Page 18

“Oh, also, down there is the laundry room if you want to do any while you're here.” He points to a door down the hallway we just walked through, and I nod, unable to make eye contact with him.

Was that a subtle dig that I smell? I try to go to the laundromat once every two weeks, stealing quarters from my tip jar that should be going toward my debt, and I figure the showers at the gym and cold weather have kept most odors at bay, but maybe I've gone nose-blind to my own stench.

I wave him off, trying to appear casual. “I'm only here one night.” As if I'm a hotel guest with options.

“Well, then you might as well get your use out of it. Everything's there. You can just pop a load in before you go to bed.” The way he says it makes it sound so normal, like I'm not a charity case he scraped off the pavement.

“Uh, thanks,” I say, still feeling like this is some elaborate prank and any minute now someone's going to jump out with cameras.

“The place is gorgeous,” I say, not because I feel like I have to, but because it’s the truth.

This space is so perfectly Cade without even trying.

Much like him. Cade is effortless. His mannerisms. His looks.

Nothing about him screams high-maintenance and that’s what I’ve always found intriguing about him.

“Thanks. Do you know Aiden Matthews?”

My mouth purses, and I shake my head, knowing full well that’s a lie.

I’ve seen him at Behind Closed Doors a couple of times and he might’ve paid me a lot of money to pretend I knew him in front of some girl he was trying to tick off.

I didn’t ask questions; I just agreed and took the money before Luke could find out about it.

“Good. Any girl who meets him becomes obsessed. Has these piercing eyes, apparently.”

So do you.

I shake the thought out of my head before I accidentally say it out loud.

“He’s one of the quarterbacks on the football team. His dad developed the apartment block, and I managed to negotiate a good rental rate because I paid for the year upfront.”

“Cool.”

“My bedroom is over there.” He points to the opposite side of the living room with one door. I nod. Then he walks close to me and opens the door beside me. “And this is my guest room.”

When I turn, I’m in awe. Just like his picture, everything looks so nice and homey. Stanley brushes past my leg to make his way into the space and jumps on the bed, making himself at home. “Cade, it’s beautiful.”

Cade walks in, encouraging me to follow.

“Like I said, my sister is the one to thank for that. I told her she could use it when she’s looking after Stanley and she may have taken it as an invitation to do what she wanted with the place.

” Stanley snuggles into the fluffy purple pillow and my bones ache to join him.

I bet that bed would feel really comfortable right now.

“Speaking of. She’s left a bunch of her stuff in the closet, which you’re more than welcome to use.” I bite my bottom lip, feeling like an imposter in his home. “The adjoining bathroom is just there.”

He points to a door, which I assume is the closet.

“It has its own bathroom?” I squeak louder than most would deem appropriate.

“Yeah, otherwise you’d have to share a shower with me.”

I flick my gaze to his, immediately regretting it when I see the hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

I drag my eyes back to the bed, desperately hoping he didn't catch the flash of heat that must have shown on my face at the mental image his words conjured—his body slick with water, steam rising around his shoulders, those hands that demolish opponents on the ice sliding soap across my skin.

Fuck, I need to get a grip before I spontaneously combust in his pristine guest bedroom.

“Oh, and there’s one other thing.”

He walks out of the room, leaving me alone with Stanley. I shuffle over to the bed and drop my bag onto the blanket before I reach out to give him another stroke. He lifts his paw, nudging me like he’s inviting me to sit beside him. So I do.

When Cade comes back, he’s holding a pile of clothes.

“What are those?” I ask.

He lifts the fabric, revealing a large Covey Crushers shirt and some purple basketball shorts. “I’m not sure if my sister’s left any PJs. So this is something comfortable to sleep in, just in case.”

His clothes.

He wants me to wear his clothes to sleep. I look down at my sweatshirt and leggings before letting out a humorless laugh. I guess if I was wearing his clothes, I’d be able to wash everything I own this time.

Cade places the pile next to me. “No problem if you don’t want them. It’s just an offer. There are some fresh towels in the closet, and that’s all I can think you’d need to know. You’re the first guest I’ve had not related to me, so is there anything else you need?”

So earnest. So eager. So sweet.

“Why?” I blurt out, instantly covering my mouth with my hand as though that could take it all away.

“Why what?” he asks, tilting his head as he studies me.

I close my eyes and gain the courage to ask the question that’s been on the tip of my tongue since I met him.

“Why me? Why are you being so nice to me? There are plenty of girls vying for your attention. All of them are prettier, richer and have a hell of a lot more going for them, yet you’re always here, looking at me.

Like that.” I wave my hand in front of his face, annoyed that he makes me feel like I’m losing my mind half the time.

He grins, seemingly enjoying my squirming under his scrutiny.

“Why you? Why not me?”

“What does that even mean?”

“It means I think you deserve someone in your corner for once. Someone to fight for you, to have your back. Why not me?” He holds my gaze, unwavering, his voice softer now, more certain.

“I want to help. So let me. Take it.” His lips twitch into a small grin before he adds, “Hell, take everything else while you’re at it, too. ”

Something tightens in my chest, something I can’t quite name. The only thing I can manage after that is a quiet, “Thank you.”

“Now, if you need anything else, like I said, I’m just across the hall. I’m going to hit the sack because I have some early training I need to get to. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m good.”

He beckons Stanley off the bed, directing him out of the room. “Good night, Savannah.”

“Cade,” I say just as he stands on the threshold. He stops and glances at me over his shoulder. “Thank you.” I say it louder this time, making sure he hears it.

“No problem,” he whispers back.

When the door shuts and I’m alone, I take a minute to center myself and play back the night. Is this even real? How the hell did I get here? I’m about to sleep in a bed for the first time in months. One with fluffy pillows and soft bedding.

I fall back onto the bed, my tense muscles relaxing, and let out a sigh of relief. My eyelids are heavy, and I feel myself drifting to sleep. As much as I want that, I want a shower in a bathroom that isn’t at the school gym more.

I pull myself out of bed, my body still sluggish with sleep, but the second I step into the pristine bathroom, a rush of excitement washes over me.

Clean, white marble tiles stretch across the space, untouched and gleaming, like something out of a hotel. I grab two white towels from the rack and place them within reach before I strip off my clothes, letting them fall into a careless pile on the floor.

The moment I step under the steaming water, a deep groan escapes me. The heat seeps into my skin, melting the ache from my muscles, loosening the knots in my shoulders.

For the first time in what seems like forever, I feel safe. Relaxed.

Why does every day have to feel like a battle?

Why can’t life be this easy?

Coming home to somewhere warm at night. Knowing there’s food in the fridge. A safe place to sleep. A bed waiting for my sister.

Cade mentioning Madison cracked something inside me.

The thought of my own sister makes my heart clench.

I wish she felt comfortable enough to confide in me.

I wish our relationship were more than just strained phone calls and distant check-ins .

I wish the only family member I had left in this world could be with me.

I let the water scald my skin a little longer before I finally turn it off, then step out and wrap myself in the thick, fluffy towel.

The warmth lingers as I pad back into the bedroom, but the ache of inadequacy in my chest stays.

My clothes lie in a pathetic heap on the floor, rumpled and uninviting. A reminder of the day I’ve had. A reminder that, despite everything, I still ended up here, in Cade’s apartment.

My gaze flicks to the neatly folded pile on the bed.

Cade's clothes. I hesitate for all of two seconds before giving in to the inevitable.

The moment I tug his shirt over my head and the fabric brushes against my skin, I know I've made a catastrophic mistake.

Him. That warm, woodsy scent that's everywhere in this apartment now seeps directly into my skin, settling into my chest like it belongs there.

Like he belongs there. Like I've just willingly wrapped myself in a drug I'll never be able to quit.

I let out a shaky breath, my fingers tightening around the hem of his shirt that practically swallows me whole.

This is ridiculous. This whole night feels like a fever dream that I'll wake up from any second, only to find myself back in my freezing car with nothing but memories to keep me warm.

Cade Bright, the guy I've secretly fantasized about for over a year, is playing my knight in shining armor.

He's saving me and I didn't even have to ask.

It's something I've dreamed about for so long, scripted in my head during countless lonely nights, and now it's actually happening.

Either I've died and this is heaven, or I'm about to wake up to the cruelest disappointment of my life.