"You didn't get shot," my brother calls from the living room, making both of us laugh louder.
"Only because the gun jammed," Kade says back, making me gasp.
"It's was a joke, R
aya!" Josh says quickly before I can berate him.
I relax once that's cleared up, but Kade's body, still pressed against mine, makes me tense for a whole new reason.
"You guys ready for supper?" Mom calls, making Kade sigh.
"You're exhausted, aren't you?" I mumble into the pillow.
"You feel more tense than I was the whole time," he teases.
"I know Josh better than you do."
He chuckles and then stands up, pulling me with him. I smile as I walk over to my bag and pull out a box I've wrapped for him. Luckily for me, Mom had all the ingredients handy. And though he'll probably laugh at the pathetic excuse for a present, I couldn't let him come to our family's Christmas without giving him anything. After the way he ran after that pie, I decided this gift would be as close to perfect as I could get.
"What's this?" he asks as I hand it over.
"Something for you. It's impossible to buy a Colton anything unless you're the Queen of England, but I wanted to get you something."
He smiles as he sits down on the edge of the bed, but then his smile falls.
"I didn't even think... Raya, my family hasn't done presents since we were kids. I didn't even think to get you anything."
"I don't expect anything. Believe me, this is nothing exciting. Open it."
He seems sad now, like he's let me down. It's adorable, but it's also taking away all my oomph.
He tears the paper away, and a smile graces his lips when the smell from the box in his hands finally registers. He opens it up to find several packs of various cookies, brownies, and one small apple pie.
"Seriously? You can cook like this and you're just now telling me?"
I chuckle lightly and he places the box on the bed before pulling me to him in a hug. I willingly wrap my arms around his waist and breathe him in. Damn, he smells so good.
"It's perfect, Raya. Thank you."
I smile a little bashfully, but I just revel in the feel of his embrace. When his soft lips brush my forehead, a content sigh slips through my lips.
"Raya, I think we-"
"Come on!" Mom yells, interrupting whatever Kade was about to say. "Food's ready!"
I pull back to look up at Kade, who brushes my hair from my face with a sweet caress of his hand.
"What were you going to say?" I ask.
"It's nothing. We'll... talk later. I'm starving."
His grin is enough to make any girl dissolve.
Chapter 10
Daddy's Girl
My mind falls to Kade as the guards rifle through my belongings, checking to make sure I don't have anything dangerous. I'm sure they're checking for drugs and stuff as well.