Shadow of Doubt - Part 1 Read online

  “Aaron,” she whispered, adding a whimper when he brought his hands under her shirt and against her ribs, his fingers reaching around towards her back.

  “Is Tori coming back here tonight?” His lips grazed her ear. He hadn’t even considered she might be in the apartment now.

  “Hmmm…not sure, actually.” She pressed her body tight against his.

  He slipped one arm around her shoulders and the other across her backside and scooped her up. She brought her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest. He carried her to her bedroom, kicking the door shut with his foot, not even breaking stride. They collapsed on the bed together, a tangle of sheets, clothes, and pillows mixing everywhere.

  After they lay with their naked bodies stretched facing each other, he traced the sunflower with his finger, following the chain and then along her collarbone. He let his finger follow down her arm, fascinated as goosebumps rose where he traced. He entwined his fingers with hers.

  “What’re you doing for Christmas? Are you going to see your family?” Aurora’s thumb ran circles on his palm.

  “I’ll be here.” He watched her hand.

  “All by yourself? What about your family?” She leaned up on an elbow, her eyes searching his face.

  He loved the way her hair fell down when she leaned forward. It enveloped her face, giving her that angelic look he’d fallen in love with. His breath caught. Was he really in love with her? If so, he knew things weren’t fine. They were both in danger if it was true. He exhaled, long and slow.

  “Listen, if you don’t want to talk about your family, that’s fine. Just tell me so I don’t keep asking. I’m not trying to piss you off.” Aurora pulled her hand out of his.

  He realized she’d mistaken his sigh. “I don’t have any family. Coty is the closest thing I have.” At least that wasn’t a lie. He was going to need some time to figure out what his true feelings were. He knew they were screwed. He loved her without a shadow of a doubt.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

  “It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize.”

  “What happened to them? You’ve never mentioned them. Did you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “No.”

  “No?” She sat up, blowing her bangs off her face and pulling the sheet around her. “What happened to your parents?”

  She wasn’t going to let this go. Coty had said it would change. She’d start wanting to know the answers to questions he didn’t know how to respond to. She’d know if he was lying, but he wasn’t ready to risk telling her the truth. He wouldn’t jeopardize her life on a slim chance she might believe him.

  “Please, I don’t want to talk about this now.” Getting up from the bed, he untangled the sheets to find his clothes. He threw his shirt on and yanked on his jeans. Through his peripheral vision, he could see her leaning against the headboard, arms crossed and watching him, her face serious.

  “I don’t want to fight about this. It’s Thanksgiving; I promised my folks I’d head home for the weekend. I’m flying out early tomorrow…” She let her unfinished sentence dangle in the air.

  Had she mentioned she was flying to Texas? He couldn’t remember. “I’m not mad.” He leaned over to kiss her lightly. “You need to get a few hours sleep. How long –”

  “Why don’t you come with me?”

  What? His breath caught and he almost choked on it. “I can’t.” “Why not?”

  He bit the inside of his cheek. “It won’t work. I can’t get away.”

  “I’m going for just over a week but you could just come for the weekend so you wouldn’t miss any work. It’s a holiday so you wouldn’t have to miss any work.”

  She wasn’t going to give up, and he actually liked her badgering. “Sorry, I just can’t. I’ll call you tomorrow night on your cell or you can text me when you’ve arrived. I’ll miss you but it’ll be great to see your family… I love you.” He froze. His heart stopped, and dead silence filled the room. Maybe he hadn’t said the last part out loud. Maybe he had just thought it. He hadn’t meant to say it. He barely understood the words, let alone ever said them or actually felt them.

  “What did you say?”

  Shit! He was such an idiot. Pulling on his shoes, he sat on the bed to tie them. He said nothing.

  She let out a slow breath. “Don’t forget to take your picture. I really want you to have it.”

  He stood, too embarrassed to look at her so he turned and headed toward the hall. “I won’t forget. It’s an awesome gift.” He was about to say I love the picture, but after what he’d just screwed up, the L-word was never going to enter his vocabulary again – ever.

  “G’night, Aaron,” she said.

  He couldn’t see her but he heard the smile in her voice. “Good night.” He slipped his jacket on and was already down the hall.

  She went home for almost ten days. He spent the entire time alone and in complete misery. One, he missed her. Two, he knew he cared for her deeply and had to end it. Erebus didn’t think he could sink any lower.

  Coty tried to get him to come out with him. He called, sent texts, and came banging on the door. One night, late after the bars had closed, he showed up with some girls. Erebus pretended he wasn’t there. Coty couldn’t tempt him. It just made him long to have Aurora back in his arms and in his bed.

  She called him the night she got back. He’d almost knocked the couch over in his race to get the phone.

  Aurora’s voice lightened his mood. She sounded so excited. “It’s great to hear your voice. I thought about you the entire time I was in Texas. I didn’t think I’d miss you that much, but I did.”

  “Yeah, it was strange here without you too.” His cheeks burned when he thought about what he’d said to her before she left. Damn it! How he wished he could forget it or even better, erase it from both their memories.

  “I’m picking you up in ten minutes. Meet me out front. Let’s go for a drive.” “Sounds good.”

  Moments later, he stepped out into the brisk, cold night. Erebus inhaled. It was going to snow soon. Coty always said he had the ability to smell ice and snow. Probably a load of bull, but with Coty, you could never be too sure. The temperature had dropped close to freezing and the grey clouds in the sky seemed a sure sign for a fluffy downfall.

  Erebus dropped his gaze at the sound of an engine. Aurora’s little black car came into sight, and she expertly pulled up to the curb, stopping inches beside him. He climbed in, grinning at her like the Cheshire Cat.

  “Hi.”

  “Hello.” He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. He settled back awkwardly when he thought back to their last conversation before she left.

  They drove in silence for a bit. Out of the corner of his eye, Erebus watched her drive. As always, she was stunning. However, there was something new in her face. The serious expression, her mouth set in a grim line and eyes darting his way were a sure sign of a confrontation about to come.

  He shifted and stared straight ahead; a strange fluttering in his stomach made it too hard to watch her. Watching the shifting scenery as they drove, he realized where she was going before they were halfway there. Five minutes later she drove her little car around the park and settled in a spot with a good view of Falls Creek.

  They both sat silent, with the engine idling. The sound of rushing water gave him a moment of courage. He turned to face her and watched her hands play with the belt on her coat, wrapping it around the steering wheel and wringing it in her hands. She stared at the dashboard, her eyebrows knitted together and lips pursed.

  “What is it?” If she wanted to break up, she might as well get it over with. His chest grew tight, almost hurting, but he knew it would be best – for both of them.

  She let out a long, slow breath, pushing it out through her nose. “I’ve been thinking about you over the holidays. Well,” she shrugged, “the little I do know about you.” She turned to him and seemed to push her shoulders back as she continued. “If we wa
nt this to work between us, I need to know about your family and your past. I can’t move forward without knowing who you are.” Her facial expression remained soft but serious.

  A strange ringing started in his ears. What had she just said? The tightness in his chest left, but apparently moved up to his throat. He tapped his fingers silently against his knee. She wanted more? This wasn’t going to end tonight? He cleared his throat and tried to organize his thoughts. He wanted to be with her more than anything he’d ever wanted, but there were certain lines he didn’t think he could cross. “My life…I’m pretty complicated.”

  “No more than the rest of us.” He said nothing.

  She squeezed the steering wheel and pushed her arms straight. The driver seat creaked in protest as her back pressed tight against it. “I’m not leaving this park until I get some answers. You won’t be seen with me during the day, you don’t answer my calls or texts during the day, and you’re never at your apartment. Trust me. I’ve tried to find you. You’re like a ghost.” She stared directly at him and shook her head. “None of it makes sense. You don’t make sense.”

  He rubbed his hands and blew into them. The pain in his chest returned, gripped tight on his left side. This was how it was going to end, tonight.

  Fearful, he watched Aurora cut the engine, stuff her keys into her pocket, and step out of the car into the cold night.

  THE END … of Part 1

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  SHADOW OF DOUBT

  in Part 2

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