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Chapter 17

No sooner had Rachel gone than Kaden brought my bag up and put it down next to the bed.

“Thanks,” I said. And then I could only stare at his arms. He’d taken off his sweater, and his plain T-shirt revealed his tattoos, just as I liked it. Since he’d told me what they meant, I found them even more exciting.

Damn Kaden with his damn sexy arms.

“Sure.”

I tore my eyes away and smiled at him. “Your mom is great.”

Kaden rolled his eyes and sat down on his bed.

I turned to face him and saw that he was already smiling again. The awful truth dawned on me: No sooner was Kaden back at home with his mom, than he became almost tame.

“What are you thinking?” he asked right away, sensing a change in me.

“About how happy it makes you to be here,” I answered in all honesty.

Just a few days earlier I had doubted it was a good idea to go with Kaden to Portland. Now that I was here, I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful place to be.

We spent a wonderful day together. Kaden finished the house tour while Rachel cooked. Eventually we joined her, but since Kaden’s mother hated giving up control in the kitchen, we just handed her the tools she asked for, and tried to stay out of her way.

After downing an endless supply of mac ‘n’ cheese, we cleaned up. It was almost like being at home in Woodshill. I thought I could feel Rachel’s eyes on me, but didn’t pay any mind.

“Feel like taking a walk?” Kaden whispered as we dried the dishes.

“Are there mountains here that you want to chase me up? ‘Cause hiking shoes weren’t on the list of stuff to bring,” I teased.

He leaned back against the sink, his hands on the counter behind him. “I thought I’d show you a few spots where I used to hang out. We could get a coffee or something.”

Or something. I smiled. The Portland-Kaden was enchanting.

“Why not.”

He gave me a sidelong glance. “Why are you grinning like that?”

I pressed my lips together. But I still couldn’t suppress my smile.

He took his jacket from the closet and held the door open.

“Later, Mom!” he called back over his shoulder. And then we stepped out into the cool autumn air.

Portland in the fall was gorgeous and quite different from the other cities I’d visited so far.

Kaden had grown up in a nice, cozy neighborhood. Everything looked well-kept, and as we walked toward the main road we saw several families, their small children zipping around on bikes. I watched them until they turned the corner, glad to have an excuse not to look at Kaden.

I was ashamed. Not only because I would’ve been sitting alone in Woodshill if I hadn’t come here. To be honest, it was mostly because I couldn’t fight the tingling sensation that his nearness always triggered. The more I got to know him, the less firm my conviction seemed that we’d never be more than just friends.

“Did you always live here?” I asked as we left the neighborhood.

“Mom bought the house after the divorce. It was totally run down when we saw it for the first time, and I couldn’t imagine living here,” he answered.

“Really? It doesn’t seem that way at all.”

“We tried to do a lot ourselves, to save a little money. I wasn’t much help at that time.” Kaden shrugged. We were walking so close that I could feel him against my arm, and I increased the distance between us.

Kaden stopped walking. “Oh come on,” he growled, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me back against him in a powerful motion. “What’s with you?”