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He took a step toward her, his expression not hidden by his mask. “What exactly didn’t you mean to do? The part where you came here under false pretenses, lied about being sent by the temp agency so you could get close to me, or the part where you told the entire world who I am?”
He’d never raised his voice to her before. She stepped back from him. “The last one,” she said quietly.
He cringed and pinched the bridge of his nose like he had a headache coming on. “I can’t believe you. Why are you here? Why didn’t you just leave?”
She twisted her wet hands together. “I don’t want things to be like this between us.”
He glared at her. “Between us? There is no us. There apparently never was.”
“That’s not true.” She took a step toward him, her heart hammering out a quick rhythm. “My feelings for you are real.”
He stared at her like he didn’t know what to think. “How can they be real? You lied to me. About everything.”
“No. Not everything.” How could she make him see? She didn’t lie about the important things. She told him things she’d never told anyone.
Skepticism narrowed his eyes, and he moved closer to her. “Did you know who Shadow Walker was before you arrived?”
Guilt choked her. She nodded. “Yes.”
“Did you wear fake glasses and put your hair up so I would believe you didn’t know Shadow?”
Oh, man. She dropped her gaze to the floor. “Yes,” she said so quietly she barely could hear herself.
“Did you lie about writing novels to cover up the fact that you’re a tabloid reporter?”
Dang, he’d figured that one out too? “Yes,” she choked out.
“Did you lie about listening to jazz and classical music?”
She snapped her head up. “No. I like jazz and classical.”
“Oh, well. There you go. I guess you didn’t lie abouteverything.” His words dripped of sarcasm.
She exhaled, her shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. Well, sorry isn’t going to give me my career back.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, and a lump formed in her throat. If she could just go back to last night, she wouldn’t refuse his request to turn around. She would have told him to his face that she loved him, scars and all. She would have confessed to him, told him who she was, and maybe, just maybe, he would have forgiven her. But it was too late. She couldn’t go back.
She couldn’t fix what she’d done.
Jalen turned from her, resting his hand on the desk. “Just go. I don’t want to see you again.”
Riley wanted to tell him how she was feeling. How devastated she was. But she had no words. Instead, she closed the gap between them and rested her hand on his. The contact with his skin made her heart race. There was so much she wanted to say, and yet, so much she couldn’t. “Jalen,” she whispered.
He hung his head. “Don’t.”
It was just one word, but it tore her heart into a million pieces. He wasn’t ever going to forgive her. She’d stabbed him in the back. Betrayed him. Broken him.
Tears streaked down her face as she backed away from him…from everything they’d been together. Even though it had only been a few days, she had fully given her heart to him. She loved him. Needed him. She wanted him more than she thought a person could want another person. Her heart was fully entwined with his.
And he hated her.
Chapter 25
Jalen had waited for an eternity to hear Riley speak his name. To have her finally know who the man was behind his mask. Too bad when she finally said it, it caused unimaginable pain to stab through him.
She left, the door clicking closed behind her. He stood at the desk, shaking, for far too long before his phone rang, and it snapped him out of it. He looked at the screen but didn’t recognize the number. He swiped to answer. “Hello?”
