I looked back and his eyes were right there. We stared deep. I could almost see into him, just as I felt him inside of me. His eyes softened, then grew fierce again.

His lips nipped mine, and he groaned against my mouth, “Why do I feel like this is the last time I’ll hold you?”

Fresh tears spilled.

He felt them, tasted them, and pulled back. “Charlie?” His cock quivered inside of me.

I gasped. “When I go on Friday, that’s it for me. I’m done.”

He went still. Every inch of him turned to stone, and a wall slammed over his face.

“The fuck?”

He didn’t pull out of me, and I almost sagged from relief. I needed him to finish. I needed him to claim me once more.

“Why?”

I flinched at how cold he sounded. My head hung down. “Because I care too much. Because when you leave me, I won’t recover.” I willed myself to meet his eyes. “It took everything in me to leave Damian. I can’t—if you walked away from me, I’d never get back up again. You can destroy me.”

I’d cut myself open for him, revealed everything in me.

Taking a second, his forehead fell to my shoulder, and he cursed under his breath. But then he began moving in me again. His cock was almost stroking me. His hand slid around to rub my clit, pressing, holding, circling, teasing. As he brought me toward my climax, I felt his lips on my shoulder, then the back of my neck. I bent over for him again, my hands fisting on the counter.

I knew what he was doing. “You too,” I yelled. “Don’t you goddamn make me come and you don’t.”

I lifted my head, intent flashing in my eyes. “If you don’t, I’ll be on my knees in front of you.”

He paused, holding my gaze, and I tried not to flinch at the wall I saw in him. But then he shuddered. He took my hips and brought both of us to climax.

We erupted together.

I fell against the counter, too weak to move, as we both trembled from the aftermath.

“If you’re going to go, why wait till Friday?”

I winced. His voice was devoid of anything humane.

“I’ll take you to the airport today.”

Then he pulled out, and walked out, leaving me lying there. Alone.

I don’t know what I did after Reese walked away from me.

I don’t know how I got to the airport, or even packed the few items I had with me.

I don’t remember the flight back to Minneapolis.

For the next two weeks, I wouldn’t remember hardly anything.

I texted Grant when I landed.

Me: I’m at the airport. Can you pick me up?

Grant: What?! I’m at camp.

Me: Okay.

Grant: I’m coming. Are you okay?

Me: No.

Grant: Don’t go home. I have no clue what’s going on, but my gut is telling me not to let you be alone. I’m sending Janet.

I didn’t argue. That said everything. I do remember that.

Me: Okay.

I sat on a bench near the curb, my suitcase beside me, staring at nothing.

A car rolled to a stop before me. The window went down and I heard, “Charlie?”

I looked up.

It was Janet.

A little while later, we were at her house. I followed her inside, and she put her purse and keys on the counter by the door.

She took off her coat, watching me. “Do you need anything? A drink maybe?”

I almost laughed at that. “God, yes.”

Her husband was in the living room, and he paused the television. ESPN was on, and I froze, a numb feeling spreading through me as I forced myself to look at the screen. But they weren’t talking about Reese. His name wasn’t in the captions. They weren’t playing highlights of his game.

They had remembered there were other sports and teams out there.

? ? ?

“She hasn’t said much?”

“No. What’s wrong with her? She’s freaking me out.”

Grant had arrived and was talking to Janet in the entryway. They were using hushed tones, but they still carried to the kitchen and even the living room.

Janet’s husband gave me a pitying smile. “She’s not the greatest on tact,” he said quietly.

I shrugged. I’d known her longer than he had. It was understood.

“I want to help, but I have no idea what to say to her. Did she break up with Damian again? Why am I always in the dark?” Janet hissed.

? ? ?

We were in the car. Grant and me.

City lights passed by, looming over us on the interstate. He cleared his throat. I could feel his worry when he looked over. “So, you’re okay with what we’re doing, right? I mean, you seem out of it.”

No. What were we doing?

But I only nodded and pressed my hands into my lap. “Of course.”

“Really?”

? ? ?

I found out later that Grant and I had packed half of my apartment the day he came.

There were reasons everything was moving fast, but I didn’t understand it. I just went with it. Who was I to argue?

I’d turned in my notice with the lease office and asked Lucas to grab the rest of my stuff. It was supposed to go into storage until I could come get it later.

I saw the text conversation with Lucas. He hadn’t wanted to help me until I threatened him with a sex tape Newt had sent me early in our dating relationship. It was of Newt. There was nothing illegal about it, but the idea of getting a video sent by your ex’s grand-whatever was just all sorts of gross.