I’ve never experienced rejection before, and I’m not sure what to do.
“Fabiana, wait,” I say, catching up with her in a few short steps.
“It’s late, Max, and I have work to do,” she says without breaking her stride.
I reach out and place my hand gently on her forearm, and she snaps her attention to me, her face a study in alarm. “Fabiana, I really am sorry.”
“About what?” she says with a breeziness we both know is totally forced.
“We almost kissed back there.”
“If we had, it would have been a mistake.”
“Would it?” I ask softly.
She lifts her chin. “Yes, Max. It would.”
“I thought it would have been…nice.”
Kissing Fabiana would have beenan entire universe more than justnice, but I can tell she’s completely spooked, and the last thing I want is to upset her further.
“Nice,” she repeats, and for just a moment, her mask slips and I see something that looks like longing on her face. “This can't happen, Max.”
I place a hand carefully on her forearm, and she sucks in a breath at the contact. “Is it because we’re working together?"
“Yes, and…no.”
I make an exasperated sound. “Help me understand, because there is something between us, isn’t there? I feel it, more and more each day.”
She places a finger over my mouth, her skin briefly brushing my lips. “Don’t. Please. There are things you don't appreciate about me.”
“You can tell me anything. Anything. I want to know. I want to understand you.”
She lowers her head, and I want to fold my arms around her, tell her it’s okay, tell her that whatever it is, I can take it.
“I can’t,” she murmurs. She takes a step back, and I let my hand drop from her arm. “Good night, Max.”
I’m not going to fight her on this. She’s made it clear that even though I know she wants this, she’s fighting it, fightingus, even when it’s written all over her face.
As I watch her go, I roil like boiling water, restless and ready to spill over, my breath ragged, my heart pounding.
What just happened? One minute we’re talking, relaxed by the fire, close enough to kiss, and the next, she’s gone, pushing me away as she leaves.
Never in my life before have I wanted a woman so much and then been rejected by her. It’s a new sensation for me, and one I haveno clue how to deal with.
What is she hiding? What could be so big that she can’t let herself be with me? And why would kissing me, something that’s so right, cause such panic in her?
Despite her warnings, I find myself more determined than ever to learn everything about this woman who’s utterly bewitched me, body and mind. Because if there’s one thing I know for certain it’s that I’m falling for her, and no amount of reason is going to save me from it.
Chapter 17
Valentina
The early morning sun creeps across my bed, and I lean back on the pillow, listening to the dawn chorus echo around the mountains as I slowly wake up. It brings back childhood memories of waking up not too far from here, leaping out of my bed to begin my day feeding the goats, baking bread, traipsing around after my papa on the farm.
I stretch my arms above my head and let out a sigh before my mind turns to Max.
My chest tightens.
