Chapter 34 Strawberries And Cream

Chapter 34 Strawberries And Cream

ARDEN

“Do you know that guy!”

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I turned to the side, startled to see Owen emerging from the kitchen, a steaming mug of coffee in his hands. He prepared himself a fresh cup while I watched him absentmindedly.

“Are you not going to answer?” he prompted, raising an eyebrow at my silence.

I shifted my gaze to the table furthest from the counter and noticed Jaxon stealing nces at me intermittently.

b“/bI wish I didn’t know him, I muttered softly.

Owen took a deliberate sip of bhis /bfreshly brewed coffee before adding, “Well, his girlfriend must feel the same way. bIt /blooks like she’s bready /bto murder you with her eyes.

I turned my attention back to the group, and in a moment of perfect timing, Sienna shot me a re, her mouth moving animatedly as bshe /bconversed with her friends.

“I don’t understand,” I murmured bin /bfrustration. “Why does she feel bso /bthreatened by me?”

Feeling Owen’s gaze piercing into the side of my face, I turned my head and raised my brows in inquiry.

He shook his bhead /bslightly. “I could take a guess bas /bto why,” he muttered cryptically,

I tilted my head in confusion, ready to ask him what he bmeant/b, but before I could utter a word, bthe /bfront door swung open and a new customer stepped inside.

Owen quickly retreated back to the kuchen, leaving me to don my professional smile. “Wee to—”

but my weing words caught in my bthroat /bbas /bmy eyes met the bneer/b. It seemed he, too, was taken aback by my presetice.

Cade walked bin /bbd /bin his ser buniform/b, his expression as unreadable as ever.

I bpursed /bmy lips and bgave /bhim a curt bnod/b. “bWhat /bcan I help you bwith /btoday?” I asked bsoftly/b, bstriving /bto keep my voice steady.

Ever since the bday /bof my bheat/b, we bhadn’t /bexchanged ba /bbsingle /bword, so seeing him like this made my cheeks flush. Thankfully. it appeared he had managed to put the awkward incident behind bhim/b.

de remained silent for a bmoment/b, his gaze blingering /bon me, and I tilted my bhead /bin confusion. I bnoticed /bagain that his cheeks bure a slight flush–he had likely juste bfrom /btraining

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he stated his order. “The strawberries and bcream /bfrappino,” he said.

I fought to suppress my emotions, but it seemed that my feelings slipped through the cracks. His eyes narrowed bslightly /bas he observed me, and I looked up to meet his gaze.

“Do you have a problem with it?” he basked/b.

shook my bhead/bb, /ba slight smule gracing my lips. “Not at all: What level of sweetness will bthat /bbe?”

He cleated his throat band turned /bto the side, his expression suddenly shy. “The sweetest one.”

He had a sweet tooth, just like ma

“Alright, I replied bcheerily /bFor here or to go

logo he muttered, his voice sounding bsmaller /bnow, almost btimid/b.

10:44 АМ

Chapter 34 Strawberries And Cream

A soft giggle escaped my lips, prompting him to lean one bhand /bagainst the counter for support.

“You know, I really have a feeling bthat /byou’re bmaking /bfun of me,” he said.

I looked at him, still feeling amused by his reaction. “How did youe to that conclusion?”

Cade pursed his lips, and in that moment, he looked the most childlike and innocent I had ever seen him.

b+5 /bFree Coins

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” I added softly, enjoying this light–hearted banter. “I like sweet things too–like strawberries and cream. Although, I don’t think I could handle the level of sweetness you’d prefer.”

With that. I set about preparing his drink, ensuring I got everything just right. I even ced a few dried strawberries bon /btop before bsealing /bit with the lid. I grabbed a straw and handed it to him.

He epted it with a sulky expression, which only made meugh harder, my head tilting back in amusement. I felt his gaze on me, and for ba /bfleeting moment, I noticed ba /bsmall smile begin to form on his face, btoo/b.

“So, you’reughing at me now?” he asked, his tone breaking through myughing bfit/bb. /b

“I’m sorry.” I said, wiping away the tears that had umted in the corners of my eyes. “It’s just that–I didn’t expect this. There’s nothing wrong with it; the contrast is just… pretty cute.

I said those words without thinking too much about them, so when thest word escaped my lips, I froze, realizing the unexpected confession. I turned to him with wide eyes, only to find that he, too, was taken aback by my suddenpliment.

“I–I mean, I stammered, searching for the right words but ultimately falling silent, feeling my cheeks heat up with embarrassment. It wasn’t like we were friends! How could I have said that!

However, the awkward btension /bthat hung between bus /bbwas /babruptly shattered by the sound of something spilling.

“Oops!” I heard one of bSienna’s /bfriends exim. I snapped out of my daze and turned to see her frantically attempting to bclean /bup a coffee spill on the floor.

I pursed my lips, already suspecting that the spill was no ident.

After giving Cade bhis /bbchange/b, I grabbed bthe /bmop from by the lockers. As I stepped outside, I noticed that Cade was being cornered by the very friend bwho /bhad spilled her drink.

I quietly approached the scene, doing my best bto /bbe discreet.

“Here’s my number, Alpha Cade,” she bsaid/b, slipping ba /bbpiece /bof paper into the pocket of his buniform/b. Her hand lingered there ba /bsecond longer bthan /busual, but I reminded bmyself /bthat it bwasn’t /bany of my business, so I focused on cleaning up the mess.

I bbit /bbmy /blip to stifle a curse. It was definitely deliberate. It appeared to bhave /bbeen poured before it actually spilled, bincreasing /bthe area of the mess,

Sull, 1 Lept silent and perely sighed as I bsqueezed /bout the mop. I could feel Jaxon’s gaze on me bas /bI bworked/b, but I bignored /bbhun/b, bintent /bon bfinishing /bthe task.

“There’s still some over here,” Sienna called out. I nodded quietly and walked to where she was bstationed/b. bHowever/b, the friend who had just given Cade her number pretended to lose her bbnce /bband /bsuddenly pushed me toward the ground, feigning

The bevents /bunfolded rapidly. The floor was still slippery, and I couldn’t manage to regain my bbnce/b. I felt myself falling. anticipating the impact.

Yes, even as I braced for it, the fall never came. bInstead/b, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me bback /b

om the brink

bA /bsmall gasp escaped Sienna’s blips /bas I opened my eyes bin /bbconfusion/b. To my surprise, the barms /bdidn’t belong to just one person. While Cade held me at the waist, Jaxon gripped my hips, creating a bewildering entanglement

My eyes widened as I took in the bscene/b, the two of them tightening their bgrips /bbaround /bme Sienna blooked /bequally shocked

10:44 AM

Chapter 34 Strawberries And Cream

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perhaps even more so than I was, though I couldn’t fathom why–she was the one who got me into this predicament in the first ce.

I turned to Jaxon and noticed his bjaw /bwas clenched, a telltale sign of his agitation. Then I shifted my gaze to Cade, who remained surprisingly calm, smirking at the unfolding drama

“You can let me go now,” I muttered, though my words seemed lost in the silent battle of their res.

“Let her go.” Jaxon demanded through gritted teeth, his protective instincts ring

Meanwhile, Cade merely tilted his bhead/bb. /ba dangerous glint in his eyes.

Then, without warning, he pulled me closer, yet it wasn’t rough or bruising; it was more of a possessive gesture. He stepped back. allowing me to regain my footing

“Don’t worry. I’ve got her.

b3/3 /b