Page 26 of The Truth in My Lies (Secrets of Suburbi 1)

His fingers dipped to my clavicle.

And then I was back in hell, the pain from my hurt shoulder searing through me. It was so much harder to fall back when I had tasted heaven.

I put my hand on his chest and turned my face away from him. I tried to catch my breath, but my words still came out airy. “We can’t do this.”

He let his hands fall from my body. “You have two seconds, Addy. Two seconds to stop me from proving that we most certainly can." He put his hands on either side of me, sandwiching me between him and the car.

I knew what he wanted to do. My libido wasn’t dead even if it felt like the rest of me was. I had no desire to stop him. I wanted to say, “Then prove it.” I so badly wanted the words to fall from my lips. There was a hotel a few blocks back. I could ask him to take me to it. I could make my fantasies a reality.

But fear had gripped my heart. And not just for my own safety, but for his. We were too exposed in the parking lot. “Please take me home.” I found the door handle behind me and pulled it, but nothing happened.

“It’s locked,” Ben said.

“Then unlock it.”

He didn’t move.

“If you’re not going to take me home, I’ll call a cab.”

He sighed and stepped back. I wasn’t sure I had ever felt so cold. The car beeped as it unlocked. I scurried into the passenger’s seat to get away from him. But the scent in the car just made him feel even closer.

I kept my eyes glued on the window the whole ride home.

“Thanks for the ride to the clinic,” I said as he pulled into my driveway. I cringed when he cut the engine in my driveway. He grabbed my hand before I could reach for the door handle.

“You can’t pretend you didn’t enjoy that as much as I did.” His voice sounded heavy like he was trying to hide his emotion.

“It was a mistake. We can’t do this.” But God, it feels so nice to have my hand in his.

“Give me one reason why.”

I laughed. “You’re 23, Ben.”

He moved his hand to the side of my face. “Adeline Bell, I think you’re beautiful and…”

“Stop.”

His lips parted like he was about to say something else.

“Don't be fooled by what you see. It's the things you don't that really matter."

His lips closed. He was staring at me too intently. As if he was staring into my soul.

I took the opportunity to distance myself further and climbed out of his truck.

“Addy, I think we should talk about this.” He sounded determined. Like he had just seen the worst and he didn’t care. If only he knew what demons I was hiding.

“There’s nothing to talk about. I thought we were friends. And clearly, we’re not. And there’s no undoing what happened. So just…don’t come back here. Please stay away from me. Please.” I slammed the door closed.

Chapter 14

I woke up drenched in sweat. I turned in bed and reached out to the other side. My fingers were met by empty sheets.

I had dismissed Ben Jones from my life. But I hadn’t dismissed him from my dreams. It would have taken awhile, but I could have eventually forgotten what he looked like. I could have made the sight of him disappear from my memory. But I had experienced every sense of him. Smell, sight, taste, touch, and sound, and God I couldn’t forget. And I’d be lying if I said I was even trying.

Stop. I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. He hadn’t come this morning. He had listened to my request. And now I wished I had never made it. A part of me thought he’d keep coming. He seemed persistent. So where was he? Was he lying in bed thinking about me too?

I closed my eyes tight. I was overloaded by all five senses of him when my eyes were shut. Maybe I’d just lay in bed forever.

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