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Our eyes met as the tension from that unasked question hung in the air.
“I knew it wasn’t just an accident,” he said, his voice deep and filled with emotion.
“How...?” I choked. My voice broke. “How did you know?”
Shaking his head, he bit his lip as he released me and backed away. “So much shit has been happening lately. Everything here at the house... Rector... Bishop... now this. No. Someone isn’t playing around. This is some serious shit.”
“You’re telling me.” But that still doesn’t explain why you haven’t come around to see me, I wanted to add.
“I’ve been doing a little bit of digging,” he finally said. “I went to the fire station and talked to the fire fighters.”
“What’d you learn?”
“Nothing conclusive yet,” he said, his gaze on the floor at my feet. Slowly, he raised his gaze until he was looking at me from under his charming brow. “And then there’s also the fact that... I thought... you know... under the circumstances... that I should...”
“That you should what?”
“You and me.”
Frowning, the corner of my top lip involuntarily twitched up into a grimace. “What do you mean?”
“You know... on and off... hot and cold... close and....” He looked pointedly at me as he sucked in a tight breath. “Needless to say, I’m a little confused by everything... by you. I thought it would be best... for both of us... if we kept our distances from one another.”
I snorted. “Seeing the way you stormed in here and kissed me, I’d say that your plan isn’t really working very well.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, well... What my head says and what my body wants are two completely separate things.”
And what about your heart, Deacon? What does your heart say?
He grew solemn and serious as he stepped closer and reached out to take my hands in his. “This whole mess has been playing with my head. Truth is, I feel lost here without Rector and Bishop. If they had left of their own accord, with no suspicious shenanigans going on, it would be easier to accept their absence. After all, I’d be happy for them wherever they decided to go. But for them to leave this way... to be kicked out... and for false reasons and cooked up accusations...”
Sweat beaded on my brow and I resisted the urge to wipe it away, hoping he simply wouldn’t notice it.
How much did he know about my part in all these shenanigans? Did he have any serious doubts about my implication?
“Look,” he said as his head wobbled around, his gaze hitting every corner of the wall behind me. He licked his lips and finally brought his gaze back to me. “I know that I’ve been rough with you, that I’ve been unfair...”
“Unfair?” I retorted, a little surprised by his choice of words. “You weren’t unfair, Deacon. You’ve been downright rude and mean and cruel and... You came straight out and accused me of being responsible for all this. You came to me and...”
I stopped, fully aware that if I overplayed my indignation, it would raise his suspicions even more.
“Calm down, Brook,” he said, his voice soft. “I know I pointed the finger of blame at you, but I know now that I was wrong.”
Say what?
It took every fiber of my body to resist responding to that surprising conclusion.
“I know that you could never do such a thing and...”
I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.
“I think I just let my own emotions and feelings towards you take over... skew my vision.”
My heart rate increased as did my breathing. He didn’t suspect a thing. Not a thing! He had no idea that I was behind Rector getting expelled or that I had a hand in sabotaging Bishop.
I looked into his eyes and tried to read him. Was he toying with me?
But... no. All I saw was love and tenderness.
