From Ex to Eternity (Newlywed Games 1)

He chuckled and reached up to still her hands, taking them into his. Instantly, he twisted her into his lap and his mouth fused to hers before she could squeal. And then she couldn’t think over the pounding of her pulse as Keith’s mouth drained her of everything but pleasure.

Later, she lay draped across his bed, debating whether he’d fully recovered well enough to seduce him into round two, when he cleared his throat.

“You never told me your good news.”

She rolled to face him and bent up a leg casually, as if they often hung out naked and talked.

“I didn’t?” she hedged. No, she hadn’t. Because the intimacy they’d fallen into last night had been about the past. Necessary to heal, but not necessary to continue their affair. They still weren’t a couple who shared stuff.

“Tell me.” His earnest caramel gaze latched on to hers and wouldn’t let go. “Unless it makes you uncomfortable. I don’t want to push you into something you’re not ready for.”

Her heart stumbled over a beat. He didn’t want to push her?

Was it possible that she was the problem in this equation? That her confusion and refusal to trust him had somehow jeopardized whatever relationship might be possible?

No. The issues were his. He didn’t want a relationship and that made it irrelevant to him that she did.

“It’s nothing.” She shrugged, embarrassed all of a sudden to have even mentioned it, especially since it wasn’t a done deal yet. “A buyer for a small boutique in Houston contacted me about selling my dresses in their stores. It’s not set in stone. We’re in the opening stages of discussion.”

“That’s great!” His effusiveness set her back teeth on edge for some reason. “I’m proud of you. That’s an amazing offer and you should have told me earlier so I could order champagne.”

“Save the champagne for when I close the deal,” she advised and eyed him. “What’s with the overly enthusiastic support?”

“I got some good news of my own today.” His expression brightened and he propped his head up on his hand. “Regent extended my contract. It was contingent on the board’s assessment of this property and they were so pleased with what they saw today, they offered the extension on the spot. It’s two years and fifteen more Caribbean properties.”

“That’s...great,” she said in an unintentional echo of his sentiment. But her chest had slowly frozen over as his meaning sank in and she couldn’t come up with anything better.

He nodded, oblivious to her turmoil. “It’s what I’ve been working toward my entire professional life. To show I’ve made it on my own merits. This is the pinnacle.”

Two years. Fifteen properties. She didn’t have to be a math genius to put two and two together. Keith wasn’t coming back to Houston after the expo. He’d be working his magic on other Regent resorts as he’d done with Grace Bay. And she’d seen enough of his daily responsibilities to fully understand her place in his bed had come about only because of the storm. Without the lull in activity, he’d probably have continued to be too busy to make a move in her direction.

It took every ounce of her upbringing to smile and kiss his cheek. “I’m happy for you. Seems like we’re both getting what we’ve always wanted.”

It was a lie—she wanted Keith. Of course she did. All the dodging and convincing herself otherwise, all of it was a lie. And now every last shred of hope she might have gathered at the corners of her heart had been lost.

She’d tried to convince herself Cara Chandler-Harris Designs was enough. It was a business she’d built without her father’s money, without any man’s help, and it was hers. But it wasn’t a substitute for the love of a man, a life partner she could share all the ups and downs with. It wasn’t a business she’d built to get over Keith because there hadn’t been anything to get over other than disappointment that he hadn’t fallen in line with her fierce determination to get married.

And she knew for sure she hadn’t been in love with him before because she absolutely was now and there was no comparison.

She wanted Keith but he didn’t want her. There was no worse sound in Keith’s mind than the clang of wedding bells.

The ache in her heart hurt in a massively different way than it had two years ago. Because she had to let Keith go instead of holding on to him to achieve her own selfish goals.

She’d gotten her wish. This was what being in love with Keith was like and it was the harshest lesson of all—sometimes love felt an awful lot like sacrifice.