Playing With Fire (Tangled in Texas, #2)(78)

I ran to the living room, extracting things from drawers, grabbing my research files, and sifting through personal items. Only grabbing what I absolutely had to have, I carried them all to the suitcase and placed them inside.

Next I went for the drawers, pulling them out of the dresser completely and holding them upside down to dump the contents of each into my suitcase. My undergarments spilled out, only half of them actually landing in the suitcase. The rest had fallen every which way and some even ended up on the floor. But I didn’t have time to stop and pick them up. I closed the lid and zipped it up.

Reaching under the bed, I slid out a small black tote and threw the strap over my shoulder. The new identity inside would get me out of the country and the cash I’d stockpiled would keep me on the move until I found a good place to hide. I lifted the suitcase from the bed and headed to the kitchen, where my keys still sat on the counter. Just as I reached for them, a knock sounded at the door. My heart stopped and my stomach dropped. Setting my bags down quietly, I tiptoed to the door and peered out through the peephole.

Oh, no.

Cowboy stood on the other side of the door with a smile on his face. My body surged with guilt and remorse. I hadn’t planned to tell anyone—including him—I was leaving. Not even when my six months were up, and certainly not now when my time had run out early.

After a few moments, his smiled disappeared and he knocked again. Harder this time. I couldn’t pretend like I wasn’t home. Surely, he had noticed my car in the driveway. But I couldn’t bring myself to open the door, either, even when he banged on it a third time.

“Anna, I know you’re in there. I can hear you breathing.”

Figures.

I lowered my head, thunking it against the door as I let out a slow calming breath. All the running around I’d done had put my respirations in overdrive, and even though I was only softly panting, apparently it was audible. But I needed to get it under control if I were to face Cowboy without alarming him. I held my head up high, pushed a loose strand of my hair out of my eyes, and opened the door a few inches.

“Hi,” I greeted cheerily, straining to keep my voice from cracking. He started to move forward, as if he were going to come inside, but I held my position and barred his entry. “I’m sorry, Cowboy. I’m going to have to cancel on you tonight. Something sort of came up.”

I thought I’d done a great job keeping my tone controlled and light, but apparently it wasn’t enough. He raised one eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’ve just been rushing around like a mad woman trying to get some stuff done. I had a busy day at the library and have things to take care of.”

“What’s this? You brushing me off?”

I shook my head. “No, I just…” Eager to escape the way he was looking at me, I tried to hurry the conversation along. “Look, I’m feeling a little strange about what happened between us and I need some time to process it all. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“No, it’s not f*cking okay.” He scowled. “If this is your way of sending me packing, then I want to know why.”

“I don’t want to talk right now. I just want to—hey!”

Without my permission, he shoved open the door and stepped over the threshold. His eyes took in the disheveled room until they finally zeroed in on the luggage I’d placed on the floor next to the kitchen counter. His green eyes flashed to me, but his expression was unreadable. “Going somewhere?”

“I…” My heart thumped against my rib cage. “Yes, I’m leaving town.”

“You weren’t even going to tell me?”

I cringed at the harshness of his tone. “No.”

His mouth settled into a disapproving, grim line. “Why?”

“This is all happening too fast. You and me. I told you before we were too different. Our relationship is based solely on sex and I don’t want—”

“Stop it, Anna. If you’re going to stand here and give me a line of bullshit, then don’t bother. This has nothing to do with us and you know it. So either tell me the truth or don’t waste my f*cking time.”

“I…I don’t want this, okay?” My voice warbled unconvincingly. God, I was such a bad liar. “I only want to be left alone to live my life as I see fit. I don’t need the complication of a relationship.” At least that part was true, but I knew it would take more than that to make him leave. “You’re never going to be anything more than a playboy and I refuse to be another Kelly Deter.”

“Kelly Deter? Who the hell is… Wait, the girl from camp?”

At least my eye roll was genuine. “I’m surprised you even remember her name at all.”

“Well, why wouldn’t I? She’s the bitch who told everyone that she and I slept together the night of the bonfire. All I’d done was ask her out. I hadn’t laid a finger on her. The next day, when I found out she spread the rumor among the other counselors, I called the whole thing off.”

“But you weren’t at the bonfire,” I said, shaking my head furiously. “I didn’t see you there.”

“I was on my way when I heard a commotion and ran to see what happened. I thought one of the kids had gotten hurt, but it was you. You were lying on the ground with all the kids standing around you as one of the other female counselors yelled for help. I picked you up and carried you to the nurse’s station, then waited outside until I heard you were going to be okay. They’d told me you had a panic attack and fainted.”