Page 50 of One Night Stand After Another
“But what if he hadn’t, Zane? Did you think about that? What if he’d laughed it off? Or sneered. What then? Did you even think about how that might make me feel?” She met his gaze for a second, hers flashing violet steel. “You made me feel like you thought the plan I’ve made for my life was stupid. That my very sensible and well-thought-out choice to move somewhere that will make me happy and work for a business where I can learn what I need to know while earning a living wage iswasting my life. You think making sweaters is better for me. But you don’t know anything about what I need, do you?”
Shit.
She was right. But his ignorance wasn’t for lack of him trying. “No, I don’t know what you need, not really. Because despite my attempts to get you to open up, you won’t tell me.” Frustration leaked into his tone.
“Does that surprise you?” There was enough scorn in her voice to strip a layer from his skin. “Every time I trust you with something personal, you weaponize it. You did it ten years ago, and you did it today. You found my blog, with my very personal designs, basically my diary, and you showed it to a man who could have crushed me. Luckily, he didn’t, but you had no way of knowing that. You were so sure you knew what was good for me. I’m a little bit jealous of that certainty, but regardless, you shouldn’t have done it. You don’t know what’s right for me, and you don’t get to make my choices. I do.”
He glanced at her, so strong, so beautiful, and his breath left his lungs in awhoosh. She was right. He’d been an ass, and she deserved way better from him. He thought of the property he’d just leased and winced. She was going to think he was trying to make decisions for her again. “Clara, you are absolutely right. It was a rotten thing to do, and I’m sorry. My enthusiasm and my ego, I guess, made me careless. I can’t defend my behavior. I should have told you I’d found your blog. I shouldn’t have exposed you that way. But is there any chance the end justifies the means?”
“No—people only use that phrase when they’ve fucked up and they can’t fix it.”
“You have a gift,” he said tightly. And wasting gifts pissed him off. It should piss her off, too. She hadn’t been born with any more advantages than he had, and her dreams of spinning yarn into a solid future had inspired him to dream bigger, too. “And you’re way too talented to be doing taxes—not that there’s anything wrong with doing taxes, but you’re an artist. You have five thousand followers on your blog. You have ten people a day asking to buy your work. Ten different people. A guy who caters to billionaires just told you that you have an eye for color and design. He said people would buy your stuff in his insanely exclusive shop. If you won’t listen to me, listen to him. It would be so easy to put a shop on your site, and you already have a platform. Why would you want to work for Fiber Kingdom and do something you admit you ‘don’t hate’ when you can do something that lights you up like Fourth of July fireworks?”
A sharp sigh fell from her throat. When he glanced to the side, she was shaking her head.
“I should have known this would bite me in the ass.” Her laugh was bitter. “But you were just so damn tempting. The chemistry between us is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Like, truly, epically awesome, but it doesn’t matter that you found my blog or that you showed it to Jimmy Banan. It doesn’t matter how talented you think I am. I have a plan. It’s a good plan, and I’m sticking to it.”
Subtlety had never gotten him anywhere. “Your plan sucks. You made it before we got together. You should make another one.”
Her chin dipped and her brows scrunched together. “Zane, do I need to remind you that we’re having an extended one-night stand that I intend to put in the ‘beautiful mistake’ category? The only reason I agreed to travel with you was because of the amazing sex. You promised that whatever happened on the road, I would make it to my interview with the Fiber King. Now you’re telling me my plan sucks and I shouldn’t go?”
“Yep.”
“I assume you have a better plan?”
“I do. But indulge me for a moment. Did Jimmy Banan offer you a job?”
“After you put the idea in his head.”
“I assume you turned it down for the same pig-headed reason you won’t listen to me?”
Silence.
“I thought so.” He wanted her to see herself the way he did. “Your whole reason for making your Fiber Kingdom plan was to change your life, right? To get back on the path toward where you want to be. You might want to put this trip—put me—in the mistake category, but can you please just think a minute? What’s your end game? Where is it you really want to be? Eventually? Because I believe we can get you there faster. Hell, I think you’re almost there. You just need to open your eyes.”
She stared straight out the windshield, shaking her head. Was she even listening?
“Let me help you, Clara. With a shop, with your website, with whatever you want, but if you want to change your life, make it better. A lateral move, even if it gets you a beach, isn’t good enough for you. You deserve more. You deserve everything.”
She scoffed. “I’m assuming everything includes you.”
“Damn right it does.” He turned onto the street next to the site and saw an open spot.Thank God.He swerved in and parked.
“This isn’t my hotel.” Her violet eyes were flat, distant, and he knew she hadn’t really heard a word he’d said. He’d have to show her.
He turned off the car. “Humor me. I have one more amazing yarn destination for you.”
…
He didn’t get it. He didn’t understand. Why would he? She hadn’t shared any of the reasons for her plan with him. She hadn’t wanted him to do exactly what he was doing now, to try to sway her. But it didn’t matter. Their time together was truly over, no matter what he said or what he showed her.
She met him on the sidewalk and didn’t resist when he took her hand. Anger still beat a steady drum near her heart, but it had slowed, become measured. He couldn’t help being who he was, confident and competitive, and he’d used those qualities to make it a really great week. No doubt wherever he was taking her would blow her mind, but it wouldn’t matter, because she wasn’t ready for any of the things he wanted for her.
After he showed her whatever it was that practically had him vibrating with excitement, she was going to go to her hotel, take a long shower, and mentally prepare for her interview tomorrow. Zane wouldn’t have the time or opportunity to tempt her off-course again. Their road trip was over.
But instead of energizing her, the thought of being alone in a hotel room made her feel heavy. She wasn’t going to think about why. She also wasn’t going to think about the fact that holding Zane’s hand made her feel light. Buoyant. She remembered the wonder in his voice in the bar in Denver when he’d said seeing her made him happy. Yeah—she felt that. But it wasn’t real. True happiness came from having a solid plan in place that wouldn’t end in bankruptcy. She would be happy tomorrow when she rocked her interview.
They turned onto the brightly lit Venice Beach Boardwalk. She was so aware of him walking beside her, it hurt. The wind attacked the tangle of his curls, making him brush them back impatiently, making her want to touch them. The setting sun cast a glow on his skin and made his light gray eyes gleam. He already looked like he belonged on the beach, faded green T-shirt molded to hard muscle, well-worn jeans dipping low enough to make her imagine the tight curve of his ass, his strong thighs, and all the other incredible parts of his body.
