Bend for Me Read online

  “You have a nice laugh,” Avery blurted. Oops.

  Kadence turned to face her, eyes boring into Avery’s gaze before breaking into a grin. “Wow. You’re looking at my eyes instead of my chest for once.”

  “Hey, I only look at your tits because your eyes are too distracting.”

  Kadence snorted. “Says you. You’re the one with distracting eyes.”

  Now it was Avery’s turn to be taken aback. When did their light-hearted banter become genuine flirting?

  “I really am sorry. Women deserve to be respected and treated fairly. They shouldn’t be objectified or only regarded for their bodies.” Avery knew she was about to go on a rant. “I partially blame the media. Sex sells. And women are put on display to help sell products. In a way, it’s artistic. But it also gets to the point where you don’t even remember what they’re trying to sell you. You just remember the girls. Especially if they look like you.”

  Kadence bit her lip. “Avery.”

  Why can’t I shut up? Her mouth kept going. “Seriously, Kae. You’re gorgeous. Like the female body in general is just…breathtaking. That’s why I love painting them. They’re softer and so curved. They just look so gentle and nice to touch, not in a creepy way, of course. They’re just different from men, you know? They’re hard and tough and sometimes even a little scary. But women, they’re safe, like a lover.” Someone shut me up!

  “Avery?”

  “Shit. That was too much, wasn’t it?” Yeah, like a hundred words too much.

  Kadence shook her head. “I like it when you’re genuine. And you have a beautiful mind. Just as beautiful as your smile.”

  It had been a while since her fall from the swing, but Avery still felt that dizzying sensation for the rest of afternoon.

  ***

  When Avery returned to the apartment, Emma was wrapped in a blanket, an overflowing bowl of popcorn in her lap. She tilted her head in greeting as Emma patted the space beside her, wiggling to give Avery room to join her.

  “Where’d you go? Were you out with Kadence? Again?” She lifted a brow as she offered the bowl of popcorn.

  “Maybe.”

  “How’s that going?”

  Avery took her time chewing a handful of the snack before responding. “I asked her to be my date to the gallery showcase.”

  Emma beamed in excitement. “Wow! That’s awesome.”

  Avery shrugged, trying to play it cool. “I mean, she’s pretty chill.”

  “You sure that’s it?” Emma nudged her in the side, elbow hitting the spot that caused her insides to bubble. She laughed and Avery wasn’t sure if it was because her sides were so stupidly sensitive, or because she had made Avery flush stupidly red. Probably both, but mostly the latter.

  “We’re just friends. Per your request.”

  “I never said that. I just said don’t fuck with her.”

  “And I’m not. We’re just friends who happen to hang out at one another’s places.”

  “Damn. U-hauling already? And I thought Kadence was the lesbian.”

  “I hate you.” Avery took an entire fistful of popcorn, tossing it at Emma.

  Emma managed to catch a few in her mouth. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  “No, Emma! I’m not U-hauling!”

  Emma doubled in laughter, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

  “Oh, screw you.”

  “No thanks. I’ll pass. I’m very much straight.” Emma’s tears sparkled on her cheeks as she tossed a handful of popcorn at Avery in retaliation. They landed in Avery’s tousled blonde waves.

  Avery picked a piece out of her hair and popped it into her mouth before flicking a second back at Emma. “The only straight you are is the straight-up worst.”

  Chapter Ten

  THE NIGHT OF THE art show, Kadence arrived to find Avery’s apartment in a state of absolute chaos.

  “Oh, thank God!” Emma flung the door open. “She’s in there.”

  Kadence followed the direction of Emma’s thumb to find Avery hopping on one foot with a belt in her mouth as tried to pull her pants on.

  “Avery, your girlfriend is here.”

  The increase in volume caused Avery to lose her balance, falling to the ground with a thud as a slew of profanities fell from her lips.

  “Umm, we’re not actually girlfriends,” Kadence corrected with pink seeping into her cheeks.

  “I know,” Emma said. “I just like messing with her. Anyway, she’s all yours. Fair warning, she’s a mess right now.”

  “If you would have come as my date, I wouldn’t be like this.”

  “It’s not like I’m not gonna be there. I just have my own date this year,” Emma objected as she ran her palms across her skirt. “And besides, your date is standing right there, Avery. Don’t be rude.”

  “Oh, shit!” Avery’s entire face brightened. “Kae! I didn’t mean it like that. I just—”

  “It’s all right, Avery.” After spending almost every day together for two weeks, she was much more accustomed to Avery’s mannerisms, poor communication skills included. “Come on, let’s get you fixed up.”

  Despite being confident ninety-nine percent of the time, Avery’s face said it all. She was nervous. Extremely nervous. Kadence watched her pace before halting Avery in her movement.

  “Let me.” She gently coaxed Avery toward her with a tug of her belt loops. Slender fingers shrugged her pants up whilst tucking her shirt in and fastening the belt. “What happened to calm, collected Avery with lots of swagger?”

  “She died, apparently,” Avery deadpanned with a groan.

  Kadence froze, blinking.

  “Kadence?”

  Kadence’s eyes grew distant as she fought to calm her breathing.

  “Earth to Kae?”

  “Sorry. Just remembered something.” Kadence sidetracked to the closet, pausing before grabbing a silk black tie. After collecting herself, she looped the fabric around Avery’s neck. “You look great.”

  “Thanks.” Avery’s gaze dropped to survey Kadence’s dress, tracing the deep vee with her eyes. “Wow, Kadence. You look—”

  “Don’t go soft on me now, Bennett. You coming?” Kadence moved to the doorway.

  “I will be,” Avery mumbled under her breath.

  ***

  It wasn’t the biggest gallery, but the space was decent enough to host at least fifty or so attendees. The clean, white walls were adorned with canvases of all styles and sizes. To the side of the entryway stood a row of sculptures, spaced evenly along the wall. Avery had Kadence at her side, a hand resting on Kadence’s lower back as they greeted prospective buyers.

  “Are you Avery Bennett? You did an amazing job.”

  “I love the green theme you managed to sprinkle in throughout each piece. What inspired you?”

  “Brilliant execution and brushwork.”

  “Spot on blending techniques.”

  Kadence loved that none of the compliments seemed to go to Avery’s head. She took each one with complete and genuine consideration. After an hour of networking, the artist removed her nametag, stuffing it into her pocket.

  “I think it’s time I focus on being present.”

  They each ordered a glass of wine before heading toward the back. The area was sectioned off from the rest, a small sign that read “Featured Artist: Avery Bennett” captioned the exhibit.

  Kadence stepped into the space, surrounding herself in the room of green, studying each piece with precision. She passed Avery’s interpretation of Mother Nature, a painting of naked trees in the form of female figures, the illusion of branches holding onto children, entwined silhouettes of people kissing, dancing, and the rebirth of a child. Everything was beautiful.

  “So, uhh, what do you think?”

  “Wow,” Kadence breathed out.

  “Good wow, or bad wow?” Avery fidgeted with the nametag in her pocket.

  “Incredible wow.”

  “Tell me about this one.” Kadence pointed
to a towering painting that stood alone along the back wall. The piece was seven feet tall and five feet wide. Featured in the center of the piece was a dark-haired woman with gold flowers in her hair. Her back was to the audience, and she was adorned in both black and white. She stood on a black and white chess board, surrounded by colorful pieces. The chess king had fallen on its side with the queen, sword in hand, looking off into the distance.

  She read the small plaque aloud. “Life is a battle, but you are a queen.”

  “Uhh, it doesn’t fit the theme of the rest of the pieces, but it’s my favorite. I was inspired by our night at The Arkade. I’ve always loved the idea of strong women not taking shit from men. I had my…” Avery shook her head. Before Kadence could ask, Avery changed to a different tangent.

  “So, I usually paint nudes, but I felt like this just needed to have a woman in armor. Even though the background is all colors, your eyes are still drawn the strength of the queen. It took me a long time to get the lighting to work just right. It tricks your eyes to look at the monochromatic colors and shows that women can be beautiful, brave, and powerful all at once. I guess you could say it’s one of my more feminist pieces,” Avery explained in almost one single breath.

  Kadence was in awe. She liked peeling back different layers of Avery every time they were together. Each time, Avery would accidentally reveal a little more depth to her character. And each time, despite herself, Kadence would be rendered speechless with admiration.

  “Kadence?” Avery gulped. “I hate when you do that.”

  Kadence blinked. “Do what?”

  “Just…I don’t know, stare and not say anything.” She toyed with the ended of her tie.

  “Sorry, I just…I’m at a loss for words. It’s amazing.”

  “Oh.” Avery flushed red.

  “Do you take commissions?”

  “Uhh, I guess. I haven’t ever had a request made.”

  “Well, you should consider it. I’d love for you to paint me something.”

  “I…” Avery’s gaze fell to Kadence’s lips until a movement from behind Kadence caught her eye, breaking the trance. Within microseconds, her entire demeanor changed. Her amber eyes ignited, and her brows narrowed. Avery’s nostrils flared.

  “Excuse me for a second.”

  Before Kadence could register the situation, Avery was already stomping toward a man who stood in the doorway. Kadence couldn’t hear the conversation, but she saw the vein protruding from Avery’s neck. The man appeared to be relatively calm. He ran his hand over his hair as he shrugged. Whatever he said set Avery off. She rolled her eyes, turning her back to him before marching back to Kadence, lips pursed and mood soured.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Fine,” Avery snapped, rushing toward the bar. “Get a drink with me?”

  “Uh, okay.”

  By the time she caught up with Avery, the artist had already slammed down an old fashioned, wincing at the sweetness. Kadence chewed her lip, watching wide-eyed as Avery ordered a bourbon, downing it in record time. She washed it down with a straight shot of Irish whiskey.

  “Slow down, Avery. We have all night.” She placed her hand on Avery’s wrist, halting her from ordering another drink. Avery’s skin was on fire.

  “You’re right. We do.” Avery threw down two twenties before tugging Kadence with her.

  “Avery? What…where are we going?”

  Avery ignored her inquires, unlocking the back door of her exhibit to what appeared to be a storage room.

  “Avery, I’m not sure if—”

  Avery cut her off by pressing her lips desperately to Kadence’s. Had it been any other circumstance, Kadence might have kissed Avery back. But everything about this felt wrong. Kadence pulled away.

  “Avery, wait.”

  Avery’s arms were wrapped around her waist and she leaned forward again and latched onto her neck, biting at the skin.

  “Avery!” Kadence gasped, pushing against her shoulders. “Avery, stop.” Kadence gave a forceful shove, causing Avery to stumble back into a pile of canvases. They toppled with a clatter that echoed off the walls. The loud bang seemed to snap Avery out of her trance, chest heaving and eyes dark.

  “Damn it, Kadence. You’re such a fucking tease. Am I just a toy to you? Someone you can flirt with for fun? Or do you think I won’t be able to satisfy you? Am I not good enough? Are you not ready?”

  Kadence didn’t understand what was happening. This was not the same woman who spent the afternoon at the park passionately emphasizing the importance of respect toward women. This was a complete one-eighty from the woman who preached about female empowerment. This Avery didn’t have that same playful smile on her face that made Kadence’s eyes draw toward the line of her lips. The Avery Kadence took as her date had been so endearingly clumsy up until that point. This was not the Avery Kadence had felt herself growing comfortable with.

  “What are you talking about? I’m not doing this because I’m not ready.” Kadence shook her head. “I’m doing it because you aren’t. And it’s even clearer now, based on your reaction.”

  “You know what? Fuck this.” Avery glared, throwing her hands up in the air. “Fuck Logan! Fuck everything. Fuck you.”

  Before she knew it, her hand was colliding with the flesh of Avery’s cheek. They both blinked, dumbstruck at the other’s actions. It was Kadence who made the first move, fleeing the room, bursting through the doors into the cool night air. Hot tears raced down her face as she flagged a yellow taxi waiting down the street. Avery’s behavior had terrified her. And Kadence Cooper was only scared of two things—love and losing control. Neither of which she had felt in a long time.

  ***

  Kadence’s knuckles jackhammered on the door. After a moment, it flew open and Jordan towered above her. It was late. He probably thought she was a threat.

  “Sorry.” Kadence immediately flushed, taking a step backward. “I didn’t know you would be here. I’ll just go—”

  Her sister stepped from around the corner, wrapped in a blanket. “Kae? What are you doing here?” Melody asked, brow knit in confusion. Her brown eyes softened when she took in the state of her baby sister cowering in the doorway. “Hey. Come here.”

  Melody ushered her inside, pushing past Jordan. Kadence bit down hard on her inner lip, swallowing back tears. She didn’t want to cry in front of Jordan, but her resolve was fading.

  “Jordan?” Melody gave him a silent look.

  “Of course.” He nodded. “I’ll be in the bedroom if you need me.” He placed a hand on Kadence’s shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. She couldn’t help but flinch and Melody studied her reaction with her eyebrows creased.

  “I thought you were supposed to be at the gallery.”

  The statement triggered another round of tears. “I…I was.”

  “Kadence?” Melody scooted closer. “Hey, what happened?”

  Kadence’s lip trembled but she couldn’t bring herself to speak any words.

  “Did she hurt you?” Melody’s fingers found the mark on Kadence’s neck, stroking the tender skin.

  “You…you were right. Avery is a pig. She doesn’t respect women and she…she…” Kadence couldn’t even finish her sentence.

  “Oh, Kae, that’s not something I want to be right about.” Melody sighed, combing a hand through Kadence’s hair. Kadence buried her face into Melody’s shoulder, falling into the safety of her sister’s hold.

  “I don’t know why it hurts so much,” Kadence said, hiccupping. “It’s not like you didn’t tell me she was a player. You told me to be careful. I should have listened to you.”

  She knew Melody was angry — with her, with herself, and definitely with Avery. But her expression was more disappointed than anything. “It hurts because it mattered. I was hoping you’d prove me wrong because I saw the way you looked at her.”

  Kadence tilted her head in confusion.

  “The way your eyes lit up. I saw the old you, a carefree
you. She made you happy, even if you didn’t realize it. Your eyes have always been your tell.”

  The truth hit Kadence hard and fast. For a moment, she sat numb. How didn’t she realize it? She had started falling for Avery. But Avery wasn’t going to be there to catch her. Somehow, Kadence had broken both of her rules. She let herself lose control and fall in love.

  “What’s going on in your head right now?” Melody took Kadence’s hand in her own as she rubbed her thumb against Kadence’s wrist in soothing circles.

  “I don’t know what happened. Everything was fine. Avery was being so sweet one minute, telling me all these incredible things about her art, and then she went to talk to some guy. When she came back it was like she became a different person. She tried to make a move on me, but all I saw was anger and pain in her eyes. So, I told her it was wrong, and she wasn’t in the right state of mind. She called me a tease when I finally pushed her off me. Then I came straight here.”

  “I’m going to kill her,” Melody snarled. “I’m going to fucking beat the shit out of that—”

  “Mel, don’t.” As angry as she was herself, something inside her told her this wasn’t just Avery. It just didn’t fit the woman she had spent the past few weeks getting to know.

  “You’re going to defend her?”

  “No, but I just…I feel like there’s something else. I’m sorry for her?” She was angry at Avery, too, but maybe not to the point of wanting to physically inflict pain onto her like her sister wanted to. Maybe it was because she already got her turn and judging by the sound, it was a damn good slap, too.

  “She’s the one who should be feeling sorry!” Melody was seething. “You did nothing wrong.”

  “I know. But there was something about the way she looked when she first saw that guy. She looked so scared and so small and—”

  “Just like you do,” Melody pressed. “Right now.”

  “I…”

  Kadence’s phone started ringing and Avery’s caller ID popped on the screen. Melody lunged for it, pressing the reject button before typing in Iris’s birthday, shooting off a text to Avery. Kadence sat defeated, allowing her sister to send whatever biting message she wanted.