Her hands trembled. “You offered to come home with me.”
“Yeah, and it was a big fucking mistake, okay?” He raked one hand through his dark hair. “Let’s just make this easy, babe. We spent a couple of weeks together, had a good time, but now it’s time to end it.”
“End it,” she repeated dully.
“Yes. Because honestly? The fun’s over for me.”
The cruelty of that comment hit her hard. Her chest felt like someone had sliced it open with a knife, and at that moment, she realized just how much she cared about this man. Damn it, she’d fallen in love with him. Her heart squeezed in pain and humiliation. God, she was so stupid.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked quietly, forcing herself to meet his eyes. “Do you even feel anything for me?”
He hesitated, and her heart ached again.
“Do you?” she demanded.
Ryan’s gaze didn’t waver as he gave a slight shake of the head. “No,” he finally admitted.
Tears pricked her eyelids. She quickly blinked them back. Anger joined the sorrow swimming in her gut, and she narrowed her eyes at him, unable to accept what he’d just said. “You’re lying. You do have feelings for me.”
“You turn me on, sure,” he said callously. “But I don’t love you, if that’s what you’re getting at.” He grimaced. “Fuck, we both know I’m in love with someone else.”
The knife in her heart twisted several more times, leaving her chest raw and empty. “Jane,” she said softly.
“Yes.” He averted his eyes. “It’s always been her, all right?”
“Were you using me to try and get over her?”
He nodded.
The tears returned, this time doing more than stinging her eyes. They streamed down her cheeks and she viciously swiped at them with the back of her hand. She took a deep breath. “Go then. You obviously don’t want to be here, and frankly, I don’t want you here either, so just go, Ryan.”
His blue eyes flickered with regret. “I’m sorry, Annabelle.”
“Yeah, me too,” she said bitterly.
He started to reach for her, then seemed to change his mind. “It was fun at least, no?”
Anger ignited in her body. “Yeah, loads of fun,” she answered darkly. “Now do me a favor, Ryan, and get the hell out of my house.”
It was past midnight when Ryan let himself into his apartment, his suit rumpled from the flight and his heart battered from everything he had put it through tonight. You did the right thing, the voice in his head said, but he didn’t feel reassured. Had he done the right thing? He couldn’t get the image of Annabelle’s tears out of his mind, and it killed him knowing that he’d hurt her.
But she would be better off in the long run, right? He didn’t belong in her world, and he would never fit in to that wealthy lifestyle of hers. Her father had made that pretty damn clear. Annabelle would be fine. She’d probably get back together with that asshole Bryce, move into a big mansion, and have a luxurious life. He was sparing her the embarrassment of being with some military bum who made in a year what her father probably earned in a week.
You are not good enough for my daughter.
Gregory Holmes’s harsh words continued to buzz in his brain. He groaned softly, then pulled his tie from his pocket and hurled it across the room. He stalked into his bedroom, where he tore off his suit and slid into bed, naked and pissed off. The moment his head hit the pillow, the scent of orange blossoms filled his nostrils, which only made him angrier. Damn Annabelle and her snobby parents and her sexy orange blossom smell and all that sexy sarcasm. He groaned again, the sound muffled by the pillow, and then in an uncharacteristic burst of fury, he threw the pillow across the room. The damn thing hit the stack of DVDs atop his dresser, sending the pile crashing to the floor.
With the instincts of a well-trained Navy SEAL, Matt suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking alert and urgent. “What happened?” he demanded.
Ryan let out a hysterical laugh. “Nothing. DVDs fell, that’s all. Sorry if I woke you.”
Matt studied him, a worried expression filling his face. “What the hell happened to you?”
“Nothing,” he said again.
“You have crazy eyes, man. The same look you had on your face during that last gig in Afghanistan.” Matt furrowed his brows. “Weren’t you supposed to come back from San Francisco tomorrow night?”
“I left early.” Then he thought, to hell with it, and added, “I broke up with Annabelle.”
Matt’s eyes widened. “What? Why the hell did you do that? We both know you’re crazy about her.”
He smothered a sigh. “I’m crazy about Jane,” he corrected.