When Darkness Falls (15 page)

“You’re not used to the altitude, and when you got so upset, it intensified everything.”

“It’s my head.” A blinding pain was shooting across her forehead, making it hard to think about anything else.

“Try to relax. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.”

She sputtered, gulping for air. “I can’t get a good breath.”

“Calm down,” Hank ordered.

“I can’t calm down!” she protested, tears gathering in her eyes.

He grabbed both of her arms. “Look at me,” he ordered.

She shook her head.

“Look at me!”

“Fine! I’m looking.”

“You’re going to be okay. Try and regulate your breathing. Deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. In two … out two … in two … out two …”

A couple of minutes later, when she was finally able to draw a good breath, the panic subsided a little. Her head was still throbbing, but it had turned into a dull headache rather than a splitting one.

Hank took her hand. “Come on. I’ve got some ibuprofen in the car. Let’s get you to lower ground.”

C
hloe stretched
out her hands toward the crackling fire, appreciative of the warmth it provided. Now that the ibuprofen was kicking in, she was starting to feel more normal. She and Hank had hardly spoken since the near kiss incident. All things considered, she’d expected him to take her straight home and was surprised when he pulled over at a picnic spot, located in a lower section of the canyon.

“What’re we doing?” Chloe wanted to know.

He winked at her. “You’ll see.” Twenty minutes later, they were sitting cozily around a roaring fire. Hank had brought items to make s’mores, but Chloe wasn’t the least bit hungry. Her stomach still felt queasy, and more than anything, she just wanted to go home and forget that this disastrous evening had ever taken place.

Hank went to work roasting marshmallows. Then he made a couple of s’mores and downed them. “No sense in letting all of this stuff go to waste,” he explained.

Chloe waved a hand. “I’m glad someone’s able to enjoy it,” she said sourly. Hank’s eyebrow shot up. When she saw the look of amusement that came over his face, her eyes narrowed. “What?” she flung out, tired of playing these silly games.

“Nothing,” he said lightly. “Don’t mind me, I’m just eating s’mores. Minding my own business.”

She scowled and turned her attention to the fire. Hank had made it perfectly clear that there was no hope for them romantically. Why he felt the need to drag out this ridiculous charade was beyond her. She was more than a little surprised and very irritated when he pulled his chair so close to hers that they were touching. She expected him to at least say something, when he remained quiet, she turned to him. “What’re you doing?”

His eyes met hers in a challenge, and then he shrugged. “Same as you. Sitting here, staring into the fire. Trying to determine what it is that you find so fascinating about it. Your eyes have been glued to it since we got here.”

She hugged her arms tightly. “Moron,” she muttered under her breath.

He laughed softly.

She spun at him, her eyes blazing. “I’m glad you find this so amusing! You made it perfectly clear that there can never be anything between us, so why don’t you just cut the crap and take me home?”

“What would be the fun in that?” he murmured, rubbing her arm.

She jerked her arm away like she’d been burned. “What’re you doing? Is this some sort of sick game to you?”

“Chloe, we need to talk about what happened earlier.”

“Save it!” she barked. “You’ve already said enough!” She moved to stand. “I’m tired. Can you please just take me home?” Her voice cracked with emotion, and she swallowed it down. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her break down.

He caught her arm. “We need to talk.” His eyes locked with hers. “Please.”

She blew out a breath and sat back down. “Fine! Talk!”

“I had no idea that you’ve been trying to break things off with Garrett, and I certainly had no idea how you felt about me.”

“Garrett and I did go out a few times, but we were never really a couple. And yes, I’ve been trying every way I can think of to end things with him, but he won’t listen!”

“I just assumed—”

“Well, you assumed wrong,” she cut in.

“Yeah, I can see that. I’m sorry. I guess I was being a moron.”

His apology caught her off guard, and then she saw the sincerity in his expression. Her defenses crumbled slightly, and she felt herself soften.

“I’m afraid that where my brother is concerned, I have a skewed perception of things.”

She stared into the fire, watching sparks shoot up from the pit and then disappear into the night. “From the minute I met Garrett, he came on strong.”

“Sounds like him,” Hank said dryly.

“He immediately started giving me extravagant gifts and taking me on elaborate dates. At first, I was impressed. I mean, who wouldn’t be? I was new in town—all alone—and this handsome, charming guy was showering me with attention.” She glanced over and saw that Hank’s jaw went hard as he nodded.

“Garrett is quite the Casanova, that’s for sure.”

“He is,” Chloe agreed.

He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I guess a date to the canyon to make s’mores kind of pales in comparison, huh?”

“No, actually, it doesn’t. Tonight’s the most fun I’ve had in a very long time …” she wrinkled her nose “… well, at least it was until you lambasted me.”

He winced at the accusation. “I said I was sorry.”

“I know, and I appreciate it …”

“But …” he prompted, his eyes penetrating hers. Her heart picked up a notch when he began lightly rubbing circles over her arm with the tip of his finger. This time, she didn’t pull away. She should’ve pulled away, but it was like he had this magnetic power that compelled her to stay where she was.

“But I don’t know if I truly believe it. It took a lot for me to open myself up to you, and then you turned me down flat—made me feel like a fool.” She halfway expected him to retreat at that, but he leaned in closer. Despite her best effort to remain calm, her traitorous heart started hammering. She couldn’t deny the fierce attraction she felt for him. The flickering fire highlighted his chiseled jaw, and the growing dusk had turned his eyes to fathomless pools of smoky blue. She felt like she could get lost in them.

“You are direct.” He gave her an appraising look.

“I find that it makes life easier.” A small smile escaped her lips.

“I suppose it does.” Hank gave her a crooked smile that shot darts of warmth through her. She had the feeling that they were suspended in time—where it was only the two of them.

When he reached for her hand and linked his fingers through hers, she didn’t pull away.

Suddenly, she wanted him to understand where she was coming from. “I haven’t always been so direct.”

“Really? How so?”

She searched his face and was pleased to note that he seemed interested—really interested—in what she had to say. He patiently waited for her to gather her thoughts. “I knew things weren’t right between Dan and me, but I didn’t have the nerve to confront him about it. I thought if I ignored it, then it would go away.” It was the first time she’d spoken those words aloud. Getting them off her chest was more liberating than she could’ve ever imagined, and she quickly continued before she could change her mind. “Ultimately, I convinced myself that I was only imagining things and that once he came home from Afghanistan, things would be different.” She swallowed hard. “Of course, he didn’t come home. And then I found out that he’d betrayed me.” She didn’t try to hide the bitterness she felt, nor did she attempt to wipe away the single tear that rolled down her cheek.

Hank squeezed her hand. “Dan was a fool.”

“Thank you.” She could tell that he truly meant it. A comfortable silence settled between them until she spoke. “I decided that I would never again remain silent about the things that matter. Had I confronted Dan, I feel sure that he would’ve confessed. I could’ve told him how I felt. I could’ve dealt with it when he was still alive.” Her voice caught. “Now, I’ll never be able to tell him. I have to carry it around with me.”

“Don’t fool yourself. Even if you had been able to confront him, it wouldn’t have hurt any less.”

She turned to face him. “Do you really believe that?”

“I know it,” he said quietly, his eyes meeting hers.

It dawned on her that he was speaking from experience. He’d been hurt too. “What exactly happened to you?”

His eyes took on a faraway look. “Like you, I was in love. Veronica or V was everything I thought I ever wanted and more. In the end, she left me when I needed her the most.”

The jealousy that jabbed her came as a surprise. He’d obviously been madly in love with this V girl. Was he still? She hoped he would expound. Disappointment settled over her when he didn’t. “You mentioned before that you had to go away for some reason. What happened?” Was it her imagination, or did he grow tense? She fleetingly wondered if he were going to flat-out ignore the question, but finally, he answered.

“I did some things that I’m not proud of. Made mistakes.”

“What kind of mistakes?” She could tell that her questions were making him uncomfortable, but she needed to know his past. He was hiding something. A quiver of apprehension ran down her spine.

He released her hand and looked into the fire. This time, she touched his arm. “Hank, whatever it is … you can tell me.”

His jaw started working and then he gave her a sad smile. “I betrayed the trust of a close friend, and I’ll never forgive myself for it.”

He seemed so responsible—committed—the last person who would ever betray a trust. “How?”

He shook his head. “I got in over my head with some business matters. Things didn’t go according to plan … it was a bad situation.”

She frowned. He was being so cryptic. Whatever this thing was—it was obviously forbidden territory. She’d shared her feelings about Dan. Why couldn’t he share his with her? Maybe they were a lost cause. A hard knot settled in her stomach.

He seemed to be reading her thoughts. “Look, I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise I’ll share everything with you …” he gave her a pleading look “ … eventually, but it’s too hard to talk about right now.”

“I told you that whatever it is … I’ll understand.” Her brows knitted together in frustration.

He gave her a tender smile that was tinged with sadness. “Please, can you be patient for a little while? That’s all I’m asking.”

“I just wish you would trust me enough to tell me! If we’re going to have any chance of having a relationship then we’re going to have to trust each other. I’ve been through too much to take things on blind faith. I need to know that you’re being straight with me.”

He swore under his breath. “This has nothing to do with not being straight with you.”

“Then tell me.”

The anguish that washed over his face cut her to the core. “Haven’t you ever had something happen that was so painful that you couldn’t share it with anyone? Not even someone you care about?”

Yes, she did have something that was too painful to share. There was no way she was going to admit that she was seeing Dan’s ghost! Her mind raced through the possibilities, wondering what it was that Hank was not sharing. How could she fault him for holding something back when she was doing the same? Then her eyes went wide as she caught the meaning of his words.

A tiny smile flittered over his lips. “Yes, that’s right. I have feelings for you too. That’s why I couldn’t kiss you earlier. Not until I was sure that you didn’t have any real feelings for Garrett.”

“What?” Heat scorched up her face, followed by a blinding anger. “You were baiting me! How could you?” she sputtered, feeling as though she’d been socked in the stomach.

“I wouldn’t call it baiting …
exactly
. I just needed to know where you stood.”

“Where I stood?” She let out a harsh laugh. “You nearly caused me to pass out!” Tears pooled in her eyes.

“Chloe, calm down. I didn’t know it was going to affect you so drastically. I had to find out if you had feelings for Garrett. I meant what I said about not wanting to betray my brother.”

“You are an egotistical jerk!” She stood. “Take me home! Now!”

He jumped up and grabbed her arm. “Wait a minute!”

“This is not a game! This is my life we’re talking about, and I refuse to be some pawn that the two of you are fighting over!”

“You’re not a pawn. I care about you, Chloe.” As he searched her eyes, she was torn. There was something mesmerizing about his confidence. Not only was he exceptionally good-looking with those rugged features, but also more important, he was real and down-to-earth—the kind of guy she could build a life with. A part of her wanted to throw caution to the wind and kiss him just to see how it would feel to have his lips on hers. The other part wanted to slap him. Yes, slapping him would definitely be the better option!

Her breath caught as he pulled her into his arms. He leaned in and captured her eyes with his. A thrill ran down her spine, causing her to go weak in the knees. She had the fleeting impression that everything she’d ever hoped to find was right here in front of her, if only she could summon the courage to reach out and grab it.

“I want to believe you,” she whispered, “but—”

The protest got drowned out when his lips came down on hers. She put up a fight for half a second but then let out a groan of submission as her arms went around his neck. He parted her lips with his, causing molten fire to surge through her as his tongue connected with hers, making her feel weightless for a second. She allowed herself to get lost in the wonder of him as he deepened the kiss, turning her blood electric.

“Wow!” he murmured, his eyes dancing. “That was something.” She tried to pull away, but he held her fast. “I meant what I said. I don’t play games. Everything I feel for you is real.” He searched her face. “Do you believe me?”

She nodded and looked away before he could see the tears.
Too late
.

“Hey, are you okay?” He cupped her cheek.