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Instead of torturing myself by begging for more, I continued to dance with her, teetering on the verge of just throwing my forearm below her knees and stealing her away, taking her home, to a home, any home, our home...forever.
The song was too short and that cut to the bone. In just a few short weeks, I was almost in love with Cricket Hunt. In just a few more, I’d be a goner but couldn’t convince myself to protect my heart.
I leaned into her face and kissed her cheek, relishing in how soft her skin was, how sweet she smelled. My eyes closed and I decided to keep that kiss forever.
A tap on my shoulder shattered my perfect world, and I hesitantly left the warmth of her skin. I rose, fully ready to accept my fate, expecting to find Ethan, but instead I found a tall, broad-shouldered man in a fine, black suit and odd glasses. There was something familiar about him, and I studied him a moment before placing it. I remembered August’s words “weird old-fashioned spectacles.”
Suddenly, my world crumbled at my feet.
“Who are you?” I asked the man, frozen in fear.
“Mr. Blackwell?” he asked, confirming my worst nightmare. “My name is Dominic Griffin,” he explained, sending me spiraling. He removed his glasses and began polishing the lenses with a handkerchief. “I represent your father.”
When he mentioned my father, Cricket leaned closer into my side and grabbed my forearm.
I reached into my pocket and removed my keys, discreetly placing them in the palm of her hand. She looked up at me, nodded and left. I turned back to the man.
“What do you want?” I asked, trying to control my voice.
He smiled chillingly at me and placed his glasses back on his face. “He wants you ruined,” he said candidly, sending a chill up my spine.
I opened my mouth but couldn’t respond. He placed his hands in his pockets and continued.
“He wants you to know that he’s going to ruin you and your sister.”
My blood began to seethe underneath my skin. “You tell him that if he so much as comes near us, I will take every documented piece of evidence I’ve kept against him and I will turn it into the authorities.”
The man looked surprised. “I don’t think you’ll do that,” he said after a moment’s consideration.
“You don’t?”
“No, that means you’d be incriminating yourself.”
“Believe me, I would be more than happy to rot in jail right beside him if it meant he couldn’t hurt my mom or Bridge ever again.”
The man thought on what I said before nodding. “I’ll tell him what you’ve said.”
He turned to walk away, but I stopped him. “And?” I asked.
He pivoted my way once more. “And what?”
“How will I know if he’s decided to back off?”
rossed her arms into herself and regarded me from the corner of her eye.
Click.
Where so far our “clicks” brought me nothing but unimaginable pleasure, that night I felt only crestfallen.
“Hey,” she said, interrupting my thoughts.
“Hmm?”
“You’re awfully distracted.”
I smiled at her. “I suppose I am. I’m sorry,” I apologized.
“It’s okay. Got a lot on your plate lately, I know.” She had no idea. “I don’t think the stresses of the ranch are very good for anyone, but especially for those with an already full plate.”
