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The tattoo I’d given her—that she’d specifically asked for.
“Samantha...” I’d begun, my tone low and filled with warning. “Samantha, that was a tattoo session.”
Her head had quickly shaken. “It wasn’t just that. Not with the way you touched me.”
“Yes, it—” I’d sucked a breath in through my teeth when the words had come out too sharp and too loud. Waiting until I’d had a little more control, I’d informed her, “I literally have no choice but to put my hands on people when I’m tattooing them, and you wanted your sternum tattoo to go between and directly beneath your breasts. My hands had to be on you when I was tattooing you. You and Ibothneeded to move your breasts when I was at certain angles. That was it. Nothing more.”
“Chase...no. No,” she’d said adamantly, her voice twisting with a plea. “No, you’re saying that because you’re scared to leave—”
“Sam?” Scarlet’s voice had filtered into the house at the exact moment the door to the garage had opened.
And I’d frozen. A chill had burst through my veins as if I were about to be caught doing something I shouldn’t have.
Only I hadn’t done anything except gotten trapped in the weirdest conversation of my life.
“Oh, hey,” Scarlet had continued, a bemused look crossing her face when she’d noticed us standing there. “Saw your car was still here. Wanted to make sure you were okay.” She’d glanced between us, and her voice had dipped with worry when she’d hesitantly asked, “Is everything okay?”
Samantha had laughed the way she always had. Soft. Gentle. Without a damn hint as to what had been happening in the kitchen. “You know Chase...he’s just complaining about LT being LT.”
“Chase,” Scarlet had whispered, a pleading look crossing her face because she hated whenever I let my irritation with LT spill onto her other friends.
But this was so far past that.
I hadn’t been able to stop myself from quickly looking between Scarlet and Samantha as that rage and confusion and aggravation had slowly built in me again.
I’d wanted to tell Scarlet that her best friend, the seemingly sweet, caring one of them all, had been leaving me fucked up notes and had twisted a tattoo session that Scarlet had been present for into some sort of foreplay. Had made it all up in her head that we were having some kind of affair because of it.
But I’d just stood there. Unable to speak because I was still too stunned by it all. More than that, I was terrified Scarlet would believe them.
Samantha was herbest friend. The person Scarlet went to for everything.
How the hell was I supposed to tell the woman I loved that her best friend had been waiting and hoping for us to end for at least a year? That she was trying to ensure it would happen? That she was unable to be convinced that we weren’t having an affair? How was I supposed to convince my fiancée that I hadn’t done a thing when two of her closest friends had ‘proof?’
My lips had parted as a dozen explanations had built and caught in my throat when I’d focused on Scarlet again.
Because I didn’t know how to put that doubt in her mind.
I didn’t know how to potentially destroy us that way.
I had no fucking clue what I was going to do.
Istaggered to the side before I was able to steady myself, my hand shooting out to grip the kitchen counter as the force of everything slammed into me and nearly dropped me to my knees.
Random pieces of my life.
The memory.
The shock of what’d happened...again.
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.
Looking up, I managed to focus on Konrad and Brandon’s concerned expressions before I realized someone was touching my arm. Gripping it.
Just as I began glancing toward the person standing at my side, I ripped my arm away from the slightly possessive hold when I remembered Samantha had been there—laughing at us and eating the scone. Remembered her laugh and the way she’d said my name andher fucking touchthat had been what set everything off.
“What the fuck?” I yelled as I turned on her, already backing away to put the necessary space between us and not missing for a second the hurt that tore across her face before she looked between the three of us, feigning confusion.
“What happened?” she asked as Brandon and Konrad stood from the barstools, calling my name as I quickly shook my head. “Chase—”
