Her expression relaxed, though a slight frown remained with her nod. “Sorry I jumped on you.”
He shrugged as if it was no big deal, but in reality, he hated that he couldn’t use his resources to take the pressure off of her shoulders. How ironic that he’d always wanted a woman who didn’t want his money, and now that he had one, all he wanted to do was offer it to her. Ease her worries, make her happy.
Or are you simply trying to play hero so she has no choice but to fall in love with you? A knight in shining armor, riding to the rescue.
Well, that would be idiotic, wouldn’t it?
After they finished eating and were putting the leftovers away in the kitchen, he asked, “You want to watch a movie, or catch up on a couple episodes of That 70’s Show?”
She handed over the last container of fried rice. “I, um…I think I’m going to head back to my place.”
There it was again. He gripped the handle of the refrigerator door as he closed it and faced her. The look on her face tightened the knots in his stomach once more. He clenched his jaw against his rising anxiety. “What’s going on?”
“I just prefer to head home,” she said defensively.
“Honor, at least be honest with me. If you’re mad about the brochure, I don’t have to—”
“I’m not mad about the brochure.”
“Then what is it? Because after this past month, it seems to me we should be way past the point where me offering to help is offensive. Whether it’s a brochure or even money.”
“And I told you, I don’t want your money. My business is exactly that—my business.”
“Of course it is, and it always will be. But in general, I’m going to do things for you. And I’m going to buy things for you, and I don’t think I should have to feel bad for that.”
“Then don’t and you won’t have to feel bad,” she retorted with a frown.
“That was so not my point.” He blew out a sigh and raked a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. “This is going the wrong direction, and I don’t even know that we’re talking about the right thing. You’ve been pulling away since you got here.”
Guilt flashed in her eyes before she averted her gaze. His stomach lurched as he waited for her to explain, but she turned her back, one hand braced on his island counter. He fisted his hands against rising fear.
“Honor. This is where we work on things together. Make sure we’re both on the same page so it’s not—”
“This isn’t going to work,” she interrupted.
“—so scary.”
She swiped a hand over her cheeks as her shoulders rose with a deep inhale. “I need to go home because I can’t do this.”
As she took a step forward, he stuffed down a surge of panic and gently caught her shoulders. “Hey. Whoa. Let’s talk this out first.”
After a moment of resisting his hold, she relented and let him turn her around. The tears in her eyes squeezed his heart to the point it hurt to draw in a breath.
He pulled her into his arms, holding tight as he pressed her cheek against his chest. “It’s okay. Everything is fine. We’re fine.”
And for a moment, he believed it. She was warm and pliant in his arms, her weight leaning against him in complete trust. He stroked her hair before pressing his lips to the top of her head, his racing heartbeat easing.
In the next breath, she stiffened and pushed away while raising her anguished gaze to his. “I told you from the start this wouldn’t work out.”
“What’s not working out?”
“This.” She waved her hand back and forth in the space between them. “You and me.”
Chest tight, he caught her hand and tugged her closer. He needed her back in his arms. When she was in his arms, what they had together overrode the doubt. She held back once again, but he kept hold of her hand.
“You and me are working great, Honor. I know you’ve felt it as much as I have. The past month has been amazing.”
“It has been, but it’s not going to last.”