Page 156 of He Loves Me Knot

“Has anyone told you how ravishing you look?”

She smiled sadly, tears still wetting her lashes.

God, I really am falling in love with him.

“I was beginning to think you were avoiding me,” she tried to joke, but her voice cracked.

Callum turned her to face him, searching her gaze. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” She managed a brave smile. “Just?—”

Callum held his fingertips to her lips. “You really did think I was avoiding you, didn’t you?”

She nodded, swallowing back tears.

“You are an angel for tolerating my behavior the past few days.” His face grew more serious. “But we should talk.”

Her heart fell.

Then he is going to end things again.

She’d tried to avoid thinking about that, but now that it was happening, she wasn’t sure if she could do what she’d done last night at the bar again. How many times could she throw herself at him and let him reject her?

This wasn’t the best place for a discussion like this, and the music on the dance floor was loud. She took his hand, then led him away, straight onto the beach.

They didn’t have to go far to find quiet and privacy. She turned to him, trying to get the words out before she lost the nerve. “I know you said you don’t want a relationship, and I get it. I’m not trying to push you into one. But I just can’t keep doing this. You were right. I’m starting to have feelings for you, and if we keep doing what we’ve been doing the past few nights, I’m going to get hurt. Really hurt. Because I care about you.”

She remembered Granny’s words. “And I deserve better than being just another fling to you. I don’t need to try to prove anything. Not to you or to myself. I don’t need to be tough and flippant about caring about you because that’s what you want. Especially if it’s not what I want.”

He released her hand and stepped back, his face sobering. “I know. And you’re right, too. The fake relationship needs to end. We have to go back to our lives, and I don’t date my employees.”

Her stomach clenched.

Then that’s it.

He doesn’t want me for anything other than sex.

She swallowed, hard.

Oh God, I’m going to cry.

Holding her breath, she nodded, then moved to walk past him back to the party.

“Of course, I’m no longer your boss. So there’s that.”

He caught her hand, and she stopped, her heart slamming into her ribs.

She turned toward him slowly. “What?”

“I’m not mad, Liddy. I want you to know that up front. But Miranda Kaster went to HR about our fake relationship. She claimed I had blackmailed you into a sexual relationship.”

Liddy gasped.

Miranda . . . did what?

She’d barely had time to even think about Miranda. “Oh, no, no . . . why would she do that? That’s not what I told her.” A sick feeling rushed through her. “Callum, I never said that to her. I was mad at you for kissing me and then telling me it meant nothing to you, so I vented aboutthat,but I didn’t say anything about having sex.”

“I think this was her revenge because I turned her down. To me, not you. If anything, she probably wanted to get back at me for the both of you.”

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