“I guarantee you, Derek and Luke will explain.” Just like he’d have to deal with their shit come morning.
But, Kade thought, thinking back on the last few minutes, he could take whatever they dished out. Because the time with Lexie had been so fucking worth it.
* * *
Lexie woke up to a pounding headache and a mixed bag of memories from the night before. What the hell had she been thinking, letting Kade take her outside, climbing him like a jungle gym and… Oh my God, she didn’t want to remember any more. Except her body tingled in all the right places, her sex completely on board with what had happened last night.
She turned and buried her face in the pillow. How was she ever going to face him on Monday? At least he’d told her there was no dry cleaning this weekend so she didn’t have to face him today.
Before she could dwell on that awful possibility, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. Time to face her sister. “Come in!”
Her twin walked in carrying a cup of coffee and set it down on the nightstand. “I heard you come in late last night. I thought you could use a pick-me-up.”
“Bless you,” Lexie said, surprised her sister was being so sweet to her. Lately things had been strained.
Kendall sat down beside her in bed, curling her legs beneath her. “Did you go out and have fun?”
Lexie felt her cheeks burn at the innocent question. “I was with two girls from work. We went to a nightclub and … yeah, I had fun.” More than she’d had in a while.
If she took Kade and the fact that she’d begged him to make her come out of the equation, she’d acted more her a
ge than she’d been able to in years.
Of course, she couldn’t take Kade out of the equation because she thought about him constantly. She’d been drunk early in the evening, but by the time he’d arrived, she’d just been high on life and enjoying herself. When she’d asked him to dance, she’d been trying to get him to do the same. And, of course, to break up the tension from his confrontation with Casey, her dance partner, who she hadn’t been interested in, but he did have the moves and she’d wanted to dance.
But Kade hadn’t been comfortable in the club, something she’d realized too late. He’d been uptight and had barreled for an exit like a man possessed. Once outside, the relief on his face had been apparent. There was more to Kaden Barnes than she could put her finger on. More that she wanted to understand, but after her brazen behavior, she doubted she’d be around long enough to find out anything more.
“What’s wrong?” Kendall asked, watching her over her mug as she took a sip of coffee. “You look worried.”
Lexie narrowed her gaze at her sister’s concern. Not that it wasn’t in character. Deep down, Kendall was a good soul. She just had issues that often took over. Which was why Lexie cherished the times Kendall was … Kendall. Her sweet, caring, fun-loving twin.
Lexie leaned her head back and met Kendall’s gaze. “I’m thinking about my boss. He’s … different.”
“Good different?”
“Sexy different,” she admitted. “But he’s also difficult and demanding and he’s my boss. You don’t mix business with pleasure and still have a job the next day.”
“Is that what you did?” Kendall placed the mug on the nightstand and moved in closer. “Did you sleep with your boss?”
“No!” Lexie was quick to dispel that thought, and she wasn’t going to elaborate on what she had done with Kade.
“You just want to. Got it. What does he look like?” her sister asked.
“His name is Kaden Barnes, and he’s been in the news for his app, Blink. You can Google him later.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of him! He’s rich. Wouldn’t it be nice not to have to think about money?” Kendall said wistfully.
Lexie rolled her eyes. “It’s not like we’re exactly hurting. We have parents who make sure we don’t starve.” It was on the tip of Lexie’s tongue to ask about the shopping bags she’d seen in Kendall’s room. And to bug her about getting at least a part-time job, something that let her put one foot back into the real world. But that would cause an argument, and she’d lose the peaceful calm she was experiencing now.
“Do you want to go out for pancakes?” Kendall asked, unaware of Lexie’s thoughts. “I have a craving for them.”
As if in reply, Lexie’s stomach growled, and she laughed at the timing. “Let me jump into the shower and I’ll be ready soon,” she said instead of picking a fight by putting Kendall on the defensive with intrusive questions.
Lexie followed her heart, not her gut, and decided to cherish this precious time with the sister she loved during one of her more stable moments.
After a weekend to dwell on the fact that she’d begged Kade to make her come, she showed up at work and waited for him to arrive. Her sister had gone out with a friend again Saturday night, and she was looking for a job in retail, giving Lexie even more hope she was making progress. Add in the medicine change, which would kick in soon, and possibilities were endless. She couldn’t even bring herself to temper her expectations this time. She was too invested in things going right for once.
She sat at her desk, her eyes and ears primed for the old elevator, when Becky walked over to her desk. “Hey! Are you feeling better?” she asked.