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.When she reached the cabin, she tapped on the door.No answer.She looked around the side of the cabin and was relieved when she saw a black SUV parked there.At least she hadn’t been wrong about where Mike had gone.Now she just had to get him to let her in.She walked along the outer wall and tapped on a window.“Mike!”Trying to peer in, she cupped her hands around her eyes so she could see past the glare.The window gave her a good view of a table.She saw Mike’s laptop resting on it.“Mike!” she called out, more loudly now.Why the hell wouldn’t he let her in?“Julia.”She almost squealed as she whirled around.The voice had come from behind her.Mike approached the cabin, carrying a fishing pole.He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t glaring or about to yell at her either.She tried a smile.“Catch anything?”He shook his head.“I guess my location wasn’t much of a puzzle.”Vaguely, Julia took comfort in that thought.If Mike had really been trying to avoid her, he’d have gone somewhere she wouldn’t know to look.“Are you going to send me away?”Shaking his head again, he gestured toward the cabin.He hadn’t shaved this morning, and his dark bristles were thicker than normal.“Come on in.”Julia went inside.The rustic furniture was as she remembered it, down to the worn bearskin rug in front of the fireplace.Mike’s overnight bag was on the bed across the room.When he waved toward the rocking chair, she perched on the edge of the seat, wishing this conversation was over.Mike didn’t sit down.He just leaned against the sturdy table.His chest rose and fell as he looked at her, a hard edge to his jaw and his eyes uncharacteristically unyielding.He looked like some sort of rugged, hardened cop from a movie.It was like she was seeing him for the first time.“I’m sorry, Mike,” she said, a swell of emotion pushing her into speech.“I really am.I’m so sorry I hurt you.”“But you aren’t going to admit that what you did was wrong?”“I don’t think it was.” She twisted her hands together, praying for the right word.“I mean, I wish now I hadn’t done it, but I didn’t cheat on you.And I think I need you to acknowledge that before we deal with the rest of this.”There was a long pause before Mike said thickly, “I’m not sure I can.”“Mike—”“I watched him fucking you, Julia! And I wasn’t a part of it.It felt like a betrayal.”Julia leaned forward, urgent and sincere as she asked, “A betrayal of what?” She wasn’t challenging him.She really wanted to know.“Of what we have.” She could tell it wasn’t easy for Mike to speak so nakedly, but he didn’t back down or close off.“You know how I feel about you.I stayed awake all night worrying about you.God, what a pitiful schmuck I am.And you turn around and fuck him as soon as I—”“I didn’t just turn around and fuck him! Don’t make it sound dirty.I’m in a relationship—”“The relationship is over, and you’ve obviously made your choice.”Mike did turn away then, and she saw his face close down, empty in a way she couldn’t bear.Clearly, he assumed this was the end of the conversation.But it wasn’t even close.She got up and grabbed him by the shoulder.Turned him around to face her.“I haven’t made a choice,” she snapped.“It didn’t mean I made a choice.”“Then why did you fuck him?” His eyes flared out again—angry, urgent, and desperate.She wondered how long he’d watched her and Drayton fuck.How long he’d tortured himself.It seemed significant that he kept calling it “fucking.” She’d always thought about it as making love before.Mike had always referred to it as sex.“I did it because I didn’t want to make a choice, because I wanted things to stay the same.” The words felt like they were wrenched out of her.“It’s not fair, Mike.My life is being torn apart by this.It’s not fair that I have to choose between you.That I can’t be loyal to both of you.”“I know.” Mike let out a breath.His face softened—in fatigue not in tenderness.“I know it’s not fair.It’s not fair that Drayton kept this secret from us, and that he’s still willing to lie to us.And it’s not fair that we had a decent thing going for a while.And then I had to fall in love with you—just you—and couldn’t stand for Drayton to touch you anymore.”Julia stared up at him, her mouth open.While his feelings had been becoming increasingly obvious, it was shocking to hear it said so bluntly.It felt like she was frozen inside, so frozen the chill threatened to shatter her.“I know that technically you didn’t do anything wrong,” Mike said, “I know I have no legitimate claim on you.But it feels like I do, and I can’t stand the thought that he fucked you.”“He’s fucked me regularly for months.”“I can’t stand that either.” Mike made a guttural sound and looked away.“It used to be hot—the fact that both of us fucked you.It was hot and freeing and easy.A scenario with no exclusivity and minimal responsibility.Nothing that could possibly hurt me.No one who could leave me and break my heart.But now I keep visualizing all the ways I’ve seen him take you.And I want to wring his neck for every time.”“Oh, Mike…”“I know it’s not fair to spring this on you.Why do you think I’ve been holding back for weeks, trying to talk myself out of it? But I can’t.I can’t share you anymore.”A lump in her throat threatened to strangle her.“It’s not that easy, Mike.I’ve always been with both of you.It’s not like one of you can just fade away and everything left will work fine.”“Why not?” Mike asked in almost a growl.“What?”“Why not? Why can’t it work? Why do you keep assuming that letting go of Drayton means letting go of me too? You know as well as I do that there are some real problems with being in a relationship with a professional thief, but even if he weren’t who he is, Drayton just doesn’t love you the way I do.He has to harden himself to do what he does.That’s the change we’ve both sensed in him.I know you feel loyal to him, but you feel even more than that for me.Why can’t you admit that and see that we might build something even better out of what’s left of the old relationship?” He took her by the shoulders, his hands as hard as granite.“You love me.”“Of course, I love you.What we had was supposed to be casual, but that wasn’t enough for me.But it’s always been both of you at once.Why can’t you understand?”“I do understand, but I don’t think it’s the way you believe it to be.”“What do you mean? What do I believe?”Mike’s mouth twisted strangely, and his eyes were suddenly angry again.“You think I only bring half of what you need.”Julia sucked in a painful breath.“No! That’s not true
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IndexCidney Swanson [Saving Mars Saving Mars (epub)
Christine Wood [Life Plan 01] A Life Plan Without You (epub)
Cheryl McIntyre [Infinitely Infinitely (epub)
Clair Delaney [Coral 01] Coral (epub)
Christine Cody [Bloodlands 01 Bloodlands (epub)
Christina Ross [Unleash Me, A Unleash Me, Vol 3 (epub)
Christine Flynn [The Hunt for Once Upon a Christmas Eve (epub
Christian Fletcher [The Left Left on the Brink (epub)
Christopher G Nuttall [Royal The Royal Sorceress (epub)
Zuiker Anthony E Swierczynski Duane Level 26 01 Level 26 Mroczne początki