Don't Kiss The Heartbreaker (Billionaire Academy YA Romance Book 3) Read online

  “Thanks.” I walked out of the dining room, anxious to get away from the pageant talk. I needed a minute to collect myself. My parents had ignored my art my whole life … why was it getting to me now? Maybe the conversation with Mr. Watts affected me more than I realized.

  I found the bathroom and locked myself in, taking a long look in the gold-leaf mirror. “Pull yourself together,” I whispered to my reflection, pressing my hands to my cheeks to cool them off. I blinked several times to keep my emotions at bay and took several deep breaths.

  I could do this. I could pretend I was into the pageant life. I’d done it for years now; what was one more dinner conversation? I could be fake and wear the right smile and laugh in all the right places, like some kind of moving mannequin. But somehow it was harder to pull off with Cade next to me. He managed to see the real me—even if no one else did.

  I took one last look in the mirror to make sure there wasn’t any trace of my almost-cry and headed back toward the dinner party, glancing curiously at the other rooms as I passed. The Carlisles’ home was impressive; that was for sure.

  I could feel Cade’s searching look as I reentered the dining room, but I avoided eye contact, knowing I would lose my carefully composed expression if I did. He didn’t push it, but he did make a subtle subject change from beauty pageants to the fundraiser as we started on our second course. When no one was looking, I gave him a small smile of thanks, and he reached for my hand under the table, holding it like an anchor of support. My chest warmed at the gesture.

  Whether or not Cade was a heartbreaker remained to be seen, but if he was, he had the kindest heart of any heartbreaker out there.

  Chapter Twelve

  “I don’t know—maybe we should watch a movie instead,” I said, nervously shifting my weight as I looked down the lane of the Carlisles’ indoor bowling alley. After dinner, the Carlisles invited my parents to the study where our dads could “talk shop” about the tech industry, and our moms could “talk shopping”—a phrase they’d giggled endlessly over while I tried not to roll my eyes. When Cade offered to take me on a tour of the house, I’d readily agreed, eager to get away from the stifling parent conversation and the less-than-subtle eager looks they directed at me and Cade.

  He held my hand as he showed me the main and upper floors of the mansion, eventually leading me to the basement, where he challenged me to a bowling game.

  “What’s the matter, Radcliffe?” Cade asked, his brown eyes teasing. “Are you afraid you’ll lose to me?”

  I lifted my chin. “No.” Maybe. “I’ve only been bowling a few times in my life, and you have your own personal bowling alley, so it’s not exactly an even playing field.”

  He tipped his head to one side. “True.” He picked up a red bowling ball with a marbled pattern and placed it in the ball return. “So how about we each play two games on our own lanes and try to beat our own personal best score? That way you won’t feel bad if you get fewer points.”

  I studied him, frowning.

  He laughed. “What? Is that a bad idea? We can play on the same lane if you’d rather?”

  “No, I really like the idea of beating our own score. It’s just …” I shook my head, trying to make sense of it.

  “Just what?” He turned to face me, his expression openly curious.

  “It’s just that you’re so nice,” I finished. “I mean, you tease me sometimes, but deep down, you have a really good heart.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “And that surprises you?”

  “A little. Yes.”

  “Why?”

  I shrugged. “You’re the student body president. You’re athletic and still get good grades. All the girls have crushes on you. You have every reason to be a cocky jerk, but you’re not. You’re …” I paused, searching for an adequate description. “Really thoughtful.”

  “Thanks.” His mouth tugged up in the corner. “I don’t know if all of that is true—especially the part about all the girls having crushes on me.” His smile deepened. “But does this mean you’re letting go of your preconception that I’m a player?”

  I bit the inside of my cheek, knowing that if I said yes, then there wouldn’t be an excuse not to be his girlfriend. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that yet, so instead of answering, I lifted my shoulder, donning an aloof expression. “It’s getting there,” I said, moving to choose a bowling ball from the rack.

  He chuckled. “Getting, there, huh? I guess that’s encouraging.”

  I shrugged again, unable to hold back a tiny smile as I set a bright orange ball in the ball return.

  Cade shook his head at me. “I’m beginning to think you’re something of a tease, Radcliffe.”

  I opened my mouth in protest. “Not a tease. Just … cautious.”

  “That’s fine. I can work with cautious.” He gave me a cajoling look that caused a tingle down my spine. He turned to the screens above us where he’d typed in our names. “I think we’re all set, so you can start whenever you’re ready.”

  “Okay.” I picked the ball back out of the return and stepped onto the lane, waiting until Cade took his first turn before I went. He had perfect form and sent the ball spinning, knocking down all ten pins with ease. I cringed, grateful I wasn’t playing against him.

  He turned and held his hands up. “Pure luck.”

  I smirked. “I have a feeling it’s more than luck.”

  He smiled. “Go ahead. You don’t have to wait for me.”

  I nodded, trying to ignore the fact that he was watching me as I prepared my stance. Whenever I was onstage for a pageant, I always imagined I was the only person in the room. It made the whole experience slightly more bearable. I tried to summon that same invisible bubble now, but I was too hyper aware of Cade to manage it.

  I stared at the stack of pins at the end of the lane, aimed, and let the ball go. It started off somewhat centered, but then almost immediately went into the gutter. I groaned and closed my eyes.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Cade said. “Remember, you’re just trying to beat your own personal score.”

  I squinted at him. “That probably won’t be hard to do if my first game is a zero.”

  He laughed. “Progress is progress, Radcliffe. Just relax.” He tapped on his phone and the lights in the room darkened and a wall of neon lights lit up. He swiped again and music started playing. “See?” he said. “It’s a party. Just go with it and have fun.”

  I looked around in surprise. “Just when I thought it couldn’t get any cooler.” I smiled and rolled out my shoulders. “Okay. I will no longer fear the gutter ball.”

  “That’s the spirit.”

  We kept bowling, Cade getting an obscene amount of strikes and spares while I kept up my gutter-ball streak. I laughed as he moonwalked or did other silly dances after his strikes, and I started doing the same after each gutter ball, which made both of us laugh.

  All of the stress and tightness in my chest from dinner disappeared, and for the first time in a long time, I just had fun. Cade gave me a few pointers, and by the second game my number of gutter balls decreased. We ended up bowling three games, and while there wasn’t much room for improvement in his scores, I bowled a seventy-six on my third game, and I was beaming.

  He gave me a high five, his eyes warm. “There’s the smile I’ve been missing. After the conversation at dinner, I was afraid I wouldn’t see it again for a while.”

  I sighed. “That was pretty much par for the course with my parents. But on the upside, your parents and mine seem to get along really well.”

  “Yeah, they do.” He scratched his eyebrow. “That Benjamin I slipped them before dinner must have worked.” I laughed, and he took my hand. “I never showed you outside. Do you want to check it out?”

  “Sure.” I followed him as he led the way to the backyard. “And you didn’t have to bribe your parents, by the way. I’m pretty sure my mom changed twelve times before she decided on a dress.”

  “I’m sure my mom di
d too. It’s kind of funny that two couples so successful could still be nervous about wanting to impress each other.”

  I shrugged. “I guess you never completely grow out of some insecurities. But as far as I can tell, it was a success,” I said, momentarily forgetting my next thought as we approached an outdoor swimming pool. It was massive, with rocks and waterfalls everywhere. It looked like it belonged in an exotic beachside resort—not someone’s private residence. “Whoa.” I turned to Cade with eyes wide. “That’s one amazing swimming pool.”

  He smiled. “I saved the best for last. I spend a ton of time out here, especially in the summer.”

  “I’ve actually heard about your pool parties,” I said, still admiring the pool. “Now I can see why they’re so legendary.” Chloe had been invited to one last summer, and she’d bragged about it for weeks after. I hadn’t cared at the time, since Cade was nothing more than a handsome face in the hall back then. But now I was a tiny bit jealous.

  He turned to face me, interlocking his fingers with mine and causing a warm current from my fingertips to my shoulders. “Now you’ll be the first one I invite,” he said, holding my gaze as he gave me a heart-melting half smile. “But I have to admit I like it better this way, with just the two of us.”

  “I’ll bring my swimsuit next time,” I said, trying to keep my tone light as my heart thrummed against my rib cage.

  “Next time.” He lifted our interlocked hands and kissed my knuckles. “I like the sound of that.”

  My mouth went dry. I wasn’t sure how much kissing I should be doing with Cade when we weren’t officially dating—but I also wasn’t sure if I should officially date a guy who had a history of leaving behind broken hearts. I wasn’t sure of anything at the moment. His brown eyes were pulling me in again, obliterating rational thought.

  “Me too. I mean, um … if there is a next time,” I stammered.

  He searched my gaze. “Do you want there to be a next time?”

  My brow wrinkled. “Yes?”

  His lip twitched. “Is that a question?”

  I let go of his hands and turned away from him so I could think straight. “I like hanging out with you. That’s not a question.”

  “You’re just not sure if you want to be my girlfriend,” he finished.

  “Right.”

  He came to stand beside me, sliding his hands into his pockets as he stared at the pool. “There’s a dance coming up soon,” he said, glancing at me sideways before facing forward again. “Since you said you like hanging out with me … how about going as my date?” He lifted his hands. “On a strictly non-girlfriend basis, of course.”

  My heart tripped. There was only one dance coming up that I knew about. “Are you talking about prom?”

  “Yeah.” He scuffed his shoe on the concrete and then lifted his gaze. His brown eyes were vulnerable as they searched mine.

  I blinked. Cade Carlisle is asking me to prom?! A squeal bubbled in my throat and I swallowed it back down, but I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. “I’d love to go with you.”

  His eyes danced and his dimple appeared as he pulled me in for a hug. I meant to keep it to a nice, short hug, like friends would give. But somehow, it lasted longer, neither of us pulling away. And then, somehow, his lips found mine again and I didn’t resist. In fact, I kissed him back, relishing the sensation of the tiny fireworks igniting through my body.

  A whisper of a thought tugged at the corner of my mind, asking if I should kiss him when our relationship wasn’t defined—but then Cade pulled me closer, his kisses a soft caress bathing me in delicious warmth, and the thought was forgotten as I let go and enjoyed the moment.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Okay, I think I’ve narrowed it down to two,” Lacey said, studying her phone screen.

  It was a warm afternoon, so we took advantage of that and sat outside to study. The only problem was, not much studying was happening. We were too busy enjoying the sunshine and looking for prom dresses for Lacey online.

  I already had my dress. Mom took me shopping the day after she found out Cade asked me, and I actually had fun. After searching through a few stores, I’d found the perfect dress.

  “What do you think?” Lacey asked, holding her phone out to me.

  I took it, swiping between the two dresses she was debating over. “Definitely the blue one,” I said, after a minute’s deliberation. “I like the sparkly details on the bodice and the flowy skirt—plus the color will bring out your eyes.”

  She pursed her lips, taking the phone back. “Yeah … I really like the neckline detail on the green one, but I think you’re right about the blue.” She nodded once. “I’m ordering it.”

  “Good, because prom is right around the corner and you’ll want to make sure it ships in time.” Money wasn’t an issue. Like most of us at RLA, Lacey had her own credit card with an unlimited spending amount. Her parents wouldn’t blink at the eight-hundred-dollar price tag. In fact, they would probably congratulate her for finding a steal. “You should get the expedited shipping, just in case,” I added.

  “Good thinking.” She tapped on the screen, and after a few swipes she looked up with a grin. “Done. I still can’t believe this is happening. Can you even imagine how hot Oliver is going to look in his tux?”

  I smiled and tapped her knee. “Can you even imagine how his eyes are going to bug out when he sees how gorgeous you are in your dress?”

  She bit her bottom lip and gave a little squeal. “I can’t believe I have a boyfriend—and that I’m going to prom with him. It’s surreal.” She shook her head in wonder.

  “The only thing I can’t believe is how long it took the two of you to get together,” I said, tossing a piece of grass at her. “Thank goodness he walked down the hall that day, or you might never have gotten up the courage to talk to him.”

  “You mean when you forced me to talk to him?” She smirked and then gave me a spontaneous hug. “You’re the absolute best. Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone.”

  I laughed and hugged her back. “What are friends for?” Lacey and Oliver had been an official couple for over a week now, and I’d never seen her happier. She walked with a lightness in her step, and her usual smile was even brighter. I loved her newfound confidence. It wasn’t that she needed a guy to know she was beautiful, but Oliver’s constant praise and attention had definitely helped her to see what I’d been trying to tell her for years.

  She pulled away from the hug. “Speaking of pushing out of comfort zones, what’s the deal with the pageant?” She tilted her head. “Have you talked to your mom yet?”

  My gut pinched and I leaned back on my elbows, tipping my face up to the sun. “No. I’m planning to do the pageant and not make a big deal out of it.”

  She heaved a frustrated sigh. “Tia, come on. Just have the conversation already. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  I squinted an eye open at her. “Um, have you met my mom? There are a lot of worst-case scenarios that could play out of a conversation like that.” I closed my eyes again. “It’s fine. It’s just another pageant.”

  “But the art show,” she protested.

  “It’s not the end of the world if I miss it.” She was starting to sound like Cade. Part of me was touched at having such caring friends—or whatever Cade was. A friend with benefits? The other part of me wished they would just drop it so I wouldn’t have to keep pretending so hard.

  She sighed again. “I still think you’re making a mistake, and Cade agrees.”

  I froze, gaping. “Cade talked to you about it?”

  She flinched, as if realizing she’d let that part slip, and then shrugged. “He just wanted my opinion. He doesn’t understand why you won’t tell your mom the truth—and neither do I.”

  “I can’t believe you guys are talking about me behind my back.” I glared and sat up. “What else have you said about me?”

  Her mouth twisted in the little way it did when she felt guilty. “Noth
ing much …”

  “Lacey,” I said in my most intimidating voice as I stared her down. There was clearly more that she wasn’t telling me.

  She wrinkled her nose and lifted her hands. “Okay, so he might have asked me why I think you’re so reluctant to be his girlfriend.”

  I scoffed. “What did you say?”

  “I told him you’re nervous because he’s dated so many girls before, and none of the relationships lasted long.”

  “I told him that too. Multiple times.” I couldn’t believe Cade was going behind my back, asking my best friend about me.

  “Don’t be mad, T,” Lacey pleaded. “He likes you so much. I really think it might be time to let go of your fears and give a relationship with him a try.”

  I folded my arms. “Oh? Did he tell you to say that?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m telling you that. You’re letting your fears rule your life, and ‘a life lived in fear is a life half-lived.’”

  I pressed my lips together. She was quoting a line I’d come across from someone named Baz Luhrmann, a line that I’d quoted to her often when she was too scared to talk to Oliver. “I still can’t believe you went behind my back like that,” I said, bringing the subject back around. “And you weren’t even going to tell me.”

  “I didn’t want you to be mad and overreact, like you are right now.”

  I lifted my eyebrows, giving her a cool stare. “How would you feel if I went behind your back and talked to Oliver?”

  “If I was being sort of cruel to him, then I hope you would.”

  Her words were a slap in the face. “How am I being cruel?”

  She bit her lip. “I’m just starting to wonder which one of you is being the player right now, that’s all. Cade wants to be your boyfriend, and you’re kind of stringing him along.”

  I stood from the blanket we’d been sitting on and grabbed my bag. “You know as well as anyone what his reputation is,” I said, my throat tight. “And now somehow it’s a crime to want to protect myself from getting hurt?” I shook my head, feeling the angry heat behind my eyes. “But whatever. Keep talking to Cade. Do whatever you want. I don’t care.” I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked away, feeling Lacey’s stare following me.