Unravel(34)

I covered my mouth and curled a hand around his arm. “I’m so sorry.” I stared at him with wide doe eyes. “Oh! I know who you are. I’ve heard so much about you.”

He started to play my game. Lips curved up in a come hither smile. My blood roared in my veins.

“What have you heard?” Max asked, his voice a low, sexy whisper.

I lowered my voice and pointed a finger at him. “I’ve heard that you’re the best thing to ever come to McLean.” Another wicked smile. “I’ve heard that you could rock my world.”

His eyes widened. He looked embarrassed. “Are you done?”

I wiggled a brow. “Oh, I’ve just begun.”

We shared a smile that made the invisible cord wrapped around us tug, pulling us closer. My skin tingled.

Max looked over my shoulder. Eyes widened. An expletive slipped from his lips. When is that reaction ever good?

Even though I didn’t want to, I turned around. My smile faded as I saw Lana’s parents.

“Do you want to go?” Max said into my ear.

I discreetly pressed my body into his. “No… no, let’s stay.”

“Is that really a good idea?”

“I’ll be fine,” I assured him.

Max held my gaze. He didn’t believe me. I didn’t even believe myself. I was stunned to see her father walk so confidently into the room. Lana’s dad met my eyes as if he knew I had been looking at him. He held my gaze for a second too long. Goose bumps covered my skin as he walked over hand-in-hand with his wife.

“Ah, hell,” Max muttered.

Her parents stood in front of us. We all stood there, poised like chess pieces, waiting to see who would make the next move.

Lana’s dad smiled. He stretched his hand out to Max. “It’s good to see you.”

And then her dad looked in my direction. “Naomi.”

I forced myself to say hi. He didn’t know I knew and I reminded myself that, for now, it needed to stay that way. So I played the role of a guest having a great time. Smiled at this and nodding at that. It didn’t mean it was easy though. My fingers were so tightly laced behind my back my circulation was close to being cut off.

I pictured a parallel universe where I could just leave my body. I would move throughout the crowd and no one would notice me. When I was a safe distance from Lana’s dad, I’d watch as he pretended to be the perfect husband. And in this parallel universe, I would raise my hand. Index finger pointed, thumb lifted. Here was my gun.

I’d aim at his onyx heart.

Pull the trigger.

Bang.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if everything in our imagination were real?

Lana’s dad would disappear off the face of the Earth. Her pain would evaporate and a fresh new start would be before her. We’d all live happily ever after.

I kept picturing that parallel universe. Until Max looked down at me.

Whoosh.

Slam.

I was pushed back into reality.

“Dance with me,” Max said, and before I could answer him he put his hands on my shoulder, gently guiding me to the dance floor.

“I know what you’re doing,” I said out of the corner of my mouth.

“Then just go along with me.”

He wrapped his arm around my waist, guiding me closer, until we were only a hair’s breadth apart. I moved at the right time, and smiled at the people around us, but my heart wasn’t in it. I could feel Lana’s dad’s cold eyes following us around the room. Max squeezed my hip. I looked up.

“Don’t let him ruin tonight,” he said.

“It’s kind of hard not to.”

“Where’s the Naomi from earlier? The one with the sparkle in her eye?”

“Hiding,” I mumbled. “Like any sane person.”

Max bent close and said for my ears only, “Fuck him. Pretend he’s not here.”

That was impossible to do. Just then I heard Lana’s dad laugh. My shoulders tensed. Anger started to build inside of me. The song finished. The drunk man was back at Max’s side, starting up a whole new conversation. Max’s hand curved around my waist. As they talked, I looked over my shoulder. I spotted Lana’s dad instantly. He had a drink in his hand, taking small sips as another guest talked to him. But then that guest patted Lana’s dad on the shoulder and walked away. Her dad was alone.

Here was my chance. Max was distracted enough that I could slip away.

“I’m gonna go get a drink real quick.”

Max nodded and I walked toward the bar before I made a beeline for Lana’s dad. His wife’s back was turned. She was talking to a group of ladies, waving her hands dramatically as she told a story.

I walked right past her and moved closer to Lana’s dad. I saw nothing but red. My anger overpowered common sense and I went in for the kill.

I stopped next to him. He turned as if in slow motion. His lips curved up into a smile and the longer I stood there, staring into his eyes the angrier I became. I had so much I wanted to say. So much pent-up rage inside of me that I didn’t know where to start.

The longer I stood there, saying nothing to him, the quicker his smile faded. I opened my mouth, and took a deep breath, ready to tell Lana’s dad everything I really thought about him. I wanted him to know that I knew. That I saw it all and that I would never let it happen again.