.” He trails off and shoves a hand through his hair.
My heart screeches to a halt in my chest. “Who what, Rob? Loves me?”
His gaze is full of anger and self-loathing when he turns and looks at me. “Yes.”
I slip my underwear on, then tug my shirt over my head. “That wasn’t our deal. I told you I didn’t need that.”
But the sting in my heart, far worse than anything I felt when Rob was tearing through my virginity, can’t be denied. I was hoping that somewhere along the way, he might have realized he wanted more from me than sex.
He grimaces and drops his gaze. “But you deserved it.”
I finish dressing and grab my bag. “This was my decision. I wanted this . . . with you. I should have told you, but honestly, it isn’t your choice who I give my virginity to. I chose you, so live with it.” I throw open his door and start down the stairs, but before I make the bottom, there’s a knock on the front door.
Great. So much for my quick getaway.
I trudge back up to Rob’s room just as he’s zipping his jeans. “Someone’s at your door.”
He doesn’t look at me. “Ignore them. They’ll go away.”
“But I can’t leave until they do. Can you just deal with them, please?”
He rakes a hand through his hair and scoops his T-shirt off the floor, then turns to face me. The anger in his eyes nearly kills me, but it also pisses me off. He has no right to be angry with me.
He slips his shirt on and brushes past me. I wait as he trudges loudly down the stairs and makes a big production of ripping open the front door.
“I’m looking for Adrianna Wilson.”
At the sound of my father’s voice, it’s like someone tapped a vein and poured ice water directly into my bloodstream. I’m frozen, unable to move.
“Then you’re looking in the wrong place,” Rob answer, cool as a cucumber.
“Her car is at the end of your driveway.”
“Good to know,” Rob says, all casual nonchalance.
“Son, you really want to tell me where she is.” Dad’s voice, which initially had an edge of concern, has sharpened to a point, and I know he’s about an inch from snapping.
“Have you tried the beach?”
“There’s no one on the beach,” Dad growls.
“Then I can’t help you.”
The hinges creak as the door starts to close, but then there’s a crash that shatters the ice in my veins. I bolt down the stairs to find Dad pinning Rob up against the door by the shoulders, murder in his eyes. But the next second, Rob ducks out of his grasp and spins him into a chokehold, those eyes that were so warm and open when he was lying on top of me, now cold and determined. Hardened to stone.
“Stop!” I yell as Rob grabs for the gun in Dad’s belt.
Both their heads snap toward my voice.
“Let him go, Rob,” I say, trying to keep my shake out of the words.
Rob hesitates, but then does as I ask, shoving Dad out of his grasp and onto the porch.
I move slowly toward them, blood pounding in my ears. “Dad, what are you doing here?”
There’s a choking sound and I glance at Rob. His eyes are round as dinner plates. “Dad?” he growls at me, his face twisting with unmasked betrayal.
Something else I should have told Rob. I’ll have to deal with that later. I turn my attention back to Dad. “I’m fine. Why are you here?”
His eyes narrow as he splits a glance between Rob and me. I know how I must look. I didn’t even take a second to finger comb my hair. “Because my daughter’s started lying to me and sneaking around to places where she doesn’t belong.”
I hold up my hands when I see his glare turn on Rob again. “Dad, this is between you and me. Rob doesn’t have anything to do with it. Let’s just go home and talk about it, okay?”
He points an accusing finger at Rob, his face reddening with his rising blood pressure. “He has everything to do with it, Adrianna. You never acted like this before his family moved to town.”
I shake my head. “If I’ve lied to you, it’s only because you make it so hard to tell the truth. Telling you about things like this scares the hell out of me.”
“Get in the car,” he barks, backing away from the door and jerking his head at the cruiser in