Page 32 of Unmasked Heart
Cohen
My heartbeat is pounding so hard it’s making me dizzy. Everything is falling apart like sand running through my fingers. I clench my hands in my pockets until the skin stings as I wait behind my car.
I hung back as she went outside and stuck to the shadows as I trailed after her.
When I saw her steal my keys I snorted. That valet will be out of a job for leaving my keys out when he stepped away for a break.
I found it ironic and fitting that Annie was going to run from me, from this, from us in my own car.
Earlier I had decided to drive to the party picturing taking Annie for a drive up to the mountains after our night together. I imagined holding her hand to my lips as I wove through the mountain roads in the quiet peace of pre-dawn. I wanted to see the sunrise of the New Year with her by my side at a cabin I bought a few years ago, the one I’ve been fixing up for her.
The car idles for so long that my pulse calms. The gripping fear that she’s slipped out of my grasp fades and at last I will my feet to move so I can fix this.
She’s not leaving. That’s the shred of hope I keep repeating in my head.
When I swallow it burns. The gravel crunches under my feet.
With my heart sitting in my throat, I brace my hand against the roof above the driver’s side. I really thought Annie would peel away and kick up the gravel in her tail lights.
The window rolls down. Annie keeps her eyes on the empty view in front of her.
Even with the tear tracks smearing her makeup, I think she’s beautiful.
“You look good behind the wheel.” I want to bite back my words when she peers at me out of the side of her eyes. She quirks a brow. I pat the roof of the car. “It’s mine.”
Annie takes a moment to process that and after a beat she huffs, rolling her eyes.
“Of course it is.”
I lick my lips. The cold air dries them out. “Annie.”
She sighs and swings her gaze to me, her hazel eyes piercing in the low light glowing from the dash.
“I shouldn’t have done what I did.”
“Damn right.”
“I’m sorry.” I shift to lean my arm against my Lexus so I can bend down to her level. I shove my pride deep into my gut and prop my forehead against my arm. “I swear to you, Annie, I’ll keep my promise. Colton might not exist, but I do.”
Her lips work, but she remains silent.
“If you really want to get away from this, you can.”
That gets Annie’s attention, though she makes a good effort of playing it cool. I catch her eyes widening in the dim light.
It’s like unstitching every rusty wire I mended my broken heart with. Fitting I’m undoing it all over again for Annie. It’s always been for her.
“I don’t want to force you, sweetheart. I’ll help you get away if that’s what you need.”
I bite the inside of my cheek when I’m finished.
All I can do is hold on to the hope that a small piece of her heart will always remain mine if I let her go.
They say if you love something, free it. I hate it because it hurts, but I need to show Annie that she matters more to me than even my own selfish desires.
“The last thing I want to do is control you, Annabeth Noble,” I swear.
Annie makes a small sound and blinks rapidly.