His lips felt good on her cheek, on her lips, on her neck. Without thinking she arched against him, leaning into his embrace, into his kisses. He wasn’t her protector right now. He was only Mitch. The man she wanted with all her being. The man who owned this view. This spectacular multi-million-dollar house.
Suddenly she pushed out of his arms and took a few steps back. Something wasn’t right. Shaking her head, she held her hands up in front of her. “No…no.”
He took a step back also. “I shouldn’t have done that. It won’t happen again.”
“It’s not about the kisses.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
There was no way to say this but straight out. The answer might shatter what was building between them, but she had to know. Had to ask. “What did you do, Mitch? Before? What did you do in your past, to ever be able to afford this place?”
Chapter Sixteen
There’d been no choice but to ask the question. Now that Liz had made that leap, she almost wished she hadn’t. Not so much as a grunt had been his reply. Instead, he’d turned his focus in her direction, seeming to dare her to repeat the request. Full well knowing he’d heard her ask what he’d done in his past to afford this mansion, she stared back.
“You go right ahead and think whatever you want,” he uttered with a touch of a challenge in his tone. “What I did in my past belongs to me. Nobody else.”
Try as she might, she couldn’t let this go. She liked Mitch. Liked the way he made her feel. Maybe too much. But the nagging doubt in her mind accentuated her need for the answer before their relationship could move forward. Besides, what she felt could be all one-sided.
Still, she needed an answer. “If you come from a wealthy family, just say so.”
“Can’t.”
“Why? That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Because it’s a lie.” He braced his forearms on the rail then turned his gaze toward the Gulf. “You know what your problem is? You’ve been a journalist too long. Got too many questions in that pretty mind of yours. Too many what-ifs.”
That almost sounded like an insult.
“Since you’re asking questions, here’s one from me. Back on the boat, why were you spying on us when we were risking everything to keep you alive?” he asked.
“That’s a good question. Why didn’t I speak up? Let you know I was there on the deck?” She moved back in his direction. “I guess I figured you all would shut down.”
“Why would we do that?”
She shrugged. “Some people have.”
“The only reason Drake or I will ever close you out is if it puts you in danger.”
The gentle sound of the rolling waves filled the dusk-filled evening while laughter from down the beach punctuated the calm. Maybe she could try putting herself out there again. There wasn’t a lot to lose at this point.
“Okay, you said your past was your own,” she said. “What about your future?”
He glanced down then straightened away from the rail, seeming to consider her question. “Like my past…the future belongs to me. Nobody else.”
“Sure, but—”
“Nobody.” His scrutiny returned to her eyes, his jawline tightened, his shoulders pulled back. Any semblance of the man who’d been enjoying the view a moment ago had disappeared. “Understand?”
With that one statement, he’d told her he could never be hers. She could never be his. He might not have been as blunt as Drake had been about having the entire banana split, but Mitch had laid out the same premise for his life—do what he wanted, when he wanted. She doubted he ever thought about tomorrow. At least not a tomorrow that involved anyone else.
Had her mother faced that same realization years ago? Known she might never be first place in Drake’s life. Afraid to take a chance on “what if,” because she wasn’t strong enough to lose. And what about Drake? His letter sounded like he loved her mother, yet he’d never come looking for her, even when he thought he might be a father. He’d stayed with law enforcement—adventure, adrenaline. Alone.
Well, she wasn’t her mother. And she wasn’t Drake. She was Eliza— No! She was Liz. Her life wasn’t a rope she’d threaded together through the years. Nothing was a mask. Shewasthat confident, self-reliant, risk-taking woman she’d always imagined. Her damaged and tangled past had made her who she’d been meant to be. Meeting Mitch had been the final lesson. And she’d take that class as long as she could.
She was—Liz!
There was no need for her to ask any more questions. Life was only the moment at hand. She didn’t need answers, because a long-term commitment between Mitch and her was out of the question. Any relationship they might have would be of her own choice. Based on one premise—who knew what tomorrow would bring?
