“Why are you worried about me?”
“I don’t know. I just have this feeling.”
Tate walks back into the dining room with a glass of sweet tea in her hand and sits down at the table.
“Are you sure you’re not confusing worry with indigestion?”
“Tatum,” he growls and she laughs again. “I’m serious.”
“So am I, Theo. Everything is good here.” Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, which I’ve learned recently is a sure sign that she’s lying. She picks up the paper and stares at it for a second, worry on her face. I’ve got to see that damn note.
“Well, you do sound better.”
Dropping the paper to the table, she smiles. “That’s because I am.”
“Any particular reason?”
Her smile grows and I’m glued to the screen, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Yeah, actually. You remember the guy I told you about?”
He laughs. “The one you tased?”
Fucking perfect.
How many other people did she tell?
“That’s the one. He showed up at the door the other day and we’re giving things a real shot.”
“Whoa, this is huge, T.”
“I know but it feels so right.”
Shaking my head, I turn down the volume. I’d love to sit and listen to her tell her brother about me but I can’t stand the guilt eating away at me. Not when she sounds so happy because that’s all I want for her and I can’t brush away the sinking feeling that I’m going to ruin her.
Focusing back on the paper, I try to read it again but it’s just too damn small. I toss the tablet down and grab my phone, dialing Streak’s number.
“Streak’s Technical Support. How can I help you today?” he answers with a bored tone and I bark out a laugh.
“I need you to zoom in on one of these cameras, smartass.”
“Which one?”
I roll my eyes. “The one Tate is in. I need to see what that note on the table says.”
“On it,” he murmurs, the sound of typing filling the line and I grab the tablet, watching as it zooms in on the note but it’s too blurry to make out.
“Can you make that any clearer?”
“Nope, sorry. You’ll have to go inside to get a look at it.”
I sigh. “Okay, thanks.”
He hangs up and I lay my head on the headrest, staring up at Tate’s house and debating if I should go see her. It’s not that I don’t want to because I do, badly, but I hate lying to her. I’ve never been a dishonest person and these secrets are eating a hole through me each time I’m near her. Two days ago when I showed up on her doorstep, all I could think about was doing whatever it took to get her back and if I didn’t have to lie to her, I would be totally comfortable with being in a relationship for the first time in six years but this whole situation is complicated. We ended up spending the whole day together, watching old TV shows and her favorite movies. It was a cool way to learn all the little things about her that I’m dying to discover. Afterward, I made dinner for us and she was a totally different woman. She’s still quick to break my balls but she’s letting me in – in ways that she didn’t before – and there’s this sweetness to her that doesn’t feel fake like it did the night we officially met. Honestly, I’m addicted.
Our relationship is on shaky ground though and I’m the only one that knows it. One wrong move from me, one thoughtless comment could make this whole thing blow up in my face and it’s something that I can’t even imagine.
“There’s got to be a way out of this,” I whisper, my anger with Blaze growing. He’s gotten more irrational as the weeks have gone by and I’m at the end of my rope. Besides Streak, no one else in the club knows what I’m doing every day and if Tate ever finds out, she’ll kill me. Although, I’d rather be dead than watch her walk away from me.
The thought stuns me and I blow out a breath, the gravity of it crashing down on me. I’ve spent so long avoiding feelings of any kind and then here comes Tatum Carter, knocking me on my ass and swallowing me up in her orbit. It started with the photo but meeting her, getting to know her – it sealed my fate and I can’t walk away now. If this ship is going down, I’m going down with it.
“Shit,” I grumble, reaching for the door handle because I can’t stay out here any longer. Not with my girl only fifty feet away from me. Opening the door, I climb out and a car in the side mirror catches my attention. I spin around and as I shut the door, the same car from Valentine’s Day pulls away from the curb before flying past me. Adrenaline surges through my veins and I watch his taillights until he turns left, disappearing from my sight.
What the fuck is going on here?
“Lincoln?” Her sweet voice calls to me and I take a moment to just let it soak in. I don’t know how much longer I’ll get to keep her so every moment has to be cherished. Turning toward her house, I barely hold back a laugh as she crosses her arms over her chest and arches a brow.
So damn sassy.
“Hey, babe.”
“What the hell are you doing in the street?”
My mouth pops open and I realize that I have no excuse to give her. “Uh, this guy was just sitting in his car. I don’t know… it seemed weird.”
“Or maybe he was just looking up directions, you crazy man.”
It’s my turn to cross my arms and pin her with a stare. If she thinks for one second that I would ever let something go instead of investigating it, she’s lost her damn mind. I’ll never do that again.
“Or they were a creep and had no business being in this neighborhood.”
She rolls her eyes and turns back to the house before peeking over her shoulder. “Well, are you done searching for the boogeyman or do you want to stand out there and get hit by a car?”
“Are those my only two choices?”
“Yes,” she yells, turning back to face me and leaning against the railing of her porch.
“I guess I choose you then.”
Her smile is blinding and my heart skips a beat as I stare up at her. I can’t help but grin as I jog up her front walk and wrap my arms around her. God, I fucking love her attitude.
“Smart man,” she whispers, leaning in to me and I meet her halfway, claiming her lips in a kiss that ignites every cell in my body. Fuck, she’s everything. My poison and medicine, heaven and hell, fire and ice all rolled up into a body that was made to fit against mine. That’s the crux of it all. She was made especially for me and in the end, I’m going to destroy us both with my lies.
“Mmm,” she hums, pulling away from me with a dazed look in her amber eyes and I want to throw my fist in the air because I put that look on her face. The caveman in me wants to show the world that she’s my girl.
“You have plans today?” I ask and she blinks before meeting my eyes.
“Not exactly.”
I tilt my head and scowl. “What does that mean?”
“Um… I have a couple things I want to go do but you don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to.”
She tries to wiggle out of my grasp and I pull her closer, shooting her a look. “Babe, if you’re there then I want to be there.”