Page 87 of The C Agreement

Beau slowly faced me, too, anger filling his eyes. “So, Cade, if you haven’t been with Leila,who the hellhave you been fucking this past month?”

THIRTY-ONE

RAYNE

Leaning against my kitchen counter,I picked at my sad meal. It only reminded me that I was supposed to be celebrating the end of the bet and the beginning of the restaurant. But I hadn’t had it in me to have dinner with everyone tonight.

I missed Cade. All week, he had filled my thoughts, no matter how hard I tried to not think about him. Seeing him again so soon wouldn’t help me get over him. I needed more time.

Throwing my fork down, I gave up trying to eat when my phone rang.

When I saw it was Em, I almost didn’t answer, but the potential guilt of hitting Ignore had me relenting.

“Hello?”

“Rayne, you need to get over to Cade’s and talk to him immediately.”

My body jerked. “Why?”

“Beau asked Cade who he had sex with during the bet, and Cade wouldn’t tell him. Then, Beau told Cade he’d have to forfeit if he didn’t reveal her name and there wouldn’t be a restaurant. Cade’s response was to storm out, and now, Beau’s pissed too.”

“What?”

There was no way Cade would do that.

“Cade is literally throwing his dream away, and he and Beau are fighting.” Em sighed. “I know I was scared about them opening up a restaurant, but Beau brought me around, and he’s been excited to do his own thing. Really excited. And I absolutely hate that the two of them aren’t talking.”

“But why are you calling me?” I asked.

“Rayne, Beau knows Cade’s been sleeping with you.”

I gasped.

“Okay, he doesn’t know one hundred percent, but the two of you have been acting strange lately, and then they ran into this woman. She was the one Cade was going to hook up with the night Beau issued the bet, and Cade let Beau believe she was his partner this past month. Only the woman mentioned she hadn’t seen Cade for a while. Beau’s suspicion was basically confirmed when Cade refused to say who he’d been with.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah, so get your ass over to his house and tell him not to throw away this opportunity.”

* * *

I pounded on Cade’s front door and paced back and forth. I knew his garage code, and just a few days ago, I would have walked in, unannounced. But it felt wrong now that we weren’t sleeping together anymore.

Heavy footsteps moved closer to the door before it swung open to reveal a scowling Cade.

Surprise flashed across his face, but I didn’t wait for him to invite me in.

I barreled past him and shouted, “What in the hell were you thinking?”

He let the door swing shut and crossed his arms over his chest. “What are you talking about?”

“Em called me.” I waved my arms around. “You and Beau got into a fight. You forfeited the bet. You lost the restaurant.” Fisting my hands, I demanded, “What were you thinking, Cade? Everything we did, it was for nothing.”

I had ended up sacrificing my fucking heart for his dream, and he’d just thrown it away.

He flinched and dropped his hands. “Nothing, huh?” He lifted his chin. “Fuck you, Rayne.” He marched past me. “You can see yourself out.”

I ran after him and grabbed on to his bicep. “I’m sorry. Cade, I didn’t mean what we had was nothing. But this restaurant was the whole goal.”