His gaze roamed over her, and she felt self-conscious in the turquoise-and-green gown that had made her feel so beautiful just half an hour earlier when she’d dressed for the evening with care. The fluttery fabric had matched her light, airy hopefulness. Now, the frothy material reminded her how foolish she’d been to hope for more from a man who still wanted—deserved—closeness with his family.

“You don’t need to explain anything, Gage.” She cut him short, fearing if they talked much longer she would humiliate herself by bursting into tears. She didn’t move to enter the room. She felt so fragile at the moment she feared she might break if she took a single misstep. “Your parents are in town to see you, not me. And I’m not going to add fuel to the fire by remaining here when you and your dad already have a strained relationship.”

“I’m not interested in repairing a relationship with my father after the way he’s treated you.” His words were softly spoken, but the fury behind them was still apparent. He stood just inches from her, still waiting for her to enter the office outside the bedroom he’d given her for her stay.

A visit that had come to an end, as much as she wished otherwise. She couldn’t afford to ignore how this would inevitably turn out. Heartbreak delayed would only be heartbreak doubled.

“And what about your mother? Your sisters?” she prodded, trying to help him see the facts he’d been ignoring. “How happy are you going to be alienating your whole family for my sake? They’re your flesh and blood, Gage. I’m just the woman sharing your bed temporarily.”

“I want you in my life for more than that,” he shot back, emotion flaring in his eyes.

Anger? Passion? She couldn’t be sure. Her own emotions were so mixed up where he was concerned, she didn’t have the clear-eyed judgment necessary to try to interpret his. She felt weary.

“For how long?” she asked, making one last effort to help him see that they were wrong for each other. To think otherwise had been delusional. “Right now, we have great chemistry. But will that still be there three years from now after you’ve cut yourself off from your family in order to be with me? Or will you wish you’d found someone that your family could embrace instead of someone they’re determined to hate?”

“I don’t need their approval, Elena.” His tone was resolute. Final. “What my father wants doesn’t mean a damned thing to me.”

She’d like to think things could be simpler, but she couldn’t help but remember her own father. No matter his shortcomings, she still wished she could have found a way to have him in her life. To fix the rifts between them so she still had someone she could call family.