He was speechless. Completely and utterly speechless. He’d never given those words to another damn woman in his life. And she thought he said them to manipulate her emotions?
Anger burned in his veins, sizzling until he was certain he’d lose his grip. He turned to the side, panicked and frustrated because he had no idea what to say, what to do. She was breaking up with him and he’d been planning forever with her.
Her hand shook as she lifted it to the collar she wore around her neck.
“No!” he said hoarsely, turning fully back to her as she unfastened the clasp.
She let it fall into her hand and then she held it out to him, pressing it into his palm.
“I moved everything out of your apartment,” she said in a low voice. “I left the keys on your bar. Good-bye, Ash. You were the best—and worst—thing that ever happened to me.”
He held up his hand, trying to stop her because no way in hell was he going to let her just walk out that door.
“Wait just a goddamn minute, Josie. We’re not finished. No way in fuck I’m giving up that easy. We’re worth fighting for. You’re worth fighting for and I hope to fuck you think I’m worth it no matter how upset you may be right now.”
“Please, Ash. I can’t do this right now,” she begged. Her eyes were filled with tears and more slipped rapidly down her cheeks. “Just let me go. I’m too upset to form a coherent argument and the last thing I want is to say things I’ll regret.”
He closed the short distance between them, pulling her against his chest. He tilted her chin up with his fingers and stared down into her eyes.
“I love you, Josie. That’s a fact. No manipulation. No hidden agenda. I. Love. You. Period.”
She closed her eyes and turned her face to the side. He cupped her cheek and thumbed away one of the silver trails.
“Just tell me why?” she whispered. “Why did you do it? Why didn’t you tell me? Why hide it from me?”
He sighed. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Maybe I thought you’d react just like you have and I didn’t want that. I loved the paintings, Josie. It pisses me off that because you found out I bought them you think you have no talent and that no one wants your work. That’s bullshit.”
She tugged herself away from him and presented her back, her shoulders shaking.
“I’m too upset to have this conversation with you, Ash. Please, just let it go.”
“I’m not fucking letting it go when you just told me you moved your shit out of our apartment. You honestly expect me to just say okay, have a nice life? Fuck that. The only nice life I want to have is with you.”
She curled her arms around her waist, hugging herself. “I’m going back to my apartment. My stuff has already been moved. I can’t stay. I promised the movers I’d meet them there.”
Panic clawed at his throat. Helplessness gripped him. She was actually walking away. Over those goddamn paintings. He knew it was more than that. He understood why she was pissed. He’d never looked beyond the fact that he’d bought them to see how it would make her feel once she discovered it was all a lie. He got that. But how the fuck was he supposed to make it up to her, to make her realize how much she had to offer, if she was sleeping in another bed in another part of the city?
She started toward the door, him staring after her, utterly paralyzed, his heart in his stomach.
“Josie, stop. Please.”
At the “please” she stopped but didn’t turn around.
“Look at me, please,” he said softly.
Slowly she turned, her eyes awash with fresh tears. He cursed softly because he never wanted to be the reason for those tears.