Chloe closed her eyes tight, her lips pressed together in a very tight line. Almost like fighting off emotions she didn’t want to feel.
“Say something.” This couldn’t be what drove us apart. I wouldn’t allow it. What had been growing between us was far too great to just walk away. I meant what I said; I was in this, not just for now, but for the long haul. I wanted this, and I wanted it all with Chloe. “You are the only one I want.”
I love her. It was there on the tip of my tongue, lingering, fighting to be set free, but I held back.
“I just want to go inside and curl up in a blanket. I want to ignore the fact that your ex is ruining my life.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Please just—”
“I’m not leaving.” She would have to throw me out. “We’ll go inside, and you can get the biggest blanket you have and curl it around you so tight you feel invisible. But we will be talking about this.”
“Landon.” It was a plea. One that hit me hard in the chest. The idea of upsetting her, it was something that was unbearable. But knowing that until I got to the bottom of this I couldn’t make it right, that was the one thing that drove me forward.
***
It had been a few hours, me sitting at her side, her curled up at the opposite end of the couch. She was sleeping soundly in a blanket so big and fluffy that all I could see was the top of her head poking out. I wanted nothing more than to crawl beneath the blanket with her and hold her close, only I gave her space.
My temper was rising, my anger flaring as I thought of what she meant by Holly ruining her life. If I knew going to her and telling her off would help, I would have left long ago. Only Holly would manage to reverse it around and call it passion. The girl was fucking insane, certifiably, no doubt.
It was crazy, how it had gotten this far. It’s not like I gave her false hope; she was just seeing something that was never even there. The problem was she was threatened by Chloe. But Holly had nothing on my beautiful girl, nothing at all.
The rustle of the blankets as she stretched out from beneath them caught my attention, and my heart raced, hoping she was waking up. Nothing was worse than seeing her down and not knowing what I could do to fix it.
I loved her, I was in love with her, and honestly all I really wanted to do was protect her from any person or possible thing that could harm her.
A soft sigh, more of a purr, came from under the blankets, and even in the tension-filled space I had to smile.
Slipping off the couch cushions, I crawled across the floor and paused at her side. Gliding my hand over her, I found the space that allowed me to slip beneath and sought out her comfort. I just wanted to feel her, to know that she was there. I felt like she was slipping away. I had since the very second I’d seen the sadness in her eyes that day she was parked next to me. It was a feeling of being out of control, and it terrified me.
“I think I’m gonna be fired.” Her voice was muffled, but I heard it clearly.
Pulling the blanket back to expose her face, I stared at her sleep-filled eyes. Her face was puffy, her hair matted and going in all different directions. The blues of her eyes stood out against the white blanket around her.
“What possible reason could they have to fire you, Kitten?” My throat felt tight, the knowledge that I already knew what she was going to say eating at me. Holly, this had to be about her, and I felt murderous.
“Harassment of another employee.” Her lower lip trembled, and someone may as well have stabbed me right then; it would have hurt less than seeing her fall apart. “This is gonna kill my reputation. It’s not like there are a hundred different dentistries to work for in Brooklet. I could move, but this is home.”
“Harassment?” This had to be a fucking joke. Chloe was the gentlest person I knew.
“She’s been saying things at work, cornering me.” A single tear fell from her eye and trickled along her cheek. “Apparently I stand in the way of you and her. I’ve been the one harassing her because you have some lingering feelings for her.”
“Chloe.” Pulling away the blanket, exposing her more, I pulled her off the couch and into my lap. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have handled it.”
“It’ll just make it worse, like she feeds on the uncertainty of other people. So instead I tried to pretend nothing she’d said or done bothered me, but then…” She paused, and I knew I wasn’t going to like what she was about to add.
“She said all those things about the two of you the other day. About how you liked dirty and you were going to get tired of me.” Chloe wouldn’t look at me. “She gave the details of your night out in the alley and how you—” She stopped and my throat felt like something was lodged in it. “I thought about our night in the hotel after the wedding and the way you backed me up to the wall. It was pretty
