Page 69

Selfish bastard that I was, I wanted her to love me in that brash, brilliant way. But I knew it was selfish so I’d stayed away, working on myself, attempting to be less of a jerk and more worthy of her love.

But at my core I was too weak. I couldn’t live without her.

And that’s how we ended up here.

“What are you doing up so early? It’s what? Two in the morning your time?”

She stopped beside me, the wind making her bathrobe flutter around her body. “I took a sleeping pill when I got in. I’ve had ten hours of sleep.”

Lucy was always so good about adjusting to time zone changes. She was a master of jetlag and a conqueror of travel.

Or maybe I just thought everything she did was supernatural.

“Mmmm.” I made some sort of noncommittal sound but kept my eyes trained on the horizon. The sun didn’t rise in the west but I enjoyed watching the sky change anyway. Besides, I couldn’t look at her. I knew the minute I did I’d dissolve.

She arrived unexpectedly early while I was at the Anderson house helping Ben with a piece of furniture. By the time I got home she was asleep.

“It’s beautiful here.”

Not as beautiful as you.“I’m sorry I wasn’t home when you arrived.”

“I took an earlier flight and didn’t tell you. It was my fault.”

“Thank you for coming.” She didn’t have to. She could have told me to jump off a bridge—should have told me to go fuck myself. But she didn’t. She was never spiteful. A grudge holder, but not spiteful. I called her the honey badger. She was all sweet and adorable unless you crossed her.

And then, well, good luck, mate.

I didn’t understand why she hadn’t annihilated me.

“We have things that need dealing with, Scott.”

I winced at the business tone she took. “I should have come back. I apologize.”

“Don’t apologize.” She waved me off. “Are you kidding? I’ve been trying to get you to take time off forever.” She turned to face me. “You needed time with your brothers and I’m happy you came here.”

I couldn’t help it. I glanced her way and fell into the abyss. Her eyes always did me in. They took me to another plane of existence where I’d never made idiotic choices, where anything was possible. “It’s good to see you.” So good. She still had wrinkles from her pillow on her cheek and her hair was haphazardly looped into a bun on the top of her head, but my God she was gorgeous. My mind instantly ran through the catalogue of her face each morning she woke in my bed.

Every good memory I managed to fuck up with my issues.

She stepped closer. “I’m so fucking pissed at you.” Her voice was a soft whisper. “You left me. You walked out the door like…like—”

I kissed her. It was stupid, I know. Insane. And yet I wrapped my arm around her waist and crashed my lips against hers, so hungry for her it hurt—physically hurt—to be apart from her.

It took everything I had to stop. She didn’t push me away even though she remained stiff as I pressed my forehead into hers. “Like my pain was more important than yours.” I finished for her. I opened my eyes and saw that hers were closed. “I told you before our first kiss that I was a selfish asshole. That I’d hurt you. I can’t tell you how much I regret the things I’ve done to prove that true.”

Her eyes flew open. “You let the past control you, Scott. It’s your only weakness.”

She was wrong. I had so many, but that was one of my worst offenders. “Fuck the past.”

Her gaze narrowed like she didn’t believe me.

“I mean it. I’m done with it. I’ve let it go or told it to fuck off or just forgotten to care about it anymore. I’m not sure which. Maybe all three.” It was so freeing.

She stared at me for several beats and then kissedme.Fiercely. Passionately. As if she were starved for this kiss. Then she shoved me back, panting. “You know what my weakness is?”

She had no weaknesses. Not one. She was perfect and amazing and so much more than I deserved in a hundred lifetimes. If I could fix this I’d be grateful every single day, make her understand how completely amazing she was.

I couldn’t stop staring into her fiery eyes. Fuck, how her passion turned me on, even when it was frustration at my bad choices.

When I didn’t answer she grimaced, ran a hand down her face. “You,” she spat. “I see so much in you. Your heart, your kindness to everyone but yourself, I look into your eyes and I forget to care about my own heart.”

I went to her, took her in my arms. “Thank you.”

Anger, hurt, love . . . it all passed through her eyes in the heartbeats of silence. Then she took my chin in her hand and kissed me again. A light brush of her lips against mine. It was a tender, loving, intimate gesture that undid me, ripped open my heart and left me open and exposed. Without letting my chin go she whispered, “Prove it. Show me how much you love me. I’m going to hate you and not going to be nice while we fix the problems with the company.”

Then she let me go, stepped back, glared at me. “You have one week.”