But ignoring Cade, who was clearly there for Daphne and only Daphne? It bothered Kylie. Here was this perfect, nice, sexy man and Daphne was just throwing him away. Maybe she had a soft heart for good-looking guys or maybe she was just fixated on how nice he’d been to her. Either way, she didn’t like it.
“I need another hit,” Daphne called out, laughing and twirling around Marco. She wrapped her arms about his neck and planted a kiss on his mouth. “Come on, I’ll be good to you.”
Marco tilted his head, clearly pretending to consider it. “I don’t know . . .”
Daphne gave another wild giggle and dropped to her knees in front of him. “I’ll be really good—”
The crowd erupted into laughter.
Cade jerked to his feet. He snatched his keys off of the bar—the keys that had a bow on them, ready to gift Daphne with a present if she’d only paid the slightest bit of attention to him—and headed for the door.
Kylie’s heart clenched and she grabbed her purse, following after him. He’d been drinking for most of the night and she couldn’t let him leave. Not like this. Not without someone else driving him home to make sure he was safe.
Not without someone apologizing for Daphne’s shitty behavior and letting him know that they cared that he’d been hurt.
She ran and caught up with him down the long hall leading out to the parking lot. His shoulders were slumped, but he was walking in a straight line, at least. It didn’t matter—she knew he’d drank quite a bit. “Cade?” she called. “Are you okay?”
He kept walking, his hands shoved into his pockets.
“I’m sorry,” she said, falling into step next to him. “I’m told she’s not like this when she’s clean.”
He paused and looked over at her. “How long have you worked for Daphne?”
“A month now.”
“Have you ever seen her clean?” There was a wealth of pain in his eyes.
Kylie bit her lip. Should she lie to make him feel better?
A faint smile tugged at his mouth. “Your hesitation tells me everything I need to know.”
“I’m sorry,” she said again, even as he began to walk again. She started to walk, too, unwilling to let him leave.
“Why are you sorry? You haven’t touched a thing all night. I noticed that, just like I noticed her behavior.”
So he’d been watching her? Kylie’s skin prickled with forbidden pleasure. “I feel like someone should try and apologize for her.”
He laughed and shook his head. “That someone should be Daphne, but we both know that won’t happen.”
Kylie said nothing, just kept walking alongside him. If anyone needed a friend tonight, it was Cade, and she wasn’t leaving his side. Daphne had enough sycophants—and drugs—to keep her busy until dawn.
“Thing is,” Cade said in a low voice, “I know Daphne. I know how exciting and warm and wonderful she can be when she’s clean. She’s brilliant. I think that’s why I’ve always loved her.” He looked over at Kylie, and there was sadness in his beautiful eyes. “But that’s not the woman I saw tonight. I’m starting to wonder if she’s gone for good.”
“Don’t give up,” Kylie said. Her heart ached for him, for the pain she saw in his eyes.
“I’ve held on for years wondering when it’s the right time to give up,” Cade said, voice soft. “I’m getting tired of wondering. I think it’s time to move on with my life, and let Daphne go. For good.”
“She’s still going to need friends,” Kylie cautioned. “I imagine when she wakes up from whatever it is she’s doing to herself, she’s going to need people she can trust.”
“If any of them are left.” Cade shook his head and looked over at Kylie. “I’ve known her for so long. I shouldn’t be surprised by anything she does and yet every time I see her . . . it still hurts.”
Kylie ached for him. Impulsively, she laced her arm through his and gave his arm a little hug. She didn’t know him well enough to be on hugging terms, she suspected, but she knew a person in pain when she saw one and she couldn’t leave him out to dry. “You’re a good man for even trying,” she told him.
He gave her a sleepy smile. “Or a stubborn one.”
“Or that,” she said, smiling back.
The pink car was all alone in the near-empty parking lot. “That’s my ride,” Cade said.
Kylie frowned. “How many drinks did you have?”
“I’m fine,” he told her. Then, he pulled the keys out of his pocket, fumbled, and dropped them on the ground.
“Bullshit you’re fine,” Kylie retorted, leaning over and scooping up the keys before he could. “How many drinks did you have again?”
His eyes narrowed at her, but she wasn’t fooled. She’d thought they were bright and shiny because he was upset over Daphne—which he probably was. But it was more likely that he was just wasted and hiding it really well.
“I had several drinks,” he admitted. “And normally I’d say it’s irresponsible to attempt to drive back to my hotel with as much as I’ve had to drink, but after what I’ve seen tonight, I still think I’m far more responsible than anyone else I’ve seen.”
And he gave her a dopey, gorgeous grin that told her, yup, he was plastered.
“What am I, chopped liver?” Kylie retorted, unable to keep an equally silly smile off of her face. God, he was cute.
“You are entirely too good for this motley crew tonight.”
Sweet man. She held the keys away from him when he reached for them. “Well, this entirely too good woman is driving you back to your hotel, because she hates the thought of you as a smear on the pavement.”
He snorted. “I can drive myself. Seriously. There’s no need to babysit me.”
It was on the tip of her tongue that she’d been doing a lot of babysitting tonight, and what was one more? But she suspected that it would hurt him more than make him laugh. He was putting on a brave face, but she knew that Daphne’s behavior had to be bothering him more than he let on. “Just consider it a friend looking out for a friend. Now, get in.” She clicked on the remote and the car’s security lights flashed.
“Really, Kylie, I’m fine.”
“I insist.”
One corner of his mouth curved up and then he was giving her another panty-melting smile. “Who am I to resist such a beautiful woman?”
Um, an equally beautiful—if not more so—man? But she didn’t say it aloud. At least he was getting into the darn car. Kylie got in on the driver’s side and put the keys in the ignition, then adjusted the mirrors. Cade was several inches taller than her, so she had to pull the seat forward, too. But when she was buckled in, she looked over at him. “Ready to go?”
He was gazing at her, a thoughtful look on his face.
“Cade? Buckle up.” When he just continued to study her, she wondered if he was an “out of it” kind of drunk. He probably wouldn’t remember this in the morning, any of it. So she reached across the car and pulled his seat belt over his legs. Her hands accidentally brushed over his groin, and she jerked away. “Oh, God, sorry!”
“S’okay,” he told her, voice strangely husky. “I’ll get it.”
She waited as he fumbled with the belt, but eventually was able to get it snapped in place. That done, she nodded at him and turned the car on. “Okay. Now, what hotel are you staying at?”
“Peninsula.”
Of course. It was only the most expensive hotel in Chicago. Daphne’s crew was staying at a chain hotel while Daphne herself stayed someplace decidedly more upscale. “All right,” Kylie said, easing the car forward. “Let’s get you home, then.”
The drive to the hotel was an easy one—even the Chicago streets weren’t terrible at three in the morning. She pulled up to the front of the massive hotel and the valet immediately stepped out to open her door. She grabbed her purse and then hurried over to Cade’s side. He’d been quiet on the drive, and she wondered if he was half-asleep.
But he got out of the car just fine. He leaned o
n Kylie as they headed into the hotel, and then draped an arm over her shoulders. And since he was tipsy, she allowed it. She was sure he didn’t mean anything by it. Guys like him didn’t claim girls like her.
“Floor?” she asked him as they went through the big doors of the hotel.
“Eighteen.”
She nodded and steered them toward the elevator. The doors shut and they were alone. She looked up at Cade, only to see him gazing down at her with that same glazed fascination. It was a little intimidating, and she wasn’t quite sure what he was thinking. She patted his chest with her free hand and smiled up at him, trying to make everything seem more casual than it really was. “Hanging in there?”
“I’m great, actually,” he murmured.
“Not falling asleep?”
“Not sleepy at all.”
They got up to the eighteenth floor and she gazed around her in vague wonder. There . . . weren’t many doors on this floor. “Which room is yours?” These looked suspiciously like the penthouse suites. Which shouldn’t have been surprising, given that he was trying to gift Daphne Petty with a car on a whim. But seeing all this opulence made her a little self-conscious. Just another reminder that the guy draped over her shoulders was way out of her league.
Cade pointed at a door down the hall and she led him in that direction, noticing that he seemed to be leaning on her more and more the further they walked. They got to the door and she looked at him expectantly. “Keycard?”
“In my front pocket.” He gave her an interested look. “Don’t suppose I could convince you to reach in and get it for me?”
Good lord, was Cade flirting with her? The man must have been truly plastered. “That’s very sweet,” she told him. “But get your own card.”
“Can’t blame a man for trying,” he murmured.
“You’re drunk,” she told him. “You wouldn’t hit on me sober.”
“Just because I’m drunk doesn’t mean I don’t have taste,” he told her. But he fished his keycard out of one pocket, winked at her, and then slid it across the scanner.
The door chimed open and Cade pulled his arm off her shoulders, leaving her feeling oddly bereft. “Want to come in for a moment?”
She hesitated. Going into a strange man’s hotel room at three in the morning? Probably a bad idea. “I really shouldn’t.”
“Just for a bit? I could use the company.”
Kylie waited on his doorstep a moment longer. She wasn’t thrilled about heading into the wilds of Chicago late at night by her lonesome, and she’d always wanted to see a penthouse. And Cade was harmless. He wouldn’t attack her . . . no matter how much she might wish it, heh. “Just for a minute,” she cautioned him. “And then I should get going.”
“You want a drink?” he asked, stepping into the suite. “I’m sure I have a minibar around here somewhere.”
She followed him in, closing the door behind her and trying not to stare at his hotel room.
It was . . . crazy. Crazy and ridiculous and utterly opulent. The beige carpet was thick underneath her shoes and the furniture shiny and new. Art—real art, not ugly hotel prints—hung on the walls, illuminated by their own personal spotlights. A pair of sliding doors led off to another “wing” of his suite, and as she stepped into the living room, she chuckled. “Is that a piano?”
“A baby grand for all of your hotel needs,” he agreed, approaching with two small bottles of alcohol in hand. “I personally have never gotten to a hotel room and thought, damn it, where is a piano when you need one, but apparently someone does.”
She laughed again and refused the drink he offered her. “No thanks.”
“You’re not driving back,” he cajoled. “I insist on a cab this late. And I’d be a sad sack if I was a lonely drunk. With you here, I’m not quite so lonely.”
His words warmed her a bit, and she took the tiny bottle of Patron from him, twisting the tiny cap off. He did the same, and held his bottle out to her in a toast. “Bottoms up,” she told him, and then sipped it. The alcohol had a delicious burn to it. She continued to sip it, wandering around the room. “How much does a place like this cost a night?”
“You don’t want to know,” he told her. “Actually, I’m not even sure I know. An assistant handled it for me.”
She headed through the living room—his freaking hotel room was a mess of rooms—and peered out to the balcony. “Oh, wow. This is huge.”
“Shall we go out?” He opened the door and gestured.
And even though Kylie was a bit tired and she knew Cade should head to bed, she went out on the balcony anyhow, because when was she going to ever do this again? The balcony had marble tile, and elegantly maintained potted plants dotted along the railing, interspersed with heavy wooden furniture. The city looked vast from here, and she stared at the view in awe. “This is gorgeous.”
“Isn’t it?” Cade smiled out at the buildings, his golden hair ruffling in the night breeze. He moved to stand beside her, his presence warm. “I have to admit I ask for this room simply because of the balcony.”
“I don’t blame you. This place looks big enough for a party.”
“Kind of sad that it’s just me.” His tone was melancholy, and her heart twinged again.
She lifted her tiny bottle of Patron back to her lips and drained the entire thing in one fell swoop, and her head began to buzz. “I’m sorry.”
“Why do you keep saying you’re sorry?” He gazed out at the Chicago night sky for a moment before turning back to look at her. “None of this was your fault.”
“I know,” she told him, and crossed her arms under her breasts, tucking them close to stay warm. Her thin shirt wasn’t exactly made for evenings outside. “I just wish things would have turned out differently for you. You’re such a good guy.”
To her surprise, his mouth twisted to hear that, his expression souring. “That’s the problem. No one ever seems to care how the nice guy feels, huh?” He tilted his head and studied her for so long that she began to feel self-conscious. “Except you.”
Her hair was blowing into her face, and she impatiently pushed it aside, thinking. What could she possibly say to him that wouldn’t sound stupid? I noticed you all night? I can’t help but be interested because you’re the perfect guy and Daphne’s throwing you away? I wish you’d notice me?
None of those phrases would come out of her mouth without embarrassing her, so she stood there, mutely staring at him, this perfect, wonderful man who deserved much better.
“It’s funny,” Cade said, stepping closer to Kylie. His hair blew in the breeze and for a moment, he looked like a fallen angel in the shadows. “Tonight, when I saw Daphne, do you know what the first thing in my mind was? It wasn’t that I was glad to see her, or worried that she was sick. Because I expected those things. It was disappointment . . . that she didn’t look like you.”
Kylie’s brows drew together. Huh? “I think you’re drunk, Cade.”
“I’m drunk,” he agreed. “Because I’d never say this otherwise. But you’re utterly, insanely sexy and I’ve been completely attracted to you since the moment I saw you, even when I know I shouldn’t be. And here I am, up on the balcony in the middle of the night after what has been a miserable experience, and all I can think is that I’m not all that miserable, because I like watching you.” His fingers reached out and brushed a lock of hair off her forehead, tucked it gently behind her ear. “And it makes me wish I was one of those guys that didn’t give a shit about anyone but themselves, because I’d ask you to stay the night with me.”
Her eyes widened. His fingers traced the curve of her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He wasn’t moving away. His speech wasn’t slurred. He . . . couldn’t be that drunk, could he? To be propositioning Kylie? “W-what do you mean, stay the night with you?”
“It’s late and you’re gorgeous,” he said bluntly, cupping her rounded cheek in his hand. “And I’m wondering if we should both live a little. Have an incredibly intense one-night stan
d and not think about it in the morning. What do you say?”
She stared up at his handsome face. His fingers were warm on her skin, his touch making her every nerve ending sit up and pay attention. She wanted to say yes. It had been at least two years since she’d dated someone. The last man she’d cared for was Jerred. And Jerred had done a really great job of hiding just how much of a dick he was until the last minute. He’d known just what to say and how to act to shatter Kylie’s fragile self-confidence, to the point that she hadn’t wanted to date again after him. Going on tour made it easy to skip personal relationships. It meant her schedule wasn’t her own, and it meant being away from home for long periods of time. And while on tour, she was surrounded by so many fit, lean, sexy dancers (or pop stars) that no one paid attention to curvy Kylie. Normally it didn’t bother her, and she was content to blend in with the wallpaper.
But tonight . . . wouldn’t it be nice to have a torrid fling with a man who wanted her for her? Scratch the itch for sex that desperately needed scratching?
Especially with the handsome Cade, who seemed to embody everything she liked in a man?
But Kylie wasn’t that kind of girl. Not really. Even though she might dream of being reckless and wild for a night, she was responsible. She’d be needed back at the tour HQ by noon so they could roll out to the next city. The smart thing would be to go back to her own hotel, get a few hours of shut-eye, and try to forget about tonight. Forget about Cade’s sad eyes, his wind-blown curls, the way he’d flirted with her in the coffee shop before the night turned into a bad dream.
Because she knew how things would turn out. He’d wake up in the morning, find himself next to her fat ass, be embarrassed, make excuses, and then they’d both feel awkward until Kylie disappeared.
So she shook her head and patted the front of his jacket. “Cade,” she said softly. “You’re hurting. That’s why you’re propositioning me—”