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Cheer practice had been absolute shit that afternoon, and my balance was off, causing problems for the rest of the squad.
“What the hell, Brie?” Crawford yelled as he stumbled backward before finally putting me down safely on the ground. I wasn’t sure what would be worse, landing on my ass in the gym or on the grass, but I wasn’t interested in finding out.
I placed my palm against my forehead, feeling like crap for nearly hurting us. “I’m sorry, Crawford. Are you okay?”
He glared at me before he nodded. “Maybe you should work with Tim. We don’t seem to be syncing well today, and one of us is going to get injured.”
Coach Wilson joined us with her hands on her slender waist. “Brie, what’s wrong?”
I stared at my feet. I couldn’t tell her I’d run into my first boyfriend, who had sacrificed himself to protect me, and I didn’t remember any of it. It sounded absurd when I even thought about it, much less spoke it out loud.
I leaned closer to the coach and said, “I have really bad cramps.” It was the best lie I could come up with that was plausible.
“Go home and take care of it. There are only twenty minutes left in practice anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She patted me on the back before she sent me away. I hadn’t expected her to let me go, but I was grateful. Maybe after Kane, Alida, and I talked, it would help. Unfortunately, I had no idea what Alida would say, and her support would make or break my only chance to learn about my past. That couldn’t happen. Plus, it really wasn’t her decision to make. It was mine.
I scooped up my backpack off the ground, where we’d all piled our belongings before practice. We would have to move inside soon due to the rainy season but practicing outside after being cooped up in classes all day was nice.
Taking a deep breath and trying to calm my anxiety, I walked to my car. Kane would meet me at the house in an hour to talk with Alida. My palms grew sweaty, and I wiped them on my shorts and laughed as I climbed into my Lexus. My clammy hands had nothing to do with Alida. That was Kane’s fault. Even though he’d harassed me, we’d fucked, and it had been hot as hell. Then, after we talked last night, I realized there was a lot more to him, and somewhere inside myself, I felt like I knew him—recognized his heart. As crazy as it sounded, I felt safe with Kane. Only time would tell if I was right to feel that way.
* * *
The doorbell rang, and I pulled my dark-green sweater over my head, then stepped into my boyfriend jeans before I hurried down the hall. Remembering that I had the alarm set, I used the app on my phone to make sure it was Kane before I disabled it.
I opened the door. “Hey, glad you remembered where the house was.” I giggled.
“Like I could forget.” Kane flashed me a smile, and I nearly melted on the floor.
Motioning for him to come inside, I unashamedly checked him out. His jeans hung on his hips, hugging his muscular legs and ass. His black sweatshirt displayed his broad shoulders, showcasing his biceps. I wondered if I could cancel with Alida and just drool over Kane.Focus.“I have sodas and water, so just grab what you want. Alida and I have my sessions on Zoom, so I figured it would be easier if we sat at the table.” I felt like I was rambling, but the closer it got to the appointment, the more I was terrified the session would go south. It couldn’t. I was so damn close to finding out where I’d come from. At this point, I was desperate enough to kidnap Kane until he told me the truth. It certainly was tempting. My mind drifted to what he would look like naked and sprawled out across my bed, handcuffed.Oh, shit, I bet he’s yummy.
“How are you doing with all of this?” Kane asked, pulling me away from mentally having my way with him.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “I don’t know how to answer that. One minute, I’m hopeful, and the next, I’m terrified, then my heart breaks all over again. For what I did to you and for what happened to me.” Gripping the back of the kitchen chair, I steadied myself. I couldn’t burst into tears in front of him.
“I get it. I think I’ve been riding the same roller coaster you have.” He sat down and ran his hand over his dark hair. Kane seemed calm, but I suspected he was eager to get on with the session. It was an awkward situation, to say the least.
“Maybe we can get off soon.” My cheeks flamed red as I realized what I’d said. “Um, I meant the roller coaster.”
Kane chuckled, his gaze roaming over my body. His tongue darted across his lower lip, and I resisted the urge to crawl onto his lap and rip off his clothes. Ever since I found out he was the guy under the mask in the society, and the guy from my forgotten past, I wanted more of him. A lot more.
The alarm on my phone chimed, bringing me back to reality. I joined him at the table, then powered up my laptop. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah. Are you?”
My hand trembled as I opened the program we needed for the call. I’d hoped Kane hadn’t seen me shaking, but he had. “Apparently not.” My stomach churned, and I pushed down my fear, wishing that Kane was still able to distract me from my cruel reality.
Alida appeared on the screen, and I scooted the laptop back for Kane to be able to see her.
“Hey, Brie.”
“Hey. Thanks for allowing Kane to join us.” I motioned to him on my left. “Alida, this is Kane … Kane, this is Alida.”Progress, the introductions were out of the way.
“Nice to meet you, Alida,” Kane said.
Fidgeting, I mentally frowned. The fact that Kane had manners just soaked my panties. I chided myself, but when I was stressed, my hormones ran full throttle. I pushed aside my desire for him, reminding myself of why he was here.
“You, too. Glad you could join us. It sounds like you and Brie knew each other before the Langstons met her.” Alida’s hazel eyes appeared brighter with her teal shirt.
Excellent way to articulate that.
