“I’d do it again the same way today,” he bit out. “I’d gladly take his ass out for—” He cut himself off before he revealed a secret he’d held onto for nearly twenty years.
“For what?”
“Nothin’,” he snapped. “Drop it, Bailey.” He jerked his chin toward the truck. “We should get back to town. I forgot I’ve got some shit to take care of.”
Bailey nodded, and he pretended not to see her disappointment.
He allowed her to walk down the pier before he followed a few feet behind. When she slipped on the rocks, his muscles tensed, but he resisted the urge to help her. Touching her was a bad idea.
When they reached the truck, he walked her around to the passenger side, opened the door, and stepped out of the way so she could get in.
He was seconds away from safety when Bailey grabbed his arm and tugged, forcing him to look down at her.
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Rafe looked away, grinding his teeth, trying to think of anything except for her soft fingers on his skin.
“Rafe. Look at me.”
When he didn’t, she slid her hand up his forearm.
“Bailey,” he warned. “You need to stop touchin’ me. My impulse control is shit on a good day, and you…”
“Finish that sentence, Rafe,” she said firmly.
Because he knew she wouldn’t let it go, Rafe looked down at her. “You tempt me, goddammit. Is that what you wanna hear?”
Her eyes widened, shock etched on her smooth skin.
“It’s true, okay? You fuckin’ tempt me, but you’re too fuckin’ good for me.”
“You tempt me, too,” she said. “You’ve always tempted me, Rafe. That’s—”
“I’m not gonna be your fallback guy, Bailey,” he ground out. “It’s not my fault your relationship didn’t work.”
She looked as though he’d slapped her, and it pained him to know he’d hurt her, but this was nothing compared to the damage he’d do if he allowed her to believe her feelings were reciprocated. He had to put an end to this now.
“That’s not what I meant. I just—”
“Drop it, Bailey,” he barked, forcing himself back a step as he focused his gaze over her head. “I knew this was a mistake. Get in.”
No matter how much he wanted her, Rafe vowed he would not fuck up her life because he was selfish. As far as he was concerned, Bailey Weber was and always would be off-limits to him. No exceptions.
Chapter Five
After they left the lake, Bailey hadRafe drop her at her house instead of the bookstore. As much as she wanted to hang out with Violet and celebrate her new job, her argument with Rafe had put a damper on her mood. She spent the better part of the afternoon trying to process what he’d said, but more specifically, the anger she’d detected in his tone. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen Rafe angry, but it was the first time he’d directed it at her.
She didn’t like the way they’d left things between them. She hadn’t meant to give him the impression she wanted things to change. She didn’t. Breaking up with Seth had nothing to do with how she felt about him. It was something she needed to do for herself. Unfortunately, she could see how he might think otherwise. After all, now that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, she was going to end things with Seth. To others, that probably looked like a selfish move.
If nothing else, Rafe was her friend, and she didn’t want to do anything that would upset that balance. Clearly, she’d overstepped, and she wanted to make it right. She’d called him once and texted him several times since, but he hadn’t messaged her back. She had apologized twice, thinking that would earn her some sort of response but still nothing.
In an effort not to dwell on the crickets she was getting back from him, Bailey began organizing her things so she could start packing. When she realized she didn’t have enough to matter, she ended up cleaning the house from top to bottom. She did the laundry—hers and Seth’s—vacuumed and mopped, emptied the dishwasher, and dusted all the furniture. She would admit that part of it was out of guilt. She was going to move out, and she didn’t intend to have a lengthy conversation with Seth about it. She didn’t think he would care, but that didn’t mean she wanted to hurt him. He was an ass, but Bailey wasn’t wired for retaliation or revenge.
It had taken her until late into the evening to get all her chores accomplished. Long enough, she’d forgotten all about dinner. When she realized the time, she texted Seth to find out when he’d be home. Unlike Rafe, Seth quickly responded, letting her know he was hanging with a friend so not to wait up.
If only she’d taken his advice. Instead, Bailey had vegged on the couch with a bag of Doritos, watchingSuitsbecause it wasn’t something Seth let her watch when he was home. At eleven thirty, she gave up and decided to go to bed so she could read for a while. As she was washing her face, she heard Seth come in. As was his routine, he didn’t come to the bedroom, and she was grateful. They didn’t sleep in the same bed much anymore. On the nights he went out, he chose to pass out on the couch, and on the off chance he was in bed when she came home from work, she would sleep there so she wouldn’t wake him. Or so she told herself. Bailey sensed that Seth didn’t want her there any more than she wanted to be there.
Two weeks and counting, she reminded herself. She merely had to hold out for two more weeks, and then she wouldn’t have to endure this anymore. In the meantime, she would at least have the bed to herself.
