He sucked in a breath.

I braced myself for a warning—a scathing telling-off. Instead, his knuckles nudged my chin, bringing my gaze to his. I froze as he stared into me, seeing my fears, my guilt, my endless need for him, and he closed his eyes as if he couldn’t survive what he saw. “I keep saying this, and you keep ignoring me, but...please stop. I can’t take much more.”

My lips tingled for his. My body warmed. My heart raced. “I can’t stop what I feel.”

“You shouldn’t feel anything for me.”

“I’ve always felt something for you.” A couple of colleagues walked past, reminding us we were in public. This wasn’t private. And yet, the intensity that’d sprung between us was visceral.

Gil sighed heavily. His knuckles dropped from my chin. “Just...don’t.”

I winced at the plea in his voice, the aching, quaking request not to tangle emotion with whatever physical chemistry we shared.

I’d asked him the same thing in the shower when he’d traced my tattoo.

Don’t.

Please don’t.

Don’t make me fall.

Don’t make me hurt.

The last thing I wanted to do was cause him more pain.

Clearing his throat, doing his best to return to callous and cold, he said, “You need to pack a few things. You’re coming back to my place. No arguments.”

“Eh, excuse me?”

“You refused to stay longer than a night—even though I’ve been explicit about the danger—”

“You haven’t told me anything—”

“Let me finish.” He scowled. “I get that I came off...overbearing. So, I’m asking you to stay with me until I can fix this.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed, “And if you’re going to stay, you’ll need clothes.”

I blinked. “How long are you suggesting?”

“I don’t know.” His shoulders slumped. “I’ve failed in every way to resolve it quickly, but it has to end...soon.”

“Why?”

His face etched with shadows. “Because there’s only so much a person can tolerate before they’re pushed too far.”

I froze. The need to touch him overrode all other function. Moving closer, I cupped his cheek. “You can tell me what—”

Arching his face out of my reach, his forehead furrowed with impatience at himself, at me, at whatever he battled. “You’re living with me until I say otherwise.”

“And if I don’t like sharing a home?”

“You don’t really have a choice.”

“I always have a choice, Gil.”

His eyes shot black as memories sucked him deep. “No one has a choice.”

The softness between us vanished into thick smoke, leaving behind the charred remains.

He raked a hand through his hair. “Three nights, okay?” His eyes jumped over suited men and women, assessing for threats. “That’s all I’ll ask for.”

Three nights were an eternity.

An eternity for all new romances.

Time took on a different depth at the beginning of a fledgling love affair. An hour wasn’t just an hour when love and lust were involved. A minute wasn’t just a minute when hearts had countless of opportunities to fall.

There would be no more places to hide. No more lies we could tell ourselves. Only the stark truth that both of us were in danger and had been for years.

Couldn’t he see that?

Couldn’t he taste the hypocrisy?

Three nights would destroy us both.

Gil fought against my silence, saying, “Pack a bag with clothes for three nights. If I haven’t fixed the problem...then you’ll probably have to move countries because you won’t be safe anywhere.”

I snapped out of my worry. “I never took you for being dramatic.”

“I’m being deadly serious.” His voice was flat and cold.

Ice slithered down my spine. I shivered, pointing to the sunny evening, needing warmth and open air. “Let’s go. We can talk about living arrangements later.” If we were ever to have an honest conversation, I wanted to be anywhere else but here, surrounded by strangers.

“Fine.” Gil bowed a little, letting me lead the way.

My back prickled as he fell into step with me—not submissive in my leadership but wary and watchful. I understood why he’d placed himself behind me. He’d done it out of protection. Even in my office building, he acted as if the devil himself was going to crawl through the floorboards and claim me.

Pushing open the glass doors, I turned to face him as he stepped into the late afternoon sunshine. “How long have you been waiting for me?”

He kept his eyes on the men and women leaving for the day. “Since I kicked Justin out and came directly here.” He glanced at me. “I saw you arrive. I got here before you did.”

“You’ve waited all day for me?”

“I told you I wasn’t going to let you out of my sight.”

“I was out of your sight, though.” Striking off into a walk, my black kitten toe heels clicked on the pavement.

“You were in the office building all day. I was satisfied you’d be safe up there.”

“You were satisfied?”

He nodded, ducking behind me to let a man stride past talking loudly on his cell phone.

“So, you decided not to drag me from my place of employment even though you did such a thing yesterday?”

“I was wrong.” He walked beside me with firm, even steps. “You were right.”

I slammed to a stop, my temper rising for no other reason than sexual frustration and star-crossed heartaches. “Wow. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Sarcasm isn’t becoming on you, O.” Grabbing my elbow, he pulled me back into motion. “Where do you live?”

I studied him, unable to take my eyes off his thick eyelashes or the way he still had black smudged on his cheek and yellow decorating his hair. He’d told the truth. He’d raced to my work the moment Justin was gone.

His desire to protect me wasn’t just some pantomime but a deep-seated drive.

Once again, guilt crushed me for the awful, awful thought I’d had and my messages with Justin.

How could I be that cruel? That distrustful?

Tilting his head, he caught me staring.

I blushed but didn’t look away. “You’re just the same as before...but different too.” I hated how my cheeks burned, giving away my heart’s truth all over again. “I always found you very handsome.”

His face darkened. “What the hell has gotten into you?” Pulling me forward by my wrist, he grumbled something undeterminable under his breath. “Don’t mistake me being here for anything other than what it is. We aren’t dating. We aren’t together. There is no us or we.” He winced. “Got it?”

“I get that you’re fighting what could be.”

“I’m accepting what is.” He strode forward, dragging me along. “Enough.”

I ignored the fresh pain, the rampant confusion. Why did he care about keeping me safe if he was determined to keep me away? “Maybe we should go on a date. We never wined and dined when we were younger. We’ve slept together...it makes sense that we at least go to a movie.”

His eyes flashed. “I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“That isn’t a good enough reason, Gil.” I tried to tug out of his grip. “I’m tired. I’m doing my best to be patient and understanding but there’s only so much—”

“For fuck’s sake.” Yanking me to a stop, we created a little island in a sea of people. His gaze was bare, turmoil clouding the wintery green. “No movies. No dinners. Nothing. Don’t ask me to hurt you any more than I already have. Don’t ask me why I can’t keep you.”

“Why can’t you keep me?” My voice was small, the tiniest mouse in a world of predators.

He groaned, low and tortured.

I whispered, “Why touch me if you can’t explore even the slimmest notion of—”

His arm banded around my waist, yanking me into him. His lips cast hot breath against my ear. “I want you. I’ve always fucking wanted you. I’ve been honest about that. You know what you mean to me and I can’t deny that there are things between us that will never go away.” He pulled back, pinning me with darkness, allowing finality to fill his voice. “But whatever we shared, ends here. Whatever you thought was happening, is over. Touching you was the worst mistake of my life. I refuse to do it again.”