He nodded, massaging the nape of his neck.“She was in ICU for six weeks, but she’s getting better.”
She studied him warily.
“I’m not asking for a free pass for anything I did.I shouldn’t have touched you.I shouldn’t have gotten close to you or Emily.I believed the threat was minimal, if that makes any difference to you.I went into hiding as a precaution, but it doesn’t matter.I shouldn’t have started a relationship with you under false pretenses.”
“What do you expect me to say?It’s over.I don’t forgive you.”
He stopped trying to defend his actions and accepted the loss.“I’m sorry about the way I handled it, but I’m not sorry we were together.”He swallowed hard.“More than anything else, I’m sorry it’s over, because you’re the best time I’ve ever had.”
She closed her eyes and took a ragged breath.“Leave me alone.Please.”
Paul felt the words like a dagger to his heart.She didn’t care about the tragic events that had led him to this moment.She didn’t care why he’d lied to her.She only saw him as another untrustworthy man in a line of many.
Chest aching with disappointment, he walked away.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The next morning,Vanessa woke with an emotional hangover.
She pulled the covers over her head and burrowed deeper, reluctant to face the day.She hadn’t cried her eyes out all night, but she had tossed and turned for hours, second-guessing every word she’d said to Paul.The health scare with her father had added to her feelings of vulnerability, and the threat of Bennett reappearing loomed in the background of her mind.
I never meant to hurt you.
She massaged her temples with a low groan.She hated Paul for being so goddamned reasonable and appealing.Who did he think he was, anyway?He thought he could come here and bare his soul to her, while looking tortured and achingly handsome, and she’d fall at his feet?Shehadfallen at his feet, but only because she’d been too stunned to stand.
His tragic story didn’t excuse his deception.He’d killed a bad guy, his parents had died, and his brother was an asshole.He’d been shot while trying to save a woman and child.So what?This series of unfortunate events hadn’t made him a saint.
You’re the best time I’ve ever had.
Vanessa’s breath hitched in her throat, because he’d sounded so sincere.But how could she trust anything he said?He’d already ruined his credibility, and she’d been burned by men before.Bennett had lied to her for years.His entire persona had been a façade.
She couldn’t let another man make a fool of her.
Paul had deceived her to protect himself.She understood the circumstances were different, but the betrayal felt the same.He’d wormed his way into her life under false pretenses.No one had forced him to make a connection with her and Emily.He could have kept his distance from them.After a token effort at being standoffish, he’d actively pursued her.He’d claimed he wasn’t interested in a relationship, and then he’d spent an entire night in her bed.He’d treated her like a girlfriend.
She climbed out of bed and retrieved her phone from the nightstand.It was only six in the morning.Emily was sleeping peacefully on the opposite side of the room.She read a text from her father.He was feeling better and would be released later today.Vanessa replied with a thumbs up, rubbing her tired eyes.She took a lukewarm shower, donned a light summer dress and padded downstairs for breakfast.Jackson was still asleep, so she made coffee.While she waited for the brew to percolate, she logged on to her laptop.The battery was almost dead.She searched her bag for the charger, but she couldn’t find it.In her rush to leave the cabin, she must have left it behind.
Vanessa cursed under her breath.The charger wasn’t the only item she’d forgotten.Her favorite bikini top was missing, and she’d left a load of laundry in the dryer.
Before she could rethink her actions, she scribbled a hasty note to Jackson.If she hurried, she could go to the cabin and be back before Emily or Jackson woke up.Her stomach fluttered in anticipation of seeing Paul again, even though she didn’t intend to speak to him.The divorce with Bennett had hardened her.She couldn’t trust men like she used to.She couldn’t be soft and forgiving.She’d trusted Paul with her body, and she didn’t give second chances.She’d warned him that she wouldn’t be with another liar.
He’d disregarded those boundaries in the pursuit of pleasure.
Memories of the specific pleasures he’d given washed over her as she finished getting ready.She tried to convince herself it didn’t matter how much she’d enjoyed his touch.He’d deceived her, and he was a cop.Those were both deal-breakers.She applied a hint of makeup and combed the tangles from her hair.She was vain enough to want Paul to eat his heart out, but too practical to get all dolled up.
You weren’t even that good.
Now who’s lying?
Vanessa had no complaints about his bedroom performance, but she’d been celibate for over a year.She’d needed physical release.Sex with Paul had been amazing because of the long abstinence, not because of his technique.It had nothing to do with their unique chemistry, or any deeper feelings between them.They were over, regardless.
After he left Lost Lake, he would disappear from her life forever.He might go into hiding under a new alias and she’d never know what became of him.The mystery of Paul McPherson would haunt her.Every time she visited the lake she’d think of him.He’d ruined her favorite sanctuary and that was unforgivable.
Squaring her shoulders, she drove the final mile to the lake.Paul’s truck was parked in his regular spot.Her heart ached at the sight but she vowed to stay strong.She didn’t need another emotional scene.She could gather her things and leave.
Vanessa parked in the free space and exited the vehicle.She could hear boat engines in the distance, along with raucous teenage laughter and the deep splashing of cliff-jumpers.Summer sounds.Fun sounds, both familiar and foreign.She could remember being that young, but not that wild or free.
She strode forward with her head high, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.Paul didn’t come out to greet her.The door to Cabin8 was open.She hadn’t locked it yesterday.Before she entered the space, she paused to listen.There was a fan blowing in the bedroom, and clothes tumbled around in the dryer.
