"No." I put some more distance between us. "So drop it, all right?"
Her mouth tightened. "All right. If that's what you want." And with that, she yanked up the covers and turned to face the other way.
Shit.I was being a dick. I didn't want to be, but even if Iwantedto bare my soul, now wasn't the time.
And, I wasn't used to this.
Silence – it was an old habit, ingrained so deep it had become second-nature. Almost no one really knew me, or hell, even who I was. It was better this way.
Until now.Or more accurately, until Becka.
Until her, keeping my distance had been easy.
Not anymore.
Already, she'd burrowed too deep under my skin, making me reconsider everything I thought I knew.
And now I'd hurt her.
Not for the first time either.
I gave a silent curse. If she stuck around, there was plenty more wherethatcame from.
A smarter guy – hell, anicerguy – would end this now and be done with it. Some might say I'd be doing her a favor.
Screw that.
What I wanted washer.I liked the way she made me feel. And I wanted to spoil her like she deserved to be spoiled.
If she thought her sister had done too much for her, she hadn't seen anything yet. When it came to resources, I had plenty. We could build a life, aphenomenallife. But first, I needed to get through this tour.
As we lay in silence, I thought of everything my money could buy – houses, cars, travel, whatever. I could give her the world on a silver platter.
But I couldn’t give her myself, not fully, and not yet.
Still, there was something Icoulddo. I reached out to caress her shoulder. "Listen, I don't mean to be an ass, okay?"
Slowly, she turned in the bed to face me. "Oh yeah?" she said. "And I don't mean to thump you on the forehead."
I wasn't following. "What?"
A split-second later, she reached up and flicked my forehead with her index finger. "See?" she said with a laugh. "Total accident."
"I'll give you an accident," I said and pulled her back into my arms. And right there, tangled in the covers, I kissed away her questions along with my own concerns, which were growing by the day.
If I were smart, I'd send her straight to her sister, where she wouldn't be tainted by anything I did on my own. And yet, like an asshole, I did nothing of the sort.
Already, we'd extended her internship for another semester, and she'd registered for a couple of additional classes – distance learning, where she could earn the credits without setting foot on campus.
As the weeks turned into months, we traveled back and forth across the country, hitting city after city on my list – small cities, medium cities, and even a few larger ones on the way.
Becka didn't realize it, but I'd planned this trip personally, choosing each city for a specific reason.
But there was something I hadn't planned on – falling for a girl who noticed far too much.
Chapter 56
Jack
