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“No, I’m not finished. Just listen.”

After a beat, he nods.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen between Noah and me or if us getting together is even a good idea but when he told me he loves me, it felt different than when you said it and that’s why I have to end this. You deserve a girl whose heart is going to beat a little harder when you say those three words to her.”

Our eyes meet and we stare at each other in silence for a few seconds before he sighs. “Fuck, this sucks. It might be easier if I just lost you to him. Instead, I’m losing you to the memory of him.”

“I know,” I whisper, nodding. “You can yell if you want.”

He sighs and brushes my hair out of my face. “I don’t want to yell at you, baby. And if I’m honest, I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“What?”

“As soon as he came back into your life, I saw a change in you and I’m a little surprised that I lasted this long.”

Tears form in my eyes and I reach up, placing my hand on his cheek. “You’re going to find an amazing girl, who loves you exactly the way you deserve to be loved. I just know it, Mason.”

“Good luck, whatever happens between you and him,” he says before leaning in and placing a sweet kiss against my lips. Tears slip down my cheeks and he wipes a few away before turning away from me and walking out of the cabin. I press my hand over my mouth as a sob spills out of me and I sink into the dining room chair.

God, why did he have to be so sweet about it?

It would have been far easier if he’d just gotten mad and yelled at me.

Even though it sucks and I feel so damn guilty right now, I know I made the right choice. Mason deserves so much more than I could give him and he’s free to find someone that can love him the way I couldn’t. Now, I just have one more issue to deal with.

The motion alarm goes off as Mason pulls out of the driveway and a minute later, it goes off again. I roll my eyes and stand up with a groan. Of course, he’s here. I’ve gotten so used to his truck parked outside lately that I don’t even notice anymore so I’m not surprised that he’s showing up as soon as Mason left. Gritting my teeth, I march over to the door and yank it open. He freezes with his hand raised to knock on the door and we stare at each other for a second before he drops it.

“Did you break up with him?”

I roll my eyes and turn away from him, leaving the door open behind me ‘cause Lord knows he won’t leave, even if I asked him. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“Sure you don’t.” He laughs. The click of the door lock fills the space and I suck in a breath as I turn around to face him. There’s a hunger in his eyes that I remember all too well. It sets my body on fire despite all my inner objections and goose bumps race across my flesh.

“What are you doing?”

“You and I aren’t leaving this cabin until we work this out.” He motions between the two of us and I scoff, turning away from him.

Oh, hell.

If I’m locked in this house with him, I’ll never be able to resist.

“Just try and stop me from leaving, Noah.”

He closes the distance between us and I shiver when his breath hits the back of my neck. “What’s wrong, Kady baby? Afraid to be alone with me?”

“Not afraid,” I breathe, trying to ignore the knot of desire forming in my belly. “Just not interested.”

“You don’t sound as confident as you did a second ago,” he whispers in my ear and I barely hold back a shudder. He grabs my hips and pulls me back back into his body. “Stop pretending like you haven’t missed this.”

“Noah,” I sigh and he hums in my ear.

“Fuck, I missed hearing you say my name like that, baby.”

A feeling of comfort surrounds me and I curse myself as I lean back into him, soaking it up. “We can’t.”

“We can,” he murmurs, his lips brushing against my neck and I moan. It’s the thing that snaps the last thread of his restraint and he grabs my arm before spinning me around to face him. Gripping the back of my neck, he pulls my lips to his and we start moving. My back hits the living room wall and I moan again, arching against him as he slips his tongue into my mouth, ramping things up a notch. We’re frenzied as we kiss, grope at each other, and pull at the clothes between us.

“Jesus Christ,” he breathes in between kisses. “I fucking missed you, baby.”