Page 90 of The Bad Wedding Date

Fraser began buttoning the other cuff, never taking his eyes off mine.

“I’ll be safe,” I added.

“You’re not a prisoner. I can’t stop you from doing what you want to do.”

“Do you think it’s a bad idea, though?”

“I think I could tell you it’s a bad idea, and you’d probably believe me, which means I could be selfish with you and keep you for another night. But I also think you’re an intelligent, capable woman, and I’ve been selfish enough with you this week, so if you want to spend a night at home, I have no business stopping you.”

I hadn’t realised that wasn’t the answer I’d wanted until he said it.

Needy. Ugh. That’s what I’d become, and look how fast I’d let it happen. But despite the warning my internal monologue tried to deliver, the buzz between my thighs reminded me of what fun we’d had over the last week. My heart reminded me that it had been a long time since it had felt so safe. And my brain? Well, that just asked me to look at Fraser’s face one more time and ask myself: did I really care about feelings right now when I got to wake up and fall asleep next tothat?

“A night at my place it is,” I said before I could convince myself to run away with him to a foreign land and never look back.

Control of my own life was what I needed. It’s what I’d had since I’d walked away from my parents and the likes of Penn. I needed to remember how hard I’d worked for it in my life instead of watching it slip away so easily.

Flinging the duvet back, I climbed out of bed, naked, making to walk past Fraser. I thought I’d made it, too, until his arm curled around my bare waist and tugged me to his side, forcing me to reach up and hold onto his shirt as he stared down at me.

“Have I done a bad job of taking care of you so far?” he asked.

“No.”

“Have you felt trapped with me this week?”

“No.” I shook my head.

His eyes searched mine, seeking out a lie before he eventually let them fall to my lips. “Good.”

“Have you?” I dared myself to ask. “Felt trapped, I mean.”

“No.”

He let me go, and I stumbled back on shaky feet, watching him as he turned back to the wardrobe to pull out a black tie. His favourite.

I stared after him for only a second longer before I made my way to the bathroom to shower quickly, brush my teeth, and comb through my wet hair. Before long, I was ready to go, with neither of us having said much to each other by the time we had our bags by the door. His as well as mine.

“You’re not staying here tonight?” I asked.

Fraser shook his head. “My time here is done for now.”

“Where will you go?”

“I’ll decide later.”

I narrowed my eyes, seeking answers to questions I hadn’t asked.

His gaze held mine, unblinking. “Sometimes, we just have to move on to the next chapter.”

My heart sank. I wasn’t entirely sure why, although I had a feeling it had something to do with the fact that I’d just had the best five nights of my life within these walls, acting like a lover in a summer romance she’d never forget, and he was leaving it so easily. Like it didn’t even matter.

Fraser picked up my things and led us out to the car, a strange silence descending over us until we made it all the way back to my apartment.

As I got out, so did he, not bothering to ask me if I needed his help. My bag was in his hand, and he was at my front door before I could get there, as though he was eager to be on his way. It made me scowl to myself, a weird, unsettled feeling landing in the pit of my stomach.

Either he was trying to get rid of me because he’d exhausted his attraction…

Or something big was happening that he didn’t want to tell me about.

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