“Listen, let’s just cool it for a few days. Go talk to your bandmates and smooth things over. I don’t think I should go with you.” Her gaze darted back to the private terminal. She could catch a flight to Roanoke, retrieve her things from Bob’s cabin, and still make it back to work on time.
He gave her a gentle shake. “Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t feel this.”
The certainty in his gaze had her heart lurching.
Something existed all right—a nuclear explosive detonation.
She wanted more. Every moment with Ash had brought a profound sense of belonging. She didn’t want to lose that feeling, except there was no way for it to last.
Her gaze cut to the plane and all the promises it held. If she set foot on that thing, entered his world, she’d lose a part of herself.
“We made a horrible mistake.” She rested her hand on his arm. “This whole situation is making me uncomfortable. And I still need to get my stuff from the cabin. I think the best thing is a time-out. We can figure everything out later.”
With Forest’s help, she would fix this mess. Or Tuttle would. That man looked like he was used to fixing Angel Fire’s messes. In the long run, it would be better to gain some perspective. Obviously, she couldn’t trust herself to make rational decisions when Ash was around.
A swipe of the pen had landed them in this mess, and their scrawled signatures would deliver them from it.
“You’re wrong, babe,” Ash said, brushing wisps of hair from her face. “When I hold you, I know exactly where I belong. You’re in my heart. In my soul. You’re in the very air I breathe. Don’t leave.”
How could she respond to his poignant plea?
Time and distance. Time to sort things out, and distance to clear her head.
She’d narrowly missed an engagement to Spencer, and she wasn’t ready to stay in a marriage with Ash.
Ash’s passion and his desperation to hold on had her heart breaking. Splintering from the inside out, she craved every promise he’d uttered. For that reason, she had to free herself from the madness because it was foolish and irrational to continue. Like oil and water, his famous life and her quiet existence did not mix.
Tension tightened the creases at the corners of his beautiful eyes.Or was it fear?Perhaps he sensed her imminent flight. The cords of his muscles stood out on his neck, marring the perfection of his tattoo. The dragon’s talons stretched on the bloody web, caught forever between flight and freedom.Was that what the tattoo meant to him? Had she discovered its meaning on her own?
No matter how much it hurt, it was time to end their adventure.
“Mr. Tuttle is right,” she said with a sigh. “We need to think this through.”
A desperate need for her brother’s strength had her fighting back a flood of tears.
Ash did that thing with his lips. The thin line of determination challenged her with absolute assurance. His shoulders rolled back, and he stretched to his full height, staring down with his jaw clenched tight. His gaze lingered on her lips and then skittered away.
“You’re wrong, babe. You know it, too. But I can’t make you stay.” He took a step back, releasing her from his grip. “I’m willing to give you space, but I won’t give up on us. Someday, you’ll realize how hard this was for me to do.”
His fingers curled and then he shook them out. Despondency rolled off him in waves, leaving her reeling.
She rubbed at the ache flaring in her chest.
This was it—the end.
“At the very least, let me take you home.” His hand opened and closed, grasping at the air and what was remaining of the shreds of time left to them.
But more time in his presence would open her up to changing her mind. Neither of them could afford that.
“I can take care of myself.”
His eyes closed and then slowly opened. “I get that.” He cleared his throat and took a step toward her, his hand stretching out, urging her to take it. “Don’t let it end like this.”
She didn’t trust herself to speak.
Their eyes met, stretched over an impassable gulf even though only a few feet separated them. He held her in a moment of indecision.
Shaking her head, she pivoted and headed for the terminal.
