His brow creased. “You’re meaning I should tell them I’m not going to marry you?”

“That’s it, exactly.” She gave him a congratulatory pat on the arm. “You’ve finally got it.”

“I hate to say no to you about anything, but I can’t be lying to my family.” He was quick enough on his feet to dodge the first punch, then the second. The third nearly caught him as he was doubled over with laughter, but he evaded by snagging her around the waist and swinging her in a giddy circle.

“God, you’re for me, Shannon. I’m crazy in love with you.”

“Crazy,” she began, but the rest was muffled against his mouth.

He stole her breath. She couldn’t get it back. While she gripped his shoulders, he continued to circle her, adding dizziness to breathlessness. His mouth added the heat. Even when he stopped the wild spinning, the room continued to revolve, and her heart with it.

There was a quick and stunning thought through the haze of desire, that he was giving her no choice but to love him.

“I’m not going to let this happen.” On a panicked flood of strength, she shoved away.

Her hair was tousled, her eyes wide and stunned. He could see the pulse hammering at her throat, and the color the kiss had left blooming in her cheeks.

“Come to bed with me, Shannon.” His voice was thick, rough, and edgy. “Christ Jesus, I need you. Every time you walk away there’s a hole in me, and a terrible fear you won’t come back.” Desperate, he pulled her close again, buried his face in her hair. “I can’t keep watching you walk away, and never having you.”

“Don’t do this.” She squeezed her eyes tight and fought a vicious battle with what was inside her. “You won’t let it be anything as simple as going to bed, and I can’t let it be anything else.”

“It is something else. It’s everything else.” He yanked her back. Remembering, he dropped his hands before his fingers could bruise. “Is it because I trip around you? I get clumsy sometimes because I can’t always think in a clear way when I’m close to you.”

“No, it’s not you, Murphy. It’s me. It’s me and your idea of us. And I’ve handled it much more clumsily than you.” She tried to take a deep breath, but found her chest was painfully tight. “So I’m going to fix that. I’m not going to see you again.” Keeping her eyes on his cost her, but she refused to back down. “That’ll make it easier for both of us. I’m going to start my arrangements to go back to New York.”

“That’s running,” he said evenly. “But do you know if you’re running from me or from yourself?”

“It’s my life. I have to get back to it.”

The fury crawling through him left no room even for fear. With his eyes burning into hers, he reached into his pocket and tossed what he had carried there onto the table.