Not Your Fault

“It was all a set up,” I say, focusing on the present with Kris and not allowing myself to think about all of those years I spent with Nathan. “He wrote that letter and made you leave me. Then he was up my ass constantly, every day, being super nice and working hard to win me over.” I shake my head. “I can’t believe he would do that.”

“I can,” Kris says.

I lift an eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”

His hand cups my face, tilting my head up where he places a kiss on my lips. “Because who can blame anyone for being in love with you?”

I let out the breath I’d been holding and place my hand on his chest. “Stop saying sweet things when I’m pissed off. I need to be angry right now.”

He chuckles and shakes his head. “Don’t misunderstand me—I’m fucking livid. I’m going to find this guy and make him pay. But for now…” His hands slide around my waist and with a shove of his body, we fall to the bed. I let out a small yelp of surprise as we land on the soft pillows, Kris’s hands holding me as if his life depended on it. He slides his tongue up my neck, sending shivers down my body. “I have a lot of time to make up for,” he says in my ear. I feel his erection grind into me as he presses his body on top of mine and my hands wrap around his neck. “Maybe you should call into work today.”

Chapter 20

I wake up the next evening with the scent of man-ish deodorant in my face. My eyes open and I’m face to armpit with Kris’s hairy, yet pleasant-smelling underarm. “Blegh!” I shove him, but only end up pushing my body away from his since he weighs more than I do. “How did we end up like this?” I muse, gesturing to our tangled naked bodies as Kris begins to wake up.

His sleepy eyes flutter and he takes in our appearance. With a devilish smile, he slides his hand under my thigh and pulls my leg up over his hips, his hand cupping my bare ass. “Do you really not remember how we got like this?” he asks.

I blush. “Of course I remember. I just didn’t expect to wake up snuggled against your armpit.”

He laughs and I punch him. I’m off work today so we can lie in my bed as long as we want, but I check the time anyway. Waking up after a night shift is so unpredictable. Sometimes I sleep until noon, but other times I will sleep until it’s almost night again. Luckily, it’s only six in the evening.

I set my phone back on the nightstand after checking the time and snuggle against Kris, making sure to aim for his chest this time. After a few seconds of glorious cuddling, my phone rings.

“You gonna get that?” Kris asks after the third ring.

I shrug. “Who cares? I’m with the only person I care to talk to.” And I mean that, but when my phone rings again, and then again after that, I figure I should at least see who is doing the persistent calling.

“It’s my sister,” I say, squinting at the bright phone screen. I hold a finger over m

y lips, signaling for him to be quiet as I answer the phone. “Hello?”

“Are you dead?” Cat sounds annoyed, not concerned for my well-being.

“Does it sound like I’m dead?”

“What are you up to?” she asks, although I should be asking the question to her. She sounds like she’s standing in the middle of a crowded auditorium.

“I’m home,” I say. “What’s up?”

“Umm…I have a kind of emergency, I guess you could say.”

“What?” I bolt up in bed as my heartbeat quickens and a million horrific possibilities flash through my mind. “What’s wrong?”

Cat’s voice is calm but that doesn’t help the panic welling up inside of me. “I need you to come to the old skating rink.”

“Mixon Skate Rink?” I ask incredulously. That place closed down years ago. It used to be my favorite place to go on Saturday nights and I was pretty bummed when it shut down, despite not having gone there since I was a teenager. “Why are you there?”

“I just…I’m kind of stranded. So, just meet me in the parking lot, okay? And hurry up.”

She hangs up the phone and I turn to Kris as I jump out of bed and search for some clothes. “Something’s wrong with Cat. I have to go get her.”

“She’s at the skating rink?” he asks, also climbing out of bed. He picks his clothes up off the floor and puts them on. “I think they’re remodeling it or something. Why is she there?”

“I have no idea,” I say as I toss my hair into a messy bun and grab my purse. “You can stay here if you want. I’m not sure how long I’ll be.”

“You’re insane if you think I’m not coming with you,” he says. My chest melts as he says the words I was hoping he’d say. He really is the Kris I remember from high school. The Kris who always wanted to be wherever I was.

And just like in high school, I still want to be wherever he is.