Page 67 of The Bodyguard
“Wouldn’t want me to think we were serious or anything.” I had a hard time saying the words, and I could feel my heart pounding against my chest.
“I told you I didn’t do serious,” he snapped.
I nodded. “I know. You did. It’s okay. I’m going to go get a glass of water. Do you want some?”
“Brin,” he growled. “Don’t do this.”
I had to get out of the bedroom before I started crying in front of him. Because that would only piss him off more. “I’m not doing anything but getting water.”
I slid out of the bed and found his T-shirt as the first article of clothing that would cover me. I put it on and loved that it smelled like him.
“I’ll get you a glass, too,” I said with my back to him. I shut the door quietly behind me and made my way to the kitchen before I broke down and bent over, the hurt was so bad.
I told myself I could handle it. I told myself that I could just take what he offered and let it be what it was. I told myself I had kept enough barriers around my heart that when he did this, when he dumped me, it wouldn’t hurt so bad.
I was wrong. I was so damn wrong.
I fought to hold my shit together, and in the end I was proud I didn’t cry or sob. I just let myself feel the pain so I would know how it was going to feel when I did eventually leave. A smarter girl would have packed her things and gone immediately. Shown some pride. But I was never very smart when it came to Garrett Pine and I’d certainly never had any pride when it came to him, either.
So I filled up two glasses of water, put a smile on my face, and went back to bed with him. He didn’t say anything when I walked into the room. I checked on Romeo. Garrett let me keep his cat bed on the bed with us so Romeo would know I was close. I gave him a little rub on his tiny head and then settled back in between the covers in the space Garrett had made for me.
No, I wasn’t very smart. A smart girl wouldn’t dig the hole any deeper than she already had. But it was like I couldn’t stop myself.
“Goodnight, Garrett.”
“Goodnight, Brin.”
I thought about how nice that was. How I wanted to hear that from him every night for the rest of our lives.
Instead, I would take the next few days. If there were still no more threats or calls or sightings, I would leave. And break my own heart before he could do it for me.
* * *
GARRETT
Dusty Creek—The Next Day
I needed a drink. It was after five and I should have been heading home to check on Brin but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go back and face that smile. I knew it would be there.
She would beam at me when I walked through the door. She would have something cooking in the oven. She would have made some crazy-ass dessert.
But her smile…tonight it wouldn’t be real. Not after last night. Not like it had been this whole past week.
After five years of one-night stands, suddenly there was this amazing, gorgeous, sexy woman in my home who made me feel like I was the best part of her day. And I couldn’t go home to her.
I left the station and made my way to The Bar. I took a stool away from everyone else, sending the message I didn’t necessarily want conversation.
“Sheriff, it’s been awhile.”
I acknowledged Jack with a chin tilt.
“Your regular?”
My regular was a draft of the house brew, but I felt like I needed something stronger than that.
I shook my head. “Make it a whiskey. Neat.”
Jack let out a whistle. “Sounds like woman trouble.”
