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He frowned. “Where are you going?”
“To my room. I’m not feeling well.”
She knew she was acting crazy. Why was she suddenly on the verge of tears? Harry was the perfect antidote to her old life. He was exciting and fun, and he made her ache with wanting him.
Maybe that was the problem. She didn’t want to want him.
But she didn’t know how to stop.
Upstairs, she looked for comfort and found none.
Sitting in the dark on the bed seemed overly dramatic but she couldn’t help herself. She didn’t want to turn on the lights. She was hoping Harry would think her stomach was upset and he would leave her alone. Maybe he would assume she was having her period. Either way, she hoped he would take the hint.
She was honestly terrified. There was no way she could continue an affair with Harry and not get in over her head.
Now, with the luxury of time and space, she finally understood that she and Jason had been friends with benefits. Her longtime relationshipwith him had eliminated any possibility that Cate might find a man who turned her good-girl persona on its head. Until the relationship ended...
After the non-wedding, in her moments of grief and despair, Harry had somehow slipped past her defenses and made a place for himself in her heart.
It was a crush. She swore to herself that was all it was. After the wedding, she had been vulnerable. Harry’s attention had soothed her hurt feelings. His obvious physical attraction to her had been a balm to her pride.
So what now?
She had to get through this weekend. She knew the danger. Rebound sex was one thing, but letting her emotions get involved was a huge no-no.
When they returned to Atlanta, it wouldn’t take long to find her own place and move out.
In the meantime, she had to shore up her emotional resolve.
No more thinking that Harry needed her. That was a fiction she had invented to justify her affair with him.
She couldn’t repair the damage his parents had inflicted. Harry was not her pet project. He was a grown man, and his problems were his own.
And no more imagining that he might have feelings for her. He liked her. Maybe he even cared about her in a general way. But it wasn’t enough. She had learned that much this summer, if nothing else. She deserved to be with someone who adored her.
Love wasn’t too much to ask.
An hour passed. Cate wasn’t keeping track, but she heard the bells on one of Blossom Branch’s picturesque churches chime the hour and then chime again. A knock sounded at her door.
Harry’s voice, low and quiet spoke. “May I come in, Cate?”
She sucked in a breath. “Sure.”
If he was surprised to find her in the dark, he didn’t let on.
Cate turned on the small lamp beside the bed. She sat against the headboard, knees to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. Her hands were cold, even though the house was warm.
Harry perched on the foot of the mattress. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Maybe going on the offensive was the only way to deal with a big, gorgeous hunk of temptation. “I don’t think I can have sex with you in my grandparents’ house. It feels weird and disrespectful.”
Sheliedto Harry without a twinge of remorse.Wow.
He studied her face. Concern radiated from his careful gaze. “I understand. But you could have told me that earlier. It’s nothing to get upset about.”
“If you want to go back to Atlanta, I understand.”Please go, please go, please go.
His jaw tightened. “I’m here for the weekend. I want to spend it with you. With or without sharing a bed. Do you believe me?”
