“Why?”
“I just do, okay?”
He pushed himself away from the wall and came toward her, pulling her close. “Is that better?”
She slid her arms around him. “Yes.” But a shiver went through her.
His brow wrinkled as he looked down at her. “What’s going on with you?”
She drew a breath. “We won’t have this for much longer.”
He stiffened. “And?”
His reaction told her all she needed to know. “I feel…sad it’s coming to an end.”
“It’s your choice to leave, Samantha.”
She kept her face perfectly straight. “I know.” He didn’t understand and she couldn’t say any different. “I want to go to bed, Blake. Let’s make love until the sun comes up.”
It could have sounded silly but he didn’t smile and she was glad about that. It was as if he knew this meant a lot to her. And regardless of him avoiding any type of commitment, she hoped it would mean a lot to him, too.
In his bedroom she kept her eyes closed as she made love to him with everything in her heart. The thought of leaving him…of never having his child…of not sharing his life forever…was utmost in her mind. She’d never before felt such profound depth of emotion and she cried softly afterward. It would be so much worse once she left Blake for good.#p#分页标题#e#
Blake carefully eased out of bed the next morning just before sunrise, drew on his pajama pants and robe and left Samantha to sleep as he went downstairs to make himself some coffee. He felt restless, with a hard knot in his gut that he couldn’t shake. Samantha had cried last night after they’d made love. She hadn’t done that before. And it made him wonder. It was obvious she had strong feelings for him and he was certain now those feelings were the reason for her leaving. She hadn’t said the words out loud, but he’d felt it every time she touched him and in her cry of release. Could she love him?
He couldn’t love her back.
Hell, he should have seen this coming. He was the experienced one after all. Okay, so he’d invested more of himself in this relationship than he’d planned, but falling in love with Samantha, or any woman, wasn’t on his agenda. It never had been and never would be. He’d never allow any person that much control over him.
Never.
So where did they go from there? Exactly nowhere. She’d leave and he’d let her go. End of story. There would be no happy ending for them. He couldn’t give her that. He wished to heaven he could. He hated hurting her like this, especially knowing her last boyfriend had rejected her, too. She must feel so totally unwanted. Cast-off. Discarded and abandoned. God, how he hated to do this to her. It really pained him to do this. He shuddered, then reminded himself. He had warned her. And now that it came down to the crunch she had to be responsible for her own reactions.
Just then, the security light came on over the back decking and he saw a figure coming up the steps. The man was wrapped up to ward off the pre-sunrise chill, but he’d know that gait anywhere.
He opened the back door just as Gavin reached for the handle. “I see you smelled the coffee.”
His brother smiled as he stepped inside the kitchen. “Sure did.”
Blake went to get another mug down from the cupboard. “What are you doing out and about so early?”
Gavin began taking off his thick gloves. “I was going for a walk to clear my head and saw the light on.”
Blake frowned a little as he poured coffee into the mugs. “Anything in particular bothering you?”
“Not really.”
He handed one of the mugs to his brother. “Is the bungalow project worrying you?”
“Not at all.” Gavin shrugged. “I guess it just feels strange being back home again. It hits me most at this time of the morning, and that means I usually need to get some fresh air.”
Blake understood. “I know what you mean.”
Gavin shot him a curious look. “I’m surprised. Don’t you have a lovely lady warming your bed, helping keep those thoughts at bay?”
Blake kept his face blank. “Do I?”
Gavin shook his head. “You always were the same about never sharing your feelings with anyone.”
Blake’s lips twisted. “Yeah, like you do?”
“All I can say is that you must be losing your touch where Samantha is concerned.”
“Why?” He knew he shouldn’t bite, but Samantha was so much on his mind this morning.
“I thought for sure you wouldn’t be dumb enough to let her go.”
Blake immediately went on the defensive. “Why would I want her to stay?”