“I’m trying to protect you.”
“I don’t need protection. I need you to stop being a coward.”
The word hit him like a slap. He stared at her, something raw and wounded twisting in his chest.
“I’m not?—”
“You are.” She held his gaze, unflinching. “You’re scared. And I get it. I’m scared too. But walking away isn’t brave, Ben. It’s just running.”
He wanted to argue. He wanted to tell her she was wrong, that he was doing the right thing, and that she’d thank him later when she found someone who could give her the uncomplicated love she deserved.
But the words wouldn’t come. Because somewhere, underneath all his carefully constructed defenses, he knew she was right.
He was running. He’d been running for six years. And he was so goddamn tired of being afraid.
“I can’t do this right now,” he said finally, the words scraping his throat raw. “I need—I need to think.”
Her expression flickered—hurt, anger, understanding. Finally, she nodded.
“Fine. Think. But Ben?” She waited until he met her eyes. “Don’t take too long. I’m worth fighting for. I know that, even if you don’t.”
She turned and walked away, leaving him standing on the empty street with the taste of her still on his lips.
He watched until she disappeared around the corner. Then he stood there a while longer, the winter cold seeping through his clothes, the silence pressing down on him like a weight.
I’m worth fighting for.
She was absolutely right. The question was whether he was brave enough to deserve her.
CHAPTER 10
The margarita was doing absolutely nothing to dull the memory of Ben’s mouth on her throat. Sara took another sip anyway, letting the salt dissolve on her tongue while Posy waved down the bartender for a second round. The Moonlight Tavern hummed with Friday night energy, people talking and laughing. Someone kept feeding quarters into the vintage jukebox in the corner, but her gaze kept returning to the small stage sitting dark and empty against the wall.
Three days.It had been three days since Ben had kissed her senseless against Mrs. Pemberton’s fence post, called it a mistake, and promptly vanished into the ether.
Not the ether,she reminded herself.Just his house. Right next door. Where I can hear him playing guitar at two in the morning.
She’d lain awake listening to him play every night since. The songs were different now—rougher, more urgent. Sometimes he stopped mid-chord and the silence that followed felt louder than the music.
“You’re brooding.”
She blinked. Elara was watching her from across the table, blue eyes knowing in a way that made Sara want to squirm. The pretty blonde who owned Java Joy with her orc mate had appeared at Posy’s shop that afternoon while Sara was venting her frustrations. Elara had immediately declared that Sara needed a girls’ night. She hadn’t argued.
“I’m not brooding. I’m contemplating.”
“Same thing.” Elara grinned at her. “You’ve been contemplating that margarita for twenty minutes. At this rate, the ice will melt before you finish it.”
“Leave her alone,” Posy said, sliding back into the booth with four fresh drinks balanced precariously in her arms. “She’s had a week.”
“A week involving the owner of this establishment, if the rumor mill is accurate.”
She groaned. “How do people know these things? We were on a back street. There was literally no one around.”
“It’s Fairhaven Falls, honey. Nothing stays secret for long,” Posy said as she passed the drinks around.
She dropped her head to the table with a solidthunk. The wood was cool against her forehead and slightly sticky with old beer. She didn’t care.
“So everyone knows that Ben kissed me and then ran away.”
