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“All of that, if it’s what you need.” He pleaded for me to let him back in, his knuckles brushing my cheek. I couldn’t avoid his touch like I wanted to—it hurt too badly—but I didn’t lean into it either. “Every time I touch you, you tense, like you’re allowing it because I need it.” Fear and horror and anger flashed in his eyes. “Did something happen you haven’t told me? Did he fucking touch you?”
I couldn’t stand the torment on his face. “No,” I assured him, itching to soothe him. But I only gripped the covers more tightly.
“Would you tell me if he had?”
“Yes.” That was the truth. As much as I didn’t want to hurt Stone with any more ugliness, I wouldn’t lie to him about that.
Relief was evident in his eyes, but he was still tense. “If you can’t talk to me, then please confide in someone.”
“Talk?” I barked out an incredulous laugh. “There is absolutelynothingto say on the matter. You were there. You should know that.”
“This is affecting you more than you realize. You’ve become a shell of yourself.”
“I need time. I can’t just get past this.”
“What are you saying?”
“I—we—we’re not meant to be,” I said in a rush, and his face crumpled in unison with my heart. I prayed he’d forgive me for this.
“You know that’s not true.”
“It’s for the best.” I crossed my arms.
“So I’m just supposed to let you go? Forget the last six years? Pretend you won’t take my soul when you leave?”
I swallowed around the knot in my throat, unable to speak.
“Why the hell am I here?” he finally asked.
“You’re wounded. I need to make sure you heal.”
He gestured to the bandage. “Darlin’, this right here is nothing compared to what it’s going to feel like if you leave me.”
“In time you’ll see I’m right about this.” My eyes glassed over. If I had any chance of doing what I needed to do, I had to make this seem real.
He balled the duvet in his fists. “I never even had a chance, did I? If it hadn’t been your father coming back, it would have been something else.”
“Stone,” I choked out. He was wrong about that. I may have had my doubts and thought he’d be better off without me at times, but he’d shown me otherwise.
He slid out of bed, bent to pick his T-shirt up off the floor with a hiss, and pulled it over his head. “Where are you going?”
“Back to the guest room.” The bed suddenly felt empty without him. I had no right to be surprised by his reaction, yet I was. “Sharing this bed means something to me that it obviously doesn’t to you.”
I swallowed hard, and words got caught in my throat as I tried to tell him that wasn’t true. Being with him meant more to me than life itself.
When I didn’t protest, the light in his eyes dimmed; the hope he held onto was fading. “You’ve always been a woman of your word, Muriella. Your mind is made up, regardless of what I think or want, so I’ll respect that and go back to the hotel in the morning. But you’ve promised me one more date, and I’m holding you to it.”
I bit my lip and nodded, fighting to keep the tears from falling, still unable to speak. I’d made a promise to give him three dates, and I wouldn’t break that even if it broke me in the process.
He left, closing the bedroom door behind him.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, missing him so much already, it physically hurt. Until I went to Nicaragua and put an end to the threat my father presented, I had to keep my distance. I would kill my father, but there was a very real chance I’d lose my life in the process. It was better for them not to know of my plans. They’d try to get involved, and I couldn’t let them fight this battle for me. My father’s blood was mine alone.
I buried my face in his pillow, breathing in Stone’s scent, letting it fill me. One more date. If I didn’t survive, or if he couldn’t forgive me for what I planned to do, at least I’d have one last memory of him. The date would be difficult, but I needed it, maybe more than he did, and I was determined to make our time together memorable so I’d have something to hold onto.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Stone
