AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He shrugs. “Because I’ve been watching the two of you tonight, saw the way you looked at each other.”
“So?”
“So,” he says, his tone exaggerated. “I’ve known Viking for a very long time, and I’ve never seen him… happy. But he was tonight. With you.”
My heart melts at his words, and that scares me.
What happens if you actually start to fall for this guy?
Sarah’s words taunt me because I started to fall for him as soon as he charged at Jeff and declared me his woman. Most people would not be okay with the speed at which I fell, but it doesn’t bother me.
I remember asking my mother how you know when you’ve found the right man, and she told me that when you know, you know.
And all night, I’ve known.
Until a few minutes ago.
“I really do have to go,” I say and get into the driver’s seat, shutting myself in and Inferno out.
Inferno’s pleas with me to stay filter through the window, but when I back down the lane, they fade away into the night. I swipe at the wetness on my cheeks, not having realized I was crying, and mentally chastise myself for my emotions.
You’re being ridiculous. You just met Viking.
As I drive toward town, a vehicle seems to appear out of nowhere behind me, its
headlights blinding in the rearview mirror. I immediately flash back to my trip to the clubhouse and the scene with Jeff, reminding myself that just because a car is behind me doesn’t mean they’re following me with nefarious intentions.
But then it continues behind me, turn for turn, mile for mile. I glance at the passenger floorboard at the crumbled note that I’ve left there since finding it, and my breath catches.
You’ll regret this.
Just like earlier, my heart rate speeds up, and panic begins to creep in. Over and over again, I tell myself I’m being silly, that I have no enemies and there’s no one out there who wants to harm me.
When I finally reach my street and the car doesn’t turn with me, I realize that, again, my panic is unwarranted.
* * *
“Hey, sweetheart.”
I smile at the sound of my dad’s voice. It’s Sunday, our usual time to talk, but
today I’m extra glad to hear from him.
After arriving home last night, I tossed that damn note in the trash, locked myself
in the house, poured a glass of wine, and sat on the couch for hours, lost in my head. My thoughts were all over the place. One minute, I’m stewing over my conversation with Viking, and then the next I’m recalling all the memories of stories my mom used to tell me. Then my mind would switch gears, and my focus would be on the note or my dreams and how they’ve shifted, or how Viking made me feel.
In short, I was, and still am, a hot fucking mess.
“Hi, Dad.”
“You sound tired, baby girl,” he comments.
“It was a late night.”
“Oh yeah? Did you have a date or something?”
I force a laugh. “If books count as a date, then yeah.”
