“Worried about me, beautiful girl?”
“Of course I am. Spending time together was supposed to help, not make things worse. I don’t want to be the cause of any more problems for you.”
She thought she was the problem. Christ, this woman was going to be the death of me.
“The only thing to worry about is making sure I get to leave here with you.” I kissed her softly. “I can’t get enough of you.”
Her body melted into mine, arms wrapping around my waist. “I haven’t had enough of you yet, either.”
That word. Yet.
My heart went cold even as my body heated from her touch. I’d done this to myself. Agreed to temporary. Agreed to living in the moment without looking ahead. Given her the power to walk away whenever she decided she’d had enough.
What happened when that day came? When the only thing holding her here was no longer a factor?
And what happened if I didn’t want to let her go?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jamie
Interloper. Fraud. Liar.
So many names to call myself, but none of them were harsh enough.
Eric and I had agreed to stop pretending, but holding his hand while acting like I wanted nothing more than friendship and sex made me feel like a con artist.
No matter how many times I reminded myself this wasn’t my real life—real life was waiting for me back in Toronto—I couldn’t stop daydreaming about the possibility of something more.
Celeste’s accusations may have been directed at Eric, but the guilt belonged to me. I’d been selfish, stealing his time, keeping him from his family. The idea that I was helping him by keeping his mind off his troubles seemed ludicrous now.
All I’d done was play house with a man who was possibly in a worse situation than me.
If I was decent, I’d walk away before it was too late. Before I hurt him.
Before I hurt myself.
Walking into Caleb’s room, my nerves spiked again. This time I knew Celeste’s condemnation would be waiting along with whatever we’d find behind that door.
Eric’s hand anchored me. Without him, I wouldn’t have the strength to face this. But the moment I saw Caleb—drained of color, curled under blankets, visibly shaking—I knew that strength needed to flow the other way. I couldn’t steal it from Eric when he needed it most.
Caleb’s eyes were screwed shut, fighting pain instead of resting. This wasn’t the vivacious troublemaker I’d met before. This was a sick child who needed love.
“I brought you a visitor.” Eric’s voice dropped to barely a whisper.
Caleb’s eyes fluttered open. He struggled to smile, game face sliding into place. “I knew you’d be back. I’m too damn irresistible.”
“You’re too damn something.” Celeste’s scolding cut through the moment. “You need to rest, Caleb. Visiting isn’t on the agenda.”
“Lighten up, Cece.” Caleb’s sigh held exhaustion. “I’ve been tied to this bed for days. All the resting is making me stir-crazy. Besides, having a visit from this angel is already making me feel better.”
Celeste shot Eric a look like he was somehow responsible for Caleb’s defiance. Eric’s smile tightened, his posture shifting into something unmistakably protective.
I stopped watching their silent standoff. Caleb had his eyes fixed on me, trying to convince me he was fine when clearly, he wasn’t.
I squeezed Eric’s hand once before letting go and moving to Caleb’s bedside. His skin was clammy when I took his fingers in mine, his grip weak.
“I don’t have any pudding to share.” I laced our fingers together.
