Page 38 of Dangerously Tempting

The phone vibrates in my hand again, the trill of my ringer almost making me jump even though I already know it’s ringing. I’m suddenly on edge and quickly swipe across the screen to answer the call.

“Hello?”

There’s just silence for a moment, and I start to wonder if maybe he accidentally pocket dialed me. I’m about to ask if he’s there when I hear him draw in a deep breath and sigh it out.

“I’m sorry. I know I said that I’d wait for you to call, but I wanted to keep you updated on things and…” he huffs another sigh, almost like he’s annoyed at himself. “I just needed to hear your voice.”

“It’s okay, Jameson. Did something else happen?”

“Yeah,” he mumbles, and there’s another pause before he continues. “When I came home last night, I found the blueprints that got lost at work yesterday in my kitchen.”

“Well that’s good, right?”

He chuckles but it’s dark, not humorous. “It would be, except for the fact I never bring blueprints home with me.”

I furrow my brows, confused for a moment and then it hits me. I jolt up into a sitting position, staring at the wall across from me with wide eyes, hoping that at any second now I’m gonna startle awake just to find this was a dream.

“It was her, wasn’t it?” I finally force out. I already know the answer, so I’m not sure why I ask for confirmation. I don’t know if it’s more for me, or to hear him admit to himself that this whole thing has gotten to high levels of insanity.

“It was Tori, yes. The prints they found are identical to the ones they pulled off my truck. They’re still sweeping my apartment, looking for anything that she might have left behind, and thankfully, they’re taking it a bit more seriously now. There’s a warrant out for her arrest but they can’t find her.”

“What do you mean they can’t find her? I get that we’re in a city full of people, but surely it can’t be that hard to track her down?”

“You would think. But she’s not at her house, or her parents’. They’re going to try her work today, but my hopes aren’t high that they’ll have any luck. My guess is she knew I’d call the cops and ran while she could.”

“What a nightmare!” I feel anger tightening my throat, but don’t know what else to say.

“I wish it was one that I could wake up from,” he sighs again. “I just wanted you to know what’s going on so you don’t come by my apartment. Since they’re still combing over everything, I’m going to get a hotel and try to get some rest before Monday.”

I bristle even more at his words. This has gone so far that he can’t even stay in his own home. It takes me a moment to realize that I’m not only mad for him, I’m mad over him. The audacity of this bitch to do all this, knowing damn well that he’s with someone else. Fuck this and fuck her.

I sit up straighter, drawing in a breath so I can speak without the anger trickling into my words, because I don’t want him to think it’s him I’m mad at. Because I’m not, not any more. Funnily enough, her intention was to drive us away from each other, but breaking into his home, showing us how much of a nut job she is, has shoved me straight into wanting to protect what’s mine.

Somewhere in her delusional mind, she thinks that he’s hers, but she’s wrong. He chose me. I chose him. And come hell or high water, I’m not going to let her waltz into our relationship and upend what we’re trying to grow. He’s mine.

“There’s no reason for you to spend money on a hotel when you can just come stay with me.” A beat passes with no response, and I pull the phone away from my ear to make sure he’s still on the call before returning it to my ear. “Jameson?”

“I’m here. I just didn’t expect that.”

“I know, but I mean it. Come here. Please. I’ll feel better with you here, knowing that she’s not breaking into your hotel room while you’re sleeping or something.”

“Wow. I didn’t even consider that, so thank you for that nightmare material.”

I huff a laugh. “You’ll be safe here. I’ve got two separate door latches, and we’ll board the damn thing shut if that’s what it takes for you to feel relaxed. And if she somehow magics her way in, I’ll kick her ass.” This pulls a laugh from him, and I can’t help but smile at the sound. “Use my extra spot in the garage. You remember the number?”

“I do,” he sighs again, and I press my lips together, wanting nothing more in this moment than to hug him so he knows it’s all going to be okay. “Are you sure?” he asks softly.

“Yes,” I say confidently, with no hesitation whatsoever.

“Amelia?”

“Yeah?” I ask, taken off guard by him sounding so uncertain. It’s the first chip I’ve found in his armor, but all it does is make me want to patch it up so it no longer exists.

“Thank you.”

Any resentment or anger I had left about him keeping this from me falls away with those two words. He needs someone right now, and I’m more than willing to be there for him. There are no doubts left in my mind, no reasons not to fight for him, and no exiting stage right.

“You’re welcome. See you soon?”

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