She stood there, breathing hard. Her chest rising and falling. “No! Nothing’s changed!”
“Exactly. Nothing ever could change between us, Lee. We’re meant to be.”
“No!” Damn, she was beautiful when she was angry. “I mean, what you did. Nothing’s changed.”
He had to bite back his anger. He’d been swept up in her. He’d forgotten that she still didn’t believe him. “I told you. I’ll prove it to you.”
She stared at him for a long moment. “I don’t believe you can. And I think it’s best if we stay out of each other’s way unless you do.” She turned on her heel and went back around the corner.
He couldn’t help watching her ass as she went.
~ ~ ~
Leanne stumbled blindly back inside and headed straight for the ladies’ room. What in the hell did he think he was playing at? It felt like some cruel joke! She’d gone outside with him because she’d thought he was going to ask if they could go back to the truce that they’d each suggested and not been able to live up to. She’d gone because she knew she should apologize for the dig she’d had at him about him not being able to resist. It was true! But she shouldn’t have antagonized him like that. Not if they were going to find a way to work together.
She would never have gone, never in a million years if she’d had any clue what he wanted to say. She went to the sink and ran cold water over her wrists. She needed to cool off—in a couple of ways. That kiss? Man! She closed her eyes and her body trembled at the way he’d made her feel.
And it wasn’t just the kiss. His words, too. What had he said? You still want to be mine because in my arms is the only place you’ve ever belonged. By my side is the only place you’ve ever felt safe. Damn him, he was right. He had made her feel safe. She had thought that she’d finally found where she belonged. But he’d destroyed it—destroyed her.
She looked at herself in the mirror as she let the cold water run over her wrists. She hated him for what he’d done. But she could hear his voice. You want to hate me. You say you hate me, but you don’t. You miss me. You’ve missed me all these years, just like I’ve missed you. He was right about that, too, the bastard. But it didn’t matter if she hated him or not, if she missed him or not. It didn’t change what he’d done. It didn’t change the fact that he was still lying about it.
She jumped when the door opened. Laura came in and gave her an appraising look. “What happened out there?”
She let out a laugh that sounded a little hysterical even to her own ears. “Oh, nothing much. He just told me that he still wants me—and that I still want him. That I don’t hate him—that, in fact, I miss him.”
Laura came to her and put her hand on her arm. “And?”
“And what?”
“Is he right?”
She closed her eyes in a vain attempt to keep the tears from falling. They streamed down her cheeks as she sniffed. “You know he is.”
“So, why are you in here crying?”
“I wasn’t crying till you came in.”
Laura smiled. “You know damned well what I mean. Can this be it? Can you two finally …?”
“No! Just because I’m admitting the way I feel, it doesn’t change what he did.”
Laura nodded. “I know, but if what he did hasn’t changed the way you feel about him … can you let it go?”
Leanne grabbed a paper towel and wiped her face. “How? It’s not even what he did so much as the fact that he promised me he never would. And more than that, it’s the reason he made me that promise. He knew me … he knows me. He knows why I’m the way I am. Why I don’t let anyone get close. He knows my whole sad story. He held me while I told him about following my dad out to his car, trying to hold onto his suitcase so he wouldn’t leave us for someone else. He let me cry on him when I told him about finding my mom on the kitchen floor. He stayed up all night with me on Damon’s anniversary. I even told him about Garrett. He knew that everyone I ever loved left me one way or another and that I didn’t want to love him so that he wouldn’t hurt me, too. He knew all of that and he promised he would never knowingly hurt me and then he went ahead and cheated on me. You know, I could maybe have even forgiven him that, if he’d wanted me to. The worst part is that he didn’t ask me to forgive him. Instead, he lied; he denied it. He’s still denying it now.”
She shook her head and straightened up, turning to check the mirror before pulling out her mascara. “Jesus, I need to fix this face.”
“And you still don’t believe him?”
“You know I saw him with her.”
Laura nodded. “Yeah.”
“How am I supposed to believe—especially after all the texts from her saying that he was going to leave me for her—that him kissing her wasn’t him cheating on me. He says he can prove that he didn’t, but how, Laura? I’d love to know how.” Her hand was shaking too much to risk trying to put mascara on.
“I don’t know, Lee. I really don’t. But that whole world he used to work in was weird. Maybe there’s some weird explanation?”
She shrugged. “Like what? If you saw Smoke kissing someone else, do you think there’s any weird explanation that would make you believe it wasn’t him cheating on you?”
Laura held her gaze for a long moment before looking away. “No. I don’t think so.”
“See.” She forced herself to smile. “So, while I will admit that kissing him out there had me all hot and bothered again, I still have to insist that nothing’s changed.”
“He kissed you?”
She had to smile. “Yeah. And if I could do purely physical, I’d want a hate fuck out of this whole situation, too. But I can’t. Not with him. I never could.”
“So, how did you leave it?”
“That it’s best if we just stay out of each other’s way.”
“And Donovan? I wish you’d told us about him this morning.”
“Sorry. I should have, but Smoke and I were finally getting along, and I knew he wouldn’t approve.”
Laura laughed. “You’re right about that.”
Leanne shrugged. “Ryan said he was going to prove to me that I was wrong not to believe him. I told him we should stay out of each other’s way unless he can.”
“And in the meantime, you’re going to let him think you’re with Donovan?”
“I don’t think it matters. If I were, I wouldn’t have kissed him out there and he knows it.”
“Are you sure? I think Smoke was right that they’re the same kind of animal. Ryan was always jealous and possessive. You don’t want to cause trouble for Donovan.”
“It won’t.” She turned back to the mirror and fixed her makeup now that she was a bit calmer.
“Ready?” Laura asked when she was done.
“Yeah. I’m ready.”