Gunn(Bayou Springs Alien Mail Order Brides #2)(17)

 

"That's not going to happen," she said, her tone full of conviction. "I'm back. For good."

 

"Trust me when I say I really want to believe you." The desire to move to her side, to touch her was overwhelming. But I stayed put. I had to for my own sanity. "But I need some time. And space. I can't just pick up after eight years and act like nothing happened."

 

"You didn't seem to have a problem with that last night." She crossed her arms over her chest and pierced me with her gaze.

 

"You're right, I didn't. It was this morning I had issues with. And if we didn't have all this history between us, I'd be in your bed right now."

 

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them, pain and regret reflecting back at me. "But we do."

 

I nodded.

 

"So what now? Are you going to spend the rest of this trip ignoring me? Because today was brutal, Gunn. I've gotta say if that's how it's going to be, I'm not sure we can pull off our pretend engagement. I'm not that good an actress." She lifted her legs and curled into herself as if she needed a shield from me.

 

An ache formed in my chest. I swallowed a curse as I climbed out of the bed and took a seat next to her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I pulled her in close to my chest and ran a hand through her tousled hair. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

 

She wrapped her arms around me, hugging my torso. "So am I." Glancing up, she met my gaze head on. "For everything."

 

"I know." I tugged her in close again and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I just need time to catch up. Can you give me that?"

 

She was still for a moment, then she nodded.

 

We sat there silently for what felt like forever. But holding her like that, not being able to connect with her the way we had the night before, was too much. Too painful. Finally, I gave her one last kiss on the top of her head and retreated back to the empty bed. "Goodnight, Kennedy."

 

 

 

        

          

        

         

 

She let out a barely audible sigh. "'Night, Gunn."

 

I stretched out, my hands clasped behind my head, and tried not to think about the woman I loved lying only two feet away, and completely off limits due to my own bullshit.

 

 

 

Rain beat down on the city as we inched toward the check gates of Gravity Bay. The clouds had moved in less than an hour ago, cutting off the oppressive mid-afternoon summer sun.

 

Beside me, Kennedy was perched forward, clutching the edge of the seat. "They're on full alert, checking more thoroughly than usual."

 

I glanced over at her. "It's fine. We don't have anything to hide."

 

"I know."

 

I reached into my pocket and produced the onyx engagement ring. "Here," I said, handing it to her. Longing mixed with profound irritation filtered through me as she shoved it on her finger without so much as even glancing my way. I should've been the one to put it back where it belonged. Seeing it on her hand, knowing it meant nothing, just pissed me off. I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white and moved the truck forward a few more feet. "When's the wedding date?"

 

"Excuse me?" she asked, surprise in her tone.

 

"Our pretend wedding? If they ask, we better have an answer."

 

"Right." She pressed her hand to her temple as she concentrated. "Um, next week. Friday in Boston. Evening wedding at friend's house in their garden."

 

"Got it. Name? Something ordinary and hard to look up."

 

"Mathew Miller. A colleague of yours."

 

"That will work." A guard dressed in heavy raingear waved us forward. I eased into the checkpoint and lowered the window, already handing him our IDs.

 

"Reason for visit?" he asked, shining a flashlight on our driver's licenses.

 

"Just passing through town to pick up a friend on the way to a wedding," I said.

 

"Length of stay?"

 

"Overnight." That wasn't true. We'd be leaving as soon as we hooked up with Naomi.

 

The inspector nodded, but when he switched the IDs to study Kennedy's, he frowned.

 

I glanced at her, but she was busy playing some mindless game on her smartphone, pretending to be the bored traveler. She'd pulled her hair up into a messy bun, and was wearing an oversized sweatshirt and ripped jeans. The effect made her look just as she had at eighteen. A deep ache formed in my chest, making me catch my breath.

 

"What?" she asked, frowning.

 

I cleared my throat. "Nothing. Except there seems to be some sort of hold up."