Take Me (Take a Chance #4)(28)
Author: Diane Alberts

Or him.

When she pulled back and smiled up at him, he looked heart-achingly despondent. Then he grinned. Had she imagined the haunting emptiness in his eyes, or was he wearing a mask in front of her? Which one was the real Mike?

Or could it be both?

After all, she’d just told him she got the role of her life and he wasn’t acting jealous or upset. Maybe she could have him and her career. Maybe she could have the love and the dancing. Maybe he had been right—it didn’t have to be all or nothing.

She squeezed his shoulders. “I still can’t believe it. This might be the best night of my life.”

“I’m very, very happy for you.” His smile didn’t budge. “Should we go back and share a bottle of champagne to celebrate?”

“Sure. Why the hell not, right?” She laughed and held his hand, dragging him back to the room. For once, she felt like she was on top of the world. Like she could conquer anything or anyone. “Tomorrow night I have to go sign contracts and then I leave next week. We can figure—”

“Tomorrow night?” He stopped walking. “But that’s Kiersten’s wedding.”

“Oh. Shit. I forgot.” Maybe she could change the time of the meeting. Surely Keith would be flexible in that. She’d promised to go to the wedding and she would. Even if it meant having a 6 AM meeting or something. “I’ll—”

“You know what? It’s okay.” He dragged a hand through his blond hair and gave a little laugh. “It’s probably better this way. We can call it quits a day early and save an awkward explanation to my family about why we’re breaking things off the next day. It’s not a big deal at all.”

Quits? There was no reason to call it quits. What the hell was going on? The walls closed in on her, making it harder to breathe. Harder to see anything except the fact that he was pushing her away. “But…I thought…”

“I did, too.” He closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath, then focused on her. His demeanor seemed cold and hard. She shivered and hugged herself. “But you were right, we had nothing between us except sex.”

“But last night—”

“Was fun.” He leveled a look on her, his jaw square. “But you’re leaving next week and you need to be able to enjoy the time away—live the dreams you’ve always had—without a husband hanging at home waiting.” He opened his mouth, then pressed his lips together tight before asking, “It’s what you always wanted, right?”

Well, yeah. But that was before last night, when they’d agreed they had more than sex between them. Before he got her hopes up, then stomped on them. “Yeah…”

She thought she saw a look of vulnerability cross his face but he ducked his head before she could be sure. “Then you’ll have it. You’ll be free of our marriage. I’ll have a lawyer contact you, and you’ll never have to see me again.”

“Wait just a second. Why are you pushing me away now?”

He opened his mouth and closed it. “Does it matter?”

“Yes. Yes it does.” She swallowed past the tears threatening to escape.

His jaw ticked. “I don’t see why it matters. Either way you’re leaving. Either way, you’re too busy to go to my sister’s wedding with me. Either way, we’re done.”

“Oh. My. God.” She leaned against the wall, unable to believe he was doing exactly what he said he wouldn’t do. “That’s what this is about. Me not being able to do some stupid little thing because of my work.”

His head snapped up and he stared at her, nostrils flared and anger spitting out of his eyes. “Excuse me? My sister’s wedding is not little or stupid. It’s important to me.”

“I know.” There she went again, ruining her words with feelings. Damn it. She held her hands out to him, but he stared at them disdainfully. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry.”

“But you did.” His shoulders deflated a little bit, but he quickly stood straight. “And, yeah, I am mad. Actually, I’m f**king pissed that you’re going to throw everything we had going for us away without even caring, just like you said you would, as soon as a part came up.”

“You’re the one ruining this.” She pointed a finger at him. “You’re the one being bitter and holding my success against me, just like all the other men. You lied to me. You’re not different.”

He clenched his hands into fists. “Yes. Because me wanting you at my sister’s wedding is so f**king awful?”

“Yes! Why is it so important to you that I go with you? Huh?”

“Because I f**king love you, that’s why!” He turned as if to walk away but then spun back to her, his face red and his eyes blazing. “I f**king love you, like an idiot, and you don’t even want to be with me.”

Morgan didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to feel.

But she knew hearing those words from him sent equal amounts of happiness and fear shooting to her core. She hadn’t wanted this. Hadn’t wanted love. He’d promised not to fall for her, and yet…here they were. “I…”

“Fuck me.” He covered his face with his hands and his voice came out flat. “Don’t say anything. I shouldn’t have said that. I…I didn’t even mean it.”

“That’s just…” fucked up, she added silently. So he went and threw that declaration out there, and he didn’t even mean it? What the hell was he playing at? “You’re right. You shouldn’t have.”

He squared his jaw. “Sorry.”

“I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to get me to give up my dream. To be your wife.” Part of her knew he wasn’t doing that, but he’d hit a trigger. And once it was cocked and loaded, it was hard to turn it off without firing. “You probably only said you loved me to get me to stay and be your personal sex slave. You didn’t even mean it, did you?”

“How could you be so f**king blind? I—” He took a step toward her, his face red, but then stopped. “You know what? You’re absolutely right. I’m a domineering ass**le who wants nothing but to see you fail. You should take off the ring and run away, before I drag you down with me to the slums of f**king suburbia. Run off to Chicago.”

She froze, her whole body shaking. She couldn’t breathe. God, why couldn’t she breathe?