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Spinning on my heel, I follow him right into the male staff bathrooms, waves of confusion and anger surging through me. Why do I care if he wants to ignore me? I don’t need him to like me. In fact, I shouldn’t care one damn bit how he feels about me so long as I’m getting what I need, but deep down, I think Idocare. I hate that he hates me so damn much. The thought of him tearing up when he admitted that losing his daughter would kill him…it’s easy to feel bad about what I’m doing, but then I think about what happened all those years ago and his suffering is all I want.
How different would my life have been if he came to my rescue that night?
“Are you insane?” he hisses, catching my gaze in the mirror when I come into view. “This is the men’s staff bathroom.”
As if I give a shit. All I have to do is say he forced me to follow him and I’m free and clear while his life is over. I cross my arms over my chest and hold his gaze.
“I want to know why you’re ignoring me.”
His face goes lax, then his brows furrow. “We’re at school, Chloe. What do you want me to do, throw you against the lockers and fuck you?”
Actually, yes. That would be nice.
His eyes narrow, as if he’s reading my mind. “That’s not a suggestion, by the way.”
“Just stop treating me like I’m—”
“Like what?” he snaps, cutting me off. “Like you’re a confused young student who is blackmailing me into fucking her?” He lets out a sharp, short laugh that stabs into my chest like an icy dagger. “News flash, Chloe. That’s exactly what you are.”
Anger rolls through my stomach, masking the pain and embarrassment his words make me feel. I let out a cold chuckle.
“Watch your back, Mr. Reed.” I take a step closer and brush my fingers over his crotch, loving how his body reacts to me. “You’ve still got so much left to lose.”
He’s forgetting thatI’min charge.
Not him.
Stepping forward, I kiss him with such force we stumble back against the wall. His fingers tighten around my forearms, but instead of pushing me away, he inches me closer to him. Our lips clash, his breath warm against my mouth. Out of nowhere, he lifts me onto his hips and backs me up to the sink, his kisses making their way roughly down my neck. My heart thumps in my chest at the feel of his touch, his soft fingers sending shivers down my spine. I deepen the kiss, trying to regain the control I feel slipping away from me, but it’s no use. I’m losing myself in him, in this moment. My thoughts are hazy, my judgement is clouded. I’m a mess but all I can focus on is him.
“Not here.” His hushed voice cuts through our kiss but he doesn’t pull away. “If someone walks in…”
I ignore him, trailing my fingers through his thick, dark hair, my mouth on his. He steps back, a pained look in his eyes, almost like he’s let me down. For a brief second, that’s how I feel too, but then I remember this is all part of a bigger plan.
“You should go, Chloe. You’ll be late to your next class.”
He pushes past me before I can answer and walks out.
CHAPTER13
SAM
It's Saturday evening, the first night I’ve had Kelsie to myself since Marissa left. Marissa dropped her off about an hour ago and barely said two words to me. She looked dressed up, like she was on her way out. I wondered for all of five seconds who she was going out with and then I realized I didn’t care. I don’t give a damn what she does with her life, so long as it doesn’t interfere with my relationship with my daughter.
I cradle Kelsie as she wraps her chubby little arms around my neck and giggles as I kiss her.
“Hey, baby girl,” I murmur. “I’ve missed you. Did you miss me?”
“Daddy,” she cheers, her eyes lighting up. “Missed Daddy!”
My heart swells. I’ll never get sick of hearing her sweet voice say my name. These last few days without her in my life have been hell. The thought of not seeing her because she’s halfway across the world makes me feel sick. There’s no way I can let that happen.
After some dinner, I watch Kelsie play in her toy room, lost in thought. Things are accelerating fast, and if I don't figure out a way to put the brakes on, I'm going to lose everything. I can't lose Kelsie, if nothing else, I can't lose her.
Which means I need to figure a way out of this mess.
Looking up, I force myself out of the dark quagmire of my thoughts and glance around the playroom. My heart leaps in my throat when I realize that Kelsie isn't there anymore. The irony isn’t lost on me—I was so wrapped up in the thought of losing her that I hadn’t even noticed she’d left the room.
Getting up, I rush down the stairs to find Kelsie sitting on the floor in the living room. She coos happily as she waves around one of her little stuffed toys. She’s completely oblivious to my anxiety, because holding her loosely in her lap is Chloe. I tense up, glaring at my intruder as she makes little baby sounds at my daughter, holding the toy just out of her reach. Kelsie giggles happily, her eyes lighting up as she tries to swat at it.
