Begin Again (Again #1)(35)

“Oh, admit it. You missed me.”

Snorting, I turned back around and threw more of my stuff into the suitcase. Finding his sweater in my dresser, I threw it at him. To my surprise, he caught it. Now I was so mad that couldn’t do anything but stare into the empty drawer, panting.

“Does your mother have you deeper in her claws?” Kaden came closer. “You don’t have to do what she wants, Allie. No idea what she did to you, but now you can do and be what you want.”

I turned and paused for a second. “You might have this luxury. Not me.”

“Why not?” He looked serious.

“Can’t you just leave me alone?” I asked.

“No.”

“Good, let me put it another way: Please leave me alone and find a girl who can deal with your shit! I don’t have the time or desire to deal with your mood swings.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Mood swings? Look who’s talking!”

I wanted to stamp my feet.

“I don’t really care what you think of me, Bubbles,” he said. His arrogant grin and the way he inspected me with his eyes made me mad.

“Don’t call me that,” I growled.

“Shall I call you Crystal instead?”

A bolt of lightning struck me, and I froze.

You’re beautiful, Crystal.

My lower lip began to tremble, I raised my arms and pushed them against Kaden’s chest. He staggered back, but quickly recovered. “Leave. Me. Alone.”

Kaden didn’t even consider it. Instead, he made the mistake of coming closer. I drew back.

“I know you’re used to keeping people away. But I’ll say it again: If I ask what’s up, I want an answer.”

His gaze was fixed on my face.

“I don’t care what you want,” I hissed. “It’s not about you, okay?”

He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Yeah, well, maybe a little. First my mother shows up, and you are so attentive that I have to ask myself if it’s really you, and that night you bring me to bed and tell me all these personal things until my head is buzzing.” I took a deep breath and shook my head. “That was just too much, Kaden. It’s not that I wanted to break your stupid rules. It just happened! That’s no reason for you to ignore me for days. For God’s sake, I’ve been worried about you!”

He opened his mouth but I wasn’t done yet.

“And then there’s my mom, your disappearance, my failed lit exam, and I get the feeling that everything is going downhill. All I wanted was freedom. And now I feel just as locked up as I did a few months back. I can’t breathe anymore, everything’s turning to shit, not to mention that I’ve gained weight and—”

“Allie,” Kaden said, reaching for my shoulders.

“No!” I cried, raising my chin. “You can’t just show up, make fun of me, order me to tell you about my problems, when all you want … ”

I didn’t get any further.

Kaden leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.

I froze. Words were still ready to pour out of me, but suddenly there was only Kaden, covering my cheeks with his warm, rough hands and pushing me against the dresser with his body. His hips ground against mine, and his lips barred any further word from me.

He stroked my cheeks with his thumbs and then I felt his tongue on my lips. Not insistent, but cautious. Like a question that needed answering.

I wrapped my arms around Kaden’s shoulders and gave him the answer he’d been waiting for. A low sound came from his throat. His hands traveled down to my waist. Of their own accord, my legs wrapped around him as he lifted me up and sat me on the dresser. He put one hand on my back and pulled me toward the edge.

His tongue slowly stroked my lower lip. I sighed into his mouth as he gently sucked my lip between his teeth; I ran my hands down his back to his narrow hips. His body felt just like I’d imagined it would.

Panting, he broke away from me. My eyes were still closed.

The guys I’d kissed before didn’t know what they were doing—that I now understood. I’d never been kissed this way. So wild and so gentle, at the same time.

Dazed, I blinked.

“I should do this from now on, if you don’t stop talking.” Kaden gave me one of his crooked smiles.

I no longer had the strength to punch him, though that’s what I wanted to do. Instead, I leaned my head forward, resting it on his chest.

Kaden dug his hand into my hair. “How about you unpack, and I order pizza?”

I murmured in assent, but didn’t budge.

Suddenly Kaden’s hands were around my ribs. He lifted me from the dresser and put me down on two feet. But my legs wobbled like Jell-O.

“Unpack,” he commanded, and went to the door. He turned around again to me, his gaze gliding from my flushed cheeks down my entire body. He shook his head and whispered, “Damn.”

How right he was.

“I hereby give you permission to cry,” Kaden said solemnly as I entered the living room. The pizza was already on the coffee table.

I grinned in spite of myself. “How nice of you. But I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“No?” He pointed to the pizza. “Are you sure?”

I looked at him. “Where were you the last few days?” I whispered.