“And that mattered to you?”
“Of course it did.” She prayed he’d believe her. “You matter to me, Dex. I love you.”
Silence.
She kept going. “I wanted more than anything for us to be happy together, but in the back of my mind I always worried you’d leave me. I’m still that little kid who was no good for my mother or the kids at school. Too needy. Too angry. Too white. Too dark. Hell, I’m too everything for most people.”
“You weren’t for me.” His quiet words hurt, because he’d said “weren’t”—past tense.
“Why wouldn’t I have doubts? You’re such a terrific guy, Dex. You have so much to offer. So why would you give yourself to me? What kind of sense does that make?” she finally asked, needing to know. “I’m a grump. I’m too emotional half the time. I have my own way of doing things, and I’ve been called stubborn.”
“I thought controlling, personally.”
“Yeah, controlling. Obsessive. Dark. Temperamental. Then you come in, Mr. Boy Scout.” She wiped her eyes, annoyed to find herself crying again. “You knocked me off my feet. You wouldn’t let me scare you away. Hell, you completely destroyed me in bed, which is no easy task.” She sniffed, hoping she wouldn’t snot all over the car. “But then you justlet me go? I called it off, and you said nothing.” Her turn to get mad. She poked him in the chest. “How could you smile and leave me?”
She sobbed for real.
Dex just looked at her and shook his head. “Come on. You’re ugly when you cry.”
“Fuck you.” She hiccupped, and when he smiled, she wanted to hurl herself into his arms.
“Let’s take this inside, okay? You don’t want Selena to see us arguing in here. Or worse, to see you crying.”
“Fuck no.” She jumped out of the truck before he could help her and hurried up the steps to Jack’s cabin. “It’s cold out.”
“I think fifteen degrees today. Nice, huh?”
He fumbled with the keys and unlocked the door. To her unease, a fireplace had been lit, lights had been turned on, and she smelled something delicious from the kitchen.
“Did we interrupt a family thing or something?” Good Lord, how embarrassing to think Jack’s family might be here.
He frowned. “I don’t know. Wait here.”
He left and she looked around. No doubt about it, it paid to have money. Jack’s parents had invested wisely over the years. How nice to see it pay off. The log cabin had a home and hearth feel. Durable yet comfortable furniture in woods and fabrics. A wide stone fireplace that heated the entire living room. A dining table separated the huge living space from the kitchen. Beyond the dining table she saw a long counter, overhead lights, and stainless-steel kitchen appliances.
The knotty oak floors were a smart choice to combat wet snow and dirt and remain intact through the years. An oval rug in front of the couch and another beneath the wooden dining table separated the areas into functional spaces. Dex had disappeared down a long hallway, and she wondered how big the place was. From the outside it looked like a two-story, but she hadn’t seen any stairs.
He returned, looking perturbed. Dex removed his jacket and boots, so she did the same. Still confused, but ready to handle whatever came next, she asked, “Well?”
“I don’t… You have to see this. Come with me.”
She followed him down the hall past a few guest rooms and a bathroom. “Is she here?” she whispered.
“Not exactly.”
What the hell did that mean? More than a little nervous, she let him lead her into what must have been the master bedroom. Against a far wall another huge stone fireplace had been lit. The king-size bed had a spindle headboard, upon which she saw what looked like…restraints?
“Dex…?”
A flat-screen TV was mounted above the fireplace, large enough that their home movie could clearly be seen from the bed.
“Oh my God.” Her ass was not that big, surely?
He closed the door to the master suite. “Bathroom is through there.” He pointed to another doorway near him. “No one in there though. Looks like it’s just us.”
“And whoever hooked up that camera to the TV.” Yep, a camera playing their movie sat on the mantle, plugged into the set via a long cable. She wanted to look away, but the scene had just gotten to the part where she moved to her knees to blow Dex.
“Oh, uh, wow.”
