Tainted Black, стр. 47

She sighed. “Either way, Mrs. Black was one lucky woman.”

I struggled with a smile, allowing a soothing wave of silence to pass through. “You know… I’ve… never actually talked about her with anyone. I haven’t mentioned her with anyone since she died. Not like this. Not out loud.”

Her face straightened. “Seriously? Not even with Izzy?”

“No ‘cause I know how much it’ll hurt to bring her mom up during a conversation. If I even mention the word ‘mom’, her eyes get all watery. Can’t stand to see her cry.”

Sadness washed over her face. “Why me?” she asked.

I shrugged. “There’s something about you.” I stroked her cheek and then her chin with gentle fingers. “I have never been able to pinpoint it. What you do to me, I will never know.”

She slid in closer, resting her head on her folded arm. “Well,” she grinned, “I’m glad I can make you feel so enamored.” Her grin was contagious. “Speaking of, what happened with Izzy and the wreck?”

“Oh.” I rubbed my jaw. “I’m letting her drive my Charger until I get her another. Told her she can get a new one.” I cocked a stern brow. “Found out she lied about the summer camp shit.”

She gasped, as if she had no clue about it. I could read her like a book, plus I was certain Izzy had already told her. “She did?”

“Don’t play crazy, Chloe. I know she told you.”

She sealed her lips, fighting a laugh. “Well, she’s my friend Theo,” she whined playfully, moving in closer. “I had to cover for her. Keep my promise.”

I grunted, trying hard not to join in on the bubbly laugh she let out. “Mm-hmm. Anyway, the car is totaled, and by that I mean completely fucked up. Insurance went up about two-hundred bucks.” I shook my head. “She’s fucking crazy, but she’s fine. I can sell the salvageable parts of her car, start saving from that.”

“Good. And that’s a good idea.” Her hand wrapped around my waist, her crotch pushing into mine. “You know, she sent me a message about you last night. She said you seemed… happier. Any clue why she may have said something like that?”

I watched her face for a moment before rapidly snatching my gaze away. Through my peripheral, I spotted her trying to catch my eye, but I couldn’t look. There was a reason Izzy may have told her that, but my excuse had nothing to do with Chloe.

“Theo?” She sat up, crossing her legs. “Any idea why she’d say that? I thought she was onto us at first.”

I was quiet for a moment, meeting her soft hazel eyes. Fuck, I hated the hopefulness she held, her eagerness for my response on full display. I was going to crush that hope, and I didn’t even want to. But I was no liar. She deserved the truth.

“I… may have told her that Trixie was still around.” Her smile vanished into thin air, replaced with a lopsided frown. It was clear. She wasn’t thrilled. This wasn’t the pouty look she normally put on when she was upset. This was a full frown, anger rooted deep. “Shit, Chloe, I had to tell her something,” I said, backing myself up. “She asked me if I was still seeing Trixie, and I said yes, just so she’d back off. She knows me well. She knows I’m not going to ‘seem’ happier unless there’s a reason behind it.”

“But… why Trixie? Why couldn’t you just say you met someone else? Someone new?”

“Because she would have asked me who that person was. Chloe, she asked me if I’d seen you since you’d gotten back. I said yes, and somehow she went straight into telling me I was acting happier. I thought surely she had a clue—that’s one sneaky, smart-ass girl—but I backed it up with the first thing that came to mind. Saying I was still with Trixie.” I tried reaching for her, but she pulled away, leaning back. Climbing off the bed, her feet landed on the floor, and she stood tall with her eyes trained on me.

“Theo, I just can’t believe...” Her sentence fell short. She didn’t say anything more. There was much more she could have said. She knew I couldn’t bring her name up around Izzy. That would have definitely had her thinking.

“Chloe.” Her name came out in a groan as she backed away, going for her clothes. She slipped out of my T-shirt, picking up her dress and bra. After hooking the bra, she slid into her dress, and I sat up. “Chloe, what else was I supposed to say?”

“You didn’t have to say Trixie,” she muttered hurriedly, eyes avoiding mine as she picked up her bracelets off the nightstand.

“Well what the hell else was I supposed to say? I never told Izzy I was going to break it off with her.”

“Okay.” Her response was simple, and for some reason, it got under my skin. I hopped off the bed, yanking on my briefs. I stood before her, but she spun for the door while struggling to latch her bracelet around her wrist. I caught her before she could go, gripping her face in my hands.

“Chloe, stop.”

“I need to get home.” She still avoided my line of sight, clutching the bracelets in tight fists.

“Stay with me a little longer,” I pleaded, and she finally looked up. I expected sympathy, understanding, but no. This clearly bothered her. More than I thought. So much that she started talking crazy—bringing shit up that had nothing to do with the previous debate.

Fucking women, I swear.

“Theo… are you kidding?” she scoffed. “Don’t you see? I’m not even supposed to be here! I wasn’t supposed to be sleeping with you in your bed. Trixie is supposed to be there, according to you and Izzy.” She shook her head and wriggled out of my grip. “It’s just… it’s not fair. It not fair to me. All of this… it’s just so fucking wrong.” She backed away but looked at me once more. “We’re supposed to be better than this.”

My next argument, I couldn’t help. The words ran right of me. “Chloe, what did we agree upon when this first started? Huh?” I demanded. “You’re getting too emotional and unstable about this—”

I realized instantly that I shouldn’t have said it. It pissed her off even more. Her cheeks tinged red, brows furrowed, and in less than three seconds, she was out the door, zooming down the stairs.

I hurried after her, calling her name, but she didn’t dare stop. She slipped into her flip-flops and fled my home as if it were a crime scene, rushing across the street to safety.

I stopped at my porch. It was daytime. Neighbors were surely out, and all of them were nosey fucks. I couldn’t be seen running after her like this—shirtless, in only my fucking briefs. “Fuck!” I barked before walking back inside and slamming the door behind me when she was no longer in sight.

Fuck me. Why would I say that shit to her face? As right as I was, it was wrong to rub it in like that. She obviously cared about me. She was sensitive, and I was supposed to be the one to make sure her emotions were never tampered with.

“Damn it,” I growled beneath my breath. I gripped the edges of the marble counter when I entered the kitchen, staring forward at the sunlight that beamed through the patio door, sparking my polished floors.

I was right and wrong, like every man on the planet when it came to women.

Her dinner plate from last night sat in front of me. No trace of food was visible, but the white china reminded me of her. Her nakedness and the soul that ignited mine and turned it into a furious blaze all night long.

I was stupid, with only one thought playing ping-pong in mind.

I hope she comes back to me.

EIGHTEEN

I rushed across the street without so much as a glance back, barging through the door that led straight to my kitchen. I dropped my keys on the first counter I came across, pinching the bridge of my nose with blunt pressure.

Tears were coming.

I thought I could fight them.

I was wrong.