Page 3 of Forbidden Love, Part One

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Zane said as he made his way to his car. “Play nice.”

“Have a safe flight,” Trisha called from beside me.

I just waved at him and watched as his car pulled out of the driveway.

When he was gone, I closed the door and turned to find Trisha standing directly in front of me. Concern flooded her pretty eyes and her perfume wafted up my nose, making my mask slip briefly. I’d thought that I was prepared for things like this.

“Are you okay?” She asked, a small smile lacing her words.

I smiled back, but not sweetly. Then, I sidestepped her and continued walking. “I’m fine,” I said, my voice hard. “Just not exactly fond of having to babysit a grown woman.”

It took a moment for her to register my words. Or maybe she was just not used to me talking to her like that.

“Well, if it’s such an inconvenience to you, you can leave,” she replied finally. “I can take care of myself.”

I was already up the stairs and bounding into Zane’s room where he still had some of my clothes at the bottom of his closet.

“If you could take care of yourself, princess, I’m pretty sure that Zane wouldn’t have asked me to stay with you,” I shouted back while I threw on a shirt. I wasn’t sure if she’d heard me, so I went back downstairs to see what she was doing.

There was an invisible string that hauled me to her. Even when I hated it most, it was there. It had been telling me to go up to Connecticut for the past five years and I’d always ignored it. Sometimes though, the pull was too strong to deny. Tonight, it seemed, was one of those nights.

I found her in the yard, getting her bags out of the car trunk.

“I don’t need your help,” she spat when I came by her side to take the second bag.

I scoffed a laugh and took the bag that she was carrying as well. “Sure you don’t.”

“I’m serious,” she huffed. I felt her tugging on one of them so hard that she almost fell back. I spun and arched a brow at her. “If you’re gonna be an asshole toward me then the last thing I need is for you to help me.”

I packed both bags snugly on top of each other and looked straight into her eyes as I held them above my head. It was a weight to carry in its new position, but it was definitely worth it when I saw the look on her face when she realized that she couldn’t reach her bags. I was taller than her by about a foot. There was no way that she was reaching this.

I smirked and turned to go back inside with the luggage.

“Asshole,” I heard her mutter.

For that little comment, I kicked the door shut before she could get into the house.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” If someone could slam a door open, that was exactly what she did.

I didn’t answer her. Setting her bags down, I went into the kitchen, content to ignore her for the rest of the night—maybe even the rest of the week.

“Hey, I’m talking to you.”

I was thrown forward a second before I realized that she’d pushed me. That about snapped any self-restraint that I had remaining.

I spun toward her with every inch of my face lined with the anger that had bubbled within me for years. “You,” I almost whispered. “You’re my problem.”

“What did I do?” She almost yelled.

I didn’t know how to answer that without sounding like a whiny little bitch.

“Answer me!”

I crossed my arms over my chest and studied her small frame before me. “Isn’t a practicing doctor supposed to have more self-control?”

Her face was red with anger and something about it got me smiling. “Oh, you’re one to talk about self-control when I can smell the sex on you.”

Oh, could she now? I supposed that a quick shower might’ve been a good idea before coming over here.

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