Page 27 of Falling for the Hot Billionaire

“Can I leave or are you arresting me?”

The cop said that he didn't have enough to hold me, so I could go for now. He said fornowlike a threat and it made me shiver inside. Why did I get the feeling that he was out for me personally? Did he have something against me or Tyrell? What was this guy’s deal?

Tyrell was on the phone when I got back, and he immediately hung up. I figured that he could see how devastated I was. I’d never been accused of something like that before and it really messed with me. I would never do such a thing, and I'd never been blamed for something like that before. I lost everything in the house and the idea that I would somehow choose that was almost laughable. I did not choose anything like that. I was glad Tyrell knew me and believed me, because someone else accusing me of such horrible things really bothered me. I shouldn't have let it get to me, I know, but how could I not? My very integrity was being questioned.

I let him pull me into his thick embrace. The warmth was immediate, like a balm to my soul, and I was thankful for how he made me feel safe and believed what I said. It was the total opposite of how I felt with a police officer asking me questions like had I done such a thing.

“What happened?”

“They think that I started the fire in my house for insurance money. I tried to tell him that the insurance was barely going to pay the mortgage back, and I was basically going to be out all of it, but Detective Lee is convinced that it was me. He told me I was his prime suspect.”

“He said that?”

I agreed and though I was trying not to show it, the whole thing was scaring me to death.

“I wouldn’t worry about him if I were you.”

“He thinks that I started the fire that burned my house down! That is a felony. People go to jail all the time when they are innocent.”

He waved me off. “You think I don't know that? Of course, you didn't do this.”

“But if I didn't do it, who did? There was an accelerant used, so that means somebody did it.”

I shivered after saying it, because I guess it was the first time I had really said that out loud, what it was, what was used. What if I had been there? What if I had been asleep when it happened? What would I have done? I shivered to think of the answer. I felt safe for the moment in Tyrell’s arms, sure that this was where I was supposed to be the whole time. I didn't mean to hold on so tight, but when he finally tilted my head for a kiss, it was like I was clinging to him for dear life.

Something changed when he started to kiss me. It wasn't just a normal kiss, but in fact made me shake uncontrollably. Tyrell must have realized what he was doing. He stopped and apologized. I didn't want an apology though; I wanted the lover that everybody assumed him to be. I wanted to finally know what it was like to know and not guess.

After all this time, I was finally ready to move on. I knew that Tyrell was the one I was supposed to be with, but when I pushed for more, I could still see his hesitation. It was literally the last thing that I wanted to see.

“Why do you keep stopping?”

“You’re still not ready.”

I was honestly getting sick of being told no. It felt like he was making me wait forever.

“You don’t know that,” I said with frustration. Didn’t he know that I was ready? Finally?

“There is too much going on today, too much has happened. Let's figure this out first, then we can focus on the other. Trust me, Justine. I want the other just as badly as you do.”

I scoffed. “Then why do you keep pushing me away?”

“Because when it finally is right, it will be worth it.”

I was annoyed by the whole thing. It didn't feel worth it at the moment. I felt like he was purposely trying to drive me crazy. It was working too. I was so close to losing my mind.

Tyrell pulled away and I was able to think again. I just didn't know what to do.

Tyrell promised me that he would help find out who had done this. He did have connections, so I was thankful for the help. What else could I say? I could see no other way out of this.

21

Tyrell

It had been a week since the fire, and I felt like Justine and I were closer than ever. There was a lot still going on that still needed to be figured out, but none of it really mattered now that she was with me. The only thing that mattered was fulfilling the promise that I had made. I told her that I was going to figure out what happened and make everything right. It sounded so easy when I promised it, but how it played out was very different than how I imagined. The more I looked into it, the more I realized that she really didn't have any enemies. They made me come to a strange conclusion. If it wasn't her enemy, could it be mine?

That very question brought me down a rabbit hole that took me awhile to get out of. A lot had changed in my company since I started spending time with Justine. While Justine didn't seem to have any real bad enemies or enemies of any sort really, I had them by the dozens, and the idea that somebody was using her to get to me made me sick to my stomach, but it also felt like the right assumption. I didn't want it to be, surely not, but what else could it be?

I had to figure this out without Justine knowing about it. I didn't want her to know that either my love life or my business had caused her pain and suffering. She wouldn't forgive me and if that was the case, which I was seriously starting to believe it was, it was going to be hard for me to forgive myself. Everything in Justine’s life had gone awry and it felt like it was all because of me.

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