Page 76 of Love in Pieces

That’s when I see the red and bruised knuckles. “What happened?” I ask, pulling his hands into mine.

“Uh, nothing.” He hangs his head, biting the inside of his lip.

“That’s not nothing, Dal.” I look at him with a slight tilt of my head.

“I’m okay. I promise.” He pulls his hands back and rubs his thighs.

I twist my brows together but decide to drop it. The last thing we need is more drama. I just need to trust that he’d tell me if it was important, which is so far out of my comfort zone after the last few weeks. “All right.” An awkward silence fills the air again before Dallas picks up where he was a moment ago.

“So, I know I already apologized, but I truly am sorry. I reacted like a child. It was uncalled for and so out of line. I should have just asked you about it later at home, but after my last relationship, I don’t do well with secrets, which made bailing my first response.”

“I mean, yeah, I agree. But I’m sorry, too. For not telling you sooner. I shouldn’t have kept that from you.”

“Yeah, why didn’t you?” He shifts on the couch, pulling a knee up to turn toward me.

I let out a breathy laugh. “Well, I didn’t really expect you to take it well.”

“I mean, I didn’t, so fair.” He chuckles, lightening the tension. “But I wouldn’t have reacted so harshly if you’d have told me sooner.”

“True. But when I found out who your dad was, I panicked. Logan and I were talking and he mentioned him. That’s how I found out. I never told Logan I worked for him either, just so that’s clear. I kept trying to find the right time to tell you, but it never felt like the right time. When things were going poorly, I felt like I didn’t want to add to the chaos. And when things were going well, I didn’t want to ruin it. I just never felt like there was a right time. And now, you found out the only way I didn’t want—finding out yourself.” I shake my head and stare at my lap.

He tips my chin up with a delicate finger, making me meet his eyes. “I get it,” he says before giving me a short kiss. He pulls back with sincere eyes.

“I could take another one of those.” Watching him smirk makes me giggle a little, and I draw in a sharp breath when he quickly kisses me again, catching me off guard. He’s just as eager as I am.

The kiss deepens and I lower myself onto the cushion of the couch while Dallas hovers over me. He slips a hand under my shirt, tracing the underwire of my bra with his thumb. It makes the butterflies in my stomach flutter. He trails my jaw with kisses before placing a soft kiss just behind my ear. Something about the way he does that always makes me crazy.

I push my head back, chin high, as he kisses down my neck and along my collarbone. Just as he’s about to slip his hand under my bra, Logan’s door opens.

“Hey, have you seen—woah, sorry. I’ll disappear again.” His door clicks shut quickly, leaving us alone again.

Dallas chuckles, resting his forehead on my chest. “Maybe we should move to the bedroom?” He sits back on his heels, offering me a hand.

“Probably for the best.” I laugh, too, imagining the look on Logan’s face when he realized what he was walking into. I take his hand, and he starts leading me down the hall.

He looks over his shoulder, pausing in front of my closed bedroom door. “Yours or mine?”

I think for a second. “Yours. I’ve seen enough of my four walls for a while.”

He nods, leading me to the end of the hall. He flips the light on as we walk in, but I flip it off behind him. A low laugh tells me all I need to know as I feel his toned arms wrap around me.

***

The next day, Dallasand Logan head out for an early morning gym session and then practice. I’ve got too much work to get done for Dr. Kraus. I haven’t talked to him about what happened and he hasn’t asked. Our emails have remained purely professional.

Around one, a knock on the door pulls me from my work. But when I look out the peephole, no one is there. A package maybe? I crack the door open to find a note on the ground.Package left at front door for 14B.

That’s weird. These notes usually get left in our mailbox with a key for a lock box. Maybe it’s a new delivery person. I don’t remember ordering anything, but maybe one of the boys did. I don’t want it getting stolen, so I grab my keys and slip on some shoes before heading out the door. Down at the front door, an envelope sits on the front steps labeled “14B.”

I look around, hoping to see who might have delivered it, but I don’t see the mail truck anywhere. My heart beats a little faster at the same time a pit forms in my stomach. Something about this feels off. I pick it up and turn to head back inside. I’m not standing out here any longer than I have to.

“Nope!” a voice yells from somewhere in the distance.

I freeze. My feet won’t move. That voice. It makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I know that voice. It’s ingrained in my mind. Twisted around every nerve. I’ll never forget the hiss that laces every word he speaks.

“No way. Turn around. I want to see that beautiful face of yours when you open it.” A few footsteps sound before they stop not too far behind me.

I hesitate a moment before turning slowly. Listening to him might be the only way I get out of this smoothly, if at all. When I finish a slow 180, Sam stands a few car lengths ahead of me, leaning against my bike, arms folded across his chest. His wry smile makes my stomach churn.

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