Page 5 of Chase

He walks over and sits on my bed, making himself comfortable.

“Well, it seems you have been hiding in your room all day, so I wanted to tell you to stop being a snob and come and hang out with us. We’re having drinks on the deck.”

“Who is ‘we’,” I ask him.

Kade lifts an eyebrow. “Does it matter?”

“I guess not,” I mumble sulkily.

“Come on, don’t be shy. This is your house too,” he tells me in a serious tone.

“Okay,” I say, exhaling hard. I jump out of bed and walk out with Kade. When I only see James sitting on the deck, drink in hand, I turn and give Kade a look. He gives me an easy smile in return. I sit down, and James hands me a beer.

“Done hiding?” James teases. I blush. “Oh come on Layla, I’m just playing. You don’t need to hide from us,” he says. I’m about to respond when a girl walks out onto the deck. Short white shorts and a white net top, I can practically see her breasts. She takes a seat on Kade’s lap.

“Eve, this is Layla, she lives here with us,” Kade introduces us.

Eve pouts. “She lives here... with you?” She repeats slowly.

“Yep,” Kade replies, popping the P.

“I don’t like it,” she replies after a few moments.

“You don’t need to like anything,” Kade says before taking a sip of his beer.

I glance over at James who is text messaging someone. I stand up and head for the kitchen. “Where you going Layla?” Kade asks instantly, thinking his girl is running me off.

“To the kitchen, I’ll be back.”

He nods.

I walk into the kitchen and decide to bake some brownies. I’m just putting them into the oven when Eve walks in. She steps into the kitchen like she’s on a mission, and stops right in front of me, trying to intimidate me. It doesn’t work. Here is the thing about me. I don’t like confrontation, and I don’t like to fight. I don’t like to get involved; I like my life drama free. But that doesn’t mean I won’t fight back. I don’t let anyone disrespect me. People tend to mistake my kindness for weakness. Their mistake.

“Listen here; if you even think of putting moves on Kade, you will regret it. He is mine and just because you live here, and you’re convenient pussy for him, you aren’t going to have him,” she spits out at me.

“What exactly are you going to do about it?” I goad. I have no intentions on doing anything with Kade, but this girl is asking for it.

“I will get Kade to kick you out, you whore!” She screeches.

I’m about to tell her exactly where she can shove that threat, when Kade walks into the kitchen, rage flashing in his eyes.

“Get out Eve, and don’t bother coming back,” he growls.

“What? But Kade, I...”

“You have the fucking audacity to talk to my friend like that? I don’t need that shit. Leave now, Eve,” he demands.

Eve stomps away, shouting a few curse words at Kade before slamming the front door as she departs.

“You don’t put up with any of that shit okay Layla,” he tells me, his voice now gentle. “You live here, you be comfortable here. You get first priority. Anyone says shit to you, or you don’t like something, come to me or James, we will take care of it,” he says as he gently tugs on a lock of my hair.

He is so damn sweet.

“Thanks Kade,” I say softly.

“No need to thank me, you can just share whatever your baking that smells so damn good,” he says, his eyes twinkling. I laugh.

“Of course I was going to share; I baked enough for a small army.”

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