“I know.” He expels a breath. “Fuck, I know. Please, let me explain.”

“Aleck, you’re a fire, remember? Hot and destructive. If I don’t get out now, you’ll burn me alive. I said it, you said it, then you proved it. I can’t do that to myself again.”

Aleck grinds his teeth, his square jaw straining as a low growl vibrates in his throat. “I just want to sit down and explain.”

“There’s nothing to explain—”

“There’s a shit-ton to explain,” he forces out.

I take a step back, unwelcoming his agitation because I’m the one who should be angry, not him. He’s made it very clear I’m not what he wants and now he’s here demanding that he’s given a chance to absolve his guilt over leaving me heartbroken without a word.

Screw. That.

Just then, the elevator dings and the door slides open. A familiar blonde steps into the hallway. Legs to her throat, shiny tanned skin, plump pink lips. My eyes narrow on her as she approaches. Then she smiles… at Aleck.

Twirling a set of keys around her finger, she stops next to him. “Hey,” she says. Her honey-brown eyes fall on me and her smile widens. “Hi.”

I know her. Where do I know her?

Oh my god, the fucking resort! The blonde at the bar with her hands all over Aleck. Rebecca he said her name was. Only friends he said they were.

“Uh, hey,” his tone shaky and anxious. “Did you find your phone?”

My eyes widen as the realization hits me that they’re together. He met this woman at the resort when he was with me. When he demanded my everything. Then he left me there and somehow connected with her in the real world. And now they’re together.

The plans Sondra said he had…

His date…

“Yeah, it slipped between the seat and console. Maybe if you didn’t drive so fast.” She giggles, then hands him his keys.

“I’ll meet you inside, okay?” he says impatiently.

But I can’t stick around. Not for this. Not anymore.

“No need, I was just leaving,” I say over my shoulder as I turn and continue down the hallway.

“No,” Aleck grits. “Inside, Rebecca! I’ll be there in a minute.”

Approaching the elevator, I feel Aleck on my tail. I step inside, then press the door close button as if it would save my life, but Aleck slips into the elevator at the last second.

“Stay away from me,” I warn, stepping to the far corner of the elevator.

“I won’t touch you.” He holds his hands up, then pushes them into his pockets. “Winter, I just want to sit down and talk with you. I have a lot of things I want to tell you. Things I should have told you already.”

“Ha!” I boom. “You know the sickest part of all of this? I actually thought you and I had something different—”

“We did,” he interrupts, taking a step forward. “We had everything, Winter.”