Page 49 of Fragile Touch (Fragile 1)
“No problem. I’m going to shower and wind down. I need to be at the factory tomorrow before eight.” Andrew pretended to yawn and rested his hand o
n her shoulder. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yep.” They parted ways and she went back to the kitchen. Cayden wasn’t there, so she opened the back door and peeked onto the porch. He stood at the bottom of the steps and motioned for her to come.
“He’s really touchy-feely,” Cayden muttered.
“I didn’t notice.”
“I don’t know, Lil. That guy isn’t really making my good list right now.”
“Why not?”
“He likes you.”
Oh, hell no. “That’s absolutely—”
“He brought you flowers, and he stared at you the whole meal with that weird smile on his face. It was like I was almost not even there.”
“Cayden,” she put in, frustrated. “We just became a real ‘thing’ at breakfast today. I don’t want to ruin the mood. Andrew’s like my brother.”
“Does he know that?”
She ignored him. “I swear there’s nothing going on. Otherwise I wouldn’t have invited him over.”
“What does he do, anyway?”
This question brought her to reality, and she had to admit that Cayden and Andrew, so far, hadn’t even spoken enough to ask basic questions like these. “He’s one of the top guys at a chain of factories. Latex factories. I think they make surgical gloves, things like that.”
He paused. “I never actually thought about where those are made.” Realizing he was getting off track, he squeezed his eyes together. “Well, I wouldn’t have a girl stay at my place, that’s all I’m saying.”
Is he really starting this? “Even if you grew up with her?”
He didn’t say anything.
“Even if you had nothing going on between you?”
“If she liked me, and I was with you, I would give it some serious thought and give her a disclaimer.”
“You can stay over anytime you want.” It surprised her, hearing those words come out of her own mouth. They had only spent the night together once; it was too early to think about doing it again, compared to her usual pace of things. But Cayden was shaking up all the “usual” areas of her life, and she knew it. She quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth, a little embarrassed at how she had spoken without thinking. Cayden caught on, and the corner of his mouth pulled up for a moment so brief she wasn’t even sure it was real.
“It’s not that,” he started, but his words faltered and gave way to a toothy grin.
She gave him a sarcastic look.
“Okay, maybe it’s a little of that.”
“It’ll be okay, seriously. He’s not going to come into my room at night and make a move on me.”
He held up his hand. “Please don’t. Not something I want to think about.” With a sigh, he pulled her close against him. “I know we’re just getting started, but I like feeling you here. Right here, where I can feel your heart beat.”
She closed her eyes. Screw it, she thought, and laid her hands on his shoulder blades. “Dammit, Cayden, you just smell so good. It melts me.”
When he chuckled, she felt the deep rumble in his chest. “Good. I always feel like the sweaty gym smell sticks to me like glue.”
“Diva.”
“Am I being too possessive?”
