Page 104 of Laila Manning
“Their rules.” Kade held his hands up innocently, but we all knew he was anything but. “I’m just sticking to them.”
“Zeke and he have a bet going—two, actually.” I huffed, glaring at the boy, who winked at me with a charismatic charm so similar toZeke’s. “First bet is to see who can stop swearing first. They both have atrocious sailor’s mouths. And then the second one is to see who can make me fill the swear jar up first, because they both seem to draw curse words from me like magic.” I glared at Elora. “Men!”
Elora chuckled, shaking her head, “Oh, I like this plan. Do I get a cut if I make her curse, too?”
Kade shook his head, “Nope. I have a dirt bike on the line for that jar. No chance.”
I rolled my eyes, already dreading the day that Zeke showed up with a death trap on wheels. I knew it was going to happen, the second Zeke and Kade started talking about those things, I knew Zeke would fold and get him one. The big, scary man was obsessed with making Kade happy. But in a careful way. It was so fun to sit back and watch the two interact; they bonded as if they had known each other their whole lives, instead of for just a few months, living together for only a few weeks.
Almost as if there was something deeper connecting them in this weird, wild world than just their similarly icy blue eyes.
My alarm dinged on my phone, and I turned it off, feeling the energy around Kade shift even though he didn’t even look at me. “Time to go, bud.”
“Yeah,” He leaned over and gave the toy to Gavin before standing up and wiping his hands off on his shorts. “Thanks for letting us hang out again.” He said to Carly and Elora, like a polite gentleman.
“Anytime.” Elora smiled.
Carly nodded, “See ya later, kiddo.”
Kade and I fell into step together, heading back to the barracks to leave for our therapy sessions, and I put my arm on his shoulders and pulled him into me. “Nervous?”
“No.” He said firmly with a shrug as he kicked a stone with the toe of his sneaker. “You?”
“Always.” I said and smirked before I added, “I feel like I’m going to shit my pants at therapy every time.”
He scoffed and shivered dramatically, “You got poop problems?”
I tipped my head back and laughed as I shoved him lightly. “Not compared to the smells you make with your butt.”
“Rude.” He scoffed, pushing me back and cracking a smirk as we rounded The Shop. We both gave it a wide berth, but when the doors opened as we got to the front, we both hesitated when Zeke came out.
He looked like the powerhouse boogeyman he always did, but his suit jacket was gone, and his black shirtsleeves were rolled up, exposing parts of the tattoos that covered his entire body. The ones that made my mouth water. And between his perfect lips was a cigarette.
Which meant that whatever was going on inside that building was affecting even his hardened exterior.
“Hi.” He called when he saw us, taking one last drag off the cigarette before crushing it beneath his shoe as he walked to us. “Going to therapy?”
“Yeah.” I said breathlessly, staring up at his handsome features. “Everything okay?”
“Yes.” He said, pulling me into him and kissing my forehead as he turned to Kade. “Do you have your notebook ready for your therapist?”
Kade nodded, sliding his hands into his pants pockets. “Yes, it’s inside.”
“Go grab it so you’re not late.” Zeke said, nodding to the barracks behind us.
“Yes, Sir.” Kade turned and jogged into the barracks, where we did some new configuring. He was still at my place, and I was across thehall with Zeke. There were other studio apartments in the building, but none of us were interested in switching it up right now.
No one else was allowed to come in or out of the barracks since Kade moved in, so we just kept our doors open and moved in between as needed. Besides, it gave Kade the space to have a little privacy to settle into his new routine, without us being too far away from him when he needed us.
“Are you okay?” I asked Zeke, wrapping my arms around his waist as he squeezed me tightly. He would never tell me if he weren’t, but I didn’t need his words to confirm my suspicions. The way he clung to me gave me everything I needed to know. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He sighed, threading his fingers through my hair and breathing me in. “Sometimes it is just more intense than others. Forgive me for coming out to find you and interrupting you with it on your way out.”
“Did you?” I asked, leaning back to look up at him. “Come out to find me?”
“Yes.” He cradled my cheek in his palm. “I needed you. Just a moment with you.”
“I’m here.” I whispered, falling into his embrace as he exposed his needs to me. Too often I doubted my ability to be something the beautifully tragic man in front of me needed, but it proved how wrong I was. “I can cancel—.”
