Page 111 of Lawton

"Oh, sure I am," she said. "Good thing Bishop's not in town, huh?"

Damn it. I tried to keep my tone neutral. "Why do you say that?"

"Oh, you know," she said, leaning in for a quick kiss. "I might look beautiful toyou, but…" She glanced around the darkened interior. "Have you seen my shoes?"

When I didn't respond, she turned back to study my face. "Oh." She paused. "Heisin town, isn't he?"

I nodded. "He just got in today."

I still hadn't mentioned to Chloe that Bishop and I were related. Come to think of it, I hadn't mentioned a lot of things where Bishop was concerned. But I'd deal with all of that later. Now, all I wanted was to do was carry her inside and see what played out. We could sleep – or not sleep – and I'd count myself lucky.

Inside the vehicle, Chloe let out a long, unsteady breath. "On second thought," she said, "I should probably pass. I've got Chucky and work tomorrow, so…" She gave me a smile filled with regret. "Another time?"

"Forget Bishop," I said. "Stay with me anyway." I reached around and helped her with the zipper of her dress. "C'mon. Bring Chucky. We'll have a sleepover."

She laughed. "No way."

"Alright," I said. "Then I'll stay at your place."

She hesitated. "Sorry. No guests, remember?"

I did remember. And I didn't like it. I hadn't for a while now. Earlier, she'd told me flat-out that she lived alone. And earlier, I'd pretended to believe her.

No. Ididbelieve her. But there was something about this that still didn't add up. Through the passing shadows, I studied her face.

What, exactly, are you hiding?

Shadows from streetlights came and went. And still, I said nothing. The silenced stretched and crackled between us, threatening to ruin an amazing night. I refused to let that happen.

"Alright," I said, trying to sound like I meant it. It was, after all, still her birthday. But tomorrow, I decided, I'd be asking again.

Soon, I was walking her to her own front door and kissing her goodnight. As I held her close, I kept repeating a simple fact. There was no way she'd be kissing me like this on the front steps if there was somebody else waiting inside.

Right?

Chapter 49

It was nearly dawn, and I still couldn't sleep. It was just a few hours after Chloe's birthday celebration, and already, I was missing her.

Before Chloe, I'd gotten used to not sleeping. But then, she'd come into my life and changed everything. With her in my arms, I'd been sleeping like the dead. And I'd been liking it.

Lately, I'd been liking a lot of things – the sounds of her laughter, the feel of her hands, the way she dove for the covers when I tickled her feet.

But there were also things that Ididn'tlike – the secrets, the mysteries, the way she clammed up tight whenever I mentioned her house.

Lying in the darkness, I reminded myself that I had secrets too, secrets I'd tell her when the time was right. I told myself that regardless of my own feelings, we'd been together for just a few weeks. And Chloe wasn't like those other girls, the kind who gave it up fast for a guy they'd just met.

Still, the dark thoughts wouldn’t go away.

For the past few years, since the thing with the sex tape, I'd been a different kind of guy – slower to protect and refusing to fall. But Chloe – maybe partly because I'd met her before all that – had slipped under my guard and slammed into my heart. Now, I was over the edge and flailing in the darkness.

I wasn't used to this.

Cursing, I threw off the covers got dressed in the shadows. Ten minutes later, I was standing near the back fence, looking at the rear of her house. There was nothing to see and nothing to hear. The place was dark, and the night was quiet – except it wasn't really night anymore, was it?

I looked at the sky. Sure enough, I spotted the pink glow of sunrise in the morning clouds. I hadn't slept, and I didn't plan on it now. Why bother? At this point, I had two options. I could stand here like an ass, watching her house. Or, I could hit the weights and head downtown.

I knew what Iwantedto do. But that would be a mistake.