though, she was a mess. He loved her? No. He couldn’t. He only thought he loved her because she was probably the first person ever to say a flat-out no to him, and he loved a challenge. Of course he wanted her. And once he had her he’d lose interest because that’s the way things went. Either that or he’d realize he never loved her, anyway.
Would that be so bad? her inner voice asked.
Of course not, she scoffed. She wasn’t interested in love. Ever.
Liar.
“You think I don’t know what love is? That’s interesting,” Piers continued undeterred. “You know what I think, Faye?”
She sighed theatrically but continued staring at her computer screen. “Whether I want to know or not, I’m sure you’re going to tell me, aren’t you?”
She heard him get up from his chair and move across the office to stand right beside her. Strong, warm hands descended on her shoulders and turned her chair so she faced him.
“I think you’re too scared to love again.”
“Again?”
“Yes, again. I’m pretty certain you have loved, and loved deeply. I’m also pretty certain you’ve been incredibly hurt. Faye, not wanting to take a risk on love is a genuine shame. I never really knew what love felt like, aside from the brotherly bond Quin and I shared. But now I think I’ve finally learned what love is.”
“You seem to think you know a lot about me,” she said. Her words were stilted and a knot tightened deep in her chest. She had a feeling she really wasn’t going to like what he was about to say next so she decided to go on the attack instead. “Piers, please don’t kid yourself that you love me. You’re just attempting to manipulate me into staying because that’s what would make your life easier.”
He genuinely looked shocked at her words. “That’s the second time recently you’ve made your perception of me clear—and I haven’t been happy with the picture you’ve painted either time. Tell me, Faye. Is that why you slept with me back at the lodge? Because it meant nothing to you and because you thought it would mean nothing to me?”
His words robbed all the breath from her lungs. Wow, when he wanted to strike a low blow he really knew how and where to strike, didn’t he? That night had meant everything to her, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. It would only give him more ammunition in this crazy war of his against her defenses.
Faye pushed against the floor and skidded her chair back a little. She stood. “I don’t need to take this from you. I’m leaving, remember?”
“And you’re still running.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake! Will you stop it with the running comments? So I choose to remove myself from situations I’m uncomfortable with. That’s not a crime.”
“No, it’s not a crime.” He closed the distance between them. “Unless by doing so you continue to hurt yourself and anyone who cares about you every time you do it. Faye, you can’t keep living half a life. Your family would never have wanted that for you.”
An arctic chill ran through her veins, freezing her in place and stealing away every thought.
“M-my family? What do you know of my family?”
The sense of anxiety she’d felt before had nothing on the dark hole slowly consuming her from the inside right now. Aside from the police, she’d never spoken to anyone about exactly what had happened on the night of the wreck. How could he know? Why would he?
Piers’s next words were everything she’d dreaded and more. “I know everything. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
His beautiful dark eyes reflected his deep compassion but she didn’t want to see it. Even so, she remained trapped in the moment. Ensnared by his words, by his caring.
“Everything, huh?” she asked bitterly. “Did you know I killed them? That I was the one behind the wheel that night? I killed them all.” She threw the words at him harshly, the constriction of her throat leaving her voice raw.
Shock splintered across his handsome features.
“I thought as much,” she continued bitterly. “That information wasn’t in any report you could commission because it was sealed. So, how much do you love me now that you know I’m a murderer?”
Piers shoved a hand through his hair. His brows drew into a straight line, twin creases forming between them. “How can you say you’re a murderer? You know you didn’t deliberately kill anyone. It was an accident.”
“Was it? I’m the one who pestered my stepdad to let me drive that night. Mom didn’t want me to. She said it was too icy on the road, that I didn’t have the experience. But my stepdad said experience was the only way I’d learn.”
“Even so, from what I read, the gas tanker skidded on the road, not you. You didn’t stand a chance.”
Her mouth twisted as she remembered seeing the tanker coming toward them, relived the moment it jackknifed and began its uncontrollable slide toward their car. She’d been petrified. She’d had no idea what to do, how to avoid the inevitable.
“You’re right, I didn’t. But when it happened, I froze—I didn’t know what to do. If my stepdad had driven instead... If I’d listened to my mom...” Faye’s voice broke and she dragged in a ragged breath before continuing. “If I’d listened to my mom, we might all have been alive today.”
“You don’t know that.”
“No, I’ll never know that. The one thing I do know is that my decisions that night killed my family. And that’s something I can never forget or forgive myself for. My stepdad and my brother died instantly. Henry was only three and a half months old. Don’t you think he deserved to grow up, to have a life? And my mom—I can still hear her screams when I try to sleep at night. The only reason I didn’t burn to death right along with her was because people pulled me from the wreck before the flames took complete hold of the car.”
“Your scars,” Piers said softly. “They’re from the fire?”
Faye nodded. “So you see, I’m not worth loving.”
“Everyone deserves to be loved, Faye. You more than anyone, if only for what you’ve been through. Don’t you think you’ve paid enough? You need to learn to forgive yourself and rid yourself of the guilt that is keeping you from living.”
“I live. That’s my punishment.”
He shook his head emphatically. “You exist. That’s not living. The night we shared at the lodge—that was living. That was reveling in life, not this empty shell of subsistence you endure every day. Take a risk, Faye. Accept my love for you. Learn to love me.”
She’d begun to tremble under the force of emotion in his words.
“I can’t. I can’t care. I won’t.”
“Why?” He pressed her.
“If I love someone again, I’ll lose them. Can’t you see? I did try to love after the crash. I cared for
