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The urge to walk through it and disappear is overwhelming. So I do it. I turn that handle and swing the door back. In nothing but my pajamas and bare feet, I start padding down the concrete walkway.
It’s only just dawn, the sky barely light as the sun starts to rise over the hill behind the resort. Goose bumps ripple over my skin, the cold air making me shiver.
You’re being ridiculous.
Logic tries to tap me on the shoulder, but I keep walking. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. All I can manage is one foot in front of the other.
I can see the outdoor pool coming into view. I’ll walk around it, maybe head out the back to avoid reception and?—
“Rachel.” Liam’s gruff morning voice jerks me to a stop.
My toes curl into the concrete. I can’t turn and look at him, but my legs seem to have stopped working, so I just stand there, listening to his feet running to catch up with me.
“Where are you going?” His hand trails down my arm, feather-soft and undemanding.
I dip my chin. “I don’t know.”
“Are you…?” He takes my face in his hands, lifting my chin so he can look at me. “Are you sleepwalking or something?”
“No,” I squeak, trying to avoid his gaze. “I just needed to go.”
“Go where?”
“Away,” I whisper, my voice catching as I suck in a shaky breath.
My gaze skims his face, and I catch a flash of his confusion before I’m staring at the ground. My long feet look so skinny next to his broad ones. They’re large and stable on the pathway, like strong tree roots that can’t be moved. I want to lean against him, cling to his solid torso and never let go.
But that’s not fair.
I can’t keep relying on others all the time. I can’t keep burdening them with my crap.
“Ray.” His soft voice curls through me. I love the way he says my name. He holds it like a precious gift. “What do you mean?”
My jaw quivers as I try to explain in a way he’ll understand. “It’s not fair.”
His hands cradle my neck, his thumbs skimming my jawline as he gives me a minute to explain.
But I don’t want to explain. I just want to go.
Except you don’t!
I close my eyes. “I can’t burden you guys with this. I need to go and let you be, and you can go back to Nolan trouble-free.”
“What?” His shock has my eyes popping open. He gapes at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You think leaving me will make my life trouble-free?”
I swallow.
“Cariña, that’s not true.” He kisses my lips, a soft peck before crouching just a little so we can be eye to eye. “I would miss you. I would… ache for you.”
The air in my lungs goes still.
“Can’t you already tell?” His brown eyes shine in the dim light, a smile forming inside them. “I told you… you were gonna burrow. And you’ve burrowed deep, mi amor. You can’t go leaving me now. You’ll break my heart.”
Tears pop onto my lashes before I can stop them. “But what if they try to find me? What if they hurt you trying to get to me?”
His eyes flash with something dangerous, his expression turning hard. “They can try, but they will fail. I will always stand between you and them. I’m your wall, Ray. I’m your rock.”
“I don’t want you to have to do that for me. I don’t want you getting hurt. I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.” I wriggle out of his grasp, putting a few paces between us. “All you’ll do is worry about me.”
