Trask met her by the porch, grabbing her elbow when she didn’t wait for him to catch up.
“Jett, stop. What are you thinking?” he asked, because all of a sudden, he really needed to know.
She regarded him with her sweet, mismatched eyes, and he could swear there were unshed tears making them shine.
But why? He’d never promised her anything.
Jett sighed. “I’m thinking that I’ll be moving back into my own room tonight, and I’ll be staying there until I can find another place to live. Don’t worry. I’ll make my search for new living quarters a priority. Also, it will be easier to continue working with you every day if we’re not hooking up. So,” she shrugged, making it seem like no big deal, “it’s been nice. But no more nookie. Nothing lasts forever, right?”
She brushed off his hand, then turned and took the steps two at a time, disappearing inside.
Trask rubbed his chest where an unaccustomed ache was just beginning to form.
No. Nothing lasted forever.
It was just that he hadn’t wanted this particular thing to end so soon.
CHAPTER 28
It had beenthree weeks since their conversation in the truck, and Jett still couldn’t come to grips with the fact that she and Trask weren’t slaking their sexual hunger on each other anymore.
Herdecision, not his.
She’d stewed for a few days over his careless disregard, and true to her word, had entrenched herself back in her own room. Of course, during that time, Trask had tried to quietly cajole her back into his bed.
But she was done.
Why live with heartbreak, daily, when she could tamp it down and pretend she’d moved on?
The first thing she’d done after she’d declared independence, had been to procure a vehicle of her own.
She couldn’t stand being confined with Trask in a truck for those interminable trips to the office, especially one that had seen some heavy making out. She felt the loss of hisrealcloseness, daily, so there was no need to rub her own nose in that by having him in her immediate space.
She’d found a small Nissan at a good price, and had simply begun to reestablish her autonomy, for what that was worth.
After the car, she’d located an apartment in town. It was near to the business, it accepted dogs, and it was available immediately.
She’d moved out fast, thanking Trask’s parents for all their support.
As far as Jett was aware, Trask hadn’t found a house yet, but what did she know? They weren’t sharing even the most mundane of things with each other anymore. And boy, did that hurt.
Through it all, though, she never wavered in the friendly way she treated the stubborn man when they were with other people. Even when soul-deep disappointment crept up on her when she least expected it, and stole her breath away.
They still had to work together, after all.
She wasn’t giving up a great job just because Trask was running scared.
And Traskwasscared.
Of that, Jett was sure.
He’d never admit it, just like he’d never told her exactly what had happened to him that had made him so cautious; that kept him from taking emotional chances. But she knew it had to be something big. In time, maybe he’d miss her enough to trust her with that information.
In the meantime, however, she was going to treat him like she did his brothers, with humor and kindness.
Hopefully, he’d eventually come around.
It was the toughest act she’d ever had to pull off, because…
