BLIND: A Mastermind Novel (36 page)

They should have five days left, but what if tonight was their last? He’d given her an ultimatum and hit a major cord. He should realize everyone had limits and, if he wanted this to work, he needed to respect hers. If anything, she wanted the chance to talk to him about her boundaries, make him understand that a relationship consisted of give and take and she would
n’
t take that sort of treatment from anyone, let alone someone she loved.

If not for him, she might not have had the courage to put her foot down tonight. But h
e’
d encouraged her to keep her standards high and it was his own fault she no longer considered lowering them an optio
n—
not even for him.

Couples evolved together, requiring both partners to be open and honest, something he could
n’
t seem to manage at the moment and something that eventually had to change if their relationship continued.

Her stomach tipped sending nausea tunneling through her. It couldn’t be over. Like an addict, she knew the risks were getting dangerous, but the truth was, she lacked the strength of will to stop. But she had enough self-respect to call him out on his bullshit, making it perfectly clear he was just as accountable as she in this relation. He hurt her and until he apologized, there would be no moving forward.

Chapter Fourteen

Comprehension

There was no relief in the passing days. The tension in her chest contracted until every bit of her strength was devoted to holding back the tears choking her. It was over.

It had been eleven days and she’d not heard from him. When the withdrawal became unbearable, she’d messaged him on GeekPeek, but he hadn’t replied or even opened her message, not that it said much, just a simple “Hi.”

He claimed the blindfold was an instrument in developing her trust, enunciating each experience, which it was. But it was also a form of protection for him and whatever secrets he had to hide. His rules existed for a reason. She’d never comprehend the rationale behind them until she understood the man. And she wanted—very much—to understand him.

She was angry at his inability to bend after she’d followed his lead around every curve. But she was also sad, sad for whatever happened to him in order to make him so closed off. He clearly had trust issues. It was something to work on, something many couples struggled to overcome. Unfortunately, as time went on, she feared such a chance was unlikely.

When another weekend rolled around, bringing another Friday to pass, she’d forced herself to accept the fairytale was over. Wandering through her house, she cleaned as Thor maneuvered around her ankles, crying for some attention.

As she cleaned out her closet, she gathered all of his letters, tying them carefully with the prettiest ribbon she owned. Nora Jones sang softly from the CD player on her dresser about nightingales and wishes to be carried away on songs of love that once belonged.

Closing the box over the dried flowers and letters, she softly wept. Thor butted his head at her hand and curled onto her lap. Rolling to her back, she let her tears slide through her hair to the carpet. There wasn’t anything she could do.

The sound of her front door opening startled her. Sitting up, she quickly blotted her eyes.

“Lettie?
”
Nicole’s voice called up the stairs.

“In my room,
”
she answered, clearing her throat.

Her bedroom door opened and she met her friend’s scowl. “You don’t pick up the phone anymore?
”

“Sorry. I’ve been busy.”

Nicole glanced at the pile of unwanted items tossed on her bed and Scarlet toed the box holding all memories of Mr. Stone deeper into her closet.

“What are you doing?”

“Just cleaning out some old junk.”

Her friend sighed and dropped to the carpet. “What happened?”

“Nothing happened,
”
she lied. “I’ve been meaning to declutter—”

“Scarlet,
”
Nicole interrupted, her scowl replaced with an expression of concern. “Level with me.”

She sighed and the tears quickly returned. “I think we broke up.”

“You and Stone?”

She nodded.

“Oh, honey, what happened?”

There was only so much she could tell without making a mockery of how deep her feelings ran. “I think I pushed for too much too soon.”

Her friend gave a sad, but comprehending smile. “Yeah, guys are stupid with stuff like that. Most of them have mommy issues and find it hard to face real commitment.”

She was way off, but Scarlet allowed Nicole her own interpretation. “I knew what we had. I shouldn’t have tried to make it more before he was ready.”

Nicole scoffed. “Men are never ready. You have to be stealthy when pushing for more, make them believe they’re in complete control, otherwise they get defensive. Have you talked to him?”

“No.”

“They’re such pussies. Why don’t you write him a letter, then he has to listen to what you have to say.”

“That’s a possibility.”

“You could even deliver it in person, then when he reads it you guys can have great makeup sex.”

Yeah,
if
she knew where he lived. “I don’t want to crowd him. I’ll probably just email him or something.
”
She didn’t mention messaging him on GeekPeek because then Nicole would insist on seeing his picture, which didn’t exist.

Nicole glanced around the room and sighed. “Come on, I’m getting you out of here. Even Thor looks depressed. Let’s go shopping and out for coffee.”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“I don’t care. You can’t stay in your closet rolling down memory lane all day. It’s nice out. You don’t even need a ski mask.”

She laughed. Winter was upon them and she was already looking forward to the coming spring, hating the bitter cold that bit through even the thickest coats. “Fine, but we’re going to the mall. I’m not walking around the outlets in thirty degree weather all day.”

“Deal. But coffee first.”

****

“
Asher!
”
Hunter hissed from across the small café table.

Ash entered the last few commands, skimming off the coffee shop’s Wi-Fi and glanced at his friend.

Hunter’s dark eyes were wide, his head tilted to the left, drawing Asher’s attention. Every muscle tensed as he recognized Nicole Pickerelli sitting with Scarlet.

“Is that her?
”
Hunter whispered.

Ashe
r’
s breath turned jagged as every muscle locked with the paralysis of a feeble animal within a predato
r’
s reach. Clearly, he was
n’
t making as much progress as he hoped. His heart was racing as if h
e’
d just run a marathon. Every instinct he had told him to stay perfectly still, but his heart begged to go to her. It was as if the mere closeness of her pulled him into her orbit, a magnetic force his common sense could
n’
t outmaneuver.

Silently, he nodded. His mouth was suddenly bone dry, his gaze locked to her sitting only ten feet away in the small café. He never came to this place, but after their meeting that morning with the youth group OddSquad, he wanted to finalize the app so Eugene could take it viral. The kid had been really excited to see his work come to life.

His heart pounded, as he feared she’d recognize him. She looked…tired. It had been well over a week since he’d seen her and the slight purple crests under her eyes told him that time apart had taken its toll.

He hadn’t pulled back to punish her. Rather, he’d withdrawn from her life to protect them both. Things were moving too fast and getting too complicated. Somewhere in the midst of holding all the control, he’d lost control of his purpose and hurt her. He never meant to upset her that night, but he panicked when something unexpected happened. Then she threatened to leave and he reacted badly, feeling cornered and unsure. She started flinging demands at him and asking things he wasn’t ready to answer.

But worst of all, as she begged him to tell her his name, he saw a shift. The anger seemed to ease and she appeared to make sense of something. Then he sensed her pity.

He didn’t want her pity, hated the idea that he might give her reason to believe he needed any such thing. There was simply too much emotion between them and until he thought of an explanation for his behavior—beyond his own cowardliness—he decided time apart was best.

But as he watched her now, he noted, not only exhaustion in her appearance, but the sadness in her eyes. Damn him and his foolish inexperience. He should know better. Women were sensitive, his mother always reminded him of that. How could he even think what he did was okay? She’d been vulnerable and asked for two minutes of privacy. It was completely narcissistic for him to believe she wanted anything more than a few moments alone.

God, I’ve fucked everything up again.

As he studied her, Nicole talked and she nodded along despondently. He wished for the courage to go to her and introduce himself, but he couldn’t stir even the slightest nerve to lift his coffee to his lips, afraid she’d notice him and at the same time not notice him at all.

“Go talk to her,
”
Hunter whispered.

He shook his head. He couldn’t. Swallowing tightly, he continued to analyze her. A waitress delivered drinks to her table and she smiled.

Her eyes, so chameleon like, shined bright in the sunlight. They were as stunning as always, varying shades of blue and green. His breath caught as it always did when her glance cast in his direction. The last time he saw her eyes was at the Imperial Room and the restaurant had been too dim to truly appreciate their beauty.

Her hand tucked a ruby strand of hair behind her ear as she carefully took a sip of her beverage. Her full lips touched the brim of the mug and his body reacted. Flashes of their last encounter played through his mind, a torturous kaleidoscope of fantasies brought to life for a fleeting moment. He needed to get out of there.

When Nicole handed her a napkin, he frowned. Scarlet shook her head and blotted her eyes, laughing in spite of her clear distress.

She’s crying…

His attention zeroed in on her mouth, trying to make out what she said. He caught the words “
stupid
”
and “
pathetic”.

Was she referring to him? She couldn’t be talking about herself. She wasn’t either of those things. He was. Those tears were his fault and he couldn’t let her go on blaming herself for his personal shortcomings.

Minimizing the app page on his laptop, he signed into GeekPeek. He knew she’d messaged him, but he didn’t want to encourage her. Luckily, the preview showed the note in its entirety. A simple “Hi
”
was all she’d written.

Opening the message finally, he quickly typed out a response.

Sweet Scarlet,

I’ve been thinking about you and hope you’re doing well.
I’
m sorry my insensitive actions hurt you. That was never my intention. Perhaps the distance between us is wise. Please don’t take it personally. It was me that was wrong.

Missing you.

Mr. Stone

He sent the message and waited. Her dialogue slowed as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, but she continued to converse with her friend, her eyes on Nicole until she had the device in her palms.

Her words cut off, her mouth opening as her shoulders lifted on a slow breath. “
Oh my God.
”
He read her lips. She glanced nervously at her friend. “
It’s him.”

Nicole’s voice was loud as she gasped, “What did he say?”

Asher frowned, questioning how much Nicole actually knew of he and Scarlet’s relationship. Scarlet’s lips compressed and her brow knit as she read her phone. When Nicole stretched to snatch the phone Scarlet quickly jerked it out of reach and scowled. His chest filled with pride. Glad to see Scarlet had established some boundaries with her pushy friend.

Leaning back in the booth, she thumbed over the screen and his gut clenched as expectation thrummed through his veins. She was writing back. Quickly muting his laptop, his eyes volleyed from her to the screen, awaiting her reply. She lowered her phone to the bench and grinned at Nicole.

The message appeared and he quickly opened it.

I miss you more than words can say. I think we both said and did some things we shouldn’t have the other night. You hurt me, and I pushed back. I can be patient. I don’t want to rehash it. Can we please get together soon? Your conditions, my trust.