“Thanks for the fuck, Maria. Time for you to go home now.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
What?
Maria struggled up from the sated sleep she’d fallen into after the most amazing hour of her life. What had he said?
“Hey,” she said, lifting herself up on her elbow and peering down at him. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
The gray dawn of morning gave enough light to see his face. Her heart sputtered at the cold in his eyes and the firm press of his lips. Lips that only a few minutes ago had explored every inch of her. How could he love her the way he just had and now look at her as if she were as repellent as a blood-sucking leech?
“I brought coffee and donuts. I thought we could watch the sun come up over the Gulf together. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sunrise. I’m not a morning person, but you probably already knew that. Or maybe you didn’t.”
She was rambling—knew it and couldn’t stop. She didn’t exactly know what he’d just said, but her instincts screamed loud and clear that she didn’t want to hear it again. So, she kept talking.
“You probably like mornings. I brought coffee and some donuts.” Now she was repeating herself. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I got an assortment. I figured you’ve probably gone all macho . . . you know, living off the land, eating fish and who knows what. The coffee’s in a thermos, so it’s still hot.”
She trailed off and waited for him to say something. Anything. He said nothing, not a word. Nothing but a closed-off, cold stare. What had she done wrong? After he’d loved her so fiercely—so possessively—as if he’d desperately needed her, she’d thought everything between them would be okay.
The insecurity she thought she’d put aside returned. Had she been too shameless, too much like her mother? Acted like a whore? She had so little experience with men, and didn’t understand them. What she knew of them, she’d learned by spying on Lovey Dovey. It wasn’t until she’d seen the loving relationship Logan and Dani had that she’d started to yearn for that kind of love for herself.
Somewhere, she’d once read men wanted their wives to behave like their mothers, to be all prim and proper little women while their mistresses fulfilled their fantasies in bed. She’d dismissed it as rubbish, but now she wasn’t sure. Sex with him had been a little wild from the first, but tonight had been different and some kind of line had been crossed. She’d let go of the last of her inhibitions with him, and maybe he didn’t want a whore for a girlfriend.
“I’m sorry,” she said, although she wasn’t sure what she was apologizing for. That she was apologizing for unknown reasons stirred resentment.
“Go home, Maria.”
“Pardon?”
“You heard me. Time for you to go.” His gaze shifted to the door of the tent, as if he couldn’t bear to even look at her.
“Why? At least, tell me what I did wrong.” Now she was begging. Her resentment level rose. She felt like she’d been used, only to be tossed away. Maybe she should take a lesson from Lovey Dovey and charge him for her time.
“Nothing. You did nothing wrong. It’s just not going to work between us.”
Words tumbled one on top of the other to the tip of her tongue. Begging words, pleading words, hateful words. Maria swallowed every one of them and pushed off the mattress. She’d be damned if she would beg.
“Whatever,” she snapped as she snatched up her clothes. “Enjoy the coffee and Danish. They’re the last thing you’ll ever get from me.”
He finally looked at her but with eyes that had grown even colder, if that was possible. “I do appreciate the fuck. Saves me a trip out later to . . .” he trailed off, his gaze sliding away again.
“Bastard.” Naked, Maria ran to her car. Thank God no other campers were up to see the nude, crazy woman with tears streaming down her cheeks. After quickly pulling on her clothes, she started Sally and turned the Mustang for home.
By the time she reached Logan’s house, her heart hurt so badly she was blubbering like an idiot. How she made it home without crashing into a tree, she didn’t know. She sat in the driveway for fifteen minutes until she got her emotions under control. With only lingering hiccups, she slipped into the house. Before heading for her room, she detoured to the kitchen to get the pint of chocolate brownie ice cream she knew was in the freezer. She would eat her heartache away.
“You’ve been crying.”