Page 4 of Trouble

“I’d be more concerned about your eyes than your job. If he thinks you looked at his wife in any sort of way, he’ll gouge them out.”

Cade barks out a laugh. “It’s hilarious how Liv married a man just like her brother.”

My jaw locks.

He nudges his elbow against mine. “Come on, if you won’t reply to my texts, the least you can do is smile at my jokes.”

“Why are you so obsessed with how I communicate?”

He leans back, hand to his chin, assessing me. “It’d make it easier for us to catch up. We barely talk unless I come to Bristol.”

Hailey sets our drinks in front of us, and Cade immediately sips his, staring at her ass as she walks away.

“Don’t,” I warn.

He doesn’t take his eyes off her. “Why?”

“She proposes to everyone who sits down at the bar.”

He pulls back like I’ve just waved a fire stick in his face. Exactly as I expected. The man is as averse to relationships as I am to texting. “The fuck?”

“Something to do with needing to be married to inherit the bar. I don’t know,” I grumble. “Point is, you don’t do relationships, and she doesn’t do one-night stands.”

Cade smirks, and I can’t help but zero in on that right side, waiting for the damn dimple to pop. It doesn’t.

“I don’t do one-night stands either,” he says. “Not unless it’s against the wall, or in the shower. Hm, have you tried out the fire pole?”

With a roll of my eyes, I push away the visions that hit me.

“I much prefer the use of a bed,” he admits. “Not that I’d turn down a woman on her knees.”

Before I can tamp it down, an image flashes through my mind. Cade gripping a ponytail, our hands linked as he guides her onto my cock.

When I don’t reply, he gives my shoulder a squeeze. I flinch beneath his touch. Ialwaysflinch at his touch.

“None of that shit with Melina in the house this weekend,” I grit out, silently berating myself for my reaction to a simple touch. “She’s going through enough. She doesn’t need you bringing home a random woman and keeping the rest of us up all night.”

Cade pulls back, scowling. “Give me some fucking credit. I’m not twenty anymore.”

“Iknow that, but I wasn’t sure you were aware.”

He rests his elbows on the bar and drops his head. “Fuck, you’re in a mood tonight.”

Internally, I wince. I don’t want to be an ass to my best friend. We rarely see each other, and he’s one of the very few people I like.

I roll my neck and angle my barstool so I’m facing him. “Sorry, I’m stressed and not handling it well. These damn fires keep popping up everywhere, and with the event tonight, there will be even more people to worry about. On top of that, Melina Fucking Rodriguez will be staying at my place for who knows how long. I haven’t lived with a woman since Liv was in high school. And I’m pretty sure eighteen-year-old Liv was nothing like a world-famous pop star.”

Cade’s eyes widen. “I think that’s the most words you’ve ever strung together at once.”

Huffing, I turn back to facing the bar. I don’t know why I try.Everything is a joke to this guy. Nothing is serious. He’d say I’m too serious, but becoming chief because the guy before me died in a fire makes it hard not to take fire safety seriously.

With a laugh, Cade pulls on my arm.

I go rigid as he squeezes, completely unaware of theeffect he has on me.

“I’m teasing,” he says, lowering his voice. “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate. And I promise I’ll help keep Mel safe.”

“Notin your bed,” I growl, my neck heating.

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