Page 18 of Captive Lies

I realized I’d been sitting in my battered pick-up for almost ten minutes. The truth was, I was too sentimental to go into my bedroom. My sheets would have his smell—that masculine spice and woodsy scent that I loved so much. As my heart dueled with my mind, I fought against the melancholia squeezing my entire being as the consequences of what I’d done that morning crashed around me. I’d alienated the one person who’d painted my gray and mundane existence with the color of a life worth living. When we finally had sex, that elusive bond snapped into place, but I responded with cowardice and ran. Exhaling in self-deprecation, I got out of the vehicle and walked up the cabin. I put the key in and turned, but it was unlocked. Annoyance swept through me. He was too pissed, apparently, to even lockup.

Still fuming, I felt my way through the darkened foyer, dropped my cross-body bag on the side table and switched on alamp.

Iturned.

And then Iscreamed.

Grant was slouched on the couch, watching me with steely eyes. His expression was impassive, but some predatory energy radiated off him. Like he was a panther about to pounce and I was a gazelle frozen inplace.

I glanced at thedoor.

“Don’t even think aboutit.”

“Where’s yourcar?”

“I havepeople.”

Such a simple statement, but it bledpower.

“Are you over it?” heclipped.

Not getting him, I frowned. “What?”

Grant stood up and started walking—no—stalking toward me. “Are you over it?” he repeated. “Your freakout.”

I laughed nervously. “Mywhat?”

“Don’t lie to me, Blaire.” His eyes flashed. “You left because you got scared.” He’d reached me and we were toe to toe. He lowered his head. “Sex changed things betweenus.”

“Have you never heard ofcasualsex before?” I snapped, my mind still had the power to squash the yearnings of myheart.

Grant chuckled derisively. “Oh, baby, there was nothing casual about last night. Balls-deep in you three times. Came the same number of times on my mouth and twice on my cock. Managed to eat dinner at two a.m. I’d say we’re pastcasual.”

I couldn’t breathe as an image of his dark head between my thighs with his hands spreading me open, flashed through my head. I leaned against the side table, suddenlylightheaded.

“Glad you remember,” Grantmuttered.

“You were supposed to loseinterest.”

Frustration scored his expression as comprehension dawned. He clenched his fists at his sides. “You let me fuck you thinking I’d lose interest,” he statedquietly.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” he pressed when I didn’t sayanything.

“You’re not,” I saidsoftly.

He tipped my face up to look at him. “Why, Angel? If all I wanted was a fuck, I wouldn’t have put up with your mountain-man friend cock-blocking me at everyturn.”

A corner of my mouth quirked up before turning down again. “You were getting tooclose.”

“That’s the whole point, isn’tit?”

“Our worlds are different, Grant. You live in the public eye while crowds make my skincrawl.”

“What happened to you, Blaire?” he asked thoughtfully, my statement leading him to believe something in my past made me thisway.

Something had and that was the reason I didn’t want him to know, I thoughtsadly.

Grant took a step back, his gaze unwavering as he contemplated me for long seconds. Rubbing his chin with his forefinger, as if coming to a decision, he said, “Okay.”

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