Flirting With Chaos Read Free Page A

expression spread across his face. “You hurt me bad, Rain. You hurt me bad.”
    “Just go upstairs and have fun with Vicky. Eww, by the way.”
    “My dad’s teaching me the most important lesson in life.”
    I shook my head. “What’s that?”
    “Sharing.”
    “I think I just vomited in my mouth.”
    “Oh, no. Don’t throw up now. Save all of that for later. So, change of plans. I’ll be down after I shower and dress. Don’t leave.” He twirled the bag and stared at it for a second.
    “I’m not staying here with your dad,” I whispered.
    “Oh, yeah. Well, then I’ll pick you up in less than an hour. And about your virginity—”
    “Not talking about this with you.”
    “We are.”
    “Not now.” I rushed off to the front door and dug my hand into my purse to get my phone.
    “Fine. You won’t be able to escape this conversation later.” He raced up the stairs with my bag in hand. “I’ll pick you up soon. Please keep that sexy dress on.”
    “Oh, be quiet.” I opened the door. “You’re not special anymore. I’m wearing sneakers and jeans.”
    Kaden stood outside on the porch and wagged his finger at me. “Where are you going?”
    I glanced over my shoulder and then back at him. “Umm…didn’t you go into the kitchen?”
    “You’re avoiding me again. I figured you would sneak out without finishing our discussion.”
    He’s just as insane as his son.
    “I forgot.”
    He tossed me a skeptical look.
    “I did.”
    Kind of.
    “Well, then I’m glad I came around the house and got to the front door to remind you.” He wiped the sweat off of his forehead. “Which now seems pretty odd as I stand here.”
    “Don’t worry. This night just seems to get weirder and weirder.”
    “Hungry?”
    “No.”
    “Good. Let’s eat. I’m cooking.”
    He hooked his arm around mine and tugged me back in.
    “But—”
    “Just dinner.”
    Best. Evening. Ever. I groaned and went back into the house.

Chapter 2
    Uncle Hottie
    K ADEN C HOPPED M USHROOMS . “Pour me a glass of wine, please.”
    I walked over to the cabinets, pulled out two solid black wine glasses, and filled them with Pinot Noir. The whole time, Kaden watched me with his eyebrows raised.
    “What?” I asked.
    “I was going to tell you where everything was, but you already know.” He tossed the mushrooms into the hot pan. “Are you over here a lot?”
    “I used to be when Jude and I were in high school.” I handed him his glass. “Now it’s only during the holidays, but not every holiday.”
    “You mean, not the ones when I’m here.”
    Exactly.
    “No. Things just come up.” I displayed my most innocent smile.
    “Did your grandma know you hung out here?”
    “No.” And she still didn’t know I planned to be with Jude all summer. It wasn’t that grandma didn’t like Jude; she just didn’t like him hanging around me. He reminded her too much of my dad, the one who’d taken her little girl away. I’d planned on going to see her in Jamaica at the end of the summer.
    “So, you were okay sneaking over here to see Jude but not your uncle?”
    “My uncle?” I sipped some wine to hide my smirk.
    An image of Kaden snorting coke on one of my Barbie tea set plates came to my mind. I’d been six and had begged him to come upstairs to my tea party. He’d obliged and, after a few lines of coke, had given me the coolest tea party of my young life. He’d mimicked my stuffed animals in various foreign accents, did back flips off of my bed’s headboard, and set a bonfire in my sink to teach me why playing with fire was bad. Mom had caught us right as we were trying to put it out. That was back when Jude still lived with his mother and Kaden hung around our house all the time. By the time I was a preteen, I unfortunately had a crush on Kaden. Thankfully, Jude’s mom dumped him with his dad. Because of that, Jude came around more, smashed away my unhealthy crush for Kaden, and shifted my infatuation to him.
    “Uncle Kaden. I kind