Chapter 83 Shut the door
SOMA
Sunday morning brings a smile to my lips. I bounce around my room, half-listening to Jade talk about her date with Tristan. He might have fooled her with the excuse of needing some items off campus, but I know better.
As much as I’m happy for her, I want to return to the annex. She talks about the new dresses, and I nod at the right times, making small sounds when it feels necessary.
“My lady, are you going out?” she asks.
I sling the backpack over my shoulder with a nod. “Yes, to read. The mid-semester exam starts in one week.”
“Good luck. I know you can do it.”
“Let’s hope so, but I’ll be in the library for most of the day. Maybe you and Tristan can spend some time together in my absence. I don’t think I need you for anything right now.”
Jade grins, wiping it off almost immediately. “My lady, you’re spoiling me.”
Laughing, I pat her cheeks, a bounce in my steps as I head to the door. With her in Tristan’s care, I don’t have to worry about how she’ll survive in the house while I’m away.
Kade is at the dining table when I reach downstairs. There’s a rich spread for breakfast that makes me salivate. I grin, and he scowls. It doesn’t bother me. Each brother has a distinct personality. Once I master it, I will be able to handle all of them.
“Good morning,” I murmur.
He reaches for a slice of bread from a tray, and I push it toward him. His brow shoots up, and I flash him a bigger grin. The next item he tries to grab is the jar of butter. I open it and hand him a butter knife.
A laugh sputters out of him, and he shakes his head.
“You’re so weird,” he mutters.
“Thanks for yesterday.”
“The snacks are for everyone in the annex.” He spreads some butter over his bread, taking a bite out of it before he says, “I didn’t do anything, but sure, you’re welcome.”
Heat creeps up my cheek. If he doesn’t want to mention last night, maybe I should leave it be. Grabbing a mug, I pour some chocolate into it, both of us eating in silence.
Kade finishes his meal first, and as he rises, the words fly out. “Thanks for bringing me to the house yesterday.”
“What?” He frowns, shrugging on a jacket that looks too expensive to be worn this casually. “It wasn’t me. You were napping when I left, and I decided not to interrupt your beauty sleep.”
A normal person would ask more questions, but he picks up an apple, tosses it into the air once, and walks out. The door slams shut, snapping me out of my trance. I hurry after him, throwing the front door open, but he’s too far gone.
If he didn’t carry me, then who did? Tristan was with Jade. Sienna couldn’t have. The only other person with access to the annex is… I swallow, refusing to consider that option. But my gaze darts to the ceiling. What if it’s him?
Why didn’t he wake me up? Should I thank him?
No, it can’t be him. As I finish my meal and start for the annex, I can’t shake off the feeling that it was Brynne. Still, I push forward instead of heading to his room.
The campus is partly empty at this time of the morning. No one lingers around the library when I walk past it on my way to the annex. Unlike yesterday, the door to the annex isn’t locked. Is Kade here? I push the door open, one leg crossing the threshold, when I spot Brynne beside a shelf. My brain goes into flight mode, but my body is stuck.
He lifts his head, and that snaps me out of my trance. I back off into the hallway, gripping the handle to shut the door, but his voice cuts through my hurried movements.
“Running away again?”
The accusation hangs too heavy in the air, and the glint in his eyes stifles my need to keep more distance between us. First of all, we aren’t civil enough with each other for him to make such casual remarks.
“Who says I’m running?” I demand. He slides the book back onto the shelf. Stepping into the annex, I shut the door behind me and force my voice to stay even. “I’m not running. In fact, I’m here to study for the mid-semester exam. Since you’re busy here, I’ll leave so you can have privacy.”
“Yeah?”
The lanterns bathe his face in an ethereal glow, softening his features and making him look like an angel. His hands drop to his waist, and I hate how that highlights his broad muscles and the well-defined curve of his chest. In his academy blazer, everything stays hidden and moderate. But now? The T-shirt accentuates his figure, letting me know he cares about his body as much as he does about his appearance.
“No one told me you would be here, or I wouldn’t have come,” I say when he won’t stop staring at me. Turning back to the door, I grip the handle. “I’ll leave now. Sorry.”
“When will you stop avoiding me?” he asks. My throat works in a thick swallow, and I twist the handle. A gust of wind rushes in, but his voice breaks the peace that settles. “Look at me, Soma. When will you stop avoiding me?”
It’s bait. But I twirl slowly. Brynne hasn’t moved an inch from that spot, and he looks just as dashingly handsome.
“Who do you think you are that I’ll be avoiding you?” I say. He takes two steps forward, and I shriek, “Stay back.”
“When will you stop avoiding me?”
“When you apologize,” I blurt. That wasn’t what I planned to say, but if he wants reasons, then I’ll give him one. We both know he’ll never apologize, which makes me free to stay away from him. “For hurting me.”
“Hurt you? I gave you what you wanted.” His eyes slide over me. Even with the distance, I feel his heated gaze like a lover’s touch, and I realize we’re not on the same page. He’s referring to those times he made me climax, while I’m talking about the fire. “What your body truly desired, but you were too shy to ask for.”
“Says who?” I ask, my voice weak even to my ears.
“Shut the door.”
“Don’t command me,” I yell.
“Shut. The. Door.”