Page 85 of Wild Desire

I couldn't handle that. It's why I hadn't asked for something more, and I wouldn't let him do that either. It wasn't fair to him or to me. He should be free to do whatever he wanted. Besides, our relationship was a fling, and our time for fun had come to an end. If I fell for him, that was outside the constructs of our relationship.

It was my fault, and I wouldn't burden him.

I pulled into the small airport and followed his directions to the private lane.

"This is me."

I didn't waste any time, throwing the truck in Park and getting out. I waited for him to grab his luggage and rolled one for him to the stairs.

A worker for the airline checked his identification and took his bags.

"This is it."

I hugged him tightly. "You're going to do great." Then I stepped back, not wanting to prolong the goodbye. "Good luck, Killian."

"Are you ready to board? The pilot said if we get you seated, we can be next in line to take off."

Killian nodded, and it was my cue to leave.

"Thanks for everything," he said.

"Bye, Killian." I turned away from him because those two words felt like more than a goodbye. It was an end to our shortrelationship. We had our time, and it couldn't be replicated in the real world.

I put one foot in front of the other, climbed inside his truck, and pushed the button for the engine to roar to life. I placed the truck in Reverse and got out of there.

I didn't let the tears fall until I got onto the main road. At the lodge, I went in through a side entrance, using the Wilde keycard, and then took a cargo elevator to the penthouse floor. I swiped the keycard to our condo.

Inside, it looked the same. It still smelled like him. But everything that made the condo Killian's was gone.

It looked like a place someone rented to live in temporarily. It was fully furnished. It had the photographs of the Wildes that could be anyone, and I knew if I went into the master, it would be bare.

He hadn't left anything behind. I closed the door to my room, the one I hadn't stayed in for a while. I'd purposely left my stuff in here, knowing it would be mine again shortly. I wasn't sure I could stay. It hurt too much to see the kitchen where we cooked our meals and made love on the counter.

The living room where we watched shows and movies to get to know each other's wants and desires. The coach that he bent me over. The master bathroom where I saw him naked for the first time.

Living here was a special kind of torture. But it came with no rent and was nicer than any other place I'd ever lived.

I'd stay for a few months because it was convenient for frying donuts in the kitchen downstairs, and I'd save as much money as I could. I didn't have the luxury to move to a new place and have a fresh start yet.

Then I forced myself to go to sleep. I needed to get up early to bake, and I had a list of assistant duties I was grateful for nowthat my time had suddenly cleared up. I wouldn't have space to feel lonely or abandoned.

Morning came quickly. My face felt swollen because I'd cried myself to sleep. But I had work to do, and I hoped time would help.

I fried more donuts than usual, adding chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry icing, some with sprinkles and some without. I added glaze and maple.

Marcus stopped by my station where I was icing like a machine. "You've outdone yourself this morning. Are we expecting busloads of diners this morning?"

"I wanted to make sure we had enough for everyone."

"I think you made enough for tomorrow too. Why don't you take some out to the lobby and take a break."

I set aside the icing piper. "Good idea."

Marcus grinned. "Let me know what you think."

That was an odd comment, but I hadn't gotten enough sleep to ask about it. Instead, I grabbed a tray of chocolates, which I always struggled with to keep up with demand, and made my way to the display case where there was a line of people holding pink boxes, waiting.

A mother said, "Oh, look, there's more chocolate."

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