Page 78 of Range
Unfortunately, I wasn’t willing to call her bluff. I wasn’t ready to leave. I wanted to stay. I wanted our time together. But more than anything, I wanted her to myself. Her disobedience was clear. She’d gotten rid of the ring, but the nigga was still around.
My oxygen level lowered as I released a long, steady breath. My feet began to move again. Not toward the door. Toward her. Toward the table. Settling underneath it.
I broke every rule in my book. Submission. To a woman. And, I wished I could lie as if it was complicated. Hard. Disruptive. It wasn’t. It was easily the simplest, most natural thing I’d ever done.
Like being a brother.
Like being an uncle.
Like being a son.
Like being a man.
Silence led the way. Range’s orbs still hadn’t greeted mine. Her cheeks were flushed another shade of brown. Sweat beads formed on her forehead. Though small, and almost naked to the eye, I had studied her details enough to know when one had changed.
“I’m pleased that– that you decided to rejoin me.”
My heart didn’t leave me a choice. The lack of response halted her movements. She peered at me, chest deflated. Her eyes met mine, breaking the ice that was quickly building.
“My tolerance hardly exists,” I confessed.
“Josiah– I–”
“Josiah, shit,” I scoffed.
“I–”
“You can play out there, but you will not play in my fuc– You will not play in my face.”
It wasn’t a warning. It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a direct demand.
Still, I chose my words as carefully as I could. Sunshine swallowed, eyelashes batting.
Silence.
Darkness coated the room. Her sun wasn’t shining so brightly, and a chill was beginning to form in the gloomy room.
“About your case–”
“That’s better.”
“I have reviewed the information eighteen times. Everything. I haven’t missed a single clause or cause or motion or admission or submission or– I haven’t missed anything. But, I have failed to find probable cause to even hold you here– aside from you being the last person the victim was in contact with.
“No motive. No accurate timeline. No footage. No ill intentions. No past confrontations. No filed police reports. No evidence. No body. No witness. No proof that a crime has truly been committed. Nothing. I am considering moving forward with a motion to dismiss your case entirely.
“As much as I’d like to file that motion today, my ducks must be aligned. Instead of acting on impulse, I prefer thorough proceedings so that you won’t end up here again.Ever… if I can help.”
She slammed her briefcase shut. Still, her chest was hiked and her breathing was unsteady. She was flustered. She ran a hand through her hair, attempting to reconnect her nerve endings.
“What is it, Range?”
She pushed out a shaky breath as she slid her right hand down her chest, tucking it underneath her breast. It was a coping mechanism. It was comforting.
“Elaborate.”
“There’s something more. Something you’re forgetting or something you’re not telling me.”
She pulled her glossed lip into her mouth. The bottom one. And, stretched it until it rolled back out. Her eyes wandered around the room. Her jawline flexed and her nose flared at the realization that no one was staring back at her. No one was watching us.
