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“It’s alright to sit down, ya know. The furniture won’t bite,” I said dryly, trying not to let any shame creep in.
Clark's face went blank, and he reached out to pull me into him, the other hand gently cupping my cheek, his thumb brushing against my skin. "You deserve so much more, Blake. You couldhaveso much more.” I stiffened at the clear reference to his marriage proposal.
I was farther away from that now than I’d been before.
But he didn’t know that.
“I’ll talk about something else,” he murmured finally. “Or maybe…we shouldn’t talk at all.” He leaned forward, his lips hovering just inches from mine.
I flinched…my heart racing. It was as if a thousand voices inside me were screaming, urging me to resist, to pull away from what was no longer right.
“You said I’ve been ignoring you, but why haven’tyoubeen answering me?” I pressed, hoping he would miss my hesitance.
A furrow etched across his forehead at my question, a subtle crease marring his otherwise chiseled features. He opened his mouth to answer and—
Pound. Pound. Pound.
The banging on the front door reverberated through the room, and Clark’s hands slipped away. He stalked toward the door, swinging it open as Waldo barked and yipped like crazy. Three stern-faced police officers stood on the doorstep.
For a second, I had a flashback of a different set of cops, standing at a different doorway, on another dark night.
Pull yourself together, Blake.
"Which one of you owns the R8?" one of the officers snapped, his tone laced with authority.
Clark's jaw tensed as he replied through gritted teeth, "I'm renting it."
"Well, you're under arrest. We got a tip and checked your car. Turns outyou'vebeen a naughty boy." With that, he held up a small bag filled with a suspicious white powder.
I stared at it, confused…waiting for the punchline, before staring at Clark with uncertainty.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he snapped at me before turning his attention to the police. "That's not mine." His features were calm, but his voice was sharp with anger and disbelief.
The officer laughed and shook his head mockingly. "That's what they all say, fancy pants. You’re coming with us. And we’d suggest you not make this difficult."
“This is ridiculous. Do you know who I am?” Clark snarled, his voice rising in a crescendo of protests as they handcuffed him and led him toward the door.
“Think we haven’t heard that before here in LaLa Land?” another officer snorted.
"Call Ed and stay here," Clark threw at me as they pushed him out the door. Ed was general counsel for his company. An absolute shark. He’d know what to do.
I stood there, trembling with a mix of fear, confusion, and anger, as the door slammed shut.
Trying not to think about the fact that the overarching feeling coursing through my veins…was relief.
Because he hadn’t kissed me.
CHAPTER8
BLAKE
Igasped, my heart racing as I peered around my dark room trying to figure out what had woken me up. The muffled sounds of screaming came then, from somewhere in the house. Or maybe it was just outside?
I frowned and slipped out of bed, my feet making almost no noise on the carpeted floor as I tiptoed to my bedroom door, opened it, then carefully peeked out.
There was screaming again, and I realized it was my parents. They were the ones yelling so loud. Mom and Dad never talked like that; they were always extremely gentle with each other. All my friends said they were gross because they were completely in loveallthe time. Nerves…and fear gnawed at me as I opened the door wider and made my way down the hall, watching the scary way my shadow crept across the walls. I could hear them clearly now, their voices filled with so much anger and sadness. Things I also had never heard from them before.
"How could you do this to me? To us?" My father raged before he released a harsh sob, the sound absolutely terrifying.
