it, resting one hand on the side of the pickup while she jumped lightly from the tailgate. She hurried around the side of the truck and climbed into the passenger’s seat, trying to pretend she hadn’t heard his answer.
Staring out the window, she avoided his eyes as he slid behind the wheel and shoved the keys in the ignition.
“Lane, I told you. We can’t do this. It was good, it was really good, but you’re leaving, and I’m not one of those clingy types.”
“It was beyond good. And it’ll be even better next time.” He reached over and flipped her hair back over her shoulder, forcing her to look at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t take as much time as I should have.”
She gave him a wry smile. “Trust me, it’s not a matter of the performance. It’s just—we need to get back to reality now.”
“That was real. That was as real as anything could be.”
“My job is real. I work for your brother.”
He stared through the windshield, his jaw working as if he was trying to keep from getting angry. He cranked the keys in the ignition and the truck started up, the engine throbbing like an angry animal that couldn’t wait to get moving. “I can’t believe this.”
“What?”
“I can’t believe I’m competing against my brother for a woman and losing. You care more about what he thinks than you do about me. And I don’t have much left in my arsenal of charms. I kind of shot off every weapon I had.”
“It’s not just that. It’s—I don’t want a relationship right now.” She gave him a rueful smile, the closest she could come to throwing him a bone. “Not even with you.”
“So you’ve made your choice.”
“I have to choose my job. Eric can help me survive.”
“Yeah, but I can help you live.”
“I’ll take survival,” she said. “Please, Lane. Take me home.”
***
Lane kept his eyes on the road and his hands on the steering wheel, but his mind was on the woman who sat stiff and silent beside him. Was this the real Sarah—the woman in the little black dress? He didn’t think so. He’d seen the real Sarah in the back of the truck. It was like the moonlight was magic, releasing a luminous secret goddess from the buttoned-up businesswoman.
Or maybe the magic worked the other way. It was obvious something had happened in Sarah’s life that imprisoned her in a hard, brittle shell. Tonight, something had broken through it and set her free, but now she was closed up tight again like a princess in a tower.
Well, he was going to storm the ramparts. Somehow, he was going to figure out how to open the castle door.
No. Scratch that. He wasn’t just going to open the door; he was going to tear down the damn castle.
“What is it you’re so afraid of?”
She shot him a hard glare. He wasn’t sure if he’d struck a nerve or simply struck out.
“I’m not afraid of anything.”
“Then come home with me.”
“I’m not saying no because I’m afraid. I’m going home because I don’t want a relationship with you.”
“Look, I have no idea what flipped your switch, and I’m not going to chase after you. But it’s a hell of a way to treat a guy. If a man treated a woman this way, you and your girlfriends would tear him to pieces.”
She brought a hand to her forehead and for a moment he thought she was going to cry, but she sucked in a deep breath and steeled herself. He had a feeling she did that a lot.
“You’re right. Lane, I’m sorry. I let my—my needs get away from me. I shouldn’t have let that happen.” She breathed in a shuddering breath and let it out. “You can let me out here.”
“I’m not leaving you on the street.”
“That’s my apartment.” She pointed to a three-story brick building that looked like it had once housed a bank or maybe a law office. It was one of those buildings someone had bought and renovated back when the oil boom hit, filling it with high-class loft apartments that were ugly, overpriced, and mostly empty.
He pulled to the curb and parked under a streetlight that cast deep shadows on her face, making her look drawn and haunted.
“I’ll walk you up,” he said, shoving the gearshift into park.
“No need.”
He looked past her at the darkened building. The place looked practically abandoned. “Don’t you have a doorman or anything?”
“Of course not. This is Casper.” She floundered for