Sam gave Brock a knowing look. The other brother only shook his head as Marly looked on in confusion. She had no idea what kind of problem those two had.
Silence lapsed once again. An uncomfortable, heavy silence. You didn’t mess with Cade when his voice got dangerous like that. Even Marly was extremely careful, for the most part. Shrugging, she crossed her legs, adjusting the hem of her short skirt as she did so to cover her thighs and staring out the window once again.
She saw him glance at her legs as his image reflected in the dark, tinted glass. His frown became darker. Then his gaze rose, taking in the long French braid of her hair, and her own refection as she stared back at him. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted, and Marly knew she looked as entranced by him as she always was. Cade’s dark good looks, and muscular body had always taken her breath.
“That skirt is too short, Marly,” he told her, his voice still dark and deadly. “I thought I just forwarded you enough money for new clothes?”
“This is new, Cade,” she told him as she turned back to him, facing his wrath directly. “Shorter skirts are in style.”
The thigh high, navy blue skirt, and matching jacket-style blouse was one of her favorites. Matching heels accompanied the outfit, and lifted her several inches taller than her normal five foot four inches.
“It barely covers your ass,” he bit out.
Marly flushed as Greg’s expression now reflected astonishment.
“Ignore him Greg, he never really bites. He just likes to bark a lot. Sort of like the junk yard dog you talk about all the time.” Marly ignored the muffled laughs from the other two men, as well as the anger that lit Cade’s eyes.
“Uh—umm—the dog bites too, Marly,” Greg told her warningly as he glanced in apprehension at Cade. “Really hard.”
“Well, Cade won’t bite you, Greg. And if he dares try to bite me, then he just might find out I bite back.” She shot him a fierce glare. “So stop trying to intimidate me and my friends, Cade.”
Cade arched one black brow as the gray in his eyes shifted, like thunderclouds moving into alignment. It made her nervous when they did that, made her want to run and hide. But she was determined not to run any longer.
“I never try at anything, Marly,” he reminded her darkly, his smile all teeth and no warmth. “You would do well to remember that. If I wanted to intimidate you, I would succeed.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t,” she replied sweetly, “I’m merely telling you to stop.”
He watched her curiously now, as though her newfound sass intrigued him.
“Damn, Marly’s getting teeth,” Sam murmured, earning him his own ‘Cade’ glare. “Sorry Cade.” He shrugged, but Marly caught the careful control of his grin.
Silence descended once again. It was uncomfortable, suffocating.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here before yesterday, Cade,” she told him softly; afraid that was the reason he was angry with her. He had been unable to get hold of her. She and several of her friends were at Greg’s that night, studying for a test. She hadn’t learned of Grandpa Joe’s death until the next morning.
“There was nothing you could have done.” He shook his head.
“I could have been here for you.” She laid her hand on his arm. “I would have been.”
He looked down at her hand lying on his muscular arm as though surprised she had touched him.
“The will was read the night before you returned home,” Cade informed her suddenly. “I’m sorry, but Joe never got around to changing it—”
“I never expected him to leave me anything.” Marly moved her hand back at his cold tone. “He hadn’t liked me from day one. So it doesn’t matter.”
It merely reaffirmed what she knew. Grandpa Joe had truly hated her. Hated her so much, that he was determined that nothing he had would go to the little waif he had taken in. Sometimes, she wondered why he had done so at all.
“It wasn’t dislike,” Cade began.
“No, it was hatred,” Marly rebutted. “And there’s no sense in us arguing over it now that he’s gone. I didn’t want anything he had. I want nothing you have. That’s why I’m going to college, to learn how to provide for myself.”
Cade sighed.
“You’ll always be taken care of Marly, I’ve ensured that,” he told her softly. “You won’t have to struggle.”
“Then you can unensure it,” she told him calmly. “Because I don’t want it, Cade.”
Greg was practically gaping at them now, drawing Cade’s fierce look once again. He dropped his gaze, but his brown eyes were still rounded with surprise.