Page 56 of Storm Warning
“What do you mean?” He reached for her again, fingers outstretched, but she stepped back, the sand shifting beneath her heels. The bewilderment etched on his face only hollowed her out further, scooping out what little remained.
“I’m an author, Nick. I write romance books. Or, as my ex called it, smut.” The word tasted like ash on her tongue. “You’re the owner and CEO of a chain of luxury hotels. You are so far out of my league we may as well be from different planets.” The bitter taste of reality settled in her mouth, metallic and wrong, and the morning chill wrapped around her like a shroud, raising goosebumps along her bare arms.
Nick’s jaw tightened, a muscle jumping beneath the stubble shadowing his cheek. “You think I care about that? What do our jobs have to do with us, our relationship?”
“Everything, Nick,” she whispered, her voice trembling like a plucked string. “Start there. What relationship? Where do you see this going?” She swallowed hard, her throat clicking. “Are you looking for a fling or something more? And what would ‘more’ look like for us when we live in different worlds?”
The thought of a casual affair made her stomach churn, acid creeping up her esophagus. “I can’t do a fling, Nick. I thought maybe… but I can’t.” Anger flared, a hot coal giving her strength, fortifying the crumbling walls. “Then there’s Jessa. If you wanted something with me, why did you invite her here? Did you think I wouldn’t find out? She said you were practically engaged.”
Nick stiffened, his entire body going rigid as if she’d struck him. “Kate—wait. What?—”
“She’s perfect for you,” she cut in, voice fracturing at the edges. “You belong with someone like her. Not me.”Never me.
“Kate, stop.” His voice came out harsh, threaded with frustration, fraying like old rope. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who is Jessa? And I’ve never been engaged, or even in a meaningful relationship.”
Her breath hitched. “She said you were. That you asked her to come.”
“Well, I didn’t,” he snapped, raking a hand through his hair, leaving it standing in dark, disheveled spikes. His expression was raw, unguarded, stripped of its customary smooth confidence. “I don’t even know who you’re talking about! Whatever this woman thinks she’s doing… I swear to you, I didn’t invite anyone here.”
She shook her head, not trusting the surge of relief trying to drown her anger, warm water threatening to breach the dam. “You expect me to believe that? That she showed up on this remote island out of nowhere, telling everyone that you are a couple?”
“I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks,” he bit out, his voice roughening. “I care about you. Us. You want to know where this is going?” His chest rose and fell in a heavy breath, the morning light catching the sheen of sweat at his temple. “I don’t have all the answers yet, but this —” He gestured between them, the movement sharp, almost desperate. “This is real to me. You’re not a fling.”
Her heart twisted, wringing itself out like a dishrag, and her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible above the surf. “I don’t know if I can believe you.”
His face softened, the frustration melting into something that looked much like regret, vulnerability flickering acrosshis features like candlelight. “Let me prove it. Don’t walk away.”
But she was already shaking her head, the movement mechanical, protective. The ache in her chest was too big, too sharp, a jagged wound that wouldn’t stop bleeding. “I can’t do this.”
“Kate—” He stepped forward, water dribbling from his foot, but she took another step back, then another.
“Goodbye, Nick.”
Before he could reach for her again, she spun and bolted up the beach, her feet pounding against the sand, lungs burning, salt spray mixing with the tears now streaming freely down her face. She didn’t dare look back, couldn’t afford to see if he was following or watching her run. The weight of everything unsaid pressed down like a storm about to break, the air thick and electric with all the words they should have spoken.
Chapter 29
Blindsided
Nick stood there,watching Kate run away, his heart a heavy stone lodged in his chest. He wanted to call her back, to tell her he didn’t want things to end this way, but he let her go.
Kate had decided they were over before they had really begun. She hadn’t believed him. She had already made her decision.
A deep sigh escaped him, an unexpected pang of loss weighing down his shoulders. Perhaps it was for the best; the longer he held on, the more he would inevitably hurt her.
Kate was different—he’d been so comfortable with her. He’d told her things he’d never said to anyone else. She deserved something real, something he couldn’t give.
Then there was the Jessa thing. Who was she? He knew a Jessica, the model whose parents had been friends with his own. A month ago, he attended an upscale charity gala with her out of obligation, but he didn’t particularly like her. He certainly didn't invite her down; his home was a place he wanted to share with Kate, not some shallow fling.
Why would Kate think he could do that? Hisstomach churned with frustration and disbelief. Did she really believe he could betray her like that?
Maybe Kate wasn’t as different from the others as he had hoped. His lips pressed into a frown, grief flooding through him. She only looked surface deep, like everyone else.
He had no idea how long he stood there, rooted in place, before irritation replaced disbelief, pushing him to move.
When he trudged into the kitchen, Zach sat at the island with Marguerite, remnants of breakfast scattered in front of them. The scent of coffee and bacon hung in the air.
Marguerite’s face lit up with a bright, happy smile. “Let me pour you some coffee, Nicky. You look tired. Late night?” Her teasing tone twisted like a knife in his gut, and the concern now replacing her playful demeanor only deepened his sense of loss. “What’s wrong, Nick?”