Page 45 of If We Never Met

"Because I wanted to see you again. I told Nikki that things weren't working out for us, but she cut me off when I suggested we take a break. She said we'd talk about it later."

Surprise moved through her gaze. "Why did you tell her that?"

"Because it's the truth. We haven't been in sync for weeks, long before I met you."

"I don't want to be the reason you break up with her. It's not like we have a future ahead. You'll be leaving in a few weeks."

"I know. If this was another time, another place…"

"But it's not."

"No," he agreed, feeling weighed down by that answer. "So, this is it?"

"I think so." She forced a smile onto her face. "It was fun while it lasted. I don't want things to be awkward between us. This is a small town. You're staying at the inn. It's likely we'll run into each other. Let's not make this into a bigger deal than it is."

She was saying everything she could to make their situation easier, and he should have appreciated that, but he didn't.

Keira stood up. "I'll clean all this up and get the dishes back to Lizzie tomorrow. You can go, Dante."

He got to his feet, not at all happy with the way things were ending. "This isn't what I want."

She stared back at him. "Sometimes you have to accept that you don't always get what you want."

"I never accept that. I just keep fighting until I reach my goal."

"I'm not your goal, Dante. And until you actually break up with Nikki, you probably shouldn't be kissing anyone else."

"You were irresistible," he said with a smile.

Her lips curved upward. "So were you, but it's over. That's the best decision for both of us." She stuck out her hand. "Deal?"

He took her hand, his fingers curling around hers, and he held on for far too long.

"You have to let go now," she said.

"You first," he replied, a challenging note in his voice. "Or we could have a goodbye kiss."

She licked her lips, and his heart thudded against his chest.

"I'm really tempted," she whispered. "But it won't make me want to say goodbye." She yanked her hand away from his. "Can you please go before I change my mind?"

He really didn't want to leave. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until she was breathless. And then he wanted to take it even further. But he couldn't do that, not while he was tangled up with Nikki, and maybe not even when he was untangled. Because this woman seemed like someone who could be a distraction for a very long time.

"Dante," she pleaded, an almost desperate note in her voice.

"Okay, I'm going. Just for the record, I don't think this is over." He left before she could respond, letting the front door slam behind him in frustration. He was a man who got what he wanted. But he couldn't have her—not now, probably not ever—and he didn't know how to just accept that. But he was going to have to figure out a way.

Chapter Eleven

Dante didn’t sleep well,and his rehab session on Thursday was brutally rough. He was tired. He was in a bad mood, and his patience was thin. By noon, his therapists had seen enough and suggested he either call it a day or take a two-hour break before the afternoon session. He'd opted for the break, not wanting to lose any valuable time in his recovery. He just needed to get his head together and remember why he was in Whisper Lake. It wasn't to romance Keira. He just wished he could stop thinking about ways to see her again, even though they'd both agreed to stay apart, not just for the sake of avoiding a photograph, but also because he was still attached to Nikki, and he was just passing through.

When he walked into the inn, he gave Lizzie a nod.

"Dante," she said with a welcoming gaze. "I'm glad you're back. You have a visitor."

His gut tightened. "Who?"

"Nikki Voltari."

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