Several girls stopped on the stairs at his words and swiveled to look at him.
“Keep your shirt on,” I warned. There was no reason to give the whole dorm a show.
“I’m thinking I should.” He smiled playfully and began to ease up his shirt, exposing his toned stomach with those drool-worthy indents that disappeared into his jeans. A trail of hair started beneath his belly button and disappeared just like the indents. Before he raised it anymore he shrugged and let it drop back into place. “Never mind. It’s cold. I might get frostbite.”
I’m pretty sure one of the girls behind me whimpered.
I quirked a brow. “I don’t think you can get frostbite in a dorm.”
“Hey, you never know, and I like to err on the side of caution.” He looked around at the leering girls still occupying the steps. “On second thought it looks like being eaten is more likely than frostbite. It’s like I’m man-meat or something.” Taking a dramatic bow he jogged down the steps. “Have a wonderful evening, ladies!” When neither Thea or I moved, Cade huffed, “Don’t make me show my abs again. We’re going to be late.”
Thea and I rushed down the stairs.
Cade grinned proudly. “Now I know how to get you guys to do what I want.”
“Oh, shut up.” Thea pushed his shoulder.
Cade bowed his head, laughing. I loved watching the two of them interact. Cade slung his arm over her shoulder and they started for the door. Suddenly, he looked back and his eyes connected with mine. He grinned slowly. “Are you coming, Sunshine?”
Always.
***
The bar was packed when we arrived, but Xander and Jace had snagged a booth for all of us. Cade slid in first across the black vinyl, beside Xander, and grabbed my hand so that I was forced to sit beside him—as if it was such a burden to be close to Cade.
“Hey, guys,” I said to the other two.
Xander smiled and Jace gave me a head nod. They both seemed like guys of few words.
“I didn’t know you were a musician, Jace.”
He looked up at my words and shrugged. “I’m not.”
Thea rolled her eyes. “He’s amazing.”
“No, I’m not,” he mumbled, looking around the bar broodily. “I’m going to smoke.”
He slipped out of the booth and disappeared.
Thea sighed and looked at me sympathetically. “That’s just Jacen. Don’t take it personally.”
Cade nudged my shoulder. “He’s kind of like you. Bristly like a porcupine but once you get to know him he’s a fluffy teddy bear on the inside.”
I snorted. “I doubt that, and are you comparing me to a porcupine and teddy bear?”
He grinned, squeezing my knee. “You know it’s true.”
It was true. I was feeling less and less like that prickly porcupine and more like the squishy teddy bear. I didn’t have to hate myself. I didn’t have to hate the fact that I was alive. I’d been punishing myself for too long and it couldn’t continue. It didn’t mean I had to forget my friends, just that I had to forgive myself. And forgiving? That was hard.
“You guys!” We all looked up to see a winded Jace sliding back into the booth. I’d never seen him so exuberant before. His green eyes were bright with excitement. “I just saw the hottest chick I’ve ever seen in my fucking life. Like…damn.” He whistled. “She was driving a fucking motorcycle. It was the sexiest thing ever.”
Could it be…?
“Did she have purple hair?” I piped in.
Jace turned to look at me, his mouth falling open in surprise. “Yeah, do you know her?”
“She’s my friend. We have some classes together.”