Page 227 of Summer Heat
I hate tea, but Russell loves it, so I bought a kettle shortly after we started dating.
“Sure. How are you feeling today?” he asks as he runs the back of his hand down my face softly.
“Fine, I guess,” I reply with a shrug.
We sit on the barstools around my kitchen island, and I can feel his eyes on me as he sips his
tea. I’m chipping my nail polish, trying to figure out how to start this conversation. My previous breakups were easy. Boyfriends start getting possessive or too opinionated, and I cut them off. Russell is sweet though. He’s laid back, he’s honest, and he’s nice. Too nice for me.
I take a deep breath and turn in my seat to face him. “Russ, I think we should take a break.”
He sets his mug down and blinks at me rapidly. “What are you talking about? A break between us? Aren’t you happy?”
The mix of confusion and hurt in his voice makes me cringe. I should’ve never gotten involved with this one—he’s too...nice.
I smile sadly. “I am Russell. It’s not you—”
“Oh, don’t give me that rubbish,” he snaps. “It’s not you; it’s me. I don’t want that. Tell me what’s going on.”
I bite down on my lip to keep from smiling because angry Russell is kind of hot and very funny. “Really, Russ. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s not you. It is me. I need to be alone right now. I’m lost, and I need time to myself.”
He takes a deep breath and stands in front of me. He holds both of my hands in his and presses them to his lips while he looks at me intently with his hazel eyes. “I can help you find yourself. Let me help you, babe. I can make you happy.”
I close my eyes because I can’t stand to see the hope in his. “Russell—”
He takes my mouth with a possession he’s never used before. He explores my mouth with his tongue as if he’s searching for the part of me he thinks he has lost. He doesn’t realize he never had it to begin with. When he breaks the kiss, he looks at me again. His eyes are desperate.
“Take a week. We’ll take a short break. I’ll call you next week, and we’ll talk about this again.”
“Russell, I can’t. There’s no point,” I say slowly.
“Please, Blake,” he says as he walks to the door. “Just think about it.”
“Russell—” I say, but he walks out before I can finish my sentence.
That did not just happen.
I take a minute to process what just went down before calling Becky.
“Oh my God, and he just left? Just like that?” she asks amused.
“Yeah, crazy right?” I say with a nervous laugh.
“That is the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while. I guess it’s nice that he doesn’t want to give up on you, though. Who knows? Maybe he’s the one...” she says quietly as she contemplates the idea.
I laugh at that. “He’s too nice for me. He’s such a great guy, though. It wasn’t fair for me to use him like that to begin with.”
“Well, you didn’t need him anymore anyway. You already knew that his stepfather wouldn’t be able to help you crack your attorney,” she replies.
I groan. “Becky! I didn’t stay with him because of his stepfather. I really do like him!”
“Sure, Blakey. Keep telling yourself that. You like him so much that you broke up with him. Was the idea that he might actually help you forget a certain someone scaring you?” she presses.
I frown. I’d never considered that. “No...I never felt anything like that for Russell, but I did like him.”
“I know, babe. You liked him, but he wasn’t Cole.”
“Becky,” I groan. “It has nothing to do with Cole.”
