“Is it an emergency?”
She paused, listening to the caller on the other end. Her cell didn’t leave any secrets.
“No, baby. It’s not.”
Nervously, she turned her back toward me. I took a seat.
“Then, I’ll have to call you back, Kason. I’m in the middle of something important.”
There was a brief pause.
“See you tonight.”
“Okay.”
Repulsed, I watched as Range gathered her bearings as best she could. She slid across the bench, taking a seat in front of me. Nervousness forced her fingertip against the table.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Eye contact failed to exist. She’d lost her way to me. Our connection had faltered. There was static on the line.
My stomach knotted. My heart joined, performing flips as I inhaled deeply. Words didn’t come to me. Only heartache. Disappointment. And, an emotion I had never felt in life.
Jealousy.
I pulled my lips into my mouth. Range had been sent to ruin me. I was convinced.
“Good morning, Mr. Blackwood.”
I stood up and maneuvered around the table. With my eyes pinned on Range, I backpeddled toward the door I’d come through.
When her beauty became too much to bear…
When her shame became too much to consider…
I turned around and headed in the direction I’d come from.
“Sia–” She whispered, stumbling over her words.
My feet never stopped. My heart was aching and with each step, it settled a little. Hurt a little less.
“Mr. Blackwood. If you care to be a free man, you will not walk out of that door. Because, the moment you do, that ends it all. I will not return. And, I will excuse myself from your case.”
Her words cut like a knife. They rendered me motionless. I stopped, contemplating my next move. Aubrey was waiting. I didn’t have the heart to throw away the opportunity to see her sooner.
Still, Range was capable of blowing every gasket my body had. She didn’t play fair. And, as much as I hated to assert my dominance, she hardly left me a choice.
You’re going to get somebody hurt, Range.
