Page 35 of Resting Beach Face
Ouch. I took a step back. “Okay, then.”
“Not as a person,” Declan said quickly. “Just…you’re more.” He waved a hand to encompass all of me. “You get around a lot.”
“Not lately,” I muttered.
“You have needs, Cash, and I don’t know that I could ever fulfill them. It’s just a bad idea.”
I bit down on the urge to argue with him. He might be right, after all. I’d fucked around a lot since losing my virginity. This past year was the first dry spell I’d ever had. I’d willingly forgone sex because I wanted a healthier relationship with it.
But could I be happy in a long-term relationship that limited how much sex I had? I wanted to say yes. Right now, after going without sex for months, I wanted to think I could handle it.
I just didn’t know, though. I’d never know if Declan didn’t give me a chance. But it wasn’t fair to ask him for that. If I couldn’t keep my word, I’d only hurt him, as other guys had clearly hurt him before.
“I think I understand,” I said. “You could have told me sooner.”
Declan shifted, averting his eyes. “It’s not something that’s comfortable to talk about for me.”
“I’m sorry.” I reached for his arm. “Can I, uh, give you a hug?”
He smiled dryly. “I’m fine.”
“I’m not.”
His eyes softened. “Okay. Then, yes, you may.”
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him to me. For once, I wasn’t thinking about a man’s body pressed to mine for sexual reasons. I was just taking comfort—hopefully giving it too—as my eyes slipped shut.
Declan stood still for a long minute, just tolerating the hug. But then he brought one arm around me, his hand landing on the nape of my neck and squeezing.
“Why are you really leaving?” I asked softly.
Declan drew away, leaving my arms too empty and my chest too cold.
“The B&B life has never been right for me,” he said, sounding regretful. “I don’t mesh well with people.”
“That’s it?”
He chuckled. “I’m not sure you understand just how bad I am at all this.” He waved a hand around to encompass the B&B as a whole. “People leave reviews about my grumpy attitude and my resting bitch face.”
“You’re an adorable grump, and I like your bitchy face.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re apparently the only one who does.”
I bit down on a flirty comment. I’d just gotten Declan to open up about why he kept me at arm’s length. I didn’t want to give him more reason to shut me out.
Hudson’s words came back to me.
If he’s unhappy, we need to let him go.
Damn, but it sucked when someone acted wise and then they wereright.
“I guess you’ve made up your mind, huh? You’re not happy here.”
“This B&B meant everything to my Aunt Millie. I have some very fond memories of summers spent here. I wanted it to be different, too. I’ve really tried, but…” He shook his head. “It’s not the right fit.”
“Okay, but why are you letting someone come in and tear it down? You could sell it to someone who’d keep it going. This place is so cool, Declan. It has so much potential.”
“Potential,” he said with a twist of his lips. “But it would take a lot of work to reach it. The buildings are deteriorating. The Roost is uninhabitable. The Tree Hut has the plumbing problem. Even this building is becoming a money pit. I had to close off the deck on the second floor for safety reasons. I’ve got two rooms I’m not booking because they’ve taken water damage from a leak in the roof.”
