Page 72 of The Vengeance You Crave

He came here because he needed me for whatever reason and I've just told him in not so many words that I'm not interested.

I tell myself over and over again that I'm not.

"W-what?" he stutters, his shadow falling over me, but still, I refuse to look over my shoulder.

"I'm sure you can see yourself out."

I rush for the door before he does something stupid like try to touch me, or kiss me again.

"Wait… I need—"

Finally spinning around, I pin him with a determined look. "I don't care what you need, Luca. You made your feelings for me very clear on the weekend. That," I say, pointing at the wall. "You owed me that. So thanks, I appreciate the gesture. But as for anything else… we're done. Over. Finito."

His lips part to respond but I'm not having any of it.

"Goodbye, Luca. I'll get security to ensure you leave if you don't go willingly." With that said, I pull the door open and all but run down the hallway as the remnants of what happened back in that room begin to flood out of me.

I fight my sob until the ladies bathroom door slams closed behind me. I lock myself in a stall and lower to the toilet as my tears spill over.

I knew it was going to hurt. I knew it was going to be a mistake but I also knew that I needed to make a point.

I'm not some toy for him to play with when he needs to hurt someone or expel some pent-up frustration.

I drop my head into my hands and cry for everything I hoped we might be able to find again but now I know is never going to happen because as far as I'm concerned, that's it for me and Luca. I meant what I said. We're done. Over. I can just only hope that I can forget as easily.

* * *

I've still got my head buried in my hands and my panties around my ankles when the door opens a while later and a familiar voice says my name.

"Give me a minute," I say, my voice shaky and weak.

Wiping at my cheeks, I clear away my tears although I already know it'll do little to make me look any more respectful. How I'm going to walk back out there and continue with my job tonight God only knows.

Pulling my panties up, I try to put myself back together as much as I can before opening the door and facing Bry.

"You know this is the ladies, right?" I quip, but my joke falls flat on its ass because the second he looks at me, his only reaction is to frown and take a step toward me as if he's going to hug me.

"No, please," I beg, throwing back my shoulders and sucking in a deep, calming breath.

"Peyton."

"No. Don't give me that look. I'm not some charity case, Bry," I snap, unable to deal with the compassion in his eyes when I know I did this to myself.

That had to happen. We needed that one final moment. But that doesn't mean allowing it to happen and taking what he owed me didn't come at a cost.

"What happened?"

"We're done. He's left."

"You don't look like you just told him to leave." Lifting my eyes from the basin, I hold his stare in the mirror over my shoulder.

"We had some unfinished business." My voice cracks with emotion and I lift my fingers to my kiss-swollen lips, remembering just how it felt with his against them.

"You should go home. Get an early night."

"I can't, Bry. I've got a shift to finish."

"It's dead out there. I'll tell Julian you got sick and I sent you home."