“I’m a little clumsy,” she said, beginning to straighten.
His hand left her waist to slide to the nape of her neck, holding her in place. Surprised, she froze as he brought his mouth closer to hers. Jane lowered her eyes to his mouth, waiting for his kiss.
“What’s going on?” Bailey asked, stepping out of the trailer while running a brush through her hair.
“Nothing. I was just patching up Cade’s face.”
Bailey didn’t look happy. “I should have offered. Are you okay?” she crooned, coming up behind him to place a comforting hand on his back.
Jane turned and picked her backpack up before going back into the trailer. I wanted that freaking kiss, Jane thought, mourning the loss of a second kiss from him, one where he wouldn’t be pretending. She didn’t stand a chance against her sister’s more obvious flirtation, though.
She sat down on the mattress, wishing Killyama was there to kick Bailey’s ass for her. The longer she sat there fuming, the angrier she got. Why should she let her sister keep her from trying to get to know Cade better? She might not be as pretty as Bailey, but she sure as shit had a better personality.
Standing up, she decided to make her own play for Cade instead of running like a wimp and leaving the field wide open for Bailey.
She came to an abrupt stop in the doorway.
Cade and Bailey were plastered together, with him giving her the same passionate kiss he had once given to Jane, except the one he was giving Bailey looked real.
Chapter 12
They began walking again as the sun set, with Jane behind Bailey, whose energy seemed restored. She kept a constant stream of chatter going until Cade was forced to quiet her, telling her the sound of voices would travel in the night. Thankfully, his reprimand managed to quiet her, and Jane was given a respite. She made sure to keep space between her and Cade as they traveled through the night. Cade shot her several curious looks yet didn’t question the distance she had placed between them.
When they stopped to rest, Bailey sat down next to him, leaning against him as if they were already a couple, talking to him in low whispers that had Jane feeling like a third wheel.
She rose to her feet, turning to walk a few feet away.
“Where are you going?” Cade’s hand on her arm stopped her.
“I need to find a place to use the restroom,” she told him softly.
“Hurry.” Cade released her arm.
Jane hurried a few more feet away until she felt comfortable enough to lower her pants and relieve herself. When she came back to the camp, Cade was still sitting next to Bailey, her hand lying intimately on his thigh.
“How much longer before we get to the border?” Jane asked as she found a place to sit down until they started walking again.
“If we can walk some tomorrow without getting caught, we should make it tomorrow night.”
Jane felt relief flooding her. She didn’t know how much longer she could watch Bailey throw herself at Cade. She forced the feelings of jealousy away. She had never envied Bailey anything—not her father or the attention she managed to get from all their family members, and certainly not the boyfriends she had gone through over the years. However, Jane was finding it hard not to feel envious of the escalating intimacy growing between the two.
“Ready?” Cade and Bailey had risen to their feet and were waiting on her.
“I’m coming.” Jane found herself following behind once more, gritting her teeth when Bailey began talking again. This time, she kept her voice to a low whisper so Cade couldn’t reprimand her.
In the morning, they weren’t lucky enough to find another RV, although they did find a small crevice in the side of a hill they could hide in.
“I’m starving,” Bailey complained.
Jane sat down, hugging her knees, feeling her sister’s glare on her as she complained. She tugged her backpack closer and unzipped it to take out the last candy bar. Tearing it in half, she gave a piece to Bailey, and then tore the other part in half again, giving that piece to Cade.
“No thanks, I’m good. You eat it.” While Cade gave her a hard stare, refusing to take it, Jane returned the stare, continuing to hold the candy out until Cade gave in, taking it from her.
“We don’t have too much farther to go. We’ll be crossing the border at Hidalgo, Texas, but it won’t be safe to stay there, since the same criminals do business on both sides of the border. When we get to Corpus, I’ll buy you both a steak,” Cade promised, taking a seat closer to the opening.
“Let me have your backpack, Jane.” Bailey rudely held out her hand.
Jane lifted her head. “Why?”
“I want to use it as a pillow,” she snapped, taking it without so much as a thanks when Jane handed it to her.