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“Yes, I do.” Natalie let out a sigh. “I need to go. But please text me when you’re home. You’re the only family I’ve got. I know I’ve screwed up in the past. A lot.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Lucia paused in the hotel hallway outside the bustling buffet and closed her eyes. It always came back to the incident. “Stop feeling guilty and just be my sister for once.”
“I’m trying. I swear, I am,” Natalie said softly. “I just hope you’ll forgive me one day.”
The line went dead. Lucia opened her eyes and moved to the windows looking out over the resort pool. She’d never blamed Natalie for what happened. Never. Why couldn’t her sister accept that?
She mentally added fix relationship with big sister to her list for the future, turned away from the windows, and followed the bright carpet through the casino floor toward the elevator bank. Before she fixed the past, she needed to talk to Cade about her future.
As she stepped on the elevator, she caught a glimpse of her scars in the mirrored interior.
When she’d put on the mask that first night, she’d never expected to find a man who wanted the woman hiding behind it. She’d never dreamed a man who looked like a movie star would take one look at her and label her gorgeous. But he’d proved it with every touch, every kiss, and every thoughtful gesture.
“For once, I met someone whose actions line up with his words,” she murmured, stepping into the empty hall.
She balanced the coffee cup on the doughnut box and used her key card to unlock her door. She moved quietly, hoping to let him sleep a little longer. But as she gently closed the door behind her, she heard his voice come from the sitting area by the window.
“Don’t you dare tell her,” he said. “It won’t do any good, believe me.”
She remained in the entryway so as not to interrupt his call. Heck, she ought to get out of there so that she wouldn’t be eavesdropping—
“It ends today, Natalie. She never needs to know you sent me.”
Natalie.
No, it couldn’t be. He would have told her. She’d asked him if he knew her sister and he hadn’t said a word. But the pieces fit. Coronado. SEAL. Her sister’s calls and texts. Natalie’s concern. He knew her big sister.
She released her hold on the box, and the doughnuts tumbled to the carpet. The coffee followed, and the lid popped off as it hit the floor. The light and sweet liquid mingled with their breakfast.
What a mess.
“Fuck me,” he said.
Never again.
His words hit her hard. Her hands formed tight fists, desperate to lash out. But then she realized Cade had stopped speaking, and when she looked up, she saw him watching her, regret and resignation right there in his eyes.
“Natalie,” he murmured. “I have to go.” He lowered the phone from his ear and tossed it on the sofa, then reached for his boxer briefs and jeans. Smart man. This was one conversation they couldn’t have naked. “Lucia, let me explain—”
“You. Know. My. Sister.” She enunciated each word to beat back the hysteria that threatened to overtake her voice. “And she sent you to find me?”
“Yes.” He grabbed an undershirt off the floor and pulled it over his head. The white fabric clung to his muscular chest.
She walked through the doughnut disaster and headed for the bed, leaving a powdered-sugar trail of footprints.
The moments flashed through her mind like still images from a movie. She’d thought she was part of a love story fueled by passion. But instead, she’d been starring in a comedy/horror film. And she’d been cast in a familiar role—the girl everyone felt sorry for.
Had it all been a sham? She knew the weekend was supposed to be all about fantasies, but to think that nothing that had happened between them was real…
She sank onto the bed and buried her face in her hands. A spectator looking in might laugh at the naive woman who’d clung to the fantasy that a Navy SEAL wanted her, that he desired her. But it felt like a nightmare. The whole thing had been a lie. His reason for approaching her. For being with her. For wanting her.
“Why?” she demanded as she lifted her face from her palms.
“Your sister was worried about you,” he said. “Natalie thought you’d follow through with your plan.”
“She told you I was looking to meet someone,” she said, putting the pieces together. “But if she wanted someone to babysit me, why did she send you? Or was seducing me part of the plan?”
“No,” he said firmly, his hands on his hips. “Natalie made me promise to keep my hands off you. But I saw you in that red dress and I wanted you.”
