake's asshole. When you're through with your turn, why don't you give the rest of us a shot?"

Todd's eyes widen and he flushes. "Why you little shit..."

"Now, now," Blake says, laughing, "Don't be too hard on Callum. He had a busy night."

His interception silences the two of us. Blake turns his back to me and opens the door, ushering me to get inside. I swallow hard, trying to keep my face calm as I run through the meaning behind his words.

Does he knew I was with Cade last night in the hotel room? Or was Blake referring to our intimate moment together in the penthouse suite?

The nearest hotel attendant grabs my luggage and hoists it into the trunk. Blake tips him, of course, and gets into the backseat beside me. For the first time since arriving, I notice the large amount of space he leaves between us.

Has he always done this?

My tongue slides across my bottom lip. The tender bit of flesh from last night is almost healed. Blake straightens his shirt and looks forward, not bothering to spare me a second glance. He instructs Todd which terminal to drop us off, and I'm left to mulling over my worry in silence.

Spots of sunlight stream down from the patches of open space between the palm trees. It feels hotter than normal today, the warmth causing beads of perspiration to form across my forehead.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out, squinting at the text.

Cade: Everything going OK?

I type back, making sure to angle the screen away from Blake in case he decides to look over.

Me: Things are weird, man.

Cade: Oh shit. What'd he say?

Me: Nothing yet but he's acting off. Idk. I can just tell.

Cade: LOL. Sounds like you're just being paranoid.

I scowl at the text and stuff my phone back into my pocket. Must be nice to be able to just laugh it off. Lucky for him, Cade gets to go back to his casual nights of making drinks and being fawned over by drunken gay men. I, on the other hand, have to go back home and deal with him.

I lick my lips again and think, trying to come up with a way to probe Blake about his comment without giving anything away.

The 'accusation game' gets the final vote.

I lower my voice and lean across the seat, trying to speak softly enough for Todd not to overhear. "Why didn't you come after me last night?"

Blake's features are stone cold. His sunglasses block my only venue to gauge his anger level. Instead all I see is my worried expression being reflected back at me. He reaches down and tugs at his cufflinks, adjusting them once, then twice. His jaw tightens and he leans towards me ever so slightly.

"I did," he says, confirming my fears in one swift, emotional punch to the gut. "But you already had company."