want, to see how much she’s hurt me?
“Trace?”
I can’t turn and look at her. I can’t. Voldemort’s refusal hurt my wallet and my pride. After a few weeks, I realized we would have made each other miserable. I wish the bitch had just been honest, but it should be no shock that Voldemort lies.
Masey doesn’t have a dishonest bone in her body. She doesn’t trust herself and she hasn’t known me long enough to truly trust me. I proposed too soon. I fucked up. It’s not her fault.
But she’s going to rip my heart in two, probably forever.
I set everything in the sink, brace my hands on the counter, then take a deep breath before I face her. The tears streaming down her face are a stab to the heart. “Yeah?”
She takes my face in her hands. “I didn’t say no.”
“Let’s be real. You’re going to. You’re just too nice to tell me to fuck off.”
“No. I’m too afraid to throw caution to the wind and say yes. When I was with Thom, I never listened to my head. Ever. He said to trust him, so I did. He said he wanted what was best for us, and that wasn’t getting married yet, so I believed him. My head told me the relationship was all wrong, but my heart kept insisting we’d work it out. We were meant to be.” She rolls her eyes. “When he left me, I swore next time I’d think with my head.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask what the hell I’ve done to make her head doubt me. But it’s not about me. None of this is. It’s about her fear. It’s about not being ready to commit.
“Then you should do that.” I shoulder my way past her. I don’t want to say something I’ll regret.
After all, I can’t blame her for not having healed enough to want to pledge her life to another man.
In silence, I guide the catamaran through the dusky twilight, back to the harbor. It doesn’t take too long to dock, pack everything back up, toss out the trash, grab my gear, then motion to her with a head bob. “Let’s go.”
She looks hurt and chastened, and that’s another stab in the chest. “Are you going to talk to me?”
“Honey, at this point, what is there to say? You’ve got a couple of days left on the island. If you want to spend them in bed, I’ll indulge you.” Though I don’t know how I’ll do that without falling deeper in love. “After all, you came to paradise for good sex. At least I can give you that.”
As I head toward the parking lot to reach my truck, she grabs my arm. “Stop it. Right now. I’m so sorry I ever asked to meet you for sex. I didn’t know you, but I realize it was an inhuman thing to expect. I wish I had asked to meet you simply to meet you. I wish I’d gone into our time together with a more open mind. I wish I could go back and do everything differently.”
“Is this your goodbye speech?”
“No. It’s an apology. It’s a please-give-me-a-day-to-work-out-my-shit speech. It’s a plea.”
I could lash out with a dozen useless emotions, but I love Masey. She’s obviously confused and struggling. I can’t hurt her more. Besides, there’s some preppy dude coming toward us like he’s on a mission, and I’m betting the last thing she wants is an audience. “Okay.”
What else can I say?
With a sigh, I keep walking. Masey has the keys to my truck in her bag. Behind me, I hear her digging for them. But once she finds them, we’ll spend twenty minutes together in an awkward-as-fuck ride to Noah and Harlow’s place.
Can’t wait…
If I think I’m hurt and demoralized today, how much will life suck tomorrow when Masey turns me down for real?
Mr. Preppy closes in, staring at me. Whatever. I’ve got enough shit on my plate. Just beyond the overhead light is my truck. I’ll count the seconds until I have Ranger back—and a buffer between Masey and me.
If you hadn’t offered the use of her vacation rental to Amanda Lund, you could have just dropped her off…
But I’m a stupid schmuck. I still want every moment with her I can get.
As I approach the stranger, he closes in, knocking my shoulder with his. It’s not a bump or a stumble. It’s a wordless confrontation.
I glance up. The Ivy-League-looking prick snarls at me, clearly itching for