Page 25 of Crossing the Line

And that had to be why she was disappointed in me. It was the only thing that made sense.

“What?” she asked, a furrow appearing on her forehead.

“I didn’t mean to take advantage of you when we were both drunk. Please… don’t let my selfishness ruin everything.”

I stroked a thumb over her cheekbone, and her breath hitched. But then, her features hardened.

“Stop making assumptions about how I feel,” she snapped, shoving my hands away. “Don’t assume that I regret that night just because you do.”

I blinked once. Twice. I tried to process what she was saying.

“Uh… what? I thought you were upset with me because I slept with you when you’d been drinking.”

Kelsie’s shoulders slumped and her face twisted in pain. She looked devastated. “No. You’ve got it all wrong. I’m not mad. I’m crushed.”

I stared at her as my body locked up tight and my heart thudded painfully against my ribs. My mind screamed at me to say something, anything.

But her words seemed to have ripped the air from my lungs. I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Even as I watched regret take hold of her, straightening her spine and lighting a fire in her eyes, I couldn’t seem to speak.

“Forget I said that,” she said, voice suddenly cold. “Just forget everything.”

With that, she finally used her keycard to open her door, stepping inside and slamming it behind her before I could object. I immediately tried to open it, but it was locked, of course.

I knocked, but I already knew she wouldn’t answer.

I was right. She didn’t even call out for me to go away. There was only silence on the other side of the door. And on this side? I felt more lost than ever before.

Forget everything.

That was what she said. As if there was any way in hell I could do that now.

Chapter Ten: Kelsie

Ididn’t plan to drink much at the bachelorette party last night. I knew it wasn’t a great idea while I was already feeling so emotionally fragile. I’d sent enough ill-advised drunk texts in the past to know better. And those were guys who didn’t mean nearly as much to me as Damien did.

But the party was in full swing when the other women started to speculate about what the men were up to. Specifically, there was talk about who was most likely to pick up a woman. There were a lot of women around the resort, and I was sure plenty of them were single. The thought of Damien taking one of them to his room, making her cry out his name just like I did, felt like a knife between the ribs. Damien was a catch, and he was single. There was nothing to stop him.

So, I drowned my sorrows in fruity mixed drinks and ended up having a great time at the party.

Now, in the light of day, regret sat heavily on my shoulders. It wasn’t about the headache pounding in my temples or the dryness of my mouth. A hangover was never a good time, but it was my conversation with Damien that made me ready to swear off drinking altogether.

I groaned as I remembered what I said to him in the hallway just outside of my room.

I spoke without thinking, impulsively telling him what I never wanted him to know. I’d bared my real feelings to him, told him that he crushed me.

Oh God, why did I say that?

I felt heat creep up my neck at the memory. Humiliation burrowed under my skin. I knew it’d be like this, and that was why I never intended to tell him the truth. But it was impossible to unring a bell. It was out there now, and Damien would definitely want to talk about it.

At the thought of that, I groaned again, burying my face in my hands. I was sitting on the edge of my bed, fully dressed for the hike that was supposed to take place in twenty minutes.

I’d ordered room service this morning, not up for joining anyone in the restaurant downstairs for breakfast, but it wouldn’t surprise me if others did the same—or skipped eating altogether. Leanne must not have been thinking about how everyone would feel after a night of partying when she planned this particular excursion for everyone.

But I wasn’t going to skip it. I’d taken some of the headache medicine the doctor in the med room gave me, drank two bottles of water, and eaten a full serving of scrambled eggs. The hydration and protein did wonders for me, and I was eager to see a part of the island that I hadn’t experienced yet.

I’d gone on plenty of hikes in the last couple of years, always with Damien. He loved being outside, walking around nature parks or exploring trails along Lake Michigan. We’d spent many weekends doing that sort of thing back home in Chicago, just the two of us.

I’d thought of those long walks as romantic, something that deepened our connection. That seemed so stupid now.