Page 76 of The Lake of Lost Girls

Ryan scowled. “God damn it!”

He was still holding my hand. It felt restrictive.

I wanted to scream.

This all felt so wrong.

I shouldn’t be here.

“Nah, we can still enjoy ourselves. Though, I guess we’ll have to stick with eating. The other stuff can wait until later.” He waggled his eyebrows.

A man was walking along the perimeter of the lake, making his way toward us. It was only when he was within a few feet that both Ryan and I recognized him.

Ryan stiffened and I felt lightheaded.

“Dr. Daniels, hi,” I greeted once he was within earshot.

He looked up at me in surprise, clearly not having noticed us there.

“Jessica, hello.”

Ryan’s face went stony. I recognized the possessive glint in his eyes.

“What are you doing out here?” I asked him.

Dr. Daniels peered out over the water. “I live nearby and I come here sometimes when I need to think.” He turned back to me and I felt my cheeks heat up. “When I want to make important decisions.”

“Oh,” was all I could say.

“It feels like a good omen to meet you out here, Jessica,” Dr. Daniels’s smile broadened.

Ryan cleared his throat, as if reminding Dr. Daniels—and me—that he was there.

“This is Ryan,” I said by way of introduction.

Ryan glared at me before turning to my teacher. “I’m Jess’s boyfriend.” He clutched my hand so tight it hurt.

Dr. Daniels raised his eyebrows at that but didn’t respond. Instead he looked at me again. “Well, I’ll see youtomorrow for our tutoring session.” His gaze lingered, but only for a moment. It was so quick you could almost convince yourself that he was simply being nice. “Enjoy your evening.”

“You, too,” I replied softly as the older man walked away.

As soon as Dr. Daniels was out of earshot, I felt Ryan’s anger unleash like a hurricane.

“What the hell was that, Jess?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That man looked at you like he was the cat and you were the goddamned cream.”

“You’re seeing things.”

“I’m seeing what’s pretty obvious, Jess. You liked it. You liked the way he looked at you, didn’t you?” Ryan was enraged.

I shook my head profusely. But I knew it was no good. There was no calming him down.

I pulled Ryan close, staring up into his face, beseeching him. I hated it when he was angry with me. Like all the men in my life, Ryan wasn’t good for me, yet I couldn’t stay away. “I don’t want to fight,” I whispered.

He seemed to relax slightly, though his anger was still palpable.

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