Page 38 of After You Returned

“Oh, wait.” She snaps her fingers. “I’m such an idiot. You don’t want a romantic relationship with me. You want a friends with benefits relationship.”

I growl and step closer. “I don’t want a friends with benefits relationship.”

“You don’t? If we were friends with benefits – a stupid idea I would never agree to – you could screw around with all the mermaids during Mermaid Karaoke season.”

I slap my palms against the wall, boxing her in. “I do not want a mermaid or any other woman. I want you.”

“You really are drunk, aren’t you?”

“I’m not drunk,” I grit out. “I’m finally going after what I want.”

“Too bad. You had me and you threw me away.”

I lean close and invade her space, being careful not to touch her. “I did not throw you away.”

“Oh yeah? How would you name it? You dumped me? You ended our relationship? You ran away from the island to get away from me?”

“I did not run away from you. I would never. But you ran away from me. Why do you keep running away from me?”

Her green eyes flash. “If you think I’m scared of you, you’re wrong.”

“Of course you aren’t scared of me. Hazel Harris isn’t afraid of anything. And yet she keeps running away. I’m confused.”

A muscle in her jaw ticks. Good. She’s getting mad. She can’t lie for shit when she’s mad.

“I wasn’t running away.”

I lift an eyebrow. “You jumped to your feet and ran through the crowd.”

She shrugs. “Maybe I urgently needed the ladies’ room.”

“Liar. You can spend all night staking out a house without the need for a ladies’ room.”

“Because I was too afraid to leave you alone. You were ready to burn some random girl’s house down because you thought she hurt your brother.”

“I’m not an arsonist.”

“Really? And you didn’t set fire to your step-dad’s house?”

“It was an accident.”

“An accident? Sure.”

I realize we’ve gotten so far off track, we’re no longer in the stadium. “Why did you run, Blaze?”

Her eyes narrow. “Do not call me Blaze. I am not your Blaze.”

“Wrong. You’ll always be my Blaze.”

She pushes me away and begins to pace the hallway. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. Whenever you drink, you get all sweet and sentimental. All, Blaze, I want you. I can’t stand another minute without you. But the second you’re sober, you forget I exist. I’m done. I want off the rollercoaster. Not just off. I want a refund. Plus, a payment for damage compensation.”

She stops pacing and stands in the middle of the hallway with her legs planted wide and heaving for breath.

“Are you finished?”

“With you? Yep. Done. Dusted. Finito. The end.”

I stalk toward her. She backs up until I’ve got her caged in against the wall.