Page 30 of Pretending with the Mountain Man
Footsteps follow me into the parking lot. Malik's hand catches my arm, gentle but firm.
"Melody, stop."
I turn, anger flaring unexpectedly. "Let me go."
He releases me immediately, hurt flashing across his face. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay."
"I'm not okay," I snap. "That man just threatened me with criminal charges in front of my new colleagues. Everyone at that table is now wondering what kind of person they've hired."
"We'll handle this," Malik says calmly. "Sage has evidence that you returned the ring. We can prove they're committing insurance fraud."
"That's not the point!" My voice rises despite my efforts to control it. "This is my career, Malik. My reputation. I can't be the new teacher with the criminal investigation and the sugar daddy boyfriend!"
The words are cruel and unfair. Malik steps back as if I've struck him.
"Is that what you think this is?" he asks quietly. "Is that why you told them we're not involved? That what happened at Forbidden Chains was just a misunderstanding?"
The fact that he knows what I said makes me defensive. "What was I supposed to tell them? That I'm sleeping with a man damn near twice my age before classes even start? They were already gossiping about us."
His jaw tightens. "You asked for space. I'm giving it to you. But don't expect me to pretend what's between us isn't real."
"Malik, I didn't mean?—"
"You did," he cuts me off, voice even. "And maybe you're right. Maybe we rushed into this without considering the consequences."
The swift pivot from supportive to distant leaves me reeling. "So that's it? One complication and you're done?"
"I'm giving you what you asked for," he says. "Space."
Before I can respond, the wine bar door opens, spilling light and noise into the parking lot. Jake and Jordyn emerge, headed our way.
"We'll talk later," Malik says, turning to intercept them. "Go home, Melody. Get some rest."
I watch him walk away, shoulders rigid with tension. Just like that, the bubble of our private happiness bursts, reality flooding in to drown what we've built.
As I drive to the guest cabin, doubt creeps in like a chill. Was I fooling myself? Thinking a relationship with this kind of age gap, power imbalance, and public scrutiny could ever work? Or was I just desperate for the safety Malik represents after Jason's abuse?
Alone in the cabin that now feels empty without Malik's presence, I curl up on the bed we shared just last night. My phone remains silent. No texts checking if I arrived safely. No reassurances that we'll figure this out.
Just silence and the growing fear that I've sabotaged the one good thing I've found in Crimson Hollow before it even had a chance to thrive.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MALIK
THREE DAYS LATER
"You look like shit,"Jake comments as I enter the security office at Club Crimson. He's not wrong. Three days of minimal sleep will do that to a man.
"Thanks for the update," I reply, dropping into my chair. "Any news on our PI friend?"
Jake slides a folder across the desk. "Still at the Mountain Lodge Motel. Makes daily calls to a number in Toronto. We've been monitoring his movements."
"Good." I flip through the surveillance photos, noting the PI's predictable routine. "Any contact with Melody?"
"None that we've observed." Jake studies me with the scrutiny that makes him an excellent head of security. "Though I hear she's settling in at the high school. Sage mentioned she's staying at your guest cabin."
I grunt noncommittally, not wanting to discuss my personal life. Jake, being Jake, ignores the hint.
