you in the middle of running away or did you already do it and felt guilty?”
Okay, she deserved that and from the hurt in his eyes, her leaving had bothered him. Apparently he was more invested than she’d thought. This whole…whatever this was between them…was getting more and more complicated.
“I already left,” she admitted. “But I need your help.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and laughed. “You sneak out of my bed and then return, not to pick up where we left off, but because you need something?”
“That storm caused some major damage last night,” she went on, trying not to let the hurt and bitterness in his voice get to her. “That big oak in my front yard lost a limb and it collapsed the roof of my porch. I couldn’t tell if any part is in the house or not.”
“God, Cori, why didn’t you say that to begin with?” He turned and headed down the hall, then yelled back, “Give me one second to throw clothes on.”
She paced the living room and wondered exactly what they were facing with this mess. Fate sure had terrible timing. But when was a good time to have a tree land on your house?
Dylan barreled back down the curved steps and she followed him out the front door.
“I’m sorry I left,” she told him as they started down his porch steps. She laid a hand on his arm to stop him. “I didn’t know what to do, honestly, and I guess I made the wrong decision.”
His eyes traveled over her face. “Yeah, I guess you did.”
Without another word, he headed for her house and she didn’t try to defend herself or her cowardly actions. What was done was done. All she could do now was try to make it up to him. Make him feel like she wasn’t just using him.
But wasn’t he the one who’d said last night that he couldn’t give any more than sex? She’d given that and suddenly he was hurt?
And men thought women were confusing.
He turned the corner by the fence and cursed. Corinne knew better than to get in his way. For one thing, he was already pissed because of her leaving, and then he’d woken up to this mess, thanks to her dragging him into it.
While he assessed the outside, Corinne went around the side of the house where there was no damage and headed inside through her back door.
Thankfully there was no other damage to the back of the house, but when she made it to the living room, she could see the tree had indeed done a number on a portion of the entryway and front window.
Assessing the damage only made her heart hurt, and before she knew it, she was trying to retrieve the pictures off the wall behind the debris—but she couldn’t get to them and the glass had been shattered anyway.
An old school picture stared back at her. An innocent girl with a sweet smile. Corinne felt sorry for the teenager in that picture. If only she’d known what a nightmare waited for her up ahead.
“It’s okay, Cori.”
She turned, saw Dylan standing in the doorway with his brows drawn.
“Okay?” she asked. “How is a tree in my parents’ living room okay?”
They both knew he wasn’t just talking about the tree. She had no doubt he’d seen her trying to get the picture off the wall, and as perceptive as he was, she knew he was aware of her thoughts.
“You know I’ve always believed everything happens for a reason,” he told her, moving on into what was once the neatly organized living room. “This will be fixed. Just thank God you weren’t home and sitting on that sofa last night.”
Corinne nodded, knowing he was right. “I’m just so tired of every single thing happening to me, to my family. When will the good come, Dylan? Because I’ve been crapped on since I was sixteen and forced to leave. Yes, I have a great career, but what has that gotten me? And all those years weren’t so hot at times either.”
Like when her nightmare tracked her down when she’d been doing a shoot in New York. That was dodged easily enough by security on set and she’d hightailed it out
Okay, she deserved that and from the hurt in his eyes, her leaving had bothered him. Apparently he was more invested than she’d thought. This whole…whatever this was between them…was getting more and more complicated.
“I already left,” she admitted. “But I need your help.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and laughed. “You sneak out of my bed and then return, not to pick up where we left off, but because you need something?”
“That storm caused some major damage last night,” she went on, trying not to let the hurt and bitterness in his voice get to her. “That big oak in my front yard lost a limb and it collapsed the roof of my porch. I couldn’t tell if any part is in the house or not.”
“God, Cori, why didn’t you say that to begin with?” He turned and headed down the hall, then yelled back, “Give me one second to throw clothes on.”
She paced the living room and wondered exactly what they were facing with this mess. Fate sure had terrible timing. But when was a good time to have a tree land on your house?
Dylan barreled back down the curved steps and she followed him out the front door.
“I’m sorry I left,” she told him as they started down his porch steps. She laid a hand on his arm to stop him. “I didn’t know what to do, honestly, and I guess I made the wrong decision.”
His eyes traveled over her face. “Yeah, I guess you did.”
Without another word, he headed for her house and she didn’t try to defend herself or her cowardly actions. What was done was done. All she could do now was try to make it up to him. Make him feel like she wasn’t just using him.
But wasn’t he the one who’d said last night that he couldn’t give any more than sex? She’d given that and suddenly he was hurt?
And men thought women were confusing.
He turned the corner by the fence and cursed. Corinne knew better than to get in his way. For one thing, he was already pissed because of her leaving, and then he’d woken up to this mess, thanks to her dragging him into it.
While he assessed the outside, Corinne went around the side of the house where there was no damage and headed inside through her back door.
Thankfully there was no other damage to the back of the house, but when she made it to the living room, she could see the tree had indeed done a number on a portion of the entryway and front window.
Assessing the damage only made her heart hurt, and before she knew it, she was trying to retrieve the pictures off the wall behind the debris—but she couldn’t get to them and the glass had been shattered anyway.
An old school picture stared back at her. An innocent girl with a sweet smile. Corinne felt sorry for the teenager in that picture. If only she’d known what a nightmare waited for her up ahead.
“It’s okay, Cori.”
She turned, saw Dylan standing in the doorway with his brows drawn.
“Okay?” she asked. “How is a tree in my parents’ living room okay?”
They both knew he wasn’t just talking about the tree. She had no doubt he’d seen her trying to get the picture off the wall, and as perceptive as he was, she knew he was aware of her thoughts.
“You know I’ve always believed everything happens for a reason,” he told her, moving on into what was once the neatly organized living room. “This will be fixed. Just thank God you weren’t home and sitting on that sofa last night.”
Corinne nodded, knowing he was right. “I’m just so tired of every single thing happening to me, to my family. When will the good come, Dylan? Because I’ve been crapped on since I was sixteen and forced to leave. Yes, I have a great career, but what has that gotten me? And all those years weren’t so hot at times either.”
Like when her nightmare tracked her down when she’d been doing a shoot in New York. That was dodged easily enough by security on set and she’d hightailed it out
Similar Books
