Island Affair (Keys to Love #1) - Priscilla Oliveras Page 0,112

with his don’t-mess-with-me scowl. He should know by now that it didn’t work on her. She wasn’t afraid of him. Only of his inability to let go of whatever kept him chained to the past.

“What did he mean?” she repeated, refusing to back down. This was too important. They were too important.

“Nothing. He’s always talking without thinking.” Luis crossed his arms, nudging a shoulder forward in an annoying whatever shrug. “Joking around. Gina complains that he—”

“Stop it!”

Luis’s mouth thinned, his jaw muscle ticcing.

Hands on her hips, she tilted her head to stare through the skylight in the angled wall above him, seeking wisdom, guidance, anything that would help her break through this wall he had suddenly erected between them.

All she found was another gorgeous Key West sunset. The ball of fire had already begun its descent, leaving its breathtaking watercolor display across the sky in its wake. Right now, tourists and locals were gathered at Mallory Square, marveling at nature’s artistic ability. Like she and Luis had done together not even a week ago.

Their relationship had skyrocketed into something amazing since then, only to dip in a nosedive set to end with a fiery crash and burn.

Sorrow clogged her throat as she stared back at his imposing figure. Legs spread in a wide stance. Impressive arms still crossed defiantly in front of his broad chest. Rugged face set in a stern mask marred by the disillusion in his dark eyes.

She swallowed, fighting the prick of hot tears.

“Please, don’t do that,” she pleaded, her voice raw with regret.

“Do what?”

“Deflect. That’s what you’re doing, right? It was our game plan. Deflect when someone asks a question we want to avoid or don’t want to lie about.”

He rolled his lips in as if holding back a response.

Sara spread her hands in front of her as if laying out all her cards. She had no Ace up her sleeve here. She only had her belief that when it came down to it, this kind, compassionate, good-hearted man would be honest with her. Because he valued honesty.

Luis sank down onto the shelf desk, anguish hollowing his dark eyes. “What do you want from me?” he rasped.

“The truth.”

“The truth is that I’m not capable of going all in with something that is, or has been, based on lies. Not again.”

“This situation is completely different. What you and I have shared, especially in here, in this room, has never been based on lies.”

He shook his head, denying her claim, and Sara drew back, wounded by his rejection.

Horrified, she sank onto the edge of the bed as something new occurred to her. What if she was wrong? What if for him this had just been about killing time while he was off work? And he was fine ending things when she left on Friday. Which meant, unlike for her, it was no big deal to him if they ended things early.

“Maybe, maybe not,” he said, neither confirming nor denying the terrible thoughts attaching to her brain like a nefarious vine. “But I can’t risk it. I’ve done that once already. Taken a chance on a woman I thought I could help. Only, I got too involved, in too deep to see the truth. And nearly drowned in the end.”

Each phrase he uttered was like a supersize sledgehammer pounding her hopes for their future into a fine dust the ocean breeze easily carried away. She wanted to rail at him to wake up. See what was right in front of him. Recognize the damage he was doing to his family, to himself, to the two of them because of his inability to move on from the past.

But years of therapy had taught her that an individual needed to possess the desire to achieve positive change in their own life. There was nothing she could say or do that would make any difference if Luis didn’t want to let go of his fear.

And that’s what this all boiled down to. Fear.

This strong, compassionate man who willingly ran into burning buildings to save others was too afraid to save himself. Too afraid to let the past go and live fully in the present. Even if, as much as it hurt, that meant without her.

“I’m not Mirna. I don’t need saving,” Sara told him, pressing a hand to her chest and the ache building there. “And I’m not your brother. In fact, I’ve been more than honest with you. I’ve trusted you with my biggest fears and secrets. Luis, I want to