She hadn't seen the figure standing behind her.
"I didn't mean to scare you,” said the voice.
It was Dean. He stepped into the light and Coral could see him. He looked different tonight. He wore a dark-colored jacket. Coral couldn't tell if it was black or navy blue. A faded baseball cap covered his head, and his eyes shifted from left to right. Dean made Coral feel uneasy, and she unconsciously took a step back.
"Dean ? What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk."
"Talk ? About ?"
"You know what about Coral," he looked exasperated with her short tone and quick fire questions, "Look, can we go somewhere and talk?"
"I was an asshole, and I need you back."Coral was surprised at his confession. After their last conversation over the phone she had expected some of the same rhetoric.She could see he was using a different approach. She just watched as he tried to pull out all the ‘the sad boyfriend’ stops. His tone was soft. His gaze was to the ground, signifying a sign of ashamed, all the while trying to keep it sexy. She wasn’t impressed or amused. He needed to remain out of her life for good."Dean, I can't listen to this.""It's the truth.""I don't need this right now. Your fifteen minutes is up."She was about to put her hand on the door handle when Dean grab
"Where are we...""My place. Yours isn't safe any longer.""He wouldn't..."She stopped talking mid-sentence. She could no longer speak about what her ex-boyfriend was or wasn’t capable of doing. Him just attacking her taught her that.“You’re right,” she agreed.They reached their destination fifteen minutes later and walked inside Inigo’s newly acquired home.Coral didn’t recall acquiring this home for him. She didn’t recall this property ever being listed. It was very masculine and sleek. It somehow reminded her of him. Inigo was carrying her purse, and she looked down and noticed she was barefo
He stood in front of her.“Bath time.”He unbuttoned her white silk blouse. It wasn’t white anymore it was dingy from her recent ordeal. She knew if she was sober she probably would be mad. The sherry seemed to take the edge off, and she couldn’t help but smile as she watched Inigo unbuttoning her top. He slid the fabric off of her and started lifting and surveying her arms. She was about to protest when he spoke.“I'm checking for bruises,” He said as if it were his job.Coral wanted to melt. His protective nature touched her somehow and also made him all the more attractive to her.“I’m alright, I think. Just a little shook up. I just wasn’t expec
Coral was more than overjoyed about getting out of Inigo’s home and away from his overprotective watch for a few hours. It had been a week since the incident had occurred and as much as she had appreciated him, being in such close quarters unexpectedly was taking its toll on her. It had been a full seven days and there had been no sign of Dean. In just a few short hours she would be socializing with someone other than him and her Administrative Assistant, Valerie. Tonight she was going to dinner with her high school crush, Paul Stoll. She hadn't heard from him since they had graduated from high school, six years ago. They had spoke briefly over the phone earlier that day. He had informed her of his need to get rid of some newly acquired real estate he had just inherited through the death of his grandmother. It seemed harmless and the thought of seeing Paul again appealed greatly to her because
Paul ended up being even more handsome and charming than Coral had remembered.“Thank you for accepting my dinner invitation.” He said as he smiled. Showing her his perfectly straight white teeth. He still looked perfect to her.“Well, thank you for inviting me. It’s been awhile since I’ve been out.” She admitted, hoping the blush she felt on the inside wouldn’t bleed through to the outside. His handsome chiseled features were hard to ignore.She smiled at him. He smiled back.“You’re more than welcome. Really? Has it?” He asked.“Yes. Really.” She took a s
“Why did you call me?”“Mother mentioned you have become quite the little Real Estate Agent in town. She said you were the best and that you sold the Peterson’s House.” He had been looking at her lips while he spoke to her.She took a sip of her wine before she answered.“Yes, I did.”“Wow! Talk about savvy. I’m impressed Coral. They had been trying to get rid of that home since we were in school. She left out the details about you being so gorgeous now. You my dear are definitely a fine wine, just ripening beautifully with age.”Coral felt butterflies in her stomach.“Let’s make a toast,&rdq
She wanted to throw something at his head. Men and their jealousy she thought. Without a second glance she walked back over to the valet, handed him her ticket and he quickly strode to the parking lot to retrieve her vehicle. Within minutes she was assisted inside her new vehicle and trying not to run anyone over as she sped out of the parking lot. She arrived at Lev’s place ten minutes later. She had run a few lights to get there within the time constraint he had set. Before getting out of her car she sent Paul a quick apology text along with an excuse about her mother being rushed to the emergency room. She didn’t wait for a reply. She put her phone in her clutch and got out of the car. She was surprised to be greeted by him.“I see you made it in time.” His smile seemed brittle to her.Sh
“Were you going to let him f*ck you?”She was offended and ready to leave. She tried to walk past him. He grabbed her by her left wrist to stop her motion. He pulled her gruffly to him. His strong frame felt good against her own. She hated to admit that fact when he was acting so jealously.“Answer me. Were you?”“No!” She tried to wiggle free.He wasn’t budging.“How dare you ask me such a thing. It wasn’t like that. It was a business dinner.”“Not from where I was standing.”She looked down at the carpeted floor. She wished then she had never go