Chapter 13 #2
She hurried off the dance floor before he could stop her.
"Elena."
She heard him behind her but she kept walking.
By the time she reached her cabin her heart was pounding far too hard.
Her hand had barely touched the doorknob when Carter caught up.
"Elena, please.” He continued, "I didn't mean to upset you."
"Ok.” Elena replied without looking at him as she stepped inside.
The cabin was quiet after the noise of the reception.
Elena closed her eyes and for a moment she simply stood there trying to slow her breathing. The music, the dance, him. Everything felt overwhelming.
The door clicked softly behind her.
He had followed her inside.
Of course he had.
Elena took a breath and turned. Probably to tell him to leave. That she needed space. That it was cruel of him to play with her feelings.
Instead the words vanished. Carter was standing much closer than she'd realized.
There was no smugness in his expression now.
He looked so…sincere.
And those damn puppy-dog eyes.
The same warm brown eyes she'd once spent entire afternoons getting lost in.
Elena was incapable of looking away.
The distance between them felt smaller with every passing second.
His face was now inches from hers, she could smell his familiar scent.
And suddenly Elena remembered exactly why she had spent all day avoiding him.
Because being near Carter still felt like standing too close to a fire. One that could warm her.
Or destroy her.
Possibly both.
But her mind didn't care anymore.
The moment his mouth found hers, every coherent thought slipped away. Elena gasped softly as he backed her against the wall, kissing her with a hunger that stole her breath. His hands settled at her waist, pulling her closer until there wasn't an inch of space between them.
"Still think I'm not worth looking at?" he murmured against her lips.
She laughed breathlessly, but the sound disappeared when he kissed her again.
His hands roamed over her back, steady and sure, and before she could protest, he lifted her effortlessly. Elena let out a startled laugh, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he held her against the wall.
"Show-off," she whispered.
"I know, You love it."
Elena grinned against his mouth before he deepened the kiss, his hands holding her like he never wanted to let her go. It felt achingly, beautifully familiar. It was like no time had passed at all—like she was twenty again and completely, hopelessly in love with him.
Then, the realization hit her so suddenly it stole the warmth right out of the moment.
Why?
Why had he left?
He'd apologized.
And she'd believed him.
God help her, she'd believed every word because he'd looked genuinely sorry.
But sorry wasn't an answer.
Sorry didn't explain why she'd spent years wondering what she'd done wrong.
Sorry didn't explain why the man who claimed to love her had ended their relationship with a note.
Why?
He must have stopped loving her. Because why else would he break up with her back then? It was the only logic that made sense.
But if that was true… then why on earth was he kissing her right now like he still did? Like his entire world began and ended with her?
Her chest tightened.
Before she could lose her nerve, she broke the kiss, pushing him away.
They both stood there breathing hard.
Carter looked as stunned by the interruption as she felt.
“Elena—”
“Why did you leave?”
His expression immediately changed. The question landed exactly where she'd intended it to.
“Tell me.”
“Elena...”
“No.” She shook her head. “Say it.”
A long silence stretched between them.
“I—”
“What is it, Carter?”
His jaw tightened.
She laughed bitterly.
“I get it. You stopped caring about me. Fine. But I want to know why I wasn't even worth five minutes of your time. Why couldn't you break up with me to my face?”
His eyes flashed with something that looked almost painful.
“I never stopped caring about you.”
“Great.” She folded her arms. “Then tell me why the hell you broke up with me over a fucking note.”
“It's complicated.”
Of course it was.
A humorless smile crossed her face.
“My divorce isn't even finalized yet,” she said quietly. “I really don't need ‘complicated’ in my life right now.”
“Elena.”
“Just leave, Carter.”
The hurt that crossed his face almost made her look away.
Almost.
“You didn't think I was important enough to tell me the truth in person back then,” she said. “And clearly you don't think I'm worth the honesty now.”
“It's not like that, Elena. I swear.”
She opened the door for him, motioning him to get out, which he did reluctantly.
“I'll work with you. I'll be the best damn professional coworker you've ever had.”
His face fell.
She looked at him, her heart shattering all over again. “But as for you and me?” She swallowed hard, forcing the words past the lump in her throat. “There is no you and me.”
“Elena—”
She shut the door before he could finish.
The sound echoed through the small cabin followed immediately by silence.
Elena leaned back against the door and squeezed her eyes shut.
Half an hour ago she'd been laughing with him.
Five minutes ago she'd been kissing him like she'd never stopped loving him.
And now they were right back where they'd always been since he came back.
Fighting.
Except somehow it hurt even more this time.