Page 27 of All Our Ghosts

“Okay, Okay… Hey–” I say, stepping into the shop behind her.

My hand falls over hers to get her to stop before she breaks it even more. Kadence’s entire body freezes under my touch, her gaze piercing my fingers that are currently wrapped around her own. I fully expect her to pull away from me, but she doesn’t.

“You’re gonna break it, tough guy,” I whisper leaning into her slightly. Her skin is soft and my hand feels like it’s on fire against hers, the heat of our bodies fighting for control.

She looks up at me through her lashes, each of our hands still lingering against the other. I flick my tongue over my bottom lip, catching her eyes as they dart down towards the movement and then back up to meet mine again.

My own gaze falls to the way she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. It doesn’t help the fire growing in my stomach as we stand here, almost in our own tormented game of chicken, each waiting for the other to break first.

Kadence slides her hand out from mine and takes a step back from me as she sucks in a deep breath. Disappointment floods me for a moment and I clear my throat again to shake it away.

“If you have any other ideas, be my guest,” she says, plopping herself down onto the couch and resting her head back against the edge of it.

Her eyes slide closed and she takes in a few more deep breaths.

“You just have to–” I grunt softly, kneeling down to unplug the AC unit and plug it back in.

Her eyes slide open as I lean back, waiting for it to kick on. After a few seconds, we hear the fan start to whirr again, and I flash a grin her way. I stand up, holding my hand out in front of the vent feeling the cool air blow against my still-heated palm.

Kadence stands and quirks a brow as she holds her hand out next to my own. Her eyes going wide for a moment before looking back up at me. “That’s it? Just unplug and replug it back in?” She says, her voice littered with skepticism.

I nod, taking a step back and leaning against the desk. “Been doing it for years. Cole refuses to buy a new one until this one goes to complete shit.”

She glances back at the AC unit, folding her arms over her chest. “At least I know what to do now…” Kadence smiles softly, her eyes still on the appliance before they flicker to me. “Thanks.”

I feel the blush creeping up my neck, hearing the honesty in her voice. The tension from last night has dissipated and has been replaced with something else, though I can’t quite tell what it is.

“I should–” She starts, pointing back to the desk. I glance down at it, the stack of papers that was there before is now sorted into separate piles and there are boxes that she’s organized with new folders.

“Right,” I say, stepping away from the desk as she goes to move past me.

Kadence gives me a smile. It's small and doesn’t quite reach her eyes, but it's an improvement from the coldness she gave me earlier so I’ll take it. It’s not until she turns away from me that I notice a scar on the back of her left shoulder. It's jagged and theedges are pink from where it's scarred over. It looks like the one I have, only mine is smaller and more round.

I hear footsteps behind me, causing me to break the stare I have and realize she’s been watching me the whole time. I go to open my mouth when Cole brushes past me, taking a guarded stance between me and Kadence.

“Everything alright?” Cole asks, glancing between the two of us.

Kadence is quiet, her brows furrowed again but this time not in anger. She knows I’m staring and I know I’ve been caught.

“Everything is fine,” she says, her eyes never leaving my own. “Holden was just fixing the AC.”

“Yeah, Pal. I think it's time to get a new one.” I agree, finally breaking our stare to look at my friend.

Cole shakes his head. “If you fixed it, then I don’t need a new one.” He smirks before turning to Kadence. “We have a few members coming back tonight and we do this dinner every time a member comes back from a ride.” He smiles gently at her. “I’d like for you to come, if you want that is. You’ll be able to meet a few of the other members.”

Kadence glances at me again and I shrug. “I don’t know, Cole…”

“No pressure, okay? I’m gonna head out in about an hour, so if you want to come, just meet me outside.”

She nods. “Okay.”

Cole smiles again at her and for some reason I feel like punching the smile right off of his face as he turns to leave. “Nash, you ridin’ with?”

Our eyes meet again and I nod. “Yeah, I’ll ride with.”

Cole claps me on the shoulder. “Good,” he says with a smile before heading out of the shop.

I watch my friend leave before turning back to Kadence, the air around us filling with thick silence.

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