“What was what?”

“You just flinched as though I was going to hurt you,” he tells me slowly as he lowers his hands from the door.

I watch as his face goes from smoldering and sexy to cool and detached. Instantly, I want to apologize. I want to tell him that I didn’t mean it. He can trust me, and I can trust him. I know I can trust him, don’t I?

Closely, I watch him as he slips his hands into his pockets. He takes a step away from me, now averting his eyes from my body. Sighing, I reach down and wrap my robe around myself. I want to scream and tell him that I didn’t mean it, but it’s clear he doesn’t want to talk about it.

“Can you please move away from the door?” he asks in a surly, gruff tone.

I can feel the distance already starting to spread between us. All the trust and all the moments leading up to this are gone in the blink of an eye.

“Can we talk about this for a minute? I still have questions.” I try to appeal to his professional nature.

“Get the fuck out of the way, Gemma!” he yells at me.

Instantly, I move away from the door.

When he reaches it, he grips the handle. Turning his head to me, angry green eyes lock with mine.

“Things changed that morning because I spoke to Beau. He told me her parents were coming to visit. He explained how they wanted to meet me. They didn’t trust me and didn’t trust my intentions. They were coming to visit, and I knew they wanted to take her away.” His voice sounds as though he is feeling it all over again. He sounds destroyed. “I wanted to make sure she didn’t want to leave. I needed to make sure she believed in us, trusted us. So, I made sure she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.”

“She stayed, didn’t she?” I ask quickly, knowing he’s about to leave because he’s still pissed.

“She stayed…until she left,” he replies cryptically.

Opening the door, he exits and leaves me standing in my room, wondering how the hell I can fix the trust I just broke.


Chapter  Ten ~ Armor