Lance by Elle Thorne Page B

glanced down at his hands. She noticed they were clenched into fists, his knuckles white, the forearms she’d loved had tendons popping out, muscles hard with tension. He looked up from his fists, his eyes locking with hers. The tormented deep blue color had shards of amber swimming within. “No. We… I… my bear and I… we both know we’re done. We know you don’t want us and what we did was unforgivable.”
    “Go on. Why? Why did you shatter everything we had?”
    His gritted his teeth, the sound was painful, a harbinger of the emotions within him.
    “I’ve had questions.” Lance rose to his feet, he paced in front of her, quads flexing in those legs that belonged on a professional athlete. He passed in front of the light, eclipsing it, then releasing it to shine as he kept pacing. “I thought I would get the answers when I joined the Compliance Unit.”
    Did you?
    She was dying to ask but didn’t, because it was clear he still had more to say.
    “No. I didn’t but…” He froze, turned to face her. “The recruiter said the Enforcer Unit had a high mortality rate—”
    Mac cocked her head. She was sure from the way he paused that something important was coming next.
    “I didn’t want to die and leave you—our love—behind.”
    “But you didn’t die.” Her voice carried all the poison of four painful years.
    “I’m guessing you wish I had.” Creases of frustration and worry lined his face.
    Not in a million years. I’d have given my life for yours. She couldn’t say that. She couldn’t say anything.
    The only thing she could do was find out what went wrong with Ciara’s procedure and have it rectified.
    “I’d like to go home.”

Chapter 13
    L ance bit back a response . A damned angry response, at that.
    That’s all she has to say?
    “You can’t go home now. There’s a blizzard underway. I could barely see well enough to get you here, and now it’s a thousand times worse.”
    Mac glared at him.
    “I’m not lying. Call Mae. Call Ariadne. Call anyone you want to verify.”
    Her look as much as told him to fuck off. She looked around.
    “This is the cabin you bought? The one I never got to see?”
    “Damn.” He fought to contain his temper. “You don’t have to make it sound like that. When I bought it, it wasn’t much more than a shack I ignored for years. Judge set it up for me. Everything you see here, it’s courtesy of Judge. Well, I paid for it, sure. But he arranged for the renovations and the setup.”
    “So you’re back? For good?” She threw her legs over the side.
    Lance moved to get out of her way, but not too far, because he wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to stand.
    For good?
    Was it for good? Maybe. It would depend on her answer. If she wanted nothing to do with him, then he’d re-up with the Compliance Unit. What else could he do?
    Lance loved his mountain, loved his cabin, and he loved the valley. But none of those mattered if Mac wasn’t a part of his life.
    “Never mind.” She spat her sentiment out as she put her weight on her legs.
    Clearly he’d taken too long to reply.
    He studied her silhouette. The curves he’d loved so much four years ago still had the same effect on him. He couldn’t imagine anyone else with her.
    “MacKenzie.”
    “What?” She snapped her head to face him. “What? I don’t want you saying something you don’t mean. I don’t want anything from you.”
    “I’m not going to say something I don’t mean. You know me better.”
    “Then what?”
    “I’d stay in a heartbeat.” He paused. “I’d stay if you didn’t hate me.”
    “I can’t be with you. I’m not doing heartache again.”
    Again.
    First her parents disappoint her. Now I did. I don’t blame her.
    She studied him, looking up and down. “What happened to you?”
    Shit. He’d forgotten to change clothes from the fight. Gaze stayed focused on the blood and ripped shirt, the abrasions on his arms, a scratch on his lip that had already begun its