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“That’s cruel!”
“Cruel to point out the choice you’ve made to hold yourself back? I’ve made myself vulnerable. I’ve been hurt, and I’m willing to be hurt again. Are you?”
Something powerful pushed at her throat. She thought it was a sob, but when she opened her mouth, she yelled, “No!” No, she wasn’t willing to be hurt again, ever. “I’ve had enough pain. I’m done with it.”
“Tessa, how are you going to—”
“I’m done with it! So get out. Leave!”
“Come on. Don’t do this. Just…” He gestured toward her, the flowers rising from his hand like an olive branch. She wanted to take it. She wanted to fall into him and let him hold her up. He would. She could see it in his eyes. But there weren’t enough strong arms in the world to keep hurt away. She knew that to the very depths of her soul.
“Your brothers aren’t going to leave you, Tessa,” he said softly.
She drew in a breath sharp enough to stab her heart. “What?”
“They’re not going to leave you, even if you stop holding on so tight.”
“I know that,” she snarled.
“I don’t think you do, darling. I really don’t.”
Tessa squeezed her hands to fists, curling her fingers tighter and tighter. “Don’t think you know me. Don’t think you can point at my childhood and tell me where I went wrong. I’ve known you for two weeks. Two weeks of sex and not much else. And it’s over, do you understand? This is over.”
“Yeah,” he muttered. “That’s fine.” He smacked the flowers against his other hand. “I’m no good at this, anyway, am I? I learned that the hard way.”
Tessa waved her hand toward the door. She needed him to go. Now. She needed him to go before she broke down and threw herself into him. She didn’t need him. She’d never needed anyone but her brothers and she couldn’t start needing someone else now. She had to concentrate on making things right with her family. “Goodbye,” she said, but Luke didn’t say a word. He just turned and walked out, closing the door softly behind him.
And Tessa was alone in her big house again.
HE SHOULD NEVER have pushed her so hard. Not today. He should’ve backed off and given her a chance to work things out with Eric. But hell, he was just kidding himself with that. She didn’t have room for him in her life today, and she wouldn’t have room tomorrow.
And maybe he didn’t have room for her. After all, instead of working through his feelings over her, he was shoving them aside as he pushed through the station doors, joining the other cops who sat at their desks, ignoring the real world.
His partner included.
He set the flowers on her desk. “They didn’t work.”
“Oh,” she said, leaning back in surprise. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. In fact, she ended it altogether.”
Simone cringed. “Ouch.” She picked up the tulips and touched one of the blooms. “She really didn’t like these?”
“She wasn’t in the mood for romantic gestures.”
When Simone looked up, her eyes snapped from dreamy to alarmed. “Oops.”
Luke glanced behind him and saw two other detectives watching with hard eyes. Simone set the flowers down on her desk with a smack. After everything that had happened, Luke could only laugh. “Tomorrow let’s go wander around a bridal shop, give them something interesting to talk about.”
The flowers hit him in the face.
“Good aim.”
“Thanks. Now are you ready to work, or did you want to mope a little beforehand? I’m sympathetic to moping right now, so knock yourself out.”
“Nah, I’ve got a bottle of whiskey waiting for me when I get home. I’ll be fine until then. What’s up?”
Simone nudged her computer mouse and gestured toward the monitor. “I’ve been checking out that charity golf tournament Graham Kendall pitched to Tessa.”
