Page 54 of Need You To Choose Me

A man’s hand.

Blake’s tall frame falls in step behind me. “C’mon, it’s not going to be that bad. I don’t bite.” He leans down, his mouth brushing against the shell of my ear. “Except if you ask nicely.”

A shudder goes through me as his warm breath tickles my skin. Blake chuckles, his thumb rubbing at the small of my back. I don’t get a chance to answer because the next thing I know, we’re standing in front of the haunted house.

There is no line, so Blake pulls out a wallet and hands the guy a few bills. On autopilot, I start to do the same, but Blake covers my hand with his. “Put that away.”

“What? Absolutely not.” There was no way I was letting him pay for me like this was some kind of date.

Because it wasn’t.

“Blondie.” The way he says my name sounds more like a growl. “I already took care of it, so put it away.”

That hand is once again at the small of my back, giving me a gentle, yet firm, push toward the door, where the two boys have already disappeared to.

I turn over my shoulder to glare at him. “You can’t pay for me, Walker. I can pay my own way. I’ve been doing it for years.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t.” Blake’s fingers slide through the small opening on the back of my dress and rub at my skin. I suck in a sharp breath as a shiver runs down my spine. Then he moves closer, his warm breath tickling the side of my face as he whispers, “Are you generally this stubborn, or is it just me you have a problem with?”

Seriously, what was it with that man and touching?

“I’m not being stubborn; I’m just saying it as it is,” I mutter and hurry up, breaking the contact between Blake and me.

The boys giggle in the darkness, followed by somebody’s scream, and a loud, bone-chilling cackle coming from the hidden speaker spreads through the room. My heart thunders loudly, sweat coating my palms.

It’s just a silly haunted house, Sav. It’s all fake.

Still, my eyes take in the darkness in front of me. They placed strategic lights through the space, shadows dancing and giving the room an eerie look. Very realistic cobwebs stuck to the corners are hung from the ceiling. Skeletons are placed against the walls, bats hanging on thin strings, and there is even an open coffin sitting in the corner of the room.

“Then what is the problem?” Blake continues as we move deeper into the house.

“It’s not appropriate.”

A loud, screeching noise makes me jump in surprise.

Blake bumps into me from behind, his palms landing on my shoulders. “You okay, Blondie?”

“Fine.” I shake my head as I start walking again. Blake extends his hand, removing whatever is hanging from the ceiling so I can pass. “You’re the father of one of my students.”

“I’m also the father of your child,” he mutters, not missing a beat.

Why did he have to be so rational?

“They don’t know that.”

“But they’ll eventually find out. Besides, why do you care what other people think?”

“I know, it’s just…”

How do I explain it to him?

I knew he was right. There was no avoiding it. But I wasn’t ready for the fallout once that information got out.

My family’s been gossiped about so many times over the years. I’ve worked so hard to put my past behind me, only to once again end up the center of attention, and now it was my own damn fault. And I wasn’t the only one to consider. There were Blake’s kids. Our baby. One wrong move and all our lives will be altered irrevocably.

“Blondie?”

“Nothing.” I shake my head, walking past him.

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