Tainted Black - Williams Shanora - Страница 66

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“Hi, you must be—” My words flew out before I could see the person, and they quickly came to an end when I met familiar brown eyes.

An audible gasp filled the air. My chest felt heavy, the pressure real, like an elephant stepping on top of me as I lay flat. I thought after all those years the feelings—every feeling—I had for him would surely pass, but that was complete bullshit. Time only made it easier to move on with life, but time had nothing on chance encounters.

Who was I kidding?

My feelings were never going to change.

Not when it came to him.

Not when it came to my first, at both love and womanhood.

They’d never change for Theodore Black.

He walked out to the deck with a crooked smile, his head in that childlike tilt that used to make me so weak in the knees—still made me weak in the knees. His hair had grown out around the edges, and his body was just as it was before, in great shape.

His eyes were tired, though, like all the stressing had finally caught up to him. As always, it was only his eyes that gave away his age. His face was shaved clean, besides the black scruff above his lip. When his hand came up to wipe the sweat from his brow, I caught the silver band on his ring finger, and for some reason, my heart dropped. He was… married?

I tried to cover my hand, the square engagement ring on my finger, but he saw it, his face screwing. I still remained rather speechless, watching as he carried himself from the deck to the stairs that led to the sand. He didn’t say anything either. I didn’t feel so bad for being flabbergasted.

This was never supposed to happen again. I was never supposed to run into Mr. Black in Bristle Wave because, from what I’d heard, he’d moved out of Bristle to go elsewhere. I had no clue where he’d moved to, but I assumed it was far away from here. That’s what I got for going with the rumors.

When Theo was only a few steps away, I swallowed the emotion that’d collected in my throat, tears burning the rims of my eyes. I don’t know why I was being so emotional. It could have been the recollections, or maybe even the pain that was still buried deep.

Or, perhaps it was because he looked just as great as ever, with the ink that stained his arms, that perfect, wavy black hair, and the same hard and delicious body. His nipple ring prodded through his light grey T-shirt, and I smiled, remembering the way my tongue had surrounded it a long time ago.

“Little Knight,” Theo finally said. His voice was just the same, and it still held some type of power over me. I felt my core clench, but I ignored that guilt, allowing a smile to sweep across my lips. “You are still so beautiful.” And he was still so goddamn gorgeous, but I couldn’t say that.

“Theo,” I breathed. “Wow… um… what are you doing here?—I mean—” My mouth clamped shut, unable to form proper sentences. I couldn’t believe it. I felt like the twelve year old girl that had first met him in Primrose. Back then he was a stranger—someone I knew nothing about—and even now it seemed I was meeting a stranger again. Someone that I wasn’t sure about, someone that may have changed and I didn’t even know it.

“It’s been a long time, huh?”

“Yeah.” I blinked rapidly. “You are the previous owner?”

He nodded with a press of his lips. “Funny right? How fate brought us here?”

“Fate and destiny seem to always tamper with our lives one way or another.” He moved forward, and I shifted on my feet, the sand squishing between my toes. “How’d you know I would be coming to Bristle today?”

He lifted a hand, running his fingers through his lengthy hair. “That woman that just ran out of here?”

“Yeah?”

“She’s my mother.”

My jaw dropped, gaping. “What?! No way! No wonder she seemed so familiar! I take it she didn’t take your father’s last name?”

“Nope.” He smiled. “Rita Morris. I told her to keep it secret. You know, it’s quite a coincidence that you wanted to move into this house.” He looked around. “Seems like a place you will really enjoy, though. Anyway, she remembered seeing you around us before and asked me if the name Chloe Knight sounded familiar.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Shocker, huh?”

“Wow—yeah,” I laughed. “That’s wild. No wonder she was acting so friendly towards me.”

“I told her you were one of Izzy’s old friends.”

When he said her name, I felt a pinch deep inside me. He caught that small ounce of pain run cross my face and straightened his back. “She feels terrible. Talks about you at least every other week. She misses the hell out of you.”

“I miss her too.”

“You know she got a job in New York? She got a role for a small film up there?”

“What? Oh my gosh, that’s incredible! Tell her I said congrats!”

“I will.” he put on a genuine smile.

“So, what is it with you, Knight? Did you go and get married on me?” he asked when I looked down again, guilt-ridden. I could tell he’d been wanting to ask about the ring on my finger for a while now. I drug my gaze back up to his, and he brought his eyes from my finger to my face again.

“Oh… um, engaged actually.”

“Let me take a wild guess…” His tongue wiped his lips, and he laughed as he said, “The Sterling kid?”

“Lucky guess, mister,” I teased, blushing. I dropped my head, and Theo stepped forward to tilt my chin. His gesture seemed almost natural and brought back so many memories. I would never forget his touch and all it did to me. I would never forget him in general, but I knew better.

Now, I really knew better.

“And what about you?” I asked, backing away without making it too noticeable. I put on a cheery tone as I asked, “What woman has you wrapped around her finger? —Wait, no, let me take a wild guess...” Theo crossed his arms with an amused grin on his face. Laughing, I said, “Trixie!”

And he busted out in a hearty chortle. “That is fucking hilarious.”

I snickered. I knew damn well he would never take her back, but I was curious who the new woman was. “Well,” I urged, waving my hands for answers. “Come on. Who is the lucky lady?”

He scratched his chin, his eyes bouncing from mine to the sea. “Her name is Sheila, and we got married a little over a year ago. I met her at some bachelor party in San Francisco about ten months after you left. She’s a nice girl… great woman.”

“Wow. Married?” I gasped. “That’s great, Theo.” I smiled. “I’m really happy for you.”

He changed the subject. “Does he make you happy?” he asked. I caught the protectiveness in the bass of his voice, watched as the joy slid away from the corners of his mouth.

“Sterling is a good guy. Of course he makes me happy.”

“Do you love him?”

“Yes, Theo.”

“And you’re sure about marrying this guy?” He studied me, hoping I would waver. I didn’t weaken or waver. I kept my head held high.

Vibrating with laughter, I focused on his brown eyes and kindly said, “Yes. I’m sure.” Theo shook his head with his mouth curved upwards, his arms still folded tight across his chest. “What? I asked defensively. I knew he probably still hated Sterling.

“Nothing,” he laughed. “I just can’t believe he stole both my women away from me. Apparently the kid has something I don’t.”

That remark, I had to admit, caught me by total surprise. Even though there was a deeper meaning behind it, it was funny. And the fact that he didn’t get angry about it made me realize one thing: Theodore Black was content with his life.

He’d changed and had moved on. He found someone else to complete him. I couldn’t blame him for that because I’d done the same. I was sure within those ten months, he’d tried to reach me, but I changed my number and email and made sure there was no way he could find me unless he drove to USC. Luckily, he never did. Though I blocked him from all directions, I made way for Izzy.

Unfortunately, she never called.

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