Pretend I'm Yours (Pretend 1)

“No, thanks.”

Kade grimaces. “You can sue him, but you’ll lose. Sebastian has a highly paid lawyer who doesn’t lose. If you fight this, you will be out lawyer’s fees and get no reimbursement. Sebastian won’t lose his driver’s license or do community service, and he definitely won’t spend a night in jail, if that’s what you are after, as much as he deserves it.”

My eyes flicker to Kade’s. Though he is defending his brother, his eyes say Sebastian deserves worse than he is getting.

“I’m not going to sue him. I don’t want his money or apology or any of it. I don’t want to think about Sebastian again.”

Kade’s body stiffens, and his face grows red before he pulls his phone out. “Make sure Larkyn’s hospital bills are taken care of.” Then, he ends the call.

I frown.

“You can’t do that.”

“I just did.”

I sigh. I should let Kade pay my hospital bills. I don’t have enough to cover them, and I don’t want to have to go to my father for this.

“Paying for your hospital bills isn’t enough though. What else can we do for you? Sebastian will do anything to make this right.”

I peek under the covers and see the brace on my foot. I wince at the black and blue covering my legs. This accident is going to ruin my running career.

“He can’t make this right. I don’t want to be near him. And I sure as hell don’t want his money.”

“Then, let me make this right,” Kade says, his head dropping a little in embarrassment.

“You did when you saved me.”

He shakes his head. “That’s not enough. I shouldn’t have let you walk home that night. You wouldn’t have been out there in the dark if I hadn’t made sure

you had a ride home, instead of treating you like crap. I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you.”

Damn Kade, and his sincere apologies. His puppy dog eyes and sad face, which somehow still shows his dimples, make me want to grab his face and kiss him. Then accept his apology immediately. I restrain myself, mainly because moving that much would hurt like a motherfucker.

“Kade, I don’t—”

“Stop, I’m making this up to you. I understand you don’t want to deal with my brother, and you’re right. He doesn’t deserve to be forgiven any time soon. But let me be nice so that I can have a shot at forgiveness sometime in my lifetime.”

He grins.

And I grin.

His grin reaches his eyes when he knows he’s winning.

“I’m stubborn. I won’t take no for an answer. So you might as well start thinking of ways I can help you.”

I bite my lip, trying to stifle my smile, but it’s a useless endeavor.

“Okay.”

He tightens his grip on my hand over the covers, and I regret hiding my hand away in the first place.

“So what will it be? Money? A new car? A broken faucet that needs fixing?”

I raise an eyebrow. “You know how to fix a broken faucet?”

He shrugs. “I know how to hire a plumber.”

I shake my head. Of course, his ways of helping are to give me money. I don’t want his money, though. If I won’t take my father’s, I sure as hell am not taking a King’s money.