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So I stand there, not knowing how to act, what to do. Did I do something wrong? Overstep my boundaries? Fierce, cold chills raise my skin. Before Miles, dating never hit my radar with all the hours I put in at school. And now seeing him walk away from me, I don’t think I ever want to again.
“Wait for me.”
With those last words, he’s gone, in his truck and speeding off to save someone else’s day while mine falls apart. What the fuck just happened?
“Well, that didn’t go as planned.”
Chapter Ten
Miles
That took way too long. A three-car pile-up turned into five cars by the time we got there. A total mess that might have cost me. The sun is coming up and I am just now getting back to the station. There’s a lot of work to do, rigs to put back in order, equipment, and a fucking mountain of paperwork before I can get back to Bela. What kind of leader would I be if I were to leave the crew to handle all the work themselves?
Fuck, she gutted me last night. Hit me with a sledgehammer and shattered everything I thought I knew about women. Bela is different from everyone. More caring, open, and honest than I think I can be. Emotions come easy for her but for me, it’s like getting on a runaway train with no breaks, failsafe, or destination. My gut instinct is to hide who I am. Ten years of undercover work does that to a man. But if I want her, I’ll need to change.
Duke walks in looking as tired as I feel and drops his weight into the chair opposite mine and kicks his feet up on the edge of my desk.
“How did dinner go last night?”
I grunt.
“That good?”
“I fucked up.”
“As usual.”
Duke’s voice is somber. “Tell me you didn’t scare off the best baker we’ve had in town since forever.” He holds his hands up. “No offense. Your mom and dad’s place was great, but she has a flair about her doughnuts I can’t get enough of.”
“Scare off.” I hook onto those words and push to my feet.
I never had anyone who cared enough to find out details of my past. To have someone who cares enough to ask?
“What’s up? You heading out?”
“I reacted badly to something Bela did for me. How many times do you think I can apologize before I’m given a kick in the ass?”
Duke shakes his head. “Wrong person to ask. I think you know who you need to talk to, though.”
He’s right.
She deserves more, deserves a man who would never steal away her smile, but I can’t let her slip away. Can’t even fathom another man touching her much less loving her.
“Hold down the fort?”
“Go do what you gotta do.”
I grab my phone, pull up contacts, and hope like hell I’m not too late.
***
Bela
“Are you going to hide out in there forever?”
I turn the door handle to the bathroom at the sound of Poppy’s voice. I called her five minutes after making my mind up about my next move this morning, painful as it is.
Miles never came home last night. And if that isn’t a dead ringer of how he feels, I don’t know what is anymore.
