Page 73 of The Prince's Game
“We’re not done talking.” His casual tone made me want to hit something, or cry. The waterworks were ready to go, but I was holding them back. I wouldn’t be able to for long if he kept crowding me. It was too much.
“What else do you want me to say, Evan? I haven’t touched your money, and I have no intention of doing so.” I pulled myself up off the floor and dusted off my jeans. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.”
His arm blocked my exit. “Why are you turning your back on your dreams, Sarah?”
“Why do you even care, Evan? You won, right? You didn’t have to marry anyone, and now you get to keep your money. Yay you. Can I go back to work now?”
“Not until you tell me why. After everything we went through, why refuse the money?”
The laugh that bubbled out of me was part anger, part hysteria. I was losing it, and the last thing I wanted to do was break down in front of him. “You really want to know why?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Fine.” I had nothing left to lose. Why not throw my pride away, too? “Because Ican’t. Silent partnership or not, you’d still be there, and I can’t be tied to you like that.”
“That doesn’t make any sense, Sarah.”
“It wouldn’t make sense to you, would it?” I shook my head. His words were the final nail in my coffin. He needed to go. Now. And I knew what I needed to say to make him leave. At least I would have my closure. “I love you, Evan. That’s why I can’t be tied to you. It hurts too much.” I swiped a treacherous tear from my eye and gave him a sad smile. “I know you don’t understand, and I don’t expect you to, but if you ever cared about me at all, then let this be. Take your money and leave me alone.”
I ducked under his arm and went back to the bar to finish my shift. There was nothing left to say. The three dreaded words were out there in the open. A weight was lifted from my shoulders, but my heart throbbed. Leaving him in the back room was the right decision. His response would have only served to hurt me more. I didn’t need him to tell me he couldn’t love me. I already knew.
I didn’t see him leave, but I wasn’t paying attention. I worked in zombie mode, filling drinks and closing tabs. When two o’clock rolled around, I grabbed my purse from the empty employee area and followed Chuck to the back door.
“Be safe, Summers.” He said that every night.
I gave him a wave and forced a smile. “Always.”
Rachel’s apartment was three blocks away. I counted each step, telling myself I could break down as soon as I closed her door. Alone time with a bottle of wine and a tub of ice cream was on my agenda. This depression needed to end. I would allow myself one more night to wallow in it, and then I would move on. I had to.
I was so focused on walking in a straight line that I didn’t see the man who stepped out in front of me on the sidewalk until it was too late. I ran right into his solid chest. His hands went to my hips, steadying me when I would have fallen.
“Fuck, Evan.” I knew it was him without looking up.Leather and pine.
He didn’t let go of me. “Sorry. I was waiting by the front door, but you slipped out the back.”
“Front door of what?”
“Louie’s.”
“Oh.” I peered up at him and sighed. I was exhausted. “What do you need now? Haven’t I told you enough?”
“You have, and I believe it’s my turn now.”
“Your turn for what?”
“To talk. I know it’s two in the morning, but do you want to have a late dinner with me?”
I stared at him. “Dinner?”
“We can make it breakfast if you want.”
“That sounds like a pickup line.”
He grinned. “It does, but it’s not.”
“Why?” His palms were hot on my hips. Seven weeks later and I was still weak for him.Damn it. “Never mind. Fine. Dinner or breakfast.”Whatever it will take to get you to go away and leave me in peace.
When he asked me to get a bite to eat, he meant in his room at Mershano Suites off Michigan Avenue. I didn’t have the energy or willpower to argue. His penthouse suite boasted gorgeous views of Chicago to one side and Lake Michigan to the other. It was dark, but the city’s lights reflected on the water, illuminating the living area. The suite took up half the floor, making me suspect there were two or three bedrooms down the hall to my right and at least that many bathrooms. The square footage of this place was triple that of Rachel’s apartment. I didn’t want to know how much it cost per night.
