“Wait,” Shayne said, in a placating tone, with his hands out in front of him, palms facing forward. He realized things were getting out of hand, but he didn’t want to leave her. “I just need a little time. We haven’t even known each other that long, and I don’t know what to think.” When it came to sex, things were explosive between them, but he didn’t see how it could ever be more than that, though.
Her expression didn’t change. “That didn’t stop you a few minutes ago,” she retorted, in the same wooden voice. “Five minutes ago, you were willing to take my virginity and my heart, without a second thought about what that would mean to me, once it was over. In the same breath, those very things wouldn’t have meant a damn to you, come tomorrow. Losing my pride and my self-worth isn’t worth what I would get in that bed. Get out,” she said, raising her arm and pointing at the door. “And don’t come back.”
“Wait a second,” he growled, yanking his shirt back on. “You’re in my damn house. How in the hell can you throw me out of my own home?”
He wanted to provoke her and keep her arguing, realizing that as long as she was still talking to him, there was still a chance he could muddle his way out of the mess he'd created. But he could tell from looking at her that Anna was done. She was refusing to participate anymore, and he wasn't ready to say the words she so clearly felt she needed to hear. It was a stalemate. His eyes closed in regret, as he realized he’d lost her.
A terrible pain shot through his chest, making it hard to breathe. “I can’t leave you without protection,” he said, quietly. His pretty words and smooth ways wouldn't lead him out of his current predicament, but he was desperate to somehow work it out. “Let’s just talk about this for a minute.”
“We could talk about it all night, and it wouldn’t get us anywhere,” she responded. “The damage has already been done. When I take a man into my bed, it’s going to be with someone who wants and desires all of me, all the time. Someone who has a care for my feelings and my well-being; someone who will seek out my companionship outside of the bedroom and not just in it. It won't be with someone looking for an excuse to get away from me five minutes after it’s over. Don’t make me ask you again.” Anna turned back to the window, for all intents and purposes done with him and the conversation.
Shayne stood still for a moment. He looked down at the floor, as his heart shattered into a million pieces. He was in love with her, he realized, in a moment of startling clarity. However, he had been too ignorant and conceited to realize it. For the moment, it was too late to right his wrong. He needed to be alone in order to consider his next move.
Turning away from her, he walked back toward the door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he stopped, and with one last look back, he said, “If that’s what you want, I'll honor your request.”
Anna didn’t respond. Her body was rigid with contempt in the moonlight. He walked out of the door and closed it behind him. His face felt cold. It wasn’t until he was halfway down the hallway that Shayne realized the coolness on his cheeks was tears.
After collecting his gear, he found Ian in the kitchen. He was eating a huge submarine sandwich. Shayne rolled his eyes. It was amazing that Ian could even move with the amount of food he ate. Feeding Ian was like feeding an army. An army of one.
Ian stopped eating, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Shayne's face. His eyebrow arched, when he enquired, “Going somewhere, hmm?”
Shayne shook his head in disgust, wondering how long it would be before Ian ate his way through everything in his house. Then again, it didn’t really matter. Not to him. Not when he felt as if his entire world was changing.
Slinging the duffel bag over his shoulder, he replied, “I’m leaving, and I won’t be back until this Jesse drama is finished. Guard Anna, and if there are any problems you can't handle, call Arch.”
Ian dropped his sub on the table and stood up. “What’s going on here, Shayne?”
Looking away, Shayne hesitated for a second. Then he sighed and replied gruffly, “It doesn’t matter. Just take care of Anna.” He walked away and didn't look back.
Chapter 7
ANNA STOOD STILL FOR several minutes, staring blindly out of the window. Tears dripped out of the corner of her eyes, but she didn’t have the strength to wipe them away. She'd never felt more alone. Her heart was completely broken. Severing her connection with Shayne made anything she had gone through in the past seem like a picnic.
She had lied. Her self-worth was already destroyed. Shayne didn't believe she was worth a relationship. Her shoulders bowed in defeat. It was time to face what she already knew: She was born to walk the world alone. Something about her, be it her weight or her in general, was just wrong when it came to matters of love.
Anna felt so foolish. She'd let herself slip up, by reading too much into it. She'd let her own emotions get into the way, creating a romantic fantasy in her mind and becoming delusional in the process. Of course, he didn't want a relationship with her. She'd known that all along. Some would say she was lucky he’d even considered a pity screw. Jesse’s words from that fateful night washed over her, and she flinched. Maybe Shayne thought he was doing her a good deed by offering
