Page 102 of Obsession

“You let her upstairs?” Blake asked.

“Yep.”

“Hmm.”

Vi gave him a cheeky grin. “Leaving for the night?”

Blake glanced down at me. “It appears so.”

“Well, all right. I’ll see you Monday.”

Blake nodded. “Yes, Monday.”

I swallowed hard. No pressure with the truth thing. Nope. None at all.

“Good night, Violet.” Blake headed for the door to the parking garage, lacing our fingers together. “Where’s your coat?”

“I sort of forgot it.”

He released my hand. Was it wrong that I wanted to snatch it back right away? That I craved that simple touch? Such a simple link seemed huge right then.

He sighed and shrugged out of his coat. My entire body was still numb from the barrage of emotions, but the moment he draped the heavy wool over my shoulders, I shuddered. It was warm from his body and smelled of him.

Relief seeped into the warming edges. After today, there was no going back. Either he’d understand, or he’d walk away.

He herded me forward with a hand at my lower back. I already missed his hand in the moment since he’d held mine. The dry, heated touch from a palm that was surprisingly rough in spots.

Another question to add to all the others about Blake Carson.

“My car is across the street.”

“It’ll be fine.”

I stopped in the middle of the parking garage. “It’ll get towed.”

“I’ll pay.”

I bristled. What if this entire thing went south? Then I’d have no car to fall back on. “You can follow me home.”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

I turned to face him. “What if you don’t like what I have to say?”

“I guess we’re both going to take a chance then since you’re being so cryptic.” He took my hand and hauled me across to the garage.

He opened the passenger side and crowded into me. Before I could figure out if he was going to kiss me or…well, I wasn’t sure what else he’d have done, he boosted me into the SUV and buckled me in. Then he shut the door without a word.

He pulled out of the garage. “All right, where am I going?”

“Head into Marblehead.”

He glanced over at me. “The gallery?”

“No, but not far from it.”

The streets had cleared a little with the late hour. Blake’s company wasn’t exactly in the center of the entertainment district of Boston. We didn’t speak as he navigated the winding streets and roundabouts that created the dizzying infrastructure of the city. Once we hit the straightaway, he took my hand again.

He seemed to understand that I couldn’t really talk. The moment I opened my mouth, there would be such a rush of crazy information, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to stop.

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