Page 74 of His Last Nerve

She didn’t answer. Instead, she moved closer, not stopping until she was beside me, in my space. “Will you look at me?” she asked, her voice shaking.

I did.Fuck me, I did.

All I wanted to do was kiss her. Take her pain away. The pain of her father leaving her. The pain of her mother getting fucking cancer. The pain of her giving up her dreams. The pain I caused her. I wanted to take every single ounce of pain away until she felt nothing but bliss. I wanted her to smile at me. I wanted her to laugh for me. I wanted her to moan—

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving in the morning,” she said.

Leaving.

Leaving in the morning.

She was still leaving.

“Leaving,” I repeated, moving the sink and washing my hands. When I was done, I turned to her and leaned my hip against the counter. I folded my arms over my chest to stop myself from touching her, pushing the image of her in my arms from my mind.

She was leaving.

“Yes, leaving. I wanted to thank you for everything,” she said, meeting my eyes. “I mean everything, Denver.”

Everything.

In a span of two weeks, we were strangers, but we had shared a lot of everything.

“Don’t mention it.”

“I never will,” she promised. I knew she was sincere. I didn’t give a fuck if she told anyone. I had friends in high places, thanks to my father, but she didn’t know that.

Her she was, promising me she wouldn’t tell anyone of my sins.

One of those sins I committed for her. No one else but her. I would have no regrets over that. I wouldn’t lose sleep over killing a man to protect her.

I would lose sleep over her being gone.

I hadn’t even kissed this woman and I was going to lose sleep over her.

I stared at her, anger boiling up inside of me because I couldn’t find a way to make her stay.

Hell, I didn’t even know why I wanted her to stay.

I just know that I needed her with me.

That’s all I knew.

But she was leaving.

“Anyways, that’s all I needed to say,” she noted, looking away from me.

Don’t let her leave, my sweet boy. Don’t you let this one go.

I nodded. To Valerie, not my mom’s voice, and pushed off the counter. “Gotta get dinner started,” I said, dismissing everything I wanted.

Her. At Hallow Ranch. In my bed.

Just…her.

Something flashed across her face, but she buried it quickly and stepped away, going to the other end of the island. Both of us sat in silence as I cooked. We sat in silence as we ate. Then she offered to do the dishes and I simply refused.

She went upstairs to pack, and I went into my office upstairs to drink.

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