Shiver

Her spine snapped straight. “You have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Whether I’m right or wrong doesn’t change that by clinging to a fantasy, all you’re doing is making yourself miserable. Let him go. Move on. Give someone else a chance to make you happy, because Blake is never going to be that person.”

“You’re sure of that?” She lifted her chin, an ugly twist to her mouth. “I could have had him any time. I know how his mind works. Know how to play him to get what I want.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Because that would have made me as bad as Liza.”

Well, at least she had some morals.

“I told you once before, Kensey, you won’t last long. The women in his life never do. It’s enough for me that I know he’d choose our friendship over you if I asked.”

I gave her a look that questioned her intelligence. If she really believed that, she was one Brady short of a bunch—possibly more than one.

“You don’t think he would? He, Bastien, and I have been through a lot together; the kind of pain that bonds people together in a powerful, irreparable way. You can’t match that, Kensey. You can’t even begin to comprehend it. And you definitely can’t outshine it. Besides, ending our friendship would mean abandoning the project. It’s my baby, you see. Blake will never abandon it so, yes, he’d choose our friendship over you.”

“Maybe so, but that’s all you’d be getting Tara—friendship. Nothing more. And if you’d rather see him alone than happy with someone else, you’re not really a friend to him.” And that pissed me off, because he deserved better.

“I don’t want to see him alone. I just don’t want to see him with you. Look at what you come from. A mother who had an affair with a married man when she was just seventeen and later went on to marry a serial killer. Your real father refused to acknowledge your existence, and your stepfather killed thirty-two women.”

I gave a slow nod. “Yes, this is true. And?” It confused me that people recited this stuff to insult me. They were basic facts that I’d been aware of for quite some time.

“He can do better.”

“For a friend, he can do better than you, Tara. I remember him once telling you to get your fucking head straight. Shame you didn’t. Now, why don’t you just go dance on your pole again? At least you’re good for that.”

I tried to shrug past her, but I only made it one step before a hand seized my upper arm, sharp nails digging painfully into my skin.

In a quick, smooth move, I placed my palm on the outside of her elbow, seized her wrist, planted my leg in front of hers, and tripped her. She hit the floor hard with a grunt. Still holding her wrist, I squatted, twisted her arm behind her back, and pinned her on her stomach by digging my knee in her back.

“Let go of me!” she cried out.

“Picking a fight on your friend’s birthday with your other friend’s girlfriend—and doing it in a house where there’s a child present … Damn, Tara, you’ve not only reached rock bottom, you’ve started to dig.”

“I could have told you that would happen, Tara,” said another voice.

My head snapped up. Gage was leaning against the kitchen doorjamb, watching. I wondered how long he’d been there and just how much he’d heard. Returning my attention to the woman beneath me, I said, “I’m going to let you up, Tara. If you come at me again, you’ll find yourself back on the hardwood floor—and it’ll hurt a lot more the second time around, I’ll make sure of that. Got it?”

“Yes,” she bit out, pained.

“What the …?”

Again, my head snapped up. And there was Blake, Sarah, and Bastien shouldering past Gage. Wonderful.

Slowly, I released Tara and stood. Ignoring the hand Bastien offered her, Tara rose to her feet, rubbing her arm.

“What happened?” Blake asked me.

“Tara wanted some self-defense tips. Isn’t that right, Tara?”

She glanced at the others, looking ashamed, but I wasn’t buying it. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed that Sarah was smirking like the cat that got the cream.

“Kensey, what was all that about?” Blake persisted.

“She’s upset that you told me what happened,” I explained.

“And she wants you,” Gage told him. “And she believes you’d choose your friendship with her over your relationship with Kensey. Not liking that Kensey dismissed her, Tara got a little physical, which didn’t end well for her.”

Apparently, then, Gage had overheard quite a bit.

Tara shot him a look that screamed ‘traitor.’ “It wasn’t like that. We were talking. The conversation got heated, and I said some things I regret. I apologize, Kensey.”

At that moment, Emma and Adam appeared. Obviously sensing the tension, Emma asked, “Something wrong?”

Tara gave the couple a forced smile. “Thanks for a lovely evening. It was great having everyone together like this. We don’t do it often enough. And happy birthday once more, Adam.” She turned to Gage. “I’m ready to leave when you are.”

“Then call a cab,” he told her. “Food was great, Emma, thanks for having me. It was nice meeting you all. Take care, Kensey.”

Just as Gage went to pass her, Tara grabbed his arm. “What do you mean, call a cab?”

He put his face close to hers. “I don’t like being used. Next time you feel like playing games, don’t drag me into it. Make sure I don’t see your ass for a while. I do wish Kensey had kicked it.”

As a matter of fact, so did I. Oh, well.

Once the door had closed behind Gage, Emma raised her hands. “Okay, someone needs to explain what just went down.”

I didn’t answer. I was too busy watching Blake stalk toward Tara. To her credit, she jutted out her chin, refusing to cower.

Blake glared at her, eyes cold and flinty. “I told you when you had your little tantrum on the phone earlier that you’d better not start shit with Kensey. Isn’t that what I said?”

Tara averted her gaze. “I wasn’t trying to start something. Like I said, the conversation got heated—”

“It was a conversation that shouldn’t have occurred. I told you to leave her the fuck alone.”

Tara sucked in her cheeks. “I just don’t like that she gave you an ultimatum. It wasn’t fair.”

His brows snapped together. “Who says she gave me an ultimatum?”

“It’s the only way you would have told her everything,” she insisted. “If you were going to expose yourself so completely, it should have been to someone who’s special to you, and it should have been done when you were ready. If she cared about you, she wouldn’t have backed you into a corner. After all you’ve been through, you didn’t deserve that. Don’t you see that you subconsciously chose someone who doesn’t suit you so that there was no chance of you being happy? You don’t want to be happy, Blake. You prefer misery and guilt.”

“No, Tara, that’s you. You’ve been the star of your own Hollywood drama for years. You’ve sabotaged every chance of happiness you’ve had since Levi died. You’ve thrown yourself so fully into your project to escape having a life because you just can’t deal with feeling any joy in it. If you want to do that, fine, that’s your choice. But it won’t ever be mine.”