Page 52 of Fire

More mysterious secrets.

In the two weeks since dinner with her parents, while things were going well, she still didn’t know anything more about him than what she’d known then—which wasn’t much.

She’d hoped, knowing her for as long as he had, he would’ve started to open up, but it seemed just the opposite were true—the more time they spent together, the more closed off and secretive he became.

Any time she broached the subject of his family or past, he’d get edgy, sometimes even angry. And it had gotten to the point where she’d stopped asking, even knowing that wasn’t healthy for their relationship.

Hell, she wasn’t even sure what they had could qualify as a relationship.

They didn’t make love, they had sex—it was wild and frantic and didn’t include tenderness—and never in bed unless it was the middle of the day and they didn’t plan on sleeping afterward. When they did sleep together, he’d always come to bed after she’d fallen asleep—using the excuse he had work to do—and be gone by the time she woke up. The only way she knew he came to bed at all, was sometimes, deep in the night, she’d wake and feel his arms around her, spooning her from behind.

When Blake hadn’t returned in what Gwen felt was a long enough time to be done with his phone call, she got up to search for him.

Padding to her purse, she pulled out her phone and checked the time—six-thirty. Early, but not as early as she’d thought.

She checked his home gym first, knowing that’s how he usually started his day, but it was empty. So were the kitchen and the living room. She found him someplace she’d never seen him before—the balcony off the living room. He leaned, forearms to the railing, watching the sun rise.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” He hadn’t turned, so she wasn’t sure how he knew she was there.

“Everything okay?” She knew that was a loaded question. It eluded to the secrets he kept.

“Yeah.” He sighed, sounding tired.

She dared a few steps out the door even though the height bothered her. She wrapped her arms around herself as goose bumps broke out along her bared skin. It was still chilly in the mornings even though it was well into July and the temperature would soar to over one-hundred degrees by the afternoon.

He still didn’t look at her. “I’m going to have to cut our day together short.”

“Okay. Something go wrong at the club?” She knew that wasn’t it but was hoping he’d elaborate.

“A family emergency.”

She hesitated a moment, then braved, “Is it anything you want to talk about?”

“No.”

And that was it.

Twenty minutes later, they were in his car, taking her home.

“What are you doing home? I thought you were spending the day with Blake?”

After pulling into her complex, Blake hadn’t bothered to park, just promised to call after giving her a distracted goodbye kiss. It was the first time he hadn’t walked her to her door.

Gwen kicked off her shoes and set her overnight bag down before plopping herself on the couch, facing Allie. “He got called away.”

Allie’s brow furrowed. “Again?”

Gwen shrugged.

“Did he at least tell you why this time?”

“Said it was a family emergency.”

“He seems to have a lot of those.” Her expression turned apologetic. “Do you think he was telling the truth?”

Gwen thought back to the early morning phone call and the concern she’d heard in his tone. “I don’t think he’s rushing off to meet another woman if that’s what you’re implying.” When Allie looked like she was about to argue, she continued, “Not that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind. I don’t have my head buried in the sand. It’s just, from everything Blake’s told me and from what I’ve heard around the club, all the women he’s slept with had been one-hit wonders.”

Pushing it, as best friends do, Allie said, “He said that, but then he’s dating you. Isn’t it possible he’s dating someone else, as well?”

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