Page 64 of The Blackmail of Denise Randall

Uncrossing her arms, she turns to me and smiles. Her blue green eyes are bright with excitement. “I’m not. You’re so talented. I’d be honored to wear a dress my sister designed.”

“Why not ask me to do the wedding dress, if you believe in me so much?”

“Fine. Do it. I’ll wear anything you come up with, just because it’s from you.”

She really is bigger hearted than me. No way in hell would I trust any one of us to make my wedding dress. That day has to be perfect. “No. No way. I’m not qualified, and this is your big day.”

“It is my big day. And I want it to be special.” She takes my hand. “It’ll be special if I can wear a dress designed by my favorite designer, my sister.”

“There’s not enough time. Even for just a special rehearsal dinner dress.”

“Fine. I’ll move the date.”

“What?” Mom shrieks. “Alice, we need to get these dates set.”

“I want to be a June bride.” I stare and wonder if I had taken something but forgotten. No way is she serious. “Don’t give me that look. It’s only pushing it back a couple of months. Noah and I are living together already, so we’re practically married. Now, let’s go see what everyone’s up to.” She stands up but doesn’t leave the room. She pauses and then says, “I believe in you, Denise. It’s going to be okay.”

“My girls,” Mom coos.

I stand and we exit my bedroom. Mom begins cleaning up the kitchen. Rachel and Trent have left to take the kids home for their naps. Dad is also gone. All that remains, other than Mom, are Alice, Noah and Keaton.

Mom finishes cleaning and comes over to kiss me on the cheek before leaving. Noah and Alice whisper back and forth to each other while Keaton and I quietly stand by. Finally, Noah throws Keaton his keys and tells him he’s riding with Alice. They stand together, and with a wave, head home. Leaving Keaton and I alone in my house. The room suddenly becomes too small and too quiet.

“Well, this is awkward.” He leans back in the chair, placing his hands behind his head. I try to control the quiver that runs through me staring at his muscular arms. “It’s even more awkward with you staring at me.”

It’s even more so now that you called me out! I scream in my head, while pretending I didn’t hear him. Bitch move, but I’m not going to apologize for eyeing the man candy sitting next to me in my house. He chuckles and kicks the leg of my chair. “I’m messing with ya, you can stare all you want. Go ahead. Feast your eyes. Take it all in.”

“Do you have somewhere you need to be?” I blurt out.

“Right now, I’m busy being a buffet for your eyes. As far as needing to be somewhere, it’s only a few feet away.”

“My parents’ house?”

He shakes his head. “Closer than that.” I follow his line of sight to my bedroom.

I lick my lips and squeeze my thighs together. He doesn’t miss the movement. The room fills with thick, heated tension. Feeling bolder than I ever have in my entire life, I stand up and take his big, strong hand. I lead him to my bedroom. I need to take my mind off everything that’s happening around me. I feel out of control and anxious. With Keaton here, I can’t get to my drugs. But with Keaton here, maybe I don’t need them. Maybe I just need him.

He shuts the door behind us. He slowly removes his shirt as he walks toward me. I remove mine and then while he undoes his pants, I do the same. I figure he knows what he’s doing, so I follow his lead. He stands before me in his underwear, showing off his ripped tan muscles. In a low, soothing voice he says, “We still need to talk about last night.”

“Way to be a mood killer.”

“I’m more worried about you killing yourself. You can’t keep messing with pills and alcohol. It’s dangerous.”

“So is letting a guy I barely know in my bedroom.”

“That is. Good thing you’ve known me most of your life.”

“Bullshit.”

“Don’t act like that. Don’t deflect. You have a problem, and we’re going to fix it.”

“I don’t need you to fix me, Keaton. In fact, I don’t need you at all.” I push away from him, but he grabs me.

He grasps my wrists and crosses my arms, holding me tightly against him, my back pressed to his chest. His warm breath fans my hair as he speaks against my temple. “Look how tiny you are. You’re becoming dangerously underweight.”

“If my body bothers you so much, you can stop touching it and let me go.”

“Oh, I’m not letting you go, Sweetheart. You have dark circles under your eyes.”

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