Rose’s eyes widened. “Are you alone, Garrett?”
He opened and closed his mouth like a puppet before forcing out his words. “No, I mean—”
“Did you bring a woman back here?” Ben barked.
Rose’s face fell. “Was it Eloise?”
“No to all of it!” Garrett pressed the heels of his hands to his forehead. He wasn’t ready for the magical world he and Sadie created to be opened to others. What they shared was still too delicate to face the scrutiny of their friends. Besides, Ben and Rose knew nothing about his lack of employment; he couldn’t discuss a future with Sadie without sharing his humiliating circumstances.
He took a deep breath and released it through his teeth. “I need to tell you something—”
“Garret, what’s going on?”
All three spun to see Sadie step out, wrapped in a quilt and rubbing sleep from her eyes. Her pale legs were exposed up to the knee, and her flaxen hair was a tangled mess. No one with a mind could mistake how she’d spent her evening.
Rose’s face morphed into a mischievous grin as Ben turned to him and glared. “Dammit, Garrett,” he growled. “What have you done now?”
Ben and Rose made themselves scarce after Sadie dove back into their room, her entire body flushed with mortification. Yes, they would be the first people to know about her burgeoning relationship with Garrett, but she didn’t want to break the news with mussed hair and wearing only a quilt.
She kept herself busy by getting dressed and straightening the tangled blankets and pillows in what she consideredtheir bed, but what was the likelihood she’d sleep there with him again? No matter, they’d have their own bed soon. He would be welcome in her apartment, and she could visit his place in Manhattan.
Perhaps they would marry, and they would live together.
Her heart bloomed as she finished the buttons on her shirtwaist and started on detangling her hair. Her clothing was dry and warm, and somehow that felt like an insult, a reminder that the real world awaited them. She’d discarded her soiled bloomers in the trash heap, and the action caused something to twist in her gut, as though she were throwing away what she and Garrett had shared, the intimacy that had made her body sing and her soul recognize its match in another.
Worry crept its insidious fingers up her spine. What would happen between them now? The certainty she’d felt last night in his arms had fled in the light of day.
Garrett stepped into the room but didn’t meet her eyes. “I cleaned up the rest of the glass from the window. I can get it replaced in the next day or two, but you shouldn’t work here in the interim.”
“Oh.” Was that truly the best she, the collector of words, could do?
He was completely dressed, the tear in his trousers covered by his overcoat. His focus held on the cuffs of his sleeves as he adjusted them. “And the ice is clear, just some spots in the street. As long as you stay clear of those, you should be able to get home safely.”
Her head spun as fear spiked in her chest. “Garrett—”
“I’m sure you’re hungry. Do you have something in your apartment?”
“Garrett.”
He finally met her gaze, and what she saw made her heart stop. His expression was shattered, as though he was about to deliver terrible news.
Oh lord, he was.
“Sadie, I’ve been thinking—”
“Never a good idea.” She forced a laugh that burned in her throat.
He somehow looked even sadder as he took her hands and squeezed. “What we shared here, it’s not—”
She held up her hand, and he looked relieved. “Don’t say it, please.” She understood how foolish she’d been. She’d pressed him for something more when he was lost in desire. He would have said anything to keep her in his bed. The destructive thoughts clashed with her understanding of Garrett, of his kindness and the care he showed for her, but her heart ached too much to think clearly. “You should go,” she managed before her throat closed.
She couldn’t bear the pain in his eyes, the knowledge that she’d put it there. Garrett had been cheerful and carefree before she’d inserted herself into his life. It was best for both of them if she removed herself before her gloom sucked him under as well.
“Don’t say what?”
She shook her head as her throat burned. “You don’t need to explain, I-I know this couldn’t last—”
“Sadie, no.” He released her hands to cup her cheeks, and a tear slid free from her eye. “I know what you’re doing in that lovely head of yours, and I want you to stop. I meant what I said about you, about us. Together.” His thumb caught the tear and wiped it aside. “There are some things I need to arrange, and I don’t know how long it’ll take before—”
