Kiss Off by Virna DePaul

Author:Virna DePaul [DePaul, Virna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B07LFJWTC9
Publisher: Books That Rock
Published: 2018-12-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

KARA

* * *

Last night, when Declan came back to the restaurant booth, I knew something had changed. That whatever his life had been before we’d met was calling him back. Of course our time had to end sometime, I’d told myself, and I’d braced myself for the news that he had to be on his way, only it hadn’t happened. I’d been relieved, but even as I’d finally managed to fall asleep in his arms I’d been uneasy.

And it turns out with good reason.

Dawn hadn’t yet broken when the calls began. One call and one text after another. Declan had tried to be polite and discreet, taking the first two calls in the bathroom, his end of the conversation engaged in annoyed and heated whispers, but when the third call came in, he hastily dressed, kissed me on the cheek and murmured a hasty apology before heading outside.

I’m too restless to stay in bed, so when he comes back to our hotel room, I’m pacing. I take one look at his expression, and my heart drops. “You’re leaving,” I say flatly.

When he nods, I ask, my voice tight, “Gotta get back to work?”

The way he looks at me makes me regret I even asked him. What does it matter the reason he’s leaving? I mean, this fun couldn’t last forever.

“Yeah I do,” he says slowly. “I thought I had a few more days but several fires are raging—different clients need me. My brothers are trying to handle it but I— They’re busy as hell already. It seems a shit thing to do to leave them to handle everything on their own.” He doesn’t say it, but I can tell from his expression that even if it would be a shit thing to do, he really, really wants to let his brothers handle things.

So he can stay here with me.

The knowledge that he’s as upset about having to leave me as I am to see him go only makes things more painful. After all, we’ve never talked about continuing to see each other. Hell, I haven’t even told him the full truth about myself. And though I suddenly want to, I can’t give in to that temptation. I’m a wanderer, and Declan obviously has roots somewhere. Work. A family. A life that doesn’t include me.

“Are you heading back to Hilton Head?”

He shakes his head, and his expression looks pained. “New York, initially. Then Los Angeles.”

I give a hollow laugh. “Pretty sure there’s no airport within miles of here. Do you need a ride, or did you grow wings overnight?”

“There’s a bus that’ll take me to the Savannah airport.”

“You—you don’t want me to drive you?” I ask hollowly.

“It’s early. I didn’t want to drag you out on the road. You can get more sleep. Enjoy yourself here while I…”

While he gets on with his real life and leaves me behind.

I have to fight back the sudden urge to cry like a baby.

“Oh. Okay.” I can’t think of anything else to say. I mean, besides, stay with me.

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