His expression darkened, but his touch remained gentle. “You mean me?”
“I mean men period. All men leave.”
“Not all men,” he denied, his fingers soft against her cheek.
“Yes, all men.” She pulled away, walked across the room to stare out at the ocean. “My own father didn’t even stick around. Why would I expect any other man to stay when I wasn’t good enough for my own flesh and blood?”
“If your father left, it was because he wasn’t good enough for you, Faith. Not the other way around.”
Spinning to face him, she rolled her eyes. “Right.”
“I’m serious.”
“Fine, but you know it’s not even just me. It’s men and women in general. Men leave. It’s what they do best.”
His brows knotted together in a V. “How is it that I never knew you were so jaded about the opposite sex?”
“Being logical is not being jaded,” she pointed out, moving her head enough to free herself from his hold, but she stuck her ground. “I’m just realistic.”
“Right,” he mimicked her earlier sarcasm.
“Fine.” She shot him a challenging look. “Give me one example of a man who stuck around.”
He shrugged. “Easy. My father stuck around, Faith. Until the day he died he loved my mother, was faithful to her. They had a loving and happy relationship.”
“Oh? Why don’t I see you leaping down the path of love and happy relationships then?”
“That’s different.”
“How?” This time it was her eyes pinning him into place, his gaze averting. “You have a wonderful family, Vale, and you just said that your parents had a wonderful relationship. Why wouldn’t you want the same for yourself?”
His lips compressed into a tight line. “I’m not my parents.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning what they had was rare.”
She gave him a “duh” look. “My point exactly.”
“Point taken.” He grinned wryly. “But times are different from when my parents fell in love. Now women are more concerned with the Wakefield name, the fame and fortune, than they are with the man.”
“Shall I say it?” Her brow arched and she gave a snide “Right”. Surely he didn’t believe it was money and notoriety that made women flock to him? No way. “I’ve seen how women chase you, cling to you, want to be with you,” she reminded him. “Don’t fool yourself that it’s because of anything other than you.”
“You might be surprised,” he said so sincerely that Faith blinked, took a step back.
“A woman used you for your name in the past? Someone you cared about?” Did she sound as shocked as she was?
“Let’s just say that some life lessons are learned the hard way and that’s a mistake I won’t be repeating.” He took a deep breath, glanced around his suite. “Let’s straighten up and go back down to the reception.”
His admission kept echoing through Faith’s mind while she cleaned up in his bathroom, making herself presentable. His words were still echoing through her mind when, hand in hand, they returned downstairs to the reception, which was in full swing and without their absence having been noticed.
Seeing so many happy wedding-goers seemed a slap in the face following the conversation she and Vale had just had.
They stepped into the giant reception tent. The bride and groom had been toasted, had cut the cake and were now sharing their first dance as man and wife. A few other couples had joined them on the parquet dance floor that had been set up beneath the tent.
A photographer immediately snapped a candid picture of Vale and Faith and then requested they pose, which they did. Faith glanced at Vale, wondering if he was upset at them having their photo taken together, but he seemed oblivious. Then again, he was used to having his photo taken.
She, on the other hand, wasn’t and felt highly self-conscious of her every move, of every camera flash. Could everyone tell what she and Vale had been doing? Was it stamped across her forehead that she’d just lost her virginity?