Kade tries making idle conversation with me as we close the short distance between us and the girls, but I've tuned him out. My eyes are on one thing, and that's the jerk whose hands are all over Tria. He doesn't even know her.
"Sorry, boys," Kade says loudly, "this one is mine."
Raya's smile could brighten a room when Kade comes to make a show of kissing her, but it only briefly distracts me.
"Kode," Tria murmurs, seeming annoyed with my presence.
I try to act casual as a waitress brings me a fresh glass of whiskey. "Care to introduce me to your new friend?" I ask, motioning to the animal groping her ass now.
She flinches when he moves in behind her. She doesn't want him touching her. So why isn't she just slapping him away? Why the fuck is this eating me alive? I can't stand to see his hands on her.
***
TRIA
The only reason I haven't punched this guy in the nose for his brazen, invasive fondling is because Kode Sterling is seconds away from unleashing his wrath. Why else would he come over here?
"I got us a booth. This place is supposed to have phenomenal burgers," Raya says, tugging Kade's hand. "You guys sitting with us?"
She looks from me to Kode several times, and then she looks at the jerk who is sliding his hand around my waist. I roll my eyes, and Kade pulls Raya toward the booth, deciding not to wait on a response.
"Okay, that's enough," I grumble. That's all I can take.
He doesn't let go. Instead, he tugs me to him tighter. "Let's get out of here," he whispers, acting as though he completely missed what I just said.
"She said enough," Kode says, keeping his tone strong and a little threatening. "It wasn't an invitation for more."
Oh boy. If he's helping me out, then it's only to execute some master plan of humiliation later.
Considering Kode is easily 6'3, and this guy is a mere 5'10 tops, he backs down from the sandy blonde with a fight in his eyes. At least Kode is scary to everyone—not just me.
"Thanks," I mutter when the guy walks off.
"You shouldn't be letting them hang all over you if you don't want them expecting more," he says through a bored tone, but his jaw clenches as if he's pissed.
That makes no sense.
"I was trying to keep you from possibly humiliating me. It seemed best if I had a guy around. I should have picked someone a little soberer," I say shamefully, frowning.
His right eyebrow raises questioningly, and then his panty-dropping smile comes up as he leans down to get right in my face, letting his breath bathe my lips with a taste I shouldn’t want. "You thought that twerp could stop me from doing anything I want to you?"
Was that... seduction? Surely not. He's not trying to seduce me. It's Kode. This is a game.
I swallow hard, denying my body the right to shudder under his heated gaze. There's no way he's looking at me this way. He's fucking with me. He knows I once had a crush on him, but that was years ago—before he tortured me to damn death and grew an unhealthy obsession for my sister.
"Let's play," he says, and my guard goes up a little stronger.
A warning? Kode Sterling doesn't usually warn his victims of his impending attack, and I don't feel like playing his games.
"I knew you were going to—"
"Pool," he says while setting his glass down on the rim of the pool table, interrupting my would-be rant.
My mouth opens and closes a few times as he starts chalking one of the pool cues. What is going on?
"I'd rather not," I murmur, backing up. I'm almost worried he's going to jerk my dress up while I'm bent over the table, just so he can embarrass the fuck out of me in front of everyone here. It would be like high school all over again when he ripped my skirt up in the hallway after a tiff I had with Rain. People still make fun of my hello-kitty underwear.
He smiles a little as his eyes lift up to meet mine.