Rebel Heart by Jane Slate Read Free Book Online

bitterly.
    “Sure,” she answered sarcastically.
    Kade thought it over and shrugged.
    “So what are you doing talking to me, then?” Stella countered.
    Ouch.
    A brief expression of hurt flashed across Kade’s face. It never really mattered who the girl was. It never seemed to take much for him to forget the only woman who had ever kept him grounded in favor of bleach blonde bike warmers. That is...until he got bored with them. And he always got bored with them.
    Kade chuckled and looked Stella slowly over, changing the subject as his eyes grazed her cleavage.
    “You know I care about you Stel.”
    He furrowed his brows, nodding over his shoulder to where Stella’s father was standing with the other founding fathers of SOW.
    “Your daddy said you dropped out of med school...”
    “That true?”
    Stella shrugged.
    “What, we don’t hook up for a few days and you go talking to my father about me?”
    Heavy rock music blasted from a sound system in the distance. Mel was on her knees beside it, attempting to help Dice set it all up. He never was technologically savvy.
    “Maybe,” Kade bit back.
    There was a playful glimmer in his eye that never failed to get under Stella’s skin.
    “Really though, what’s up? I thought being a doctor was your drea-”
    “It’s not anymore,” Stella interrupted.
    She wasn’t in the mood to have another conversation about her future. Especially not with Kade. Their relationship, if it could even be called that, was a complex one that had been strictly physical in nature. They didn’t have these types of discussions. Hell, lately, they had barely even spoke at all.
    Stella noticed the girl Kade had arrived with pushing through the crowd and sighed. Kade followed her train of vision and pushed away from the picnic table, flicking the bud of his cigarette.
    “Well it was nice talking to you...”
    His voice faltered. He stared at Stella, his gaze hot and intense.
    “Yeah,” she answered.
    She tore her eyes from his and swallowed down the lump in her throat. It wasn’t jealousy but it was something.
    “See you around.”
    With that, Kade walked through the matted grass toward the petite blonde. He looked briefly back at Stella but she refused to meet his gaze. The girl he had arrived with stood with her hands on her hips and an annoyed expression on her face.
    “Why the hell were you talking to her?” she hissed. She went to slap Kade’s chest but he grabbed her roughly by the waist and pressed his mouth against hers.
    Stella gagged and rolled her eyes as Kade swooped the girl into his arms and carried her over to where the rest of the SOW crew were gathered. Mel approached Stella and handed her a beer. Stella cracked it and took a well-needed sip.
    “What was that little exchange?” Mel questioned.
    Stella took a deep breath and wiped the excess moisture from her mouth with the back of her hand.
    “Nothing.”
    This time, Mel was the one poking Stella in the side.
    “Right.”
    “Who’s lying now?”
    Stella remained silent. Mel took a seat in the grass and overlooked the crowd. Stella sat down beside her and stretched her legs. Each of them watched the men they had feelings for embrace other women.
    It wasn’t a comforting feeling.
    “Why do men have to suck so much?” Stella questioned, breaking the silence.
    “It’s the testosterone,” Mel answered matter-of-factly, running a hand through Stella’s hair.
    “I think it makes them stupid.”
    Stella smiled and nodded, looking down at her watch. It was just past 3 P.M.
    “So, are we still on for Margaritas?”
    “I could really use one.”
    Mel laughed.
    “Yeah I don’t think I could deprive you of that. Besides, Dice said we could leave whenever we want. I guess he’s feeling generous.”
    Dice.
    It never failed to weird Stella out that Mel called her father by his club name, but that was just their way.
    “Well what are we waiting for?”
    Stella stood up and reached for Mel’s hand, pulling out her