Kaden Page 9

  “No.” My rushed answer poured from my lips before I even had time to think about my response.

  “I can take you,” Natalie hastily said, touching his arm in an all too familiar way, one that irritated me more than I cared to admit.

  Kaden’s eyes landed on her once more. “Thanks, but I only trust Riley to cut my hair.” He moved away and her hand fell to her side. He’d just blown her off, yet she didn’t seem fazed, continuing to watch after him as he moved toward me.

  He sat in my chair and stared at me through the mirror.

  “I said I can’t fit you in.” I glared at his reflection, but he never moved a muscle, other than the ones in his irritatingly gorgeous face. Why couldn’t he have gotten ugly after we broke up? Where was the justice in him keeping his looks… hell, even getting better looking?

  “Why? You don’t look busy.” He smirked and I so wanted to smack the cockiness right out of him. But I had to be somewhat careful because if I said the wrong thing, I’d draw unnecessary attention from Chelsea. I wasn’t overly concerned about what Natalie would think because she didn’t know me all that well to begin with, and more importantly, she didn’t know my family.

  “I was on my way out.” I took a step away from my chair, but he grabbed my wrist before I could escape.

  “Please. It won’t take long.” He turned to look up at me, no reflection hampering his eyes from me. If I gave in and cut his hair, I feared the move was just the start of more favors to come.

  “Who’s been cutting your hair? Why not just go to them?” I used to cut Kaden’s hair all the time when we were together. Mainly, I used him for practice, but despite being a newbie, I’d been good.

  “Braylen. I stopped over their house one time a few years ago and she bluntly told me I was looking shaggy. She sat me down in the kitchen before I could refuse.” He looked away briefly. “She’s been doing it ever since.”

  “So, why can’t she do it now?” Maybe if I kept asking him questions, stalling for time, he’d get fed up and leave. Even as the thought entered my brain, I realized how stupid it sounded. If anything, Kaden was persistent when he wanted something, and right now, he either really wanted a haircut or he wanted to be around me. Either way, I doubted he was going to leave anytime soon.

  “Ryder said she can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “I dunno. He didn’t give me an explanation.”

  Ryder was an awesome guy, but yeah, sometimes, no matter how much anyone prodded him for information, he remained tightlipped. He wasn’t a man of few words, per se, but he wasn’t an open book either.

  “Can’t you wait until she can?” I was running out of patience with him and his stubbornness.

  “Can’t you just take care of me?” His chest rose and fell quickly, his agitation barreling off him, and I couldn’t figure out if he was getting pissed at me for giving him a hard time or if he was irritated about something else entirely. I used to pride myself on being able to read Kaden, his moods bouncing around as often as mine. But the moment I noticed him pulling away from me was about the time when I couldn’t figure him out any longer.

  Without waiting for me to answer, he scooted forward enough to remove his cut, handing it to me before leaning back in the chair once more.

  “I’ll owe you one,” he said, licking his lips before grinning. But his smile fell when I tossed his vest on the chair next to me and held up the clippers.

  “You sure you don’t wanna rethink this? What if my hand slips?” Now it was my turn to smirk.

  “I trust you.”

  With those three words, I finally caved. He deserved a bald patch for all the shit he put me through, but when it came down to it, I wasn’t about to have him walking around telling people I cut his hair like that. Bad for business and all that.

  Yeah, that’s the version I’ll go with.

  15

  Leaning over Kaden while I washed his hair tested every bit of restraint I had. While I wanted to ask him a thousand and one questions about anything and everything, my curiosity one of the reasons he’d get agitated with me, I didn’t want to utter a single word more than I had to while performing this task for him.

  When my fingers glided through his dark, wet hair, massaging in the shampoo, he moaned, the sound dark and dangerous… to my libido.

  “That feels so good.” He gripped my waist when I moved back a step, halting my retreat. “I miss this,” he said, looking up at me with a flicker of desperation. We were far enough away from Chelsea so whatever we said right now would stay between us.

  His hold tightened, his fingers digging into my waist and promising me everything, yet reminding me he wasn’t mine any longer. Whatever affection we held toward each other had faded, at least, that was what I tried to remind myself.

  “You should’ve thought about that before you…” I stopped talking because not only did I not know what the end of my sentence would be, but I didn’t want to start an argument right now. All I wanted to do was cut his hair and get him out of the shop.

  “I’m sorry.” What his “sorry” encompassed I couldn’t say, but those two words were enough to placate some of my frazzled nerves.

  “I’m not getting into this here.” I rinsed his hair, then added conditioner.

  “Does that mean we can get into it some other time?” His tone wasn’t serious, but his expression was, not a twitch of a muscle to indicate he joked.

  “No. That’s not what that means.”

  “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.” I gasped, remembering all too well how many times he’d uttered those words. Sometimes it was when he had to cancel plans, and sometimes he said that when he teased me unmercifully, trying to draw out our sexual encounter.

  I didn’t respond; instead, I finished washing his hair, gripping his strands hard to squeeze out the excess water. He winced and I smiled. After I soaked up some of the remaining wetness with a towel, I walked toward my chair.

  “Let’s get this over with.”

  He mumbled something behind me, but I didn’t hear him, which was good because I was sure whatever he said would probably get under my skin.

  As I moved the scissors around his head, shaping the style closer to his head, Kaden tried to talk to me, but I reminded him I needed to concentrate in order to do a good job, which was a bullshit excuse to get him to shut up. I held conversations all the time with my clients while I worked, but touching him, being so close to him, I feared if I spoke, he’d discover my secret.

  That I still desired him, even after all this time.

  Even after everything that happened between us.

  As I moved around the chair, the main part of his haircut over, I used the clippers to clean up his edges. At one point, our faces were so close his warm minty breath fanned across my cheek. I closed my eyes to gather strength. When I opened them, I saw the corner of his mouth twitch.

  “You want me to clean up your beard?”

  “Sure.”

  I tilted his head back, placing the clippers close to his neck to clean up the line. I made the mistake of looking into his eyes, my heart jackknifing inside my chest for just a second, but it was a second too long. Memories of the two of us flooded in and I barely possessed the strength to compose myself. I was gonna say or do something stupid in the next two seconds if something didn’t happen.

  I got my saving grace when Braylen and Ryder walked through the front door. Saved by the bell and all that happy shit.

  Braylen immediately walked toward Kaden and me. “What? I’m not good enough anymore?” She stood in front of my chair with her hands on her hips, pursing her lips while a crease formed between her eyes.

  “Your husband said you couldn’t do it,” Kaden retorted.

  “Why?” she asked.

  Kaden shrugged. “I dunno.”

  Braylen turned to look at Ryder, tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “Why did you tell him that?”

  “Because you already do too much
. You need to take a break.” Braylen did look exhausted, dark circles starting to show under her eyes, although she tried to hide them with concealer.

  She moved away from us, pulling Ryder into the back room of the salon, away from prying ears.

  “I wonder what that’s all about?” Chelsea asked, and it wasn’t until she spoke that I realized I’d forgotten she was even there. Natalie had taken off minutes after she realized she couldn’t convince Kaden to sit in her chair. Then all my focus had been on him and the world seemed to slip away, much like most of our relationship, and I remember how that turned out.

  “Beats me.” I turned my chair, checking over my work before unsnapping the cape draped around Kaden’s shoulders. “All done.”

  He stood and grabbed his cut from the seat next to mine. His eyes never left me as he put it on.

  “What do I owe you?” He reached into his pocket and removed his wallet. I should’ve given him some outrageous price, but, in the end, I waved my hand in the air between us.

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay. I owe you, though.” His brow arrowed upward, and his lips parted, but before any other words left his mouth, Ryder appeared from the back room. He shook his head and grumbled under his breath before hastily making his exit, Kaden following soon afterward.

  Breathing a sigh of relief my encounter with Kaden was finally over, I couldn’t understand why my chest ached. We barely spoke during his impromptu appointment, all my doing, of course, so why did I feel like something had transpired during the time he spent in my chair?

  Chelsea waved her hand in front of my face, startling me. “Did you hear a word I just said?” She smiled, but there was nothing amusing about being so far gone to my own thoughts that I apparently missed everything my best friend said.

  “No. Sorry. I didn’t.” I shook my head and cleared my throat, focusing on straightening my station. “What did you say?”

  “I said.” She paused for dramatic effect. “I thought you were gonna rip Natalie’s head off before.” A small smile found its way onto her face, but I was confused.

  “When?”

  “When she offered to cut Kaden’s hair.”

  I swiped at hair that didn’t exist from the seat of my chair. “I didn’t say anything to her.” I kept my eyes down and away from Chelsea’s.

  “You didn’t have to. The look you gave her was enough, although I don’t think she picked up on what you threw down.” She snickered, walking toward the computer and pulling up the next day’s calendar. “I like Natalie, but sometimes she is clueless.”

  “Something I envy sometimes.” I gave a half-hearted shrug when she glanced over at me.

  “Is there something going on I should know about?”

  “What do you mean?” I played dumb, but I wasn’t sure I pulled it off well enough.

  “With you and Kaden?” She tilted her head and studied my face.

  “No.” I didn’t follow up my denial with any sort of explanation because the more I said, the more I’d expose the truth. Or parts of it. “Can you check what time I have to be in tomorrow?” Switching the subject was a good tactic.

  Chelsea rolled her eyes before looking back at the screen. “Nine fifteen.”

  “Thanks. What time you outta here?”

  “Not for another hour or so.” She typed something into the computer, scratched her head, then hit the keyboard again. She caught me looking at her. “I was trying to figure out how I was gonna fit in Cecil before she went on vacation and remembered that Heather moved her appointment to next week. I love when shit works out.”

  I nodded, but I had no idea what it was like when stuff worked out because for me, it rarely did.

  “I’m gonna check on our boss before I leave,” I said over my shoulder, already halfway down the hallway toward the back office. Knocking twice, I opened the door before she could tell me to enter. I realized knocking was pointless if I was only going to enter regardless, but it was a habit.

  Braylen sat behind the small desk in the center of the room, her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking while she was oblivious that I was now in the room with her.

  I rushed over, concern for her well-being erasing all thoughts of Kaden and our encounter.

  “Are you okay?” I touched her shoulder in a show of support. “Wanna talk about it?”

  “I don’t even know where to begin.” She picked her head up, tears continuing to course down her reddened cheeks. She tried to smile, but her lips flattened into a straight line, all efforts to silently tell me she was okay, or going to be okay, failed.

  “You can start from the beginning.” I pulled a chair up next to her and took a seat. “I don’t have to be anywhere.”

  Braylen inhaled deeply, then released the air with a puff of her cheeks. “Remember when I wasn’t feeling well the other day?”

  “Yeah.”

  I trapped the air in my lungs because I feared what she was about to tell me. Please don’t let her tell me she’s sick.

  She reached for my hand and squeezed. “Riley… I… I’m…” She choked on her words.

  “You can tell me.”

  “I’m… pregnant.”

  It took me several moments for her words to register, and when they finally did, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Christ, woman! You scared the shit out of me.” I pulled her into a tight hug before releasing her and smacking her on the arm. “I thought you were going to tell me you were sick. Like cancer or something.”

  She grimaced. “Sorry.”

  “Are you sure? Did you just take a test because sometimes those are wrong?”

  “That night I left here feeling and looking like death, I picked up a test and it turned out to be positive. I thought the same as you. Luckily, my doctor was able to get me in the next day. Confirmed pregnant, between nine and ten weeks.”

  Braylen and Ryder had tried for over a decade to have kids, and just when they thought it would never happen for them, along came Roman.

  “So, I’m confused,” I said. “Are these happy tears or are you upset?”

  “Both, I guess. I never thought I’d get pregnant again, and while I’m happy about the baby, I’m worried because the older I get, the more complications I can have.” She shook her head. “I’m forty-six, Riley. I was considered a geriatric pregnancy when I had Roman, almost ten years ago.”

  I rubbed her back. “Everything will be fine. You’ll see.” Memories I shoved deep down tried to resurface, but I focused back on Braylen and her life-altering news. “How’s Ryder taking this?”

  “The same. Although he freaked out a little more than I did because he’s ten years older than me. He said he’ll be in his seventies when he or she graduates from high school.” A residual tear escaped from the outer corner of her eye.

  “I didn’t realize Ryder was that old.”

  “Don’t say that to him. He’s sensitive about his age for some reason. I don’t know why. The man is still a god.” Braylen laughed and I joined in.

  “Seriously, I thought he was in his late forties, fifty tops.”

  “He’d be happy to hear that.” She wiped under her eyes before leaning back in her seat. “The baby is a blessing. I know that. I’m grateful to be given a second child. I just have to get over some of my fears.”

  “That won’t happen until you hold your baby in your arms.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” She dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

  We sat in silence for the next few moments, her trying to come to terms with everything that was happening, I was sure, while I hesitantly lost myself to the past, but not for long as remembering would do more harm than anything.

  Finally, I broke the silence with my next question. “Who else knows?”

  “No one yet. You caught me off guard, and truth be told, I needed to tell someone.”

  “Then I’m honored. And I promise not to tell anyone.” I cr
ossed my heart.

  “What was with Kaden coming to you for a haircut?” she asked.

  “He told you Ryder said you couldn’t do it.” I was suddenly uncomfortable with where her questions might lead.

  “But he could’ve gone to Sully to cut his hair,” she said. It was then I remembered his mom used to take care of that task before I started doing it for him. “I think he’s trying to get back into your good graces. Whatever happened between you two? You used to be attached at the hip growing up.” Braylen swiped the screen of her phone and answered a text.

  “Life happened,” I answered, hoping she wouldn’t pry.

  “Sorry.” She typed out another reply. “I gotta go. Reece is on her way over to take care of a few things, then she’ll lock up.” All conversation about me and Kaden ceased as Braylen gathered her things. “You’re coming to Roman’s party next Saturday, right?” I nodded and she gave me a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before she left, grateful she hadn’t pressed into why Kaden and I didn’t hang around each other anymore.

  Although, as of late, he seemed to be trying to rectify that.

  16

  Going to Transform yesterday and basically bullying Riley into cutting my hair hadn’t been the smartest move, but I couldn’t think of another way right now to be in her presence. Besides, she saw I desperately needed a haircut, so it wasn’t like I made up a lame excuse to see her. And the fact she didn’t kick me out of the salon was a good sign, even though she really didn’t talk to me too much.

  I figured she’d be going to Roman’s party, so I only had a short window to figure out my next move. Maybe there was a way I’d be able to get her alone at Ryder and Braylen’s house, although the chances of that happening would be slim because most of the club would be attending. I was persistent, though, so I was sure I’d come up with something.

  All mixed up in my head, I grabbed my cell from the bar top and pulled up Riley’s number. I typed out a text but then deleted it, typed another, erasing that one as well. I told her I was sorry, although I hadn’t been specific as to what my apology was for. The times we’d been around each other hadn’t resulted in what I wanted to accomplish, which was getting her to act toward me the way she used to. I was being naïve and hopeful, but I couldn’t just give up. Not now.