Uncontrollable (Key West #3) Read Free Page B

go-get-’em attitude were always refreshing.
    “We’ll talk about that scene between you and Kade after the photographer is done with us.” She narrowed her eyes, daring me to argue.
    The idea of rehashing a time I just wanted to forget even happened turned my stomach. But Harper took no shit from anyone, and if you were her friend, you had to accept that she wouldn’t let you shy away from a challenge.
    I refrained from making eye contact with Kade during the photos. I could sense him staring, though, and even caught him watching me on more than one occasion out of the corner of my eye. I just wanted to get this over with and place some much-needed distance between the two of us.
    I moved around robotically as the photographer directed me where to stand and how to move. Yet the moment she asked Kade to stand at my side and place his hand on my hip, I clammed up, and nervous energy rushed through my body. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and nausea knotted my stomach. At the touch of his palm, I went rigid and held my breath.
    He let out a deep breath and pulled me back against his chest. “Please don’t do that,” he whispered against my ear. “I would never—” He paused as if to control his emotions. “I could never hurt you, Avery. I’m so sorry I scared you.”
    I counted to ten in my head, over and over reining in my emotions. I couldn’t break down, not here, not now. I focused on each word being spoken around us and didn’t respond or offer him even a backward glance. Instead, I forced a smile for the camera, pretending I wasn’t completely tied up on the inside.
     
    ***
     
    Things between Kade and me were tense during the reception, to say the least. I spent more time hiding in the bathroom than interacting with the rest of the guests. When I wasn’t in there, I used my mother as a barrier along with Harper, who was shooting daggers at Kade every chance she got. She continued to insist I explain what had happened between us, but I miraculously found more than one way to distract her from the topic. When Easton whisked her away to the dance floor, I was more than grateful. Reliving the Kade crisis had been averted.
    But after my mother went home and everyone paired up to dance, I was left standing off to the side, feeling alone and vulnerable. When Kade approached me again, my heart raced so fast I felt like I would pass out.
    “Please believe me when I say I would never intentionally hurt you, Avery.” His voice was raw with emotion. “Let me explain.”
    “It’s okay. Let’s just forget about it,” I insisted.
    “I can’t.” He lifted his hand and skimmed my jaw with his fingertips. “I scared you, and I was an ass,” He closed his eyes tightly, then moved in closer and wrapped his arms around me. As his chest pressed firmly against mine, I concentrated on my breathing, trying to maintain my composure.
    To anyone around us, we would appear to be dancing to the music, but I knew Kade hugging me like this was his way of apologizing. When I looked up at him, I could see the hurt in his eyes. Something bad had happened between my stepdad and him, and not knowing what it was scared me in a way I didn’t know how to handle.
    I lowered my head onto his shoulder once again. “Why don’t you like Robert?” I asked, my voice muffled against his neck.
    Kade placed a gentle kiss against my temple, and the deep breath he released fanned out over my shoulder. “I don’t know if telling you is the best idea.”
    I pushed against his chest, forcing him to let me go. “You can tell me or he can tell me.” I cleared my throat. “It doesn’t matter to me which one of you does, because I can guarantee you, I will find out. “
    “Dance with me,” he said. “Please.”
    His evasion only made me more irritated. But I calmed a bit as I noticed his bloodshot eyes and the dark circles under them. He’d obviously been just as stressed today as I was. After a moment, he reached out and took my hand in