Page 21 of Caden's Situationship

She gasped when my lips collapsed onto hers, my effort to avoid the inevitable pointless. Apparently, she wanted it just as bad as I had because her dainty hands wrapped around the back of my neck and into my hair, her mouth tangling with mine just as fiercely.

Damn.I knew the moment I would give in and satisfy my curiosity, things between Cordelia and I would be explosive. She may talk all prim and proper, but her moans were sultry and sinful. There’d always been two sides to me. The side that most folks saw and the side that I had to keep under wraps because some couldn’t handle it.

Kissing Cordelia the way that I was, my hands grazing over her breasts and cupping her ass, she was seconds away from me saying to hell with hiding who I truly was with her.Hell, she could already know more than you think.And I wouldn’t be surprised if she did.

Cordelia always seemed to understand me even when I wasn’t trying to explain anything. Yeah, I was a gentleman.Sometimes. Tonight? Well, in this moment, I was ready to turn off my better judgement and take things as far as she was willing to take them. Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending—we were interrupted from anything going too far.

Before I even stopped kissing her, I heard the voice of my friend echo through my house.

“Damn, Linc,” I yelled. “Since when do you use your spare key at this time of night?”

Linc came into the living room and looked from me to Cordelia, who was tucked beneath me on the couch, a smirk on his face when he told me, “Sorry. How was I supposed to know you’d be fuckin’ on your couch?”

Cordelia gasped as I dropped my head. “You didn’t catch us having sex, but that’s none of your business anyway. What’d you come here for?”

“Right.” He walked farther into the living room, not giving a damn that he was ruining the moment. “Uh, Hou and I have been calling for over an hour and you haven’t answered. We have a Code Red right now.”

“Something’s wrong at Hou’s ranch?”

Linc shook his head. “Not exactly. We have a Code Red,” he repeated slower, glancing nervously at Cordelia. “You know, a problem with our other business?”

“Oh.”Shit.I glanced down at Cordelia, a curious expression on her face. “I’m afraid I have to handle this.”

“Hou, Wade and Kat are waiting in the admin building. I told them I would get you in case you were … indisposed.”

Cordelia placed her hand on her forehead. “Oh my goodness, you all assumed we’d be having sex right now?”

“Oh, nah. Not like that.” Linc waved her off. “Hou thought it was a possibility since he saw you come to the house before he left the property a few hours ago, but I thought Caden was too much of a pussy to make a move tonight and was jacking off instead.”

“Linc, man." I shook my head as Cordelia stifled a laugh. “Do you even think about what comes out of your mouth before you say it?”

He nodded. “Yep.” Glancing down at his watch, he asked, “We gotta get going, but I assume you need a moment to kiss her good-bye?”

“Leave.” I nodded to my front door after Linc stood there for a few seconds. With Linc, it sometimes felt like I’d traded in adult Crayson for his teenage version. They acted so much alike, I could only figure that’s why they weren’t that close growing up. Only enough room in Cranberry Heights for one of them.

Luckily, he didn’t pull anything else and went to stand on my porch. Once we were alone, I helped Cordelia up from the couch and straightened her shirt.

“I had fun with you tonight,” she said with a sheepish grin.

“Me too.” My thumb lightly grazed the bottom of her chin as I placed a brief kiss on her lips, unable to help myself. “Sorry tonight has to end this way, but duty calls.”

“I can come with you to the admin building if you want,” Cordelia stated. “Maybe it’s something I can help with.”

“No,” I told her a little firmer than planned. “I mean, why don’t you get some rest? I’m sure you’re tired.”

She eyed me curiously. “Why do I get the feeling that you don’t want me to know whatever this Code Red is.”

“It’s not that,” I lied. “Just boring business stuff. Linc is always overreacting, so I’m sure it’s nothing.”

She looked like she wanted to push me on it, but she finally gave in. After I’d seen her safely to the loft, I hopped on a golf cart with Linc to head to the others.

“How bad is it?” I inquired after he finished teasing me briefly about Cordelia.

“It depends,” he said. “If we need to, can you push your feelings about Cordelia aside to get the job done that we’re getting paid to do?”

I sighed, wishing I could give a different answer, but knowing that the only thing that made sense was to tell him, “Yeah, I wouldn’t let whatever’s happening between us interfere with work.”

He nodded. “Good, because based off what Hou and I just found out, private do-gooder Caden is gonna have to be put on hold right now. Instead, you’re gonna have to dig into that other side of Caden to get through the shit the bosses have in store for us.”

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