‘Silly?’ I laughed. ‘Look, it’s something I want to do, it’s not just about you. I’d probably be doing this anyway even if I hadn’t met you again.’

He held my gaze. ‘Really?’

‘Yes, really. I just want to chill for a bit.’

He laughed. ‘You? Chill?’

I moved away from him, crossing my arms. ‘Why not?’

‘Look,’ he said with a sigh, ‘all I’m saying is, don’t do this because of us.’ I pulled the fur throw up my chest, covering my bare breasts. ‘I won’t want to be the reason you take a step back from a career you love, Gwyneth.’

‘Is that such an issue?’ I said. ‘I mean, it’s mainly about me and needing a break. But what if I were doing this for you? I’m not imagining what we have, am I?’

He avoided my gaze. ‘Yeah, things are good. The sex is mind-blowing. It’s been fun.’

‘Sex.’ I felt my stomach sink. ‘Fun? Right, I see.’

I moved further away from him, heart thumping. Had I got this all wrong?

Dylan put his hand on my shoulder. ‘I’m just saying, I don’t want to hold you back, that’s all.’

I shoved his hand off me. ‘Why, because it’s just been a little holiday romance?’

His dark eyes flickered with emotion then his face hardened. ‘You know it’s meant more than that. I just didn’t think—’ He paused, taking a deep breath. ‘I didn’t think we were expecting it to be a long-term thing, right?’

I looked at him in surprise as my cheeks burned with shame. I jumped up, walked to my clothes and pulled them on. Dylan watched me, not saying anything. I’d had countless conversations like this, but all those times it was me in Dylan’s position, telling someone else I wanted to cool things down. The number of times men I’d met had confused passion with love. And now I’d done the same with Dylan.

I forced myself to calm down before turning back to Dylan. ‘You’re right. It has been fun,’ I said in as carefree a voice as I could muster. ‘Sorry to make it all serious. I hate it when people do that.’

His eyes flickered with emotion and he was very quiet for a few moments, his breath low and deep. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said eventually, his voice catching. ‘I shouldn’t have led you on.’

‘It’s fine, really,’ I said, drawing on the same reserves I’d used after seeing my parents walk away all those years ago. I looked at my watch. ‘I guess we better head back to the ice beach before the sun sets.’

He regarded me with sad dark eyes. I know how awful it feels having to tell someone you don’t feel the same way. But that didn’t make it any easier.