been sucking on her fingers had more than hinted at a more pleasant finale. The look in his eyes was still hot, still hungry, but a muscle ticced in his jaw and Merry knew from experience how stubborn he could be. Chin tilted, looking him straight in the eyes, she said, “I didn’t love him.”
“If you weren’t in love with the guy then why agree to marry him?”
So many questions. Not idle ones either, this was important to him. She had nothing to hide so why not tell him the truth? “If I didn’t love him, he didn’t have the power to hurt me. Figured that way I’d save myself a lot of heartache in the long run.”
Shaking his head as though to clear it, Jack said, “Okay, help me out here. Why bother getting engaged at all?”
“I liked him. I thought at the time it would be enough, that I would be able to make it work.”
“And now?”
”After I saw Grace and Finn together at their wedding I knew what a sham my marriage would have been. We weren’t on an equal footing. He knew I didn’t feel as deeply for him as he felt about me but he didn’t seem to mind. In the end, I did. He deserved better and in time he would have come to resent me. So you see it wouldn’t have been all that different from my parents’ marriage. What’s this about Jack?”
Stormy blue eyes bored into hers. “I want to know what happens after tomorrow night.”
Ah, so this was it, no more skirting around the issue. She’d been dreading this conversation, had in fact done everything in her power to avoid it. That she’d known for days it was coming didn’t make it any easier. “I go home.”
“You are home.”
“No, Jack, my home, my business, my life is in Edinburgh.” Knowing he was hating every bit of her answer but not wishing to give him false hope, she kept forc ing the words out. “A week. That’s all you asked for.” This would be so much easier if she didn’t care for him so much, if she hadn’t come to enjoy being with him so much.
She didn’t even know how it had happened. She thought she’d been careful in keeping him at arm’s length, pushing him away when he got too close and yet he still kept coming back, treating her with tenderness. With love.
“What if I want more?”
“There isn’t any more, Jack.”
“The hell there isn’t.”
“Please don’t do this. Not here.” Merry just knew he was going to ask for something she was unable to give.
“Where then, Merry? When would suit you? Tell me, when would you like to talk?”
“I don’t. I want you to leave it.”
“You know what? That’s too bad, Merry, because I do. I want to know what this means to you.”
Merry was saved from answering when the waitress came to the table to tell them coffee was being served in the drawing room. Neither of them spoke as they took their seats in front of a smoldering peat fire. It should have been romantic, the perfect end to what should have been a beautiful evening. Only it had been marred by Jack’s need to push and Merry’s reluctance to give him anything.
Staring into the flames, Merry lifted the cup to her lips and murmured, “I can’t give you more.” Still not looking at him, she took a sip of her coffee.
Jack laughed, the sound hollow. “Actually, that’s not true. I think what you mean is you won’t.”
Merry didn’t know how much longer she could keep this up, pretending that he and everything they’d shared this week meant nothing to her. The hurt and disappointment in his voice made her heart ache. Every minute she spent with him made it harder to resist him. No one had ever tempted her to risk her heart the way he did. “Jack, please, can’t we enjoy the time we have left?”
“I won’t give up—you can’t keep running from your feelings, Merry. Running won’t protect you.”
Soon afterward they left the restaurant. Jack drove in silence. Merry sneaked a sideways peak at him from beneath her lashes. Why did he have to keep pushing? Wanting more. Always
“If you weren’t in love with the guy then why agree to marry him?”
So many questions. Not idle ones either, this was important to him. She had nothing to hide so why not tell him the truth? “If I didn’t love him, he didn’t have the power to hurt me. Figured that way I’d save myself a lot of heartache in the long run.”
Shaking his head as though to clear it, Jack said, “Okay, help me out here. Why bother getting engaged at all?”
“I liked him. I thought at the time it would be enough, that I would be able to make it work.”
“And now?”
”After I saw Grace and Finn together at their wedding I knew what a sham my marriage would have been. We weren’t on an equal footing. He knew I didn’t feel as deeply for him as he felt about me but he didn’t seem to mind. In the end, I did. He deserved better and in time he would have come to resent me. So you see it wouldn’t have been all that different from my parents’ marriage. What’s this about Jack?”
Stormy blue eyes bored into hers. “I want to know what happens after tomorrow night.”
Ah, so this was it, no more skirting around the issue. She’d been dreading this conversation, had in fact done everything in her power to avoid it. That she’d known for days it was coming didn’t make it any easier. “I go home.”
“You are home.”
“No, Jack, my home, my business, my life is in Edinburgh.” Knowing he was hating every bit of her answer but not wishing to give him false hope, she kept forc ing the words out. “A week. That’s all you asked for.” This would be so much easier if she didn’t care for him so much, if she hadn’t come to enjoy being with him so much.
She didn’t even know how it had happened. She thought she’d been careful in keeping him at arm’s length, pushing him away when he got too close and yet he still kept coming back, treating her with tenderness. With love.
“What if I want more?”
“There isn’t any more, Jack.”
“The hell there isn’t.”
“Please don’t do this. Not here.” Merry just knew he was going to ask for something she was unable to give.
“Where then, Merry? When would suit you? Tell me, when would you like to talk?”
“I don’t. I want you to leave it.”
“You know what? That’s too bad, Merry, because I do. I want to know what this means to you.”
Merry was saved from answering when the waitress came to the table to tell them coffee was being served in the drawing room. Neither of them spoke as they took their seats in front of a smoldering peat fire. It should have been romantic, the perfect end to what should have been a beautiful evening. Only it had been marred by Jack’s need to push and Merry’s reluctance to give him anything.
Staring into the flames, Merry lifted the cup to her lips and murmured, “I can’t give you more.” Still not looking at him, she took a sip of her coffee.
Jack laughed, the sound hollow. “Actually, that’s not true. I think what you mean is you won’t.”
Merry didn’t know how much longer she could keep this up, pretending that he and everything they’d shared this week meant nothing to her. The hurt and disappointment in his voice made her heart ache. Every minute she spent with him made it harder to resist him. No one had ever tempted her to risk her heart the way he did. “Jack, please, can’t we enjoy the time we have left?”
“I won’t give up—you can’t keep running from your feelings, Merry. Running won’t protect you.”
Soon afterward they left the restaurant. Jack drove in silence. Merry sneaked a sideways peak at him from beneath her lashes. Why did he have to keep pushing? Wanting more. Always
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