Free Bravo Unwrapped by Christine Rimmer Page B

“B.J.”
    With obvious effort, she turned his way again, met his eyes. “Let’s just not go there, okay? It was a long time ago and—”
    â€œDon’t give me that. Listen. I screwed up six yearsago. I screwed up bad. I didn’t believe in you. Not enough—not in you, or in myself.”
    â€œBuck—”
    â€œNot that anything I might say is any kind of excuse. I blew it. Blew it all to hell and I know it.”
    â€œBuck. It was over. I’d turned you down. You had a perfect right to—”
    â€œIf I had a perfect right, then why did you look like I’d stabbed you to the heart when you walked in on us?”
    She marched over and dropped to the edge of the bed again. “Please. Will you just go?”
    â€œNot till you hear me out.”
    She gave him a long look. “Let me get this straight. You speak—and then you go?”
    He nodded.
    â€œAll right, then.” She crossed those slim legs, leaned back on her hands, and stared at him defiantly. “Get it over with.”
    Now she’d said she would listen, he hardly knew where to start. He took a stab at it. “I never should have let you walk away back then.”
    â€œAs if you could have stopped me.”
    He pinned her with a glance. She pressed her lips together and shrugged, but she did keep her sweet mouth shut.
    He clarified, “The point is, I didn’t even try to stop you. You want to talk mistakes? Well, that was the real one. That I let you walk out of my life without a fight. I despise myself for that. That won’t happen again. This time, things are going to be different.”
    â€œBuck. Get with reality. There is no ‘this time.’”
    â€œYeah, there is.”
    The light in her eyes threatened dire consequences. “Oh, you are so asking for it, you know that?”
    â€œI am. And I do.”
    She gave up the defiant pose and jumped to her feet. “Okay. Get this. If you insist on dredging up all that old stuff, I’m done being fair about it.”
    He looked her slowly up and down. She was, and always had been, real easy to look at. “Good. Because you being fair about it? That’s all just crap and we both know it.”
    She took a step toward the chair where he sat. “Your turn to listen.”
    â€œFair enough.”
    â€œOkay, then. This is how I really feel. What you did was scum-sucking low. What you did proved that you’re nothing but a dog, Buck. You asked me to marry you. I said I wasn’t ready—not get lost, not never. Just not now. I said not now and you said we were through. Then you went right out and got drunk and picked up a stranger, an innocent bystander, and took her home. I came to find you, to try to work things out. And there you were, boinking some brunette. It was, to say the least, a pivotal moment. It was the moment I realized you weren’t worth my time, let alone my pitiful, ridiculous broken heart.”
    He waited to see if she’d say more. When she didn’t, he nodded. “You’re right. I wasn’t worth it. And I’m sorry.”
    â€œIt’s a little damn late to say you’re sorry.”
    â€œIt’s a lot late. I’m saying it anyway.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBetter late than never?”
    â€œThat’s no answer.”
    â€œBest I can do.”
    She made a face. Not a happy one. “Just go now. Please.”
    â€œI will. Soon.”
    â€œPromises, promises.”
    He rose from the chair. “There’s still that question of yours. Remember? The one about why I made you come with me on this trip in the first place.”
    â€œI told you. It doesn’t matter. It never mattered. I shouldn’t have asked.”
    â€œBut you did ask. And it does matter.” He dared another step.
    It was a step more than she could accept. “Don’t come any closer.”
    â€œScared?”
    She made a rough, scoffing