Page 128 of He Loves Me Knot

She deserves better than what I can give her.

“Then you need to end this. Right now. Whatever it is you’re doing with Liddy cannot continue. She’s not like you. And she’ll get hurt, you know it. For everyone’s sake, end it now, before this gets worse.”

Quinn brushed past him as he left Callum alone on the beach.

Callum was only here because of his friendship with Quinn.

“. . . I know how you are with women. I’d think you would know better than to risk our friendship over a holiday fling with someone I care about.”

And now Callum may have screwed that up beyond repair.

And Elle was right.

I took advantage of Liddy.

Threatening gray clouds had moved in while they’d all been speaking and he watched them, a dark feeling crossing over him. He had no idea how to proceed with her right now or what to even think. The truth was out to Elle and Quinn, but others were still under the impression he and Liddy were a couple.

And especially after last night, explaining that we aren’t might only cause Liddy more pain and embarrassment.

He could go on, pretending they were a couple. Sleeping with her.But Quinn has asked me not to.

I have to end it.

Before she gets hurt.

Hopefully right now the damage would be minimal. They’d fucked but she’d said she was prepared to handle that. To be a fling and nothing else.

A light rain started.

I never should have touched her.

Lifting his face toward the sky, he closed his eyes.

He’d spent plenty of time in the rain in England, of course, but the rain here was different. Warm. Cleansing.

I have to end this.

Before I ruin everything.

He hoped he wasn’t too late to make things right. But what if he was? Quinn had flat out told him that their friendship was over if Liddy got hurt. And Liddy was right—he didn’t have the luxury of many friendships. Not anymore. Quinn had been a good friend over the years, one he’d needed.

And once they got back toLa Haciendatonight, he’d do what needed to be done.

ChapterThirty

If Liddy had thoughtthe car ride from the airport had been uncomfortable, it paled compared to the trip she was taking right now.

The tension in the car was thick, rigid. Nearly impenetrable. Elle was barely talking, which only made Liddy feel worse, and she could feel her sister’s eyes boring into the back of her neck. Confessing to lying had never been part of the plan—and now Liddy felt increasingly stupid for having lied.

And that was on top of the awkward, two-minute conversation she’d had with Sergio, where she’d tried to tell him she wasn’t dating Callum but her family thought she was, while trying to come up with a way to explain their date wouldn’t be happening.

God, I feel horrible about all of it.

A rainstorm had broken out as they’d leftLa Hacienda.Now rain poured down the windshield, the wipers moving as fast as they could. At Sergio’s advice, they’d taken the coastal road, which Callum had informed them would take longer. But apparently a mudslide had taken out part of the main highway with the storm the day before, which was why Sergio had shown up early. He’d been worried he wouldn’t make it on time and leave Liddy waiting for him.

Because I should have canceled the date with him before today. Or never agreed to it.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Elle announced from the back seat, her arms crossed in irritation.

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