But she looks wrecked. Used up in the best way.
And I can’t do that to her now.
I shouldn’t have done any of this.
As some sense finally cuts through, I push to my feet and turn away from her.
“I’m sorry. You should… uh…” I clear my throat. “You should go.”
“Are you sure?” she asks, voice rough.
No. Don’t go. Stay. Let me take you apart completely.
I nod anyway. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
I hear her moving behind me, pulling her clothes back on. Standing.
Then she steps closer. “I mean, if you want, we can?—”
“Go,” I snap.
She flinches. The shift in the air is immediate.
“I’m sorry, too.” she says quietly, and then she’s gone.
I stand there, eyes shut tight, regret clawing up my throat.
You did it.
You pushed her away.
You absolute fucking idiot.
Sierra doesn’t seek me out after that. The next day, she comes by for her car, but the whole thing is tense, awkward. She mumbles an apology for what happened, and I mutter something back to make it clear she’s not at fault.
I am.
For losing control.
For getting my mouth on her and then pushing her away like it meant nothing.
I tell myself I did the right thing. She’s here to heal, not to get tangled up in sex.
I hear Reid’s voice in my head, all that HR bullshit about boundaries and professionalism.
But none of that is the real reason.
The truth is, she scares the hell out of me.
I feel things for her I’ve never felt before, and I don’t know what to do with them. It’s easier to shut it down. Avoid her. Pretend none of it happened.
Except… I still have to see her.
I expect she’s with Luke.
Laughing. Smiling. Easy.
It twists something in my chest every time. Because deep in my heart I know the truth. Luke’s exactly the kind of man she belongs with. Someone like him. Confident. Social. Someone who fits into her world without effort.