Page 5 of The Desperate Warrior

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Dean, we need to talk.”

He held up his phone. “Okay, but let me order first, and we’ll talk while we wait for the food. I’m starving.”

She swallowed the tightness in her throat. “We should probably talk before we order the food.”

Wariness trickled over his features. “Okay,” he said carefully, placing his phone back into his pocket. “What’s up?”

There was really no easy way to do this. Better to just dive in. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know you over the past couple of months.”

The edges of his eyes tightened. “But?”

She plowed forward. “But this isn’t working.”

His face fell. “What do you mean?”

This was so dang awkward. She just wanted it to be over with. “You’re a terrific guy.”

He grunted. “Seriously? You’re giving me the terrific guy speech? Is this your way of trying to let me down easily?”

“I’m just not ready for a serious relationship.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You mean with me.”

“Yes,” she acknowledged. “Not with you or with anyone right now. I need to take some time for myself, and I need to focus on my career.”

Disgust twisted his face. “I should’ve known this would happen.”

She rocked back, appalled by the resentment burning in his eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

“When my mom first told me that your mother wanted to set us up, my mom warned me that you could be fickle.”

Heat rushed to her face. “Fickle?”

“Yeah,” he sneered. “Obviously, my mom was right.”

Wow, okay. So that’s how he wanted to play this. He’d gone from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde in a matter of seconds. She’d never seen this side of Dean before. It confirmed her decision to break up with him. She held up a hand. “Look, I’ve enjoyed our dates, but this is as far as it goes.” The anger that streaked over his face sent a sliver of fear down her spine. She wanted this man out of her house and out of her life.

Dean balled his hand and muttered a few unsavory words under his breath. “You’ll regret this,” he promised.

Her blood ran cold. “What do you mean?” Was he threatening her? Surely not.

He barked out a spiteful laugh. “You’re lucky that I even gave you the time of day.” He leaned into her personal space. “I know you, Jules Sterling—how you string guys along for a couple of months and then give them the boot.”

“That’s not true.” She looked him in the eye. “I just haven’t found anyone I want to be with for the long haul. And that includes you.”

He pointed his finger. “You won’t get away with this. I won’t let you make a fool out of me.”

She clenched her jaw. “Get out of my house. I never want to see you again.”

He stomped over to the roses, grabbed them out of the water, and then slammed the empty vase onto the tile floor, where it shattered into pieces.

He held up the roses, his expression crazed. “I’ll give these to someone more deserving.”

“Get out,” she repeated.

Throwing her a withering look, he stomped out of the kitchen. A few seconds later, she heard the front door slam.

“Good riddance,” she muttered and then leaned forward, massaging her temples. What a day! She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

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