Part 16 (2/2)
”Cherry.” She smiled at me. ”That girls got potential to go far.” She turned away from us and walked towards the back door.
I pulled on Gages arm to stop him from following her. ”Let her go talk with them. Theres something else.”
He ran his hand through his hair as he turned to face me, but his eyes still followed her into the club.
”People at school know Im pregnant.”
That brought his attention firmly back on me. ”That f.u.c.king coach. Ill kill him.”
I squeezed his arm, his words scaring me.
He clenched his jaw, but the fire dropped from his eyes. ”Who knows?”
”A few people.” I shrugged. ”Im not sure. Only one said something to me.”
He paused, and then his hands gripped my shoulders with light pressure, meaning to give comfort but falling short. ”Itll be okay, but this is one more reason that youll have someone with you from now on. Ill set it up.” He looked up, back to the closed door of the club. ”Go straight home. Ill be there as soon as I can.” He kissed my lips briefly, but he wasnt present for it. His thoughts were already in that club.
”Wait.” The wind carried away my voice, and he didnt pause as he jogged to the back door.
The chill of the day was nothing compared to the ice in my bones as he slipped into the club. I tried to block out the rest of Alessandras words, and focus on the truth I felt with Gage. But my trust in him had cracks, and she seeped into them.
”I can help you.” Alessandras smile didnt look friendly.
”Ive got to go.” I looked over my shoulder, across the lawn of the mall, my next cla.s.s on the opposite side. But my feet still werent moving.
She clicked her tongue. ”Were done here, Yuri. Get back in.” She stopped the man from closing the door on her as he got back in the pa.s.senger seat. She leaned over an empty seat to hiss, ”Youre pathetic. Anatoli was wrong about you, youre not cut out for any of this.”
I must not have been as frozen as I thought because she laughed at whatever reaction crossed my face.
”Yeah, I know about you two. But I dont care. He knows my value. And besides,” her lip curled, slithering under my skin, ”Its not like I havent f.u.c.ked your husband too.”
She slammed the door shut and the car rolled away.
18: The Past.
THE FRONT DOOR SLID CLOSE, A LIGHT sound but enough to pull me from the surface of sleep. The beeping of the alarm as it was deactivated and then reset let me sink back against the headboard. It was Gage.
The clock on the nightstand table read 12:31. It only felt like minutes, but I had been asleep for hours. His shadow traveled down the dark hallway, growing as he approached the room. His fingers were already at the b.u.t.tons on his s.h.i.+rt, undoing and removing.
He paused as he crossed into our bedroom, s.h.i.+rt half undone. ”Youre awake?” A small smile touched his lips as he changed direction, strolling to our bed instead of the closet.
”I heard you come in.” I sat up, blankets covering my bare legs, a thin tank top doing little to keep away the chill in the room. But he warmed me by running his large hands over my arms when he sat on the edge of the bed.
I s.h.i.+fted closer as he moved towards me, meeting him in a kiss. His lips moved with mine, not demanding anything, but his eyes did as he pulled back. His gaze locked on me, searching as his hand moved to my cheek. ”Why havent you said anything?”
”About what?” Nerves crept in, but his gentleness kept them down.
”Alessandra told me what she said.”
I stiffened. ”That you two slept together?”
He nodded, too calm, too focused on me.
”Why did she tell you that?” The warmth was ripped away, and I pulled back.
”She thought you already did. She thought thats what I was going to talk to her about, but you hadnt told me that. Why?”
Bringing my knees up to my chest, I wrapped my arms around them. My own protection against a conversation with the potential to destroy.
”I trust you.” Or at least I was trying to. I was trying to block out the thoughts that went against my instincts. ”I dont want to keep accusing you of things, Ive done that too much. I have to trust that you would have told me if it were true.”
His eyes dropped from mine, and my heart dropped to my stomach.
”Right?” I wanted to beg for it not to be true. I wasnt ready to face this. That was the truth as much as I tried to pretend otherwise.
He lifted his head back up. ”It was a long time ago.” I covered my mouth as he grabbed my hand on my knee, speaking fast, ”Before I met you. I was young and stupid, and it was a mistake.”
The tightness in my chest was pulling, nearly snapping. It should have been a relief, but I couldnt stand the visions that flashed. I dropped my head to my knees and took in a few breaths.
He slid his other hand around the curve of my shoulder, tentative and slow. ”I didnt tell you before because we never talk about the past, and thats all that is.”
My head popped up. ”No, thats not all that is. Shes not the past, shes here now.”
”Im sorry.” His grip on me tightened. ”I didnt know shed use it to try and hurt you, or I would have warned you.”
”You should have told me. You shouldnt have secrets with her.” I slid out of his hold.
He grabbed the covers like pulling on them would keep me close. ”I dont. It really was a one-time thing. A mistake.”
”Tell me. Everything.”
He made a pained sound, face twisting as he looked at me. ”Dont do this. You dont want the details.”
”I want to know what happened.” I nodded, sure. ”Does Rusnak know?”
”f.u.c.k him. I dont care what he knows,” he snapped, anger raising his voice.
”Well I care, so answer the question.”
”Why?” He narrowed his eyes, voice cold and rigid as he leaned in close to me. ”Why do you care about him? Why bring him up?”
”Because you slept with a married woman, and thats her husband.” Our eyes burned into each other, tension set on fire. I leaned back, rising above the challenge. ”And if he didnt know, Im sure he will now. She said it in front of those men in her car, they could tell. I cant imagine him taking it well.”
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