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“Are you afraid of getting hurt?”
Her eyes shuttered. “You can’t have that power over me.”
Sharp pain hit his chest. Damn. She made it sound no different than what Tara had suggested. Big people. No strings. Walk away. “So you feel nothing for me? What we shared was about sex and that’s all?”
“Isn’t that what you thought?” she asked, wrapping her arms about her waist, looking more little girl lost than coldhearted bitch. But, still, her words had teeth, and they shredded his hope.
“I didn’t stop to put a definition on it.”
“Yes, well, I have a lot to deal with right now. It would be better for us to say our goodbyes now. Why drag it out?”
He didn’t know what to say. Hurt shuddered inside him and he shifted his gaze to study the condensation rolling down the chilled bottle of wine. Reality had stolen his glee, mocked his happiness, and rocked his heart.
There was nothing good about not being wanted. He cleared his throat, and she looked away from him. Good Lord, she couldn’t even look at him. “How can you be so cavalier about this?”
“I’m not cavalier. It’s just better for me this way.”
“Better for you? I see.”
“Well, come on, don’t act like you thought we had a future. You said you don’t even believe in love.” Her words crashed like rocks on a stone floor.
“That’s not what I said. And I messed that up.”
“But you intended this to be temporary.”
He shook his head. “Sure, I put off thinking about leaving, but I didn’t think we’d be so abrupt about it. Haven’t we grown into something more than ‘fun’?”
Addy took several seconds to answer, but finally she looked at him again. “Robbie Guidry, the guy who tried to rape and kill me, got out of prison yesterday.”
“So? What does that have to do with this?”
Her face gathered into a thundercloud. “Don’t you get it? My life has just gotten infinitely more complicated. I can’t be distracted because I can’t think when I’m with you. And what about the kids? I could put them in danger.”
“Addy, that was, what, fifteen years ago? I doubt this guy’s interested in repeating his last mistake. Don’t you think you’re over-reacting?” And as soon as he uttered that last word, he knew he shouldn’t have.
Never tell a woman she’s over-reacting.
Addy’s expression grew even more irritated. “You have no idea how I feel.”
“Maybe so, but you shouldn’t shut me out because you’re scared of some phantom, I don’t know, possibility? This is illogical, Addy.”
“Hell, yeah, it is. You’re leaving. I’m staying. So right now, I need to declutter my life.”
He stiffened, feeling like she’d punched him. “So I’m clutter?”
“I’m not trying to hurt you. And besides you’re taking what I feel and making my concerns sound stupid.”
“Maybe they are stupid.”
Annnnd he really shouldn’t have said that, but it hurt to be tossed aside like he didn’t matter. She’d taken what she’d wanted from him and was done.
Maybe all he’d been was a cowboy fantasy—her Sheriff Cade McGarrity stand-in, fulfilling her desires. No different than any other woman in his life. He’d been a fool to want more with her.
Her eyes crackled as she advanced on him. “How dare you call me stupid? What do you know about what I have been through?”
“I didn’t call you stupid, only the fact you’re using your fear to push me away.”
“You’re leaving, Lucas.” She stopped and sucked in a breath, her hands fisted at her sides. “The mistake I made with Robbie all those years ago still haunts me, and I can’t make that same mistake with you.”
