Page 119 of Unwritten Rules
“I can handle him,” Sinnett utters. “I’ll talk to him?—”
“No,” I interject, shaking my head. Exhaling a sharp breath, I pull away, dropping my hands to Sinnett’s thighs. “I need to speak to him on my own.”
“Have you spoken to him… since, well, you know?”
I shake my head, guilt clawing its way up my throat. “Not yet. But tomorrow, okay?”
Sinnett drags his bottom lip between his teeth and nods. “Tomorrow.” His hand lifts to swipe away the stray hairs flying around my face, courtesy of Sinnett’s frantic movements. “But until then, will you stay with me tonight?”
My eyes widen, pulse racing. “You want me to… I mean, I can’t do that, can I?”
“You can do whatever you’re comfortable with, Tate,” he murmurs, fingers gliding over the curve of my jaw.
“But Khai… I don’t think he likes me anymore. He was a little frosty when he answered the door.”
Sinnett waves his hand through the air, brushing off my concern. “Don’t worry about him. He’s just worried about me is all. But I also think he’s in a shit mood because he has his own family drama he’s working through.”
Worry spikes in my chest. “Is he okay?”
“He will be. It’s nothing he can’t handle.”
Heart thundering in my chest, the only answer smacks me in the face and presents itself in the form of a breathless, “Okay. I’ll spend the night with you.”
Texting my dad that I’m staying at Raya’s house is my top priority, next to getting as close to this man as humanly possible. Tomorrow, the lies stop and the truth is put forth. I have zero idea of how the conversation is going to go, and if Dad will lose his shit or not, but with Sinnett smiling down at me like I’m the light of his life, the fear disappears into the darkness behind the balcony.
Sinnett grins. “I’ve missed you, strawberry.” He presses a chaste kiss to my forehead. “Like, a lot. Listening to music on my own isn’t as fun.”
The mention of music has my ears perking up. “Speaking of music, I forgot to thank you for the playlist you made me.”
“Did you listen to every song?” Sinnett runs the back of his knuckles over the curve of my jaw, his eyes tracing his movements. The other holds my waist firmly, his warmth melting into my skin.
I nod, leaning into his touch. “Is it embarrassing to admit that I’ve listened to the playlist all the way through at least twenty times in the past week?”
Sinnett grins, his hand finding purchase on my waist. “I raise you twenty-five.”
My jaw drops, followed by an airy laugh. “Seriously?”
His forehead meets mine, shoulders shaking as he chuckles. “Is it less pathetic of me to say I was simply admiring my playlist making skills?”
I drag my bottom lip between my teeth, hands gliding up and down Sinnett’s thighs in a slow movement. “Well, you did learn from the best, so it only makes sense.”
“See, I knew you would understand.” Sinnett stands and helps me to my feet, arms circling my waist. I inhale, relishing in his woodsy scent—it’s both calming and familiar. And God, have I missed it. “Tonight, you’re all mine, Tate. You’re not walking away from me this time.”
Warmth blooms across my body as I push onto my toes and wrap my arms around his neck, smiling. “I’m not going anywhere, Sin. Never again.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
TATUM
My body vibrates with a nervous energy I shouldn’t possess. This is my dad for crying out loud. I shouldn’t be this on edge with the prospect of finally having the conversation I have been skirting around for over a week. Maybe it’s because I know what he’s going to say when I bring up Sinnett. He won’t change his mind, and I’m worried there is nothing I can do or say that will sway him.
But no matter what happens when I knock on his office door, I’m not walking away from Sinnett again.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come in with you?” Sinnett asked when he dropped me at the house five minutes ago. “If you need me, I can stay right here and wait for you.”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” I told him, ignoring the pounding of my heart at the thought of the conversation with my dad going south. “If anything does happen, I’ll call you. I know Dad. He’ll be pissed and try to stand his ground, but he won’t do anything to hurt me.”
I exhale a sharp breath, craning my neck from side to side to relieve the tension building in the muscles, and knock sharply on the closed door. A moment later, Dad’s gruff voice calls out for me to enter.
