THIRTEEN
ISLA
The world spun back into focus with jarring clarity as Isla tore her lips away from Damon’s, her chest heaving as she stumbled backward on unsteady legs. The breeze felt cool against her heated skin, a stark contrast to the fire that had been consuming her moments before.
“I can’t do this.” The words escaped in a breathless rush.
Damon’s green eyes flashed with confusion, his hands still extended toward her as if he could pull her back into his embrace. “Isla?—”
She pressed her fingers to her lips, still tingling from the intensity of their kiss. The memory of how perfectly she’d fit against his solid frame, how her hands had fisted in his shirt like she never wanted to let him go, sent another wave of heat through her body that she desperately fought to ignore.
God, that kiss was everything.
It had been unlike anything she’d ever experienced—a claiming that had reached into her very soul and awakened something primal and desperate. For those stolen moments, the world had narrowed to just the two of them.
“I can’t get my heart broken again.” The admission felt like tearing open a wound that had barely begun to heal. “Not like this.”
“What are you talking about?” His voice carried that commanding edge that probably made dragons bow their heads in submission, but Isla was done being intimidated by his presence.
“Last night, Damon. You looked me in the eye and told me I was a problem for you. That this—” she gestured between them, “—wouldn’t work.” Her throat tightened with the memory of his cold dismissal. “And the worst part? I could hear the truth in your voice. You meant every word.”
His jaw clenched. “I was scared?—”
“No.” She held up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence. “You were honest. Maybe more honest than you’ve been about anything else since I arrived.” The tropical breeze stirred her auburn hair as she struggled to find the right words. “You think I’m going to complicate your life, disrupt your carefully controlled world. And you’re probably right.”
“That’s not?—”
“It is.” Her voice gained strength, fueled by a growing sense of clarity that cut through the lingering haze of desire. “I shouldn’t have to prove my place in your life, Damon. I shouldn’t have to earn the right to be wanted by my own fated mate.”
The pain that flashed across his sculpted features almost made her waver, but she forced herself to stand firm. She’d spent too many years accepting scraps of affection from men who saw her as an option rather than a choice.
“I want to believe in fairy tales and destiny and all those beautiful things I’ve read about in books,” she continued, her hazel eyes bright with unshed tears. “But this? What we’re doing? It’s messy and complicated and...” She trailed off, searching for the right words to capture the chaos in her heart.
“Love isn’t supposed to be this confusing, is it?” The question emerged as barely a whisper, vulnerability bleeding through her carefully constructed defenses. “It shouldn’t feel like I’m fighting for something that’s supposed to be mine.”
Damon stepped closer, his massive frame radiating heat and that intoxicating spice scent that made her head spin. “Isla, please?—”
“I need space from you.” She backed away before his proximity could weaken her resolve. “I need to focus on helping Evelina with the bookstore right now. That’s why I’m here, remember? That’s the one thing that makes sense in all of this.”
She watched the hope drain from his green eyes, replaced by something that looked dangerously close to devastation. His broad shoulders sagged slightly, and for a moment, the powerful Alpha looked almost... lost.
Don’t you dare feel guilty,she told herself firmly.He made his choice last night.
“If you want me in your life,” she said, proud of how steady her voice remained, “you’ll have to earn it. Through actions, not just apologies or pretty words or stolen kisses in gardens.”
Isla could feel her heart hammering against her ribs, every instinct screaming at her to close the distance and lose herself in his arms again. But she’d learned the hard way that intensity wasn’t the same as permanence. That feeling desired wasn’t the same as being truly wanted.
“And even then,” she added softly, “I don’t know if that will be enough. One day at a party, being charming with your clan—that doesn’t just fix everything between us.”
Without waiting for his response, she turned and walked toward the estate, her flowing green dress catching the late afternoon breeze. Each step felt like pulling against an invisible cord that connected her to the man standing motionless among the hibiscus blooms, but she didn’t look back.
She found Evelina waiting by the front entrance, car keys already in hand and a knowing expression on her elegant features.
“Ready to go shopping?” the older woman asked gently.
“More than ready,” Isla replied, grateful for the excuse to throw herself into something concrete and manageable.
As they walked toward the sleek black SUV parked in the circular drive, Isla caught a glimpse of Damon through the garden gates. He stood exactly where she’d left him, his dark head bowed and his powerful frame radiating defeat.
