Breaking Mr. Cane (Cane 2)

“I—I don’t,” I lied. I don’t know why I wasn’t telling the truth. The fact of the matter was that I did feel out of place in my own home. I was happy to be back, yes, but not for moments like what had just happened in the kitchen.

His eyes softened. “What I was trying to say down there was that I don’t mind you having fun…just…be careful.”

“I will, Dad.”

He dropped his eyes to the floor. An awkward silence filled the room as he shifted from one foot to the other. “Do you still talk to him?” he asked, slowly dragging his eyes back up. I noticed his grip was tighter around the doorknob, his lips pinching together. The possibility of me still talking to Cane was tipping him over the edge. I couldn’t be dumb enough to tell him yes. Yes, I still talked to Cane. Still wanted my dad’s ex-best friend. Still enjoyed having sex with him…

“No,” I answered, and his eyes widened a bit, his shoulders slumping. His grip on the doorknob went slack.

“Oh. Well, I guess that’s good. We can all move past this then.”

I nodded, smashing my lips together.

“Okay, well, thank you for telling me and um…if there’s ever anything you want to talk about, you can talk to me. I may not be the best at talking, but I’m good at listening.”

I nodded, smiling a bit. “I know, Dad.”

“Okay.” He took a few steps back until he was in the hallway. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” I whispered.

When he left, shutting the door behind him, I shut off my lamp and rolled over, staring out of the window. I needed the night to be over so tomorrow could deliver me a less awkward day.

This will be complicated, but it will be okay, I told myself. Your heart knows what she wants…even if that makes her a traitor.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

CANE

When Kandy showed up at my house the day after I got back from Washington, something seemed off with her. She still smiled when she saw me, and her eyes still sparkled with adoration. She kissed me when she walked into my arms, but even though her eyes had sparkled, they were sad. She had this defeated look on her face, like she wanted to be there with me, but also felt bad for it. I could tell right away the guilt was eating her alive, probably because she’d been around Derek and spent a lot of time around him since being home.

“Everything okay?” I asked, letting her into the house.

She nodded when I shut the door, releasing a sigh. “Yeah. Fine.”

“Doesn’t seem like it. You look like someone hurt your feelings.”

“Well, maybe they did.” She shrugged and turned, walking down the hallway, her keys jangling. I followed her to the kitchen, tucking the tips of my fingers into my front pockets.

“Who did?” I took a step toward her. “Tell me now, and I’ll set them straight for you.” I was teasing, but she frowned and peered up at me. I clearly wasn’t helping with lifting her spirits.

“It’s been more than twenty-four hours and I can’t stop thinking about it…”

“About what?” I asked.

“He asked me if was still talking to you,” she murmured when I wrapped my hands around her upper arms and rubbed them. “The first night I got back.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes. And I told him that I don’t.”

“Oh.” I guess I couldn’t blame her for that one. Yes, we cared about each other, wanted to be together, but now wasn’t the time to make matters worse.

“Are you mad?” she asked, and her voice, the naivety swimming in her eyes and masking her face, hurt me to witness. My girl was hurting and I didn’t like it one bit.

“How could I be mad? I understand why you told him that. What happened is still fresh and he probably wouldn’t take it lightly if he knew the truth.” She nodded, about to lower her gaze, but I tipped her chin back up with my forefinger. “What can I do to help?”

She looked away, sighing. Then her eyes shifted up to lock with mine. “Are you sure we should keep doing this?” she asked. “I mean, you have a lot on the line, Cane. And Kelly is still around. Maybe not here, but she’s around and will probably be back if she catches wind that I’ve been here. I’m worried the fucking house might be bugged now too.” She looked around nervously and I shook my head, smirking.

“Kandy, as soon as I found out she wired my office, I had my whole house checked and I’ve paid for more security. Nothing was found.”

“How did you find out about the video?”

“Mindy mailed me the USB flash drive, along with a note asking me to kindly stay away from you, them, and to never contact you again.”