Page 18 of Faking Love

He shuffled out of the room, letting the door swing shut behind him, and leaned against the balcony overlooking the middle of the hotel. The lobby was empty, except for a staff member watering the plants. Which made sense. Who would be up at this hour on a Sunday morning?

A gnawing pain grew in his gut. Maybe it was a good thing she was gone. Telling her he wanted to see if they were more than a random fling might be as awkward for her as Adeline’s confession was for him.

Except he refused to believe that. There was no way she was faking interest.

A movement caught his attention. A flash of black, six floors below. He whipped his head toward it in time to catch what had to be Molly, vanishing out the front doors.

He was moving before his brain finished registering the sight, sprinting down the stairs as fast as he dared without tripping over his tired feet. He pushed into the lobby and didn’t slow, still racing for the front entrance. He paused outside, to scan the parking lot.Please let her still be here.

And she was, about halfway to the back of the lot, loading her luggage into the trunk of a generic, compact rental. He took off again and came to a stop next to her, seconds later. He gasped for air.

“What do you want?” She stared back, face a blank mask.

“I...” He struggled for oxygen. “Wait.”

She sighed. “I need to go.” But she didn’t turn away.

“I’m sorry.”

She crossed her arms. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” He found his breath in time to realize her question didn’t make any sense. She didn’t like the apology?

“Is the sadistic torture part of your weekend schedule?” Her jaw was set.

“I don’t... What?”

She pursed her lips, silent for a moment, before saying, “I was fine with being your weekend fling. We’re both traveling; we’ll never see each other again. I knew that on Night One. But you had to stretch it out. Tease me. Stand me up. Is this fun? Is this the part you really get off on? Are the rumors true?”

So she’d heard those. Fan-fucking-tastic. The one thing she knew about him was the one thing that wasn’t true. He reached for her but stopped short of making contact. “Hear me out?”

She tapped her toe against the ground. “Fine.”

He had to make this good. He had to make her believe it. And nothing was coming to him. He opened his mouth, and the words spilled out before he could process them. “I don’t do one-night stands.” She scowled, and he hurried to add, “I swear. And I wouldn’t have hit on you if I wasn’t sincere, and I’m so sorry about last night.”

“Why are you here?” Her tone was still hard, but the corners of her eyes softened.

He rested a hand on her cheek, relief nudging him when she didn’t jerk away. “I know we’ll never see each other again, but I really enjoy your company, and I think there’s the potential for more if we give things a chance, and I couldn’t let you leave without telling you.”

“I—” Her brow creased, skepticism dancing in her eyes. “Really.” The flat tone in her voice brought back his ache, but something warm and hopeful lurked behind it.

“Honestly, sincerely, and I will swear on whatever it takes to prove I mean it. I promise it’s not a game. I mean every single word.”

She folded one arm in front of her, to grab the other, drumming her fingers on her elbow. “Then what happened last night?”

What did he need to say to fix this? “I thought I was doing what was best for you.”

“By standing me up?” She pursed her lips. “By extending an offer you never intended to make good on?”

“By letting you get on with your life.”

“I’d rather be the one to make that decision. I can think for myself, you know. And in that case, why are you here now?”

This question was easy. “Because I realized I couldn’t stay away after all.”

She smiled and leaned against his palm again, covering his hand with hers. “Me either.”

It took a couple of heartbeats for him to realize she meant she couldn’t stay away. “So you don’t have to leave yet?”

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