“Oh, I’m certain.”
“I heard what that skanky bitch Kelly did. I told Cane I could punch her right in the nose and make her bleed when I first saw her, but he told me to stay calm and to keep my hands to myself.” She let out a ragged breath. “I hate her. I really do, and there aren’t many people that I hate on this earth. She’s stringing my brother along like a fucking dog, trying to get him to bend and break for her. I hate seeing him in such a bind and if she didn’t know so much, I’d beat her ass.”
“What does she know exactly?” I asked, hoping my question came off light and harmless.
Lora glanced at me before pulling her eyes away. “A lot of shit, Kandy Jennings.”
“Like what?”
“Just…shit. She’s a psychotic bitch and he needs to whack her upside that narcissistic head of hers and leave her in a ditch in the middle of nowhere.” She climbed out of the hot tub, grabbing her towel and wrapping it around her, securing it at the chest. “And don’t ask me what all of the shit is,” she went on, like she knew the question was running through my mind. “He told me you’d be coming home for the holidays and made me promise not to say anything to you about it. I’m tipsy and shouldn’t have brought it up in the first place. My bad. But…I’m sure if what you guys have is real, he’ll tell you eventually. He’ll have no choice.”
“Is it bad?” I asked, pushing off the chair and standing.
She shrugged. “To me, not so much. But I can understand how it could be bad and a big deal for someone like you. You didn’t grow up the way we did, so it’d be harder for you to understand why he did some of the things he had to do. Sometimes we did things we weren’t proud of just to survive. When I think about it now, I don’t blame him for taking certain routes.”
Wow. Well, then I hoped what he and I had was real because now I really wanted to know. I mean, even though we’d settled with being together in private, I did have my moments of doubt. What if he could never get rid of Kelly? What if she kept coming back to tempt him and ruin him? Would I be strong enough to stay in a secret relationship with him, knowing I couldn’t do anything about it? Not only that, but Cane had so many secrets and so much mystery surrounding him, it felt like every day, I was finding out something new about him.
Though I despised Kelly with a passion, she was right about one thing. Cane was a man with many, many layers, and what he had deep down probably wasn’t pleasant.
I was almost afraid to find out the truth about him because a part of me knew it would determine whether we would stay together, or leave each other alone for good.
Chapter Thirty
KANDY
Lora announced she was going upstairs to shower. While she did, I shuffled around in the kitchen and living room. I heard clicking coming from Cane’s office and knew he was hard at work. Though I had a thousand questions running through my head, I decided to let him finish and find me when he was ready.
I went back out to the hot tub and twisted the knob to turn up the heat. There was still a chill in the air that definitely made goosebumps run across my skin, but I was certain that with the heat of the pool, it would make for a relaxing time.
I didn’t have a bathing suit. At this point, I didn’t care. I stripped out of my jeans and T-shirt, folding them and placing them on the chair I’d been sitting in previously. All I wore was a pair of nude panties and a bra to match.
Since being in college, I had more freedom with my wardrobe. Whenever Morgan or Gina wanted to go to the mall, I always made a pit stop at a lingerie store, hoping like a madwoman that Cane would give me another on-campus surprise and I’d be prepared the next time. It didn’t happen, but wishful thinking was what got me through the long days after he’d left.
I sank into the hot tub, allowing the heat of the water to consume me. It felt amazing.
Twenty minutes passed before I heard the patio door slide open. I looked back and Cane was walking toward the pool house. He opened the door and came inside. His hair was messier, his burgundy tie undone, hanging loosely around his neck. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, his belt missing. God, he looked so good like this—so appetizing. A small smile swept across his lips when he spotted me, his shoulders relaxing a bit.