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“Tender.”
“I’m sorry for whacking you with that wrench.”
“Apology accepted.”
When he didn’t offer more conversation, Izzy sat quietly and tried to enjoy her coffee. Having him so near, looking sexy and acting so aloof did the opposite of what it should have done. It made her want to engage him, not push him away, damn it! What she wouldn’t give to get inside this complicated man’s head. It was futile, though. He’d wrapped himself up tight.
“So, don’t you have a job to go to or does the FBI keep banker’s hours these days?”
“I had some time coming, so I took it.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if he took time for her, but she squashed it. Even if he had, he’d make it not about her. Seriously, she needed to move forward with her plan instead of waiting for him to throw her a crumb.
When she snuck a glance at him, she found his brooding gaze still focused on her.
Biting her bottom lip, feeling like a germ beneath a microscope, Izzy looked around the solarium and smiled. There in the window was a pink Gerber daisy planter. Beaming, she looked at Fly
Shrugging it off, he said, “They were selling them at the store. I thought you might like it.”
Raising her brows, she fought down the grin she couldn’t fully control and said, “You thought I might like it?”
Abruptly, he stood and walked over to the buffet and poured himself another cup of coffee. “Yes, you.”
Why did he have to make it so hard? Her smile receded as the urge to poke at his feelings for her enticed her. It wasn’t like she had anything to lose. Why not find out where she stood, or could have? Not, she told herself, that it would matter.
It hit her like a sledgehammer that she had made a mistake. Fly
“Do you think if we had met before I started working at Surf’s Up, things could have been different between us?” She wanted to hear the words, not speculate.
Fly
Pointedly, she said, “I didn’t stutter.”
Fly
“Why is that?”
He shrugged. “I just don’t.”
“Neither do I, but at least I’m honest about why I don’t.” She set her cup down and stood up. “Especially with a man like you.”
“Is this where you insult me to make yourself feel better?”
“No.” Setting her hands on her hips, she elaborated. “Actually, it wouldn’t make me feel better. I feel pretty crappy because I wish you weren’t you. If you weren’t, then maybe I would break my rule and try.” Since she had nothing to lose, Izzy let him have the truth. “I would have put aside everything that scares me and let you in. For you, and only you, I would have been brave enough to try. To see what all the fuss was about. I was willing, Fly
“That second guy, the good one? He doesn’t exist,” Fly
Izzy shook her head, dismayed by his refusal to sack up. “For such a badass, you’re the biggest coward I know.”
Sliding his chair under the table, Fly
“Your cowardice comes from hiding behind that first guy.”
He stood silently staring at her for what seemed like hours, but was in all actuality less than a minute. “You deserve better than me.”
Izzy laughed. “Is that supposed to make me feel better or you?”
“Neither. It’s the truth.”
Nodding, she looked up at him. “You’re right about that. I do deserve someone better than you. I deserve a guy who’s not willing to live without me.”
Lifting her chin, clenching her jaw and fists, Izzy strode toward him. His eyes widened. Oh, what she wouldn’t do for the honor of punching him! Hard. Make him feel something, damn it! Stopping inches from him, she stood up on her tiptoes and got in his face. “I only have one regret. Do you know what that is?”
He shook his head.
“I wish I’d never met you.”
His eyes darkened as his lips pulled tight. His only tell, slight as it was, that she had gotten to him was the slight acceleration of his breath pattern. In that one simple observation, Izzy realized he wasn’t made completely of stone. Sadly, it didn’t make her feel better. He had feelings all right, just not for her.
Ru
“Isadora,” Fly
Shaking her head, fighting to keep calm, Izzy turned and put her hand up. “Don’t,” she said slowly, forcing her voice to remain level, “apologize for being you, Fly
Izzy hurried back to her room, not giving him the opportunity to argue or explain himself, because it wouldn’t matter. She wanted something from him he wasn’t able to give her: the guts to try.
Chapter Twenty-five
By the time she closed the bedroom door behind her, Izzy couldn’t decide exactly how she felt. Hurt? Absolutely. Like there was a hole in her chest. An emptiness she couldn’t fathom. Rejection hurt like hell, especially after you laid your heart at someone’s feet like she just had. But she could take some satisfaction from standing her ground. She hadn’t settled for being Fly
Straightening, Izzy pulled the shirt over her head and unclasped her bra, tossing both onto the bed. She was brave, too. Stripping her pants and panties off, she gave herself a mental pat on the back. She’d taken a chance and lost. Damn if she didn’t take it. That was saying a lot more about her character than Fly
Now she needed to find a way to move on and not continuously look over her shoulder. Choking back a laugh, she wondered how one erased feelings from their broken heart.