He reached out from the window and wrapped both hands around my waist. “Trust me?”
I answered honestly. “Yes.”
“Bad idea,” he murmured before he lifted me off the fire escape, over the gap below and into my place.
“Why would you say—”
“Alarm, Greer. Now.”
I glared at him and headed for the panel near my door. When I punched in my code, the beeping stopped.
I wanted answers now. I wasn’t even thinking about seduction. But it was all coming together in my head in some disjointed puzzle. Cav was keeping his distance on purpose, and I had no idea why.
I turned back to demand those answers because, fuck it, I was done with this nonsense, but he was speaking quietly into his phone near the window.
When he hung up, he shoved it in his pocket. “I gotta go. You need to track down your keys or get your locks changed. Both would be smarter. Don’t know who might’ve had access to them, and you shouldn’t be taking chances.”
All this information was processing in my brain, but one piece stuck out. “You have to go? Why?”
“Something came up. I was supposed to be meeting someone at the bar, and they didn’t show until now. Wondering where I am.”
Claws of jealousy surged within me. “Are you seriously leaving me to go on a date?” I wanted to take the words back as soon as I spoke them, because I didn’t really want to hear him say yes.
Cav’s deep chuckle filled my ears. “Jealous, baby? Because Rocco ain’t exactly got your curves.”
Rocco? A guy? My cheeks heated with embarrassment.
“Oh.”
Cav strode across the room to where I stood dumbly near the alarm panel. Pressing his palms to the wall, he trapped me in his arms. “The fact that you think you could ever have competition shocks the hell out of me.”
Grabbing hold of my lady balls, I asked the question that was really on my mind. “Then why haven’t you made a move? A real move? What’s your problem?”
He dropped one hand from the wall and fingered a lock of my hair. “Because I don’t get to have you, and you should know better than to want me to.”
I pushed a hand against his chest, over his heart, and the thud-thud of it traveled through my palm.
“That’s such bullshit, and you know it. You want me. I want you. This is inevitable.”
His eyes slid shut and his jaw tensed. “Fuck, I wish it were that simple.”
“Why isn’t it?”
He stepped away, putting distance between us. “I gotta go. He’s waiting for me.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” I said as he moved toward the door. “And that’s bullshit.”
His head jerked toward me. “Greer, some shit ain’t ever gonna make sense to you, and you shouldn’t even know people like me. I shouldn’t see you again.”
My jaw tensed as a crack formed in my heart. This wasn’t where I expected tonight to lead. “What? Are you serious? Just like that? I don’t understand.”
Cav unlocked my dead bolts before yanking the door open. “Good night, Greer.”
And then he was gone.
“You okay?”
I watch Greer as she stares at me as if she’s not actually seeing me. I wonder if she’s lost in memories of the past, like the ones that have bombarded me so many times since I showed up at her door.
She shakes her head as if to clear a fog and blinks. “Sorry . . . I was just thinking about things.”
“I’ve been doing quite a bit of that myself.” I lower myself to take a seat across the short table from her.
Her eyes widen as if with surprise. “You have?”
I pause as I reach for the glass in front of my plate. “Of course. Then and now. Can’t get you off my mind.”
Greer’s cheeks, already pink from the sun, flush a brighter red.
“Does that surprise you?”
A small nod.
“It shouldn’t. You’re an unforgettable woman.”
As soon as I say it, her lips flatten into a tight line, and I know her well enough now to gauge her thoughts. Whether Greer will voice the question or not, she wants to know why I could possibly leave her if she’s so unforgettable.
I wait for her to ask, but she doesn’t. She reaches for serving utensils in the lobster salad instead, her mood dimmed.
I’ll have to address it eventually. Because with every reminder, I push her further away, even though I can tell she desperately wants to trust me again. But she won’t until I can break through. If I could, I would do it with an explanation. But things aren’t that simple, and I’m not ready to give up this little bubble we’ve created by letting reality intrude. I have to find another way.
“What do you want to do today?” I ask, waiting for her to finish piling lobster on her plate before I dig in and serve myself.
“I’m game for anything. I’d love to see more of this place.”
“Underwater or on the water?”
Snorkeling and diving are huge draws on this particular island, and we haven’t discussed trying either. But there’s a boat docked out front, and Juan already offered to take us.
The temporary cloud that fell over Greer fades away with her excitement. “Both? You really want to?”
“Absolutely.”
We finish our lunch and carry the dishes inside before I track down Juan. He’s raking the sand yard and tossing fallen coconuts over the wall.
“Hey, man. I’ve got a question for you.”
He stops immediately and straightens. “Yes, sir?”