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.She d averted hereyes as she spoke.She was lying through her pretty little teeth.He stepped closer to her, letting hisshadow fall over her. The hell you haven t. She lifted her chin and stared him down. I don t want you here.Go away. That I believe. He dropped to his knees at the side of her chair. I fucked up, and I know it.I hurtyou.Can you give me a chance to kiss it and make it better? She crossed her arms, hugging tight. No.Not a chance in hell. Please. He reached out and cupped her cheeks.To his surprise, she didn t shove him off right away. I m sorry I lied to you.Sorry I made you feel as if I didn t care.I did.I do.So much,sweetheart. She tilted her chin up. You lied to me.Used me. I know. He hesitated, feeling compelled to explain himself.To make her see why he d done whathe had.But he couldn t think of how to say it.The words wouldn t come.He was choking up andruining everything. I She pressed her lips together. You blackmailed me.And lied to me.That s all I know, and all Ineed to know. I won t lie to you anymore. He caught her gaze, hoping she could see that he was telling the truth. Ever again. She laughed bitterly. Bullshit.Everyone lies. He ran his thumb over her lower lip. Why are you always so sure you know everything? Because I do. She slapped his touch away. Please stop doing that. His blood pounded.She d gone soft under his fingers before she rejected him.She might want to beover him, but she so clearly wasn t. Tell me you haven t thought about me since you left. Jake. She pushed him off. What game are you playing? Why are you really here? Is somethingwrong with the code I gave you? Are you here to arrest me again? There s no game.No blackmail.Not this time. Then what do you want from me? He stood and pulled her to her feet, not dropping his hold. I ll tell you what I want.I want asecond chance. Someone once told me second chances were a waste of time. He cringed. He sounds like an asshole. He is, she agreed. I fucked up.In order to protect the one thing I care about the most, I screwed everything up. Heran his fingers down her cheek, and she trembled.She might be protesting her desire, but she stillwanted him as much as she had before he d betrayed her.She didn t want to admit it. Give me achance to do things right. She watched him suspiciously, her brows low. Not if you were the last man on earth, and we werethe only ones left to carry on the human race.Not if God himself came down from the clouds andasked me nicely.Not if there was a zombie apocalypse? I d sooner eat your rotting flesh, she said in a rush.His lips twitched, and he let out a laugh.She looked at him in surprise. See? That s one of thereasons I need you.You make me laugh when I d thought I forgot how. So do funny movies. She stood up. I suggest you watch one of them and leave me out of it.I m not yours anymore. Yes, she was.He stalked toward her.She backed against the brick wall.She d retreated, but she still stared athim defiantly.As if she wasn t scared of anything he might do to her.As if he held no power over heranymore.If it she didn t give a shit about him anymore?He was fucked.Burying his face in her neck, he inhaled her sweet scent.She shivered and gripped his shoulders, asmall sound escaping her lips.He waited for her to push him away.To reject him.But she didn t.Henibbled on her shoulder, right next to her bikini strap. You said you wanted to save me.I figured outhow you can do that.Don t send me away. He pulled back. Don t shut me out now.Save me. She wiggled free. It s too late.You re too late. She shut the door, and he covered his face with his hands, taking a steadying breath.Okay.Thathadn t gone as well as he d planned, but that was all right.He d do better next time.She needed to afew hours to come to terms with his presence, and then he d come back.But first? He d plan his nextattack.This was a war of sorts.One he had every intention of winning. Chapter SeventeenTwo freaking days.That s how long Jake had been showing up on her doorstep.She d rejected him each and everytime, but it was getting harder and harder to do so.Whenever she heard his voice through her door,her resolve to resist him died a bit more.So did her anger.Tara shut down the shower, dried off, and pulled a yellow sundress over her head.Crossing theroom barefoot, she turned and flopped back on the bed.How long would it be until her doorbell rangagain? Or would he call her and whisper naughty things in her ear, telling her with vivid detail howmuch he wanted to strip her naked and lick every single inch of her?Twice.She shouldn t want to give him another chance.Shouldn t want him at all.If she bent for him, if shebecame his in every way, she d have to stop thieving.She d have to go straight.He d make her.He dinsist on changing her.And she didn t want to change.But yet, she did.For that short time she d been his, she had wanted something more out of life than the next thrill.She d seen a future with Jake, one with kids playing in his backyard.One where she wasn t in dangerof going to jail every time she reported for work.And she d wanted it so badly.The doorbell rang.It would be him.She didn t move off the bed.Eventually, he would go away.Healways did.But this time& he didn t.He kept ringing the bell.After five minutes, her phone dinged.She picked it up with bated breath.It was a text from Jake.Open the door.I left a present.Don t leave it in the heat.A present that couldn t be left in heat.What the heck could it be?Holding her phone to her chest, she went downstairs and peeked out the peephole.He was gone,but the package he d texted her about sat on her doorstep.She drummed her fingers on the wall.Itcould be a trap.Maybe he planned to force his way in as soon as she unlocked the door.But shecouldn t not open the door.Not without knowing what was in the package.He knew that about her, too.Sneaky bastard.Slowly, she undid the lock and crept onto the porch.Bending down, she studied the box.It wasabout the size of a case of beer, and it had holes poked in the top.Heart racing with excitement, shegrabbed the package and backed into the house, her attention darting all around her yard.Looking forhim. If he was still there, he d hidden well.After she closed the door behind her, she set the box down,sat down beside it, and tore it open.It was&A kitten.He d gotten her a kitten.A little fluffy orange fur ball of a kitten.It had bright blue eyes,and it meowed as soon as she lifted the cardboard. Hello, kitty. She smiled at the creature. You re so cute. He snuggled in her lap, looking all too content to do so.Tara petted him and hugged him close, hermind racing.Of all the things she had suspected might be on her porch, a kitten was not one of them.The cat was the live version of the stuffed animal he d won her at the carnival last week.He even hada blue collar on his neck, just like the fake one, and a name tag
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