CHAPTER TWENTY TABATHA

CHAPTER TWENTY

TABATHA

I had to have heard him wrong. "Do what?" I ask Dash as I sit on the end of my bed.

His jaw tightens. "I'm sorry, but your dad has a point. I have to find out what's going on, and Valerie is my best bet."

When he came upstairs, he informed me of the party that my father wants him to have. And how he's supposed to invite Valerie. "So, you want to throw a party and what?" I snap. I stand from the bed and narrow my eyes on him. "You wanna get her drunk?"

"It will help get the information that I need."

My mouth falls open. "I can't believe you're doing this!" I whisper, starting to feel the tightness in my throat. "Just call her up and ask her," I offer in a rush. Please don't go see her.

"That won't work. It's just one night." He places his hand on my shoulder, and I jerk away from him.

"Just one night? A lot can happen in one night, Dash." I cross my arms over my chest. "What if she wants to have sex?" Even asking that question has me wanting to vomit. "Gonna go as far as she wants in order to get what you want?"

He runs his hand through his hair and sighs heavily.

"Oh, my God," I whisper as my heart stops. "You would."

He shakes his head. "You know that I wouldn't do that to us."

"Do I?"

"Yes," he says placing his hands on my face. "I wouldn't do that to us." I want to believe him, but they have a history. A part of him loved her. A part of him was once attracted to her. I'm not an idiot. He'll be drinking, too. He'll have to be. He can't just shove drinks down her throat and ask her a hundred questions without her getting suspicious. No bitch is that stupid.

"Dash…" I whisper, closing my eyes as I feel them start to sting.

"Shh." He interrupts me, and I'm actually thankful. I hate looking so weak. I don't want him to see how much I have fallen for him so quickly. I was so strong just two weeks ago. The girl who climbed his tree and jumped his fence wouldn't stand for this. But that girl was only fueled by hatred; she didn't feel love. How do I get back to that person?

I can't help but sigh in relief when I feel his lips brush mine. I open mine, allowing him to kiss me deeply and passionately. I moan into his mouth as I wrap my arms around his neck.

He pushes me backward and my knees hit the edge of my bed. I feel his hands on the hem of my dress before he pulls away and orders me to lift my arms. My dress falls to the floor, and I kick off my heels. He bends down further to kiss me again now that my heels are gone.

He softly pushes me, and I get the hint. I pull away and slowly make my way on my hands to lie in the middle of the bed. I look up at him just as he slowly removes his shirt.

The intense gaze in his gray eyes causes me to look away from them. Instead, I focus on the way he undresses for me. My heart beats so hard in my chest that I barely hear the sound of the zipper on his pants. Too quickly, he's naked and crawling onto the bed as well. The movement of the muscles in his chest and arms mesmerizes me as he settles on top of me.

"Tabatha?" he questions as he places a hand on my face.

I pull my eyes away from his body and look up at him. "It's gonna be okay," he assures me with a small smile. "I promise. We are going to be okay. I would never do anything to hurt you."

I swallow hard, knowing that promises are made to be broken. In the end, ‘promise' is just a word spoken to prevent the inevitable that no one wants to see coming. I promise I love you. I promise you're my everything. I promise not to hurt you. Do you see a pattern? Promise makes you think that you have a chance. A candy-coated word to sweeten the pot.

"You are absolutely beautiful," he whispers before his lips are once again on mine.

***

Dash,

I understand what you have to do. I hope you understand what I have to do.

Tabatha

I lay the pen down on my desk and turn around. Dash sleeps quietly on my bed. His dark hair is messy and his lips are slightly parted. His naked body is sprawled on his back, and I can't help but feel my heart break. Growing up, my father always told me that we have choices in life that will make you weak or make you stronger. Last night while we made love, I thought he made me weak. The way he touched me, and the way he kissed me. The way he physically loved me was so overwhelming that I could see why Valerie wouldn't let him go.

But afterward, I lay there and realized that he made me stronger. Strong enough to walk away from him. Strong enough to step aside for him to do what needs to be done for him to continue with his dream.

I walk over to my bed and lean down, giving his parted lips one last kiss before I grab my purse…once again leaving him alone and asleep in a bed.