Page 52 of Taming Liberty

“Hey.” I stop walking which forces her to slow as my hand anchors her. She turns and looks at me with sad eyes I don’t understand. “I’m just teasing.”

Am I?

Her lips tilt into a small, fake smile. “I know.”

My chest deflates. “Then what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Lib…”

She turns her head and stares at the ocean, her full lips acting as weights. Several seconds pass as I stand staring at her, trying to be patient.

“I really did a number on your relationships when I got here, didn’t I?”

Instinctively, the word ‘no’ darts to the tip of my tongue, but I don’t speak it because we both know it would be a lie. Sawyer and I are getting better, but the strain is still there. If she hadn’t been such a pain in the ass, he never would’ve known how far I was willing to go to protect her. He still doesn’t.Idon’t even know how far I’d go.

“I’m sorry.” Lib looks down as she toes the sand. “I wish I wouldn’t have done everything I did. If I could take it back, I would.”

She sighs, but it comes off a little too over the top. That’s because it’s a lie.

She’s playing me right now.

Anger brews, but I just stare at her. There have been a number of times over the last week when I’ve wished I could shake her, force her to confess what she’s up to and allow her to beg for forgiveness. I want so badly to do that now, but I don’t. I don’t even know why.

“You’re a fighter,” I say, my voice even. “Fighters fight. You can’t change who you are, and I wouldn’t want you to. I would like to be on the same team as you, of course, but I understand why it has to be this way.”

“Had.”

“What?”

“Ithadto be that way,” she corrects. She steps closer to me, her hand caressing mine. “Weareon the same team now.”

I nod, but I’m not a good enough actor to fake what she wants from me.

She sighs and lets go of my hand, tucking her hair behind her ears as she turns away from me.

“You have horrible trust issues, Angel,” she says with her back to me, heat behind her words.

She turns back toward me with her jaw clenched. “Is thereanythingI can do to earn your trust?”

I don’t reply.

“Because fucking you certainly isn’t getting me anywhere. Neither is opening myself up to you.” My gut twists at the emotion in her voice. I get the urge to reach out to her but keep my hands at my sides while I wait for her to finish. “Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to trust you with my past? I’ve never toldanyoneabout that stuff, Angel.”

That stuff. I internally flinch thinking about it, feeling rage sweep through me as it did when she told me about the night she had her virginity stolen from her.

She made so much more sense to me after that. Her relationship with her husband, her refusal to participate here... She’s so incredibly strong and brave and beautiful, and all those things shielded how broken she is from me. I see it now, though. In small pieces and only on occasion, but I see it. I see it right now.

“You know what, forget it.” She throws up her hands and starts toward the way we came.

I grab her hand to stop her. “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?” She spins and rips her hand from mine. “What the fuck do you want from me?”

My eyes widen at her outburst. “What are you so upset about?”

“You don’ttrustme.” She swipes her hair out of her face in frustration. “I’ve literally done everything you wanted, and you’re giving me nothing in return.”

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