Page 77 of Blocked Shot
Relief floods him, but it’s fragile, hanging by a thread. There’s still so much to untangle, still a chance she’ll pull away.
But for now, she’s here. She’s with him.
And he’s not letting go.
Jake lies in bed with Natalie curled against his chest. The room is dim, the only light spilling in from the city outside, casting shifting patterns across the ceiling. His body is warm and sated from the lingering afterglow of making love, but his mind won’t quiet.
She’s here, in his arms, yet she feels distant. He’s never felt more desperate to hold on to something slipping through his fingers. The thought claws at his chest, raw and relentless. He’s already watching everything slip—his career, his worn-out body that doesn’t bounce back like it used to. If he loses her too? Hell, he doesn’t know what’s left after that. And he’s not sure he could take it.
Every time he tries to meet her eyes, she looks away. Every time he whispers her name, she only hums in response, like she’s afraid to say more.
He tightens his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Nat,” he murmurs, hoping she’ll finally let him in.
She doesn’t answer. Instead she nestles closer, her breath warm against his skin. And even though she’s right here, he feels the weight of something coming. Something he can’t stop.
Exhaustion wins. His body relaxes, his grip on her loosens, and sleep pulls him under.
When he wakes, the bed is cold.
Jake blinks into the dim morning light, his heart slamming into his ribs as he reaches for her—only to find emptiness. The sheets beside him are smooth, barely disturbed, as if she’d been careful not to wake him when she left.
Then he sees it.
A folded piece of paper on her pillow. His name written in her neat, deliberate handwriting.
His fingers tremble as he unfolds it.
I’m sorry. You deserve better.
That’s all it says. Nothing else. No explanation. Just those five words, like a dagger straight through his chest.
Jake stares at the note, his vision blurring, the dread that had been clawing at his insides turning to ice.
She’s gone.
CHAPTER 37
NATALIE
Did the food delivery come?
JESSE
yup
NATALIE
And??
JESSE
looks okay. not sure I’ll eat the salmon
NATALIE
Ok. Maybe Pavel will want it?
JESSE
