Page 71 of You're All I Need

She grins, her long, slender fingers gripping the door frame. “Not tonight, cowboy. You need your rest.”

I sleep better with you beside me.

“’Kay,” I grumble, turning on my side and curling around my pillow. “Thank you for dinner.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Sorry I was an asshole.” I can’t keep my eyes open.

“It’s okay, Caden. Get some sleep. I’ll clean up my mess and lock up behind me. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Night, Adrienne.”

“Good night.”

It’s her presence that keeps me company as I drift off to a heavy, blissful sleep.

Chapter Twenty

Adrienne

“Then what happened?” Stevie asks, leaning over the bar as if she’s hanging on my every word.

“Nothing. He fell asleep. I cleaned up the kitchen and went home.”

“You didn’t stay?” she asks, clearly surprised by this revelation.

“Why would I? It’s not like we’re in a relationship,” I reason, ignoring the way my heart beats a little fast in my chest.

“Could have fooled me,” she states, grabbing her tray with the drinks I just poured her. “Didn’t you say he went all caveman jealous?”

I roll my eyes. “I didnotsay that. I said he got pissed at Brock Streeter.”

“Because he was talking to you. I don’t know if you’re aware, but that’s pretty much the number one sign of jealousy.”

My eyes narrow at my friend, mostly because I don’t have a good comeback. I don’t have an argument or an excuse for his uncharacteristic behavior, other than he was tired. “He had just worked a million hours in two days, Stevie, and was going on little sleep.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I understand the words you’re saying, but all I hear is he was mad and jealous.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I counter, crossing my arms over my chest, staring her down.

Thankfully, the door opens, and a few new patrons walk in and head my way. I wait until they’re seated before I approach, leaving my nosy friend to get back to work. Out of the cornerof my eye, I see her head back into the restaurant, and I finally let out a sigh of relief. The truth is, I don’t know how to take the Caden I saw last night. I was…upset. Tired, yes, but it felt like more than that. It felt like…jealousy, and I can’t figure out why. We’re not dating. We’re friends. Friends who have sex, but friends, nonetheless.

Maybe I need to reconsider everything. Nothing looks as black and white as it did even just a few days ago. There’re all these bright colors now, and they’re vibrant and bursting from the paper. It’s mesmerizing and consuming all at the same time.

What I didn’t tell Stevie was that after I went and cleaned up the kitchen, leaving him a plastic container of leftovers in his fridge, I stole a peek at him while he was sleeping. Yep, like the apparent stalker I am, I stood in the doorway, watching him. He was so content, so relaxed, so tired. Even when I accidentally dropped my phone on his floor, he didn’t even flinch. He was passed the hell out, thanks to an almost sleepless night the evening before.

But eventually I forced myself to back away. After several minutes of observing him breathing in and out, wishing I could strip down to my underwear and climb into the bed beside him, I pushed off the doorjamb and forced myself to leave. I grabbed my Crock-pot, flipped off the lights, and locked the door. I made sure his keys were still on the counter where I left them after discovering them still in his knob.

Then, I drove home.

Alone.

And hated every second of it.

Usually, the quiet of night in the peace of my own home is enough for me, but last night, I was restless. I wanted to call Caden, talk to him about his day, even though I know he worked most of it at the house he had the service call at the night before. I hung around a few extra minutes at the office, hoping he’d bedone and back at the shop before I left. He wasn’t, and I couldn’t ignore the sadness I felt at not seeing him.

And then the whole gym thing happened, and even though I know Stevie is right and he was acting like a jealous lover, I still ignored the neon signs flashing in front of me like some truck stop on a deserted highway.

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