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She came up to me while I was searching for Lennon and asked to talk.

I ignored her.

Running my hand through my hair, I sigh.

What the fuck did Leigh-Ann say to her to put Lennon in this state?

I lean forward, gripping Lennon’s chin and guide her gaze back to mine.

I need to see her.

But more importantly, I need her to see me.

“What did she say, Lennon?” I ask and more tears pool in her eyes as her bottom lip trembles. It fucking breaking me.

Each tear that falls down her gorgeous face is a claw shredding through my skin and I am in ribbons.

Her pain is too goddamn much.

And I need to fix it.

“Can I hold you, baby?”

She turns back to the ceiling. “No.”

Something in me breaks clean in half and all the air leaves my lungs in a whoosh.

But I nod.

“Okay,” I answer, my voice hoarse. It is going to take every ounce of strength I’m not sure I possess but I will respect her wishes. My arms fucking ache to feel her weight in them, though. “Can you tell me what she said?”

She sucks in a stuttered breath. “She said that you’re a one-woman kind of guy but that it’s temporary. She said it never lasts long before you get bored and you move on to the next.”

More tears fall down the sides of her face and I reach forward, gently wiping them away.

She lets out a quiet sob.

I want to scream.

“She said you’re really good at making the woman you’re with feel special but that it doesn’t mean anything.”

Fuck.

That’s not even remotely close to true.

Shit.

Okay, maybe it is true where Leigh-Ann is concerned but I’m not sure that’s entirely my fault. I was up front with her from the start.

Lennon turns and her eyes meet mine.

“Is that what this is?”

“Baby,” I whisper, grabbing her face in both hands as I shake my head. “No. Leigh-Ann is not even my ex. We had a casual thing…”

She let out another sad laugh that turns into a half sob. “Casual. Right.”

“Lennon, please, baby” I say and her eyes find mine again. But they don’t offer me any comfort. Her pain is tearing me apart, piece by piece. “I swear, it was just casual. I told her from the start that I didn’t do relationships and that it wouldn’t ever turn into one. So when she started pushing for more, I ended things.”