If We Never Met (Whisper Lake #5) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,89

can start looking for them in a few weeks."

"I'm so happy for you. This is what you wanted—a complete recovery."

"It is what I wanted, but I'm very aware that it cuts our time short, Keira." His voice took on a sober note. "That's why I'm not jumping up and down. It's a mix of good news and bad."

She nodded, trying not to show any of the disappointment she was feeling. "We both knew it was coming."

"Unfortunately, sooner than we thought, but we still have the rest of this week."

"When are you leaving?"

"Probably Saturday morning."

Her heart sank. "Wow. Saturday. That is fast."

"Until then, I want to spend every minute I have away from rehab with you."

She wanted to spend that time with him, too, but she had multiple jobs and a wedding coming up. There wouldn't be that many minutes to give to him. Maybe she should end things now. Because seeing him for five more days and living through an endless circle of heartbreaking emotion seemed like a very bad idea. She would be a wreck at the end of it.

Although, to be honest, she'd probably be a wreck, even if tonight was the last night. She'd made the mistake of getting emotionally involved with a man who was leaving.

"Keira," he said, his gaze darkening. "It's not going to be easy for me to say goodbye, either."

"But you have to. You have to go back to your life and live out your dream. Being a ballplayer is who you are."

He frowned a little at her words. "It is," he agreed.

There seemed to be a new ambivalence to his statement. Or maybe she was just imagining that.

"Did you tell your coach?" she asked.

"Yes, I let everyone know."

"They must be thrilled."

"They are. I just wish you could go with me."

"I don't think I'd do well in Miami. Too hot and humid. My hair would frizz right up," she said lightly. "And I have so much here: my mom, my businesses, and my friends."

"I understand. I wish they had a baseball team here."

She gave him a sad smile. "Me, too."

His fingers ran down her arm, drawing a little shiver that had nothing to do with the cold. "Can you stay the night?"

She hesitated for just a second, torn between wanting to stay with him and wanting to protect her heart. But it was too late for that. "I can stay, even though I shouldn't. This is going to be hard."

He cupped her face with his hand and gave her a long, tender kiss. "Let's be in the moment as long as we can."

She was going to try her best, but this time their kiss felt bittersweet.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dante woke up Tuesday morning to an unsettling quiet and a very cool other side of the bed. He abruptly sat up. There was no sign of Keira in the adjoining bathroom, and her clothes were gone. He fell back against the pillows with a frustrated groan. He knew he shouldn't have closed his eyes last night. He'd stayed up longer than Keira, but the long day had eventually caught up to him, and he'd drifted off, hoping that they could talk more in the morning, because the second time they'd made love had felt like goodbye, and that had bothered him more than he could put into words.

But there was no conversation to have now. Keira had left, and he didn't know when he would see her again. He hoped she hadn't decided to call it quits because he was leaving earlier than expected, because they still had five days to be together—to talk, to laugh, to have incredible, mind-blowing sex. Who would want to give up five days of that kind of pleasure?

He knew the answer. Keira probably thought it would be easier if it were just over now. He'd seen that thought float through her eyes last night, right after he'd told her his news. He'd managed to persuade her to stay, to keep enjoying the moment they were in, but he had a feeling that moment was over.

He blew out a breath as he stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't going to be easy to leave her. That was a new feeling for him. He'd never had a problem leaving a woman, a relationship, a city, his family... He'd always looked ahead instead of back. That probably wasn't a trait to brag about, but it was the truth. He'd always put his dream ahead of everything else, and it had paid off.