"Are you okay?" Ginger, my brother's wife, asks for the hundredth time since we've been here. I warned him. "Do you need anything?"
Kade stifles a grin while giving me a wink, letting me know he completely understands what I meant now. Her brilliantly red hair bounces in ringlet curls, and her freckles soften her look.
"I'm fine, thank you," he says softly, letting his ingrained manners shine through.
Kade wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I lean into him, feeling the exhaustion settling over me. A yawn attacks me, forcing my eyes to shut, and when I open them again, my mother's gaze is on me, scrutinizing me with a wry grin.
"I'm ready to crash," Kade says through a yawn.
"Me, too. I'll show you the guestroom."
Though the trailer is small compared to his house, we still have four bedrooms, which is perfect for tonight.
"Actually, Raya," my mother says, a smile in her voice, "the guestroom is packed full with some of your brother's friend's things. He needed a place to store some stuff while he moved into a new home. Kade will have to share your room tonight. Your bed is plenty big enough."
Josh spews wine from his lips while clutching a new bottle of the expensive drink. I watch in dismay as the hundred-dollar droplets settle into the grungy carpet.
"You're kidding me!" he says, scolding my mother.
"Absolutely not. Clean that up," she grumbles. Then her smile returns as she faces Kade. "Unless you're uncomfortable staying in the room with my daughter, of course. I could ask one of the neighbors to put you up."
Kade does well to stifle his laugh. But I shoot her an I'm-going-to-kill-you glower. She ignores me, as usual.
"I'll be fine in Raya's room. She doesn't usually bite."
He gives me a wink, and I swear my knees wobble. If he had any idea about the things rattling around in my mind... he wouldn't keep talking like that. His lips look so... tempting tonight. This is bad.
"Raya?" he says, grinning, forcing my eyes up from his lips. "Want to show me where to find your room?"
That's not a question he needs to ask me right now. Not while I'm being a hormonal idiot. Sheesh.
"Yeah, come on," I mumble, quickly turning my back to him to lead him through the narrow hallway.
He grabs up our forgotten bags, leaving behind the wine, but I turn around and retrieve it before Josh devours eighty thousand dollars in one night.
"He's an animal," I say by way of explaining, motioning to Josh who has his hands up like "what the fuck?"
Kade snickers, and his hand slides down to rest on the small of my back as I resume leading him back to the bedroom. I need him to stop touching me.
"I can sleep on the floor, Raya," he whispers as we make it inside.
I think about that. It would definitely make it easier on me, considering I'm on the verge of attacking him. I wasn't expecting him to do so well with my family.
"No. It's fine. We've shared a bed before."
Except we shared a king-size bed instead of a bed that's barely a full-size. He wiggles out of his shirt almost immediately, and I mentally slap myself when I gape at him.
I shut the door, lean against it, and contemplate just taking in the show while he gets ready for bed. When he turns to meet my eyes and smiles at me, I snap out of my trance.
"Right. I should go change," I mumble, quickly dropping to my knees to rummage through my bag.
He chuckles as I dart out the door with a pair of silky short pajamas clutched in my hand. The Colton pajama line is by far the heavenliest clothing to ever grace my skin.
I stumble to a stop when I hear water running in the shower and my brother laughing with his wife. Gross. That's worse than gross.
I decide to head to the other side of the trailer where my mother's room and the guestroom are. I taste bile when I see my mother straddling my stepfather in the recliner. His hands are fisted in her dark hair, and the disgusting moans slipping through her lips force me to gag.
I run back to the room, barge through the door, and then slam it shut. Kade jumps, startled by my abrupt reentrance, and my heartbeat quickens when I see him in nothing more than his boxers.