Love and Chaos: A Growing Pains Novel
Read Love and Chaos: A Growing Pains Novel Online
Authors: K.F. Breene
LOVE AND CHAOS
By K.F.
Breene
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Website:
http://kfbreene.com/
Blog: www.kfbreene.org
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KFBreene
Copyright © 2014 by K.F.
Breene
Other Titles by K.F.
Breene
Skyline Series (Contemporary Romance)
Building Trouble, Book 1
Uneven Foundation, Book 2
Solid Ground, Book 3
Jessica Brodie Diaries (Contemporary Romance)
Back in the Saddle, Book 1 – FREE
Hanging On, Book 2
A Wild Ride, Book 3
Growing Pains (Contemporary Romance)
Lost and Found, Book 1 - FREE
Overcoming Fear, Book 2
Butterflies in Honey, Book 3
Love & Chaos; Cassie’s Story
Darkness Series (Paranormal Romance)
Into the Darkness, Novella 1 - FREE
Braving the Elements, Novella 2
On a Razor’s Edge, Novella 3
Demons, Novella 4
The Council, Novella 5
TBA, Novella 6
Jonas, Novella 7
Chosen, Book 1
Contents
Love and Chaos
Cassie pulled up to her friend Marcus’ house as evening turned into night. She’d just come from an early dinner with her brother and his soon-to-be-fiancée, Krista. Even though they were, quite possibly, the most irritating couple on the face of the earth, she was so happy they’d finally reconciled their issues and gotten together. Sean had finally found a girl who was perfect for him, and the gooey eyes and lovesick smiles could mostly be tolerated. With a few eye-rolls, that was.
She grabbed the key from the fake rock hidden among the plants by the door. In fairness to Marcus, the rock was excellent quality—it did look real. But a hide-a-key? He was basically just waving burglars in.
A plush foyer greeted her as she entered Marcus’ condo. Abstract art, perfectly setting off the room, hung on freshly painted walls. Modern furniture accented hallways and rooms, all choreographed perfectly with the flow of
the room, giving the living area a warm, homely feeling.
The man did know how to work a space
—she’d give him that.
Speaking of the man, she found him lounging on his brown, stylishly-stressed leather sofa in front of a massive TV. His striking face made a person take notice, and his well-built body, something he sculpted meticulously, made a girl drool. It also made guys drool. At least the guys he hung out with. And dated.
“Honey, have you ever heard of breaking and entering?” he drawled as she walked into the room and took a seat in the squat, wide leather chair to his right.
“You can’t hide a key at the front of your house, tell all your friends about it, point out how lazy you are, and then accuse people of breaking and entering when they take the not-so-subtle hint. I mean, really, a little bitchy, huh?”
“I can
be
a little bitchy. Want to see?”
Cassie laughed as she draped a leg over the side o
f the ridiculously comfortable chair. “So what’s up?”
He glanced behind him lackadaisically, his gaze sweeping the kitchen to the hallway behind him. The man was the most relaxed person Cassie had ever met. “First things first,
deary. You can’t saunter in here, looking like a runway model—heroin addiction and all—and not wrap your little fingers around a cocktail. What would people think of me if I didn’t entertain properly? Plus, I’m waiting for the man of the hour to get home.”
Marcus eased himself off the couch and headed toward the kitchen.
“Heroin addiction?” Cassie muttered, standing up to catch a peek of herself in the mirror over the fireplace. She wiped at the darker patches below her eyes. She did look tired. And stressed.
The bitch of it was, she had no idea why.
“Lack of sleep, maybe,” she said as Marcus strolled into the room a moment later with a martini glass.
“So you had dinner with
the young stud and his muse, did you?” Marcus handed over the drink and clicked his glass off of hers. “What are they up to? Getting prepared for the big boss, Mr. Tory?”
Cassie rolled her eyes and resumed her seat, careful not to spill. She took a sip but interrupted herself with, “Oh. Kate said she fixed the bulb in your dark hole, or something. Wanted me to tell you.”
“So, wait a minute.” Marcus sat forward on the couch. “You saw the dynamic duo—who are intent on making my life hell on the work front, I should note—and then talked to Miss Foul Mouth? My, my—life crisis?”
Cassie took a bigger gulp of her drink.
“And what’s this about fixing my bulb? That little vixen.” Marcus sat back with a smile. “She’s declaring war. I have eyes and ears all over, not to mention tricky little fingers that can rig her office however I want. She’s picked on the wrong man this time.”
Smile still in place, Marcus turned his attention back on her. “Sorry, dear. Let’s get back to your life crisis. What’s the issue? Too many boy toys to choose from?”
“Hardly. The opposite, actually. But what about you? I hear you’re giving up the boy toys for just one… And aren’t you on some sort of diet? Because that alcohol looks like it’s going down pretty easy.”
Marcus crossed one long leg over the other. “I never cut alcohol when friends stop by—what kind of host would I be? And I could say I’m not getting any younger, but let’s face it, I look
good
.”
Cassie laughed and threw a decorative pillow at him.
He pushed it aside and leaned toward her a little more. “Sometimes you get tired of chasing. Or being chased, in my case—“ Marcus paused for the scoff he knew would come. And it did, of course—Cassie couldn’t let his ego get out of control. “I found a good guy, if a little high maintenance, who’s worth two of me. I should hang on to him before the good ones all dry up.”
“Did you call me high-maintenance?”
A thin but cut man walked in like he was on a runway. The swish of his hips and placing of his hands screamed feminine, and his outfit hollered egocentric. Literally every single piece of his ensemble matched, all in perfect harmony with the man himself. Light tan pants set off the light tan embroidery in his jacket. The pale yellow of his loafers matched the shirt under the jacket, and his red bowtie—yes, he was wearing a bowtie—set the whole thing off with a pop of color.
“How do you do it?” Cassie marveled, scanning his clothes with disbelief. “How did you find two items with that weird tan color, not to mention the pale yellow?”
“Girlfriend, if you would just give me a day, I could make you look like a million dollars!”
“She already looks like a million dollars,” Marcus drawled, not bothering to scoot over for the newcomer.
In a moment Cassie realized why as Peter perched on the edge of her chair and looked down at her with a welcoming smile. “Hi, sweetheart. Good to see you again. Thanks for coming over.”
“I’d hug you, but I don’t want to get up.” Cassie smiled up at him mischievously.
“Rain check.” Peter glanced over at Marcus and tsk’ed. “Telling stories about me while I’m not here. You might not look your age, but you sure are acting like an old washer woman.”
“Ouch!” Cassie giggled behind her glass as Marcus stared at his boyfriend.
“I haven’t put you on the lease yet, doll.” Marcus sipped his drink while the threat hovered in the air.
Peter rolled his eyes and bounced up. “You think you’re going to find someone else as hot and young as me? Well, good hunting.” He waved the thought away and sauntered into the kitchen, absolutely unconcerned.
Cassie’s smile grew. “You brought this on yourself, Marcus. You always did like them cockier than yourself.”
“Don’t I know it, honey. Don’t I know
it.” Marcus couldn’t completely suppress the grin. “Anyway, what is this life crisis you’re going through? I can see the stress, honey. It’s not doing kind things to your laugh lines.”
“I don’t have a life crisis. And thanks for calling me ugly.”
“Life crisis?” Peter walked back in with a drink at his brisk but graceful pace. “What’s happening? Did some boy dump you, because if so, I will cut him. I swear. I know people.”
“We all hang out too often, I think,” Cassie said, taking another sip of her drink. “I threatened to cut people earlier, and then Krista did, and now you. We’re all extremely violent
, by the sound of it.”
“Kate,” Peter said as Marcus said, “Jasmine.”
They all chuckled as Peter regained his perch next to Cassie. He looked down on her with kind, brown eyes. “Spill. It makes it better when you include friends in your problems.”
“You guys are just looking for drama to get in on.” She shrugged. “Just lonely, I guess. It’ll pass.”
“You’ll find someone,” Peter patted her shoulder. “I didn’t think I ever would. I have enough baggage to fill up Mary Poppins’ suitcase. But then I bumped into Marcus, and he just happened to be opening up and ready for the next phase in his life and,
voila
. If someone can tame Marcus, the slut of the town, someone can surely land a beautiful Swedish model, such as yourself. I mean,
honey,
you’re so beautiful you glow. I want to put you up on my wall.
That’s
how pretty you are—I’m not kidding.”
“I may look like a Swedish model,” Cassie huffed out, “but I act like an alley cat. Absolutely no inner beauty to speak of.”
“Oh, yes, beautiful and feisty. No one ever likes that combination,” Marcus drawled with sarcasm as he wiped up the table. “Honey, straight boys are too into themselves to care about inner-anything.”
“You should talk,” Cassie fired back.
“Stop being so obtuse!” Peter chastised Marcus. “I swear, you’d think he had a black heart to match his Prada satchel!”
“It’s not finding the boys, though. It’s finding boys
who don’t treat me like crap,” Cassie said. “I go for bad boys because of all the tattoos and muscles, and they crap on me. I’m an idiot.”
“
Gotta let go of those bad boys, honey,” Marcus said with his lips on the rim of his glass. “Not good news.”
“But so hot.” Cassie fanned her face with a smile she couldn’t help.
“Oh yes. Great for a couple weeks. You just can’t get attached, that’s the thing,” Marcus said.
“Yeah.” Cassie let her head
thunk
back against the seat. “Plus, I’m a mess. I have all the lingering issues from my childhood like Sean, but there is only one Krista in the world and I don’t swing that way. Plus, Sean is always monitoring me, since he was basically my parent. And
then,
there is the whole ‘Venus fly trap for crazy’ thing I do really well. I’m like a disco ball at a rave—a whole lot of fun, but only if you’re on drugs.”