Peter closed the distance between us.
God, he still wore the same cologne, and it was the same spicy, woody scent that used to cling to my sheets, to my skin. It was so familiar and comfortable that something in my chest loosened, my body reacting before my brain could catch up.
I forced myself to hold his gaze. “Is this the part where you say congratulations?”
He studied me for a second, like he was deciding how honest to be, and then he sighed softly. “I didn’t think you’d move on this fast.”
It wasn’t what I’d expected him to say, and I could only stare. Did I hear regret in his tone, or was I dreaming it?
No. It didn’t matter. He’d fucked up, and I wasn’t going there with him.
“Funny,” I said, putting my defenses back up. “I didn’t think I’d have to watch you do it in real time either, but here we are. Or should I say hereyouare.”
His lips curved, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Alec’s…easy.”
“Easy? That’s what you’re going for now?”
“Less complicated.”
My mouth fell open. I wasn’t even sure what the hell to say to that.Less complicated? What the fuck?
“I’m just saying,” he continued, “you and I… We were a lot.”
A million emotions flooded through me right then, one right after another. The good, the bad…and even the complicated.
Damn.Maybe he wasn’t wrong about that.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Maybe we were.”
“But you handled it.”
“Handled what?”
“Me.” He stepped in even closer, the toes of his shoes bumping against mine and his voice dropping slightly. “You knew how to deal with me. How to balance us out.”
Balance, right. He meant like how I swallowed my feelings when he got distant or pretended I didn’t notice when he pulled away. Or how I twisted myself into knots just to keep our relationship steady.
“That guy?” Peter nodded vaguely toward the lodge. “He doesn’t know you like that.”
Oh.There it was. He was shifting tactics now, using the wholehe doesn’t get you like I domove that crawled under my skin.
“He doesn’t need to,” I said, though it didn’t come out as strong as I wanted.
Peter’s eyes searched mine. “Look, if this is what you need to get over me, I get it.”
My pulse quickened, my lips suddenly dry. “What?”
“The guy. The rebound. I get it.”
“He’s not?—”
“It took me a minute to get over you too,” he said. “Longer than I expected.”
“It’s been eight weeks. How long exactly did it take you? One?”
“Come on. Don’t be like that.” His hand came up, the backs of his fingers brushing across my cheek.
It instantly had my mouth snapping shut as his familiar touch wreaked havoc on my insides. My body didn’t seem to know the difference between then and now, not when he was looking at me like he used to. Like I was the only thing that mattered.