Loving War (9 page)

He laughs while disappearing into my room, and I sag to the couch. That was so not what I was expecting to happen. He looks a little preppy, which is not typical Kode, so I can’t help but wonder what I interrupted.

“Just so you know, the guys are blowing up my phone because I walked out during the middle of a golf game,” he says as he comes back into the room. His white polo shirt is untucked, but other than that, you can’t tell he just took me against the wall.

He drops down to the couch, and then he pulls me over onto him as he kicks his shoes off.

“I’m fucking starving, too,” he says, and I bite back a grin.

“Gripe much?” I ask playfully, rewarded by his throaty chuckle.

“Care if I order a pizza?”

“As long as you get enough for me, I don’t care what you do.”

He smiles against my head, and I lean into him while flipping on the gigantic flat screen my cousin made me get. Personally, I thought it was too big, but apparently guys like it.

It takes him no time to find a channel and order a pizza. We get far too comfortable on the couch, every touch feeling much too familiar and intimate. But I don’t bother analyzing it or ruining the moment with the reality that Kode Sterling and I are a match made in hell.

“That picture will pop up every time you call me now,” Kode says with a grin as he puts his phone down.

“You had better not let anyone hold your phone then.”

He snickers softly before kissing the top of my head again. I’m draped across his body, wearing nothing but my robe.

“I’m the only one who ever touches my phone, so no worries.”

I smile against his chest before turning my attention to some weird reality show. His hands are slowly caressing my body, a soothing motion that starts to make my eyes heavy.

“Dane is clearing out Silk tomorrow for Maverick’s surprise birthday party,” he says idly, now running his fingers through my hair.

My eyes are almost closed, even though it’s the middle of the day. I’ve never felt so comfortable and at ease.

“Oh?” I mumble groggily.

“Can you be there?”

My eyes go wide as I look up to meet his gaze. “I can’t just show up to a party I’m not invited to.”

“I just invited you. I’ll tell Dane I invited you because the guys and I are trying to make you more comfortable around us by including you.”

Rain probably didn’t ask me to come because she thinks I still hate the Sterling boys. They’re not
as
bad as I initially thought. Dale is actually almost as nice as Dane. Corbin and Maverick are surprisingly smart when it comes to business. And Kode… well, Kode has layers I didn’t know could exist inside him.

“Okay.”

He grins as he runs his hand down my ass, cupping one side with one of his large palms.

“Be warned—I plan to get drunk. And I’ll probably be all over you before the night is over. So you’ll have to get me out of there if you don’t want everyone seeing me pin you up against the wall.”

I shouldn’t giggle like an idiot, but I do. Just knowing that he’s admitting he can’t keep his hands off me is nice. Because for once, it’s me that someone sees.

Chapter 9

KODE

“You suck,” Corbin says, frowning at me.

I glance at the door again, still waiting on Tria to come in. I only left her house an hour ago to run home and change, then get to Silk in time for Maverick’s birthday party.

“Why?” I drawl, trying to feign interest in my cousin.

“Because after you left, my damn badass streak came to an end. I had a triple bogey on the thirteenth, and a double on the fourteenth. Then I hit the damn thing into the water on the fifteenth. I think you were my good luck charm.”

Laughing, I finally look over at him. “Sorry. Had something important come up.”

His eyes narrow suspiciously, and he stares at me for a minute. “You dating someone? Because you’ve been acting different lately. And you’re not sulking over Rain anymore.”

Rain is the last thing on my mind these days. It’s as though all of my other feelings have been stripped, laid bare, and finally exposed as what they are. She’s my friend. For the first time since I was a kid, I see Rain just as she sees me.

Tria wants me. She lets me touch her, hold her, do whatever in the hell I want to with her badass body. And she kisses me like I’m the only thing that matters every time I’m with her. There’s no hesitancy in her touch. And she’s not waiting on someone else to take my place.

It feels damn good to be wanted by the person you want. It’s also a feeling I’m not accustomed to, but quickly getting addicted to. I feel high every time I’m with her.

“Hello,” Corbin says in an exasperated tone. “I asked if you’re dating someone.”

Shrugging, I turn my attention back to the door. “Not yet.” It’s not a lie, per se, but it’s also not the truth. Maybe after the wedding happens, Tria and I can discuss something more serious. I don’t want a real relationship until I don’t have to hide it, and until we sort through what’s going on between us, we need to keep it quiet.

“Rain is running late,” Dane says with a pout as he joins us.

I used to feel the jealous rage course through me when he relayed any message from Rain, but now… nothing. It’s actually amazing to feel… free.

“Why?” Corbin asks.

“Raya showed up at her house. Kade… Man, Kade’s in a bad place right now. He’s taking his grandfather’s death hard. Rain called Tria, so she’s on her way over to help out. She might stay with Raya so that Rain can come and be here for Mav’s party.”

Shit. Why didn’t she—

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I quickly pull it out to see I have two unread messages. Well, hell. I guess she did try to tell me.

The first one is from twenty minutes ago, essentially relaying everything Dane just said. The second is from right now, and it’s her saying she’ll try to come see me if Raya gets to feeling better.

“Should we go talk to Kade?” Corbin asks.

Dane shakes his head, blowing out a harsh breath. “Nah. Wren, Rye, and Tag have this. They’re not coming tonight because they’re up at the vineyard, doing what they can to piece Kade back together. He keeps lashing out at everyone. I think Raya just needed a break. She’s a hell of a lot stronger than most people.”

“No,” I say, sighing. “She just loves him a hell of a lot more than people realize.”

I’ve seen the way they both look at each other, so I’m surprised Kade is pushing her away right now when he needs her the most.

The talk of death goes away the second Maverick walks through the door, and we all yell
surprise
in unison.

***

TRIA

Raya is fast asleep on my bed. She finally cried herself to sleep. After Rain left to go meet the guys at the surprise party, I brought Raya to my house.

I’m not as good with consoling as Rain is, but I’ve done everything I knew to do, including calling Brin and Ash over to help me.

“She’s asleep,” I say with a sigh as I head into the living room.

Ash smiles softly while taking a sip of water. Brin and I both grab the wine bottle we’ve almost finished off.

“No wine?” I ask Ash.

“I wish. But no. Tag rode with Wren and Rye out to the vineyard, so if Melanie calls with an emergency for Trip, I need to be stone-cold sober.”

“Are you worried there will be an emergency?” I ask, concerned.

“Always. It sort of goes with the territory of being a mother.”

I grin at her before getting comfortable on the couch next to Brin.

“You can head to the party,” Brin says, nudging me with her shoulder. Ash doesn’t know about Kode, so Brin doesn’t elaborate.

“Nah. I’ll stay in case she wakes up.”

Ash starts to speak, but someone knocks at my door, prompting me to run over and answer. Brin says something that has Ash laughing hysterically, and I smile like I’m infected on the way to greet whoever.

Since it could be Kode, I stop in front of the mirror to make sure my hair isn’t wild all over my head. Then I swing open the door, only to gasp in shock and try to slam it shut immediately.

My heart fires out rapid beats, thumping and pounding against my chest as panic sets in. A heavy black boot lands in front of the door, halting it from closing, and Pete Mercer shoulders his way in.

“Thanks,” he says sardonically. “I’d love to come in.”

I stumble backwards, looking at his freshly shaven head, his twisted grin, and his dark eyes that didn’t used to scare me so much. Blood hums through my veins, leaving me with a fearful fever. There’s not an inch of him that isn’t covered in menace.

Man, maybe I do have daddy issues if I slept with this psycho.

“You’re breaking the restraining order,” I say, pissed that my voice breaks three times.

He laughs while shaking his head. “Prove it.”

His long body is clad in jeans and a red T-shirt—blood red. His arms are corded with bulging muscles he didn’t have when we were together. If he were to hit me now, he’d probably break me with very little effort.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” I ask cautiously, stalling for time.

“Why? Fuck, Tria, it’s your fault I went to prison. You have no fucking clue what happens in a place like that. But I’ll show you. I’ll make sure you understand the hell I endured.” He grins the scariest smile I’ve ever seen in my life, and he cracks his fingers. “We’ll have long lessons that explain exactly what I went through.”

Swallowing hard, I look up to see the determination in his eyes. It’s sharing space with his hatred that is seeping through every visible feature on his body. Even his muscles are straining with rage.

He keeps stepping closer and closer, but suddenly he’s backing away, eyes wide in confusion. “Who the fuck are you?” he spits.

“The bitch who just snapped a picture of you with her phone after you broke a restraining order,” Brin says flippantly, making my stomach lurch.

She’s being way too brave. With a guy like Pete, you play submissive even if it’s just an act. He’s not a bully; he’s a psychopath. Standing up to him is the same as goading him to do his worst.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Ash says, joining us, my metal bat in her hands. “Cops are already on the way.”

Pete looks like he’s about to take on all three of us—and he probably could—but after a beat, he curses and turns to stalk away, leaving my door wide open and an ominous chill in his wake.

My sanctuary is gone. This place was supposed to keep me hidden from him. Sterling Shore is a place packed full of homes and condos, so how did he find me?

Ash blows out a breath while putting the bat down, her hands trembling. I can’t believe that was enough to intimidate him.

“Who the hell was that?” Raya asks from behind us, startling the hell out of me. I turn to see her lowering her Taser gun. When the hell did she pull that thing out? How long has she been in here?

“Pete Mercer. I guess he was a little surprised. You have a Taser gun?” I ask, noticing her poker face in place of her teary-eyed one.

“Yeah, my dad’s FBI partner gave it to me as a birthday gift. Pepper spray, too.”

“Man, I thought he was scared of me and the bat,” Ash says, laughing humorlessly while leaning back against the wall.

Raya runs a hand through her already disheveled hair, and then she looks back toward the door.

“Good thing you weren’t here alone. You need to go stay with someone,” Raya says, her own troubles forgotten as she focuses on my crazy drama.

“You can stay with us,” Ash immediately offers.

“Or you can stay with me and Maggie. You won’t have a parking spot unless you use the space across the road that my jackass neighbor doesn’t use,” Brin adds, forcing humor into the situation, something she always does to make people more at ease.

“I’ll let you know,” I say with a harsh breath. Shit. I don’t want to stay with anyone. I hate feeling like I have to hide.

“I need to get back to check on how the guys are doing with Kade,” Raya says while putting away her Taser gun, tucking it back into her purse.

“You heading to Maverick’s party?” Brin asks, running her hand over my arm in a comforting motion. “To see Rain, I mean.”

She means Kode, but she can’t say that aloud. Oddly enough, I really do want to see Kode right now. More than I did. It feels safe and peaceful in his arms, and right now, I’d give anything to feel that.

“Um… yeah. I think so. I don’t want to be here alone; that’s for sure.”

“We wouldn’t leave you alone,” Ash says promptly, reminding me how amazing she really is. “I didn’t really call the cops. I just ran out here with the first big thing I could find to hit him with. But you need to call them.”

The police won’t do anything, and I know it. They never have really been of much use to me. I think they believe I’ll only go back to him, so they don’t see the use in stopping him before he hurts me.

“I’ll go talk to them tomorrow. Not tonight.”

She frowns, but nods. “You’d better.”

I smile and head into the bedroom to change. No matter what, I won’t say anything to Kode about this. I’ll just suggest we go to his house tonight instead of hanging out at mine the way we planned.

I’ll worry about finding somewhere to stay tomorrow.