Page 76 of Austin
He wouldn’t do it. He cared for her too damned much.
*
Kristen had aweek to think after her phone call with Austin. It wasn’t hard to deduce what was coming next. They’d known their relationship was temporary from the beginning and now it was waning.
Except that it damned well didn’t feel like it was waning—at least not on her end. Not when they were together.
So what now?
She didn’t know. It was difficult to prepare when one didn’t know what outcome they wanted. If Austin didn’t care for her, then yes. Things had to end. It would hurt. A lot. But if he did care…she didn’t know.
When Austin’s truck finally rolled to a stop in front of her house the day after the Pueblo event, she realized that she wasn’t ready to deal with whatever he was about to lay down. The icy calm she relied on to get her through situations like this was nowhere to be found. She felt raw. Naked.
Unable to hide her feelings.
And how terrifying was that? To let Austin see how deeply she’d come to care for him and how much his leaving was going to hurt?
She watched through the living room window as he got out of his truck and started up the walk, hugging her arms to herself. You played. Now you pay.
Right.
She moved toward the door, opened it. Gave her best attempt at a careless smile, which froze when she got a good look at him. Stitches across his forehead. Two black eyes.
Her mouth fell open. “I had no idea.”
“Part of the job.” He spoke coolly, dashing her last remaining hope that she might have read things wrong. He wasn’t there to connect. He was there to disconnect.
She swallowed as she took in his battered face.
You are strong.
Yes, she was. And she wasn’t going to address his injury. She knew how it happened; she simply hadn’t known the extent of the damage. He was on his feet, and that was all that mattered in that regard. His injuries were not why he was there.
“Are you here to end things?” It made sense to cut to the chase.
Austin seemed startled by the question, but he regrouped quickly. “It’s what I have to do.”
“Why?”
“I think you know the answer, Kristen. All parts of it.”
She dipped her chin. Seven days of analysis had given her a firm base upon which to build. His mouth flattened as he jammed a thumb into his front pocket. “I enjoyed our time together.”
Really, Austin? Could you sound any more distantly polite? That’s my gig.
“It’s ending rather abruptly.”
“It needs to. Before it goes too far.”
“Could it? Go too far?”
His expression blanked out in a way she hadn’t seen before. She wasn’t the only one with a protective barrier.
She stepped toward the window, giving herself some space as her mind worked. She looked back at him. “What is too far?”
“Too far is when someone can get hurt. Not breakup hurt, but life-altering hurt.”
Her brows pulled together. “I…don’t understand.”
