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She snorted. “Because that’s one announcement I’ll never be making. Never.”
He wrapped both hands around his steering-wheel, squeezed the leather. “You wouldn’t marry me?”
“I wouldn’t marry any man.”
“Because of your mother?”
“Because I don’t want to be married.”
“Fine, I have no intention of marrying anyway, so we’re on the same wavelength.” So why did her blatant rejection bite so deeply? Why did it make him want to wrap her in his arms and love away the pain she associated with weddings because of her father’s abandonment? “Invite me to stay the night.”
Her answer was immediate and confident. “No.”
“You want me as much as I want you.” Was he saying the words for her benefit or his ego’s? “I know you do.”
She shook her head. “That’s just my autonomic neuro-physical response to you. I imagine now that I’ve had sex I’ll respond that way to any attractive male.”
What a load of garbage. “Because of your hang-up about your father leaving you, you won’t have sex with me again?”
Her face paled and he regretted his sharp question, wondered why he didn’t just get her bag out and drive away, never looking back.
“What would be the point?” she finally asked.
“Other than a whole lot of pleasure?”
“There are other women who can give you pleasure. Lots of them. This weekend shouldn’t have happened. Let’s forget it did and go back to just being work colleagues.” Her lips compressed into a fine, stubborn line.
He stared straight into her big green eyes, held her gaze, and fought all the warring emotions within him. “That’s what you want, Faith? What you really want? For us to forget about what happened and go back to just working together?”
She hesitated only the briefest of seconds, then nodded.
“Fine.” His pride kicked in, reminding him that he was Vale Wakefield and had never begged any woman for her attention, for her affections. He sure as hell wouldn’t start now. “You’re right. There would be no point to pursuing a relationship between us. No point at all.”
Monday morning arrived bright and early, just as it always had. Faith had slept little the night before, despite how tired she’d felt when she’d crawled into her bed. Alone.
No, not alone. Yoda had snuggled next to her, grateful his mistress was home.
But Faith had felt more alone than she had in a long time. Perhaps since her father had walked out on her and her mother.
She knew why.
She’d missed Vale. Two nights in bed with a man should not leave her feeling so lonely. Yet she’d curled into a fetal position and cried. Cried. She’d been the one to tell him to leave, so why had she cried?
Because somewhere during the weekend, when she’d been telling herself over and over that she was no different from any of the other women who’d fallen for him, she’d started to believe that maybe he could someday love her.
And when he’d looked at her at the lighthouse, she’d seen such sweet emotion in his eyes. And that had scared her.
Vale wanted a relationship for however long those sweet emotions lasted, but how could she do that? Because ultimately he would leave her and then where would she be? Just look at how two nights in bed with the man had messed with her head.
She’d had to face facts that she and Vale had to end things before she forgot to protect her heart, before she got so tangled up in the magic that was him that she lost herself, before she ended up like her mother, chasing an elusive dream of happily-ever-after that simply didn’t exist.
Now she had to go and face Vale.
How would he act? Would he acknowledge the hot sex they’d shared or would he go about business as usual?
After her shower, she donned a gray suit that felt shapeless after her Friday shopping spree, scraped back her hair. Unfortunately, with her recent trim, strands kept working loose and she couldn’t capture her usual no-nonsense look. Finally, she gave up and twisted her hair in a looser style, securing it with the comb she’d used over the weekend.
Staring at her clean face, she considered slathering on a protective coating of make-up. But if she did, Vale might read too much into it. Much better to go as usual than to have him think she regretted not continuing their weekend. She even made a point to wear her glasses instead of her contact lenses.
