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“So what the hell was this all about? One last romp to get me out of your system before you go and try to get yourself killed?”
“Hey.” He pulled her against his chest. “We both know I’ll never get you out of my system. No matter how many times we do that.” He kissed her forehead. “I just had to see you again before I left.”
“That’s incredibly selfish of you.”
He stiffened a little. “Don’t turn this into something it isn’t. We both agreed to what just happened. We both knew it was the end, not a new beginning.”
Had they? She wasn’t so sure. Why else would she be feeling almost murderously enraged?
“Screw you,” she ground out, pushing at his chest and turning her back on him. “Just go.”
“Listen.” He was so calm, it only seemed to fan the flames of her rage. “Maybe this was selfish. The last thing I wanted to do was upset you.” He reached for her arm and spun her around. “It won’t happen again.”
“How can you say that?”
His chest hurt. “Because you’re going to move on. Forget you ever knew me. I’m no good for you.”
“You’re right about that.”
He felt a strong sense of nausea assail him. His voice sounded unnatural. “Call Alec. You should be with someone nice. Someone safe.”
Aurora closed her eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You want me to call Alec? You think I should see someone else? Someone really great, who I’ll probably end up marrying?”
His body temperature spiked to fever pitch, as a groundswell of panic seemed to breathe over him. He nodded jerkily. “I think you should forget about me.”
“Like you’ll forget about me?”
“No.” He squeezed her arm. “I’ll never forget about you, Aurora, but I will move on from you, in my own way.”
Her temper wouldn’t simmer. It boiled and raged. “And what does moving on look like for you? A girlfriend? A lover? Ten lovers? How many women will you need to sleep with before you’ve exorcised the ghost of what we have?”
“I don’t know,” he said finally, his expression grim. “All I know is that you can’t wait for me. You can’t wait for me to stop racing, because it’s not going to happen. And I won’t wait for you to get over your aversion to the sport. So move on. Call Alec. And be happy.”
Happy? It was laughable. She knew she’d never feel happy again.
5
“Aurora!” Alec opened the door inward, his handsome face creasing into a pleasant smile of surprise. “What are you doing here?”
She had just been thinking the same thing. “Bea invited me. Do you mind?”
Alec stepped inside further, opening the door wider to allow her entry. “Mind? I’m really happy to see you. Come in. We’re just getting started.”
Cards and brunch at Alec’s house had sounded perfectly innocent, but Aurora realised, when she walked inside, that it was only to be the four of them. Her eyes fixed Beatrice with a slightly accusing smile, before wiping any annoyance from her face. “If it isn’t my favourite engaged pair,” she said, swinging her handbag off her shoulder and placing it beside Beatrice’s. “This is a nice place,” she said to Alec. Somewhat of an understatement. The London Bridge flat seemed to stretch for miles, and all of the external walls were made from tinted glass.
“Thanks. I’ll give you a tour.”
“Sure.” She fell into step beside him, as he led her from the kitchen to the terrace. Once they were out in the frigid, sunlit day, he looked at her with a lopsided smile. “You never called me.”
Her eyes dropped. “I know. I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be. I get the message. I’m not your type.”
“It’s not that,” she swore quickly, shaking her head in a way that sent her blonde hair flying like a curtain about her face. It had been over a week since she’d last seen Leonardo, and she had no reason to suspect she would see him again. Not before the wedding, anyway.
“Honestly, I’m a big boy. I can take it.”
“You seem like a top guy,” she said and cringed at the banal observation. “I’m just… I’m a mess.”
