Tally leaned her head on Cash’s shoulder, a horrible sense of foreboding hanging over her. They had to leave for the airport in an hour, and she didn’t want to go. After the wonderful weekend they’d shared, to think of another long week without him was torturous. She couldn’t even imagine how bad it was going to be when he set off for the States in eight days. One more weekend together, and then she wouldn’t see him for four weeks.

Once again, she wondered if she’d made a huge mistake turning Cash down when he’d asked her to move in. At least then they would have been able to travel together. True to his word, he hadn’t mentioned it. Not once. And she couldn’t quieten the thought that he’d changed his mind. Even if he hadn’t, was she ready to give up a career she’d spent years building for a man she’d been dating a few short weeks?

Yes, shouted the voice in her head.

God, the inner turmoil was exhausting.

“You’re very quiet.” Cash’s fingertips floated down her bare arm, goose bumps springing up in reaction to his touch.

“Am I? Sorry.”

“Want to talk?”

A long sigh drifted out of her. She was on the edge of tears, and to stop them spilling over, she clenched her hands, her nails digging painfully into her palms. “I don’t want to go.”

Cash lay down on the sofa and drew her on top of him. He brushed away a single tear that had spilled onto her cheek. “I don’t want you to go either. I keep telling myself it’ll soon be Friday, but it doesn’t help.”

She rested her head on his chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat soothing the ache deep inside her. “Is your offer still open?”

His hand stilled on her back. “To move in?”

“Yes.”

He lifted her head and studied her, his eyes searching her face. “You were adamant that it was too soon a week ago. What’s changed?”

“Nothing. Everything. I don’t know.”

Cash chuckled. “You’re living up to the female stereotype there, sweetness.”

She leaned up on her forearms. The depth of emotion gazing back at her made a huge lump swell in her throat, and she suddenly had difficulty swallowing.

“Here’s another stereotype for you: a woman is allowed to change her mind.”

Cash twisted a lock of her hair through his fingers. “How about this? Go home. Talk to Emmalee and Pete and anyone else whose opinion you value. Ask them what they think, and try to listen if their thinking doesn’t align with where your head’s at. Then when you come back next weekend, we can have a proper discussion.”

At his rejection, her eyes began to burn with restrained tears. She sat up and scrambled to her feet. She’d expected him to be thrilled she’d come around to the idea of moving in so quickly, but instead, he was trying to dissuade her, to slow her up. To make her reconsider.

“Natalia.”

She kept her back to him. “What?”

He came and stood in front of her. He grazed her cheek tenderly with the back of his hand. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She gave him a half-smile. “I’m just going to get my case.”

She jogged upstairs. Five minutes earlier, she’d have given anything to stay. Now she couldn’t wait to leave. She hauled her case off the bed and extended the handle. When she turned around, Cash was blocking the doorway, arms folded, ankles crossed.

“Talk to me.”

She shook her head and tried to brush past him. Cash put his arm out. “We’re going nowhere until you tell me what on earth’s the matter.”

“I told you—nothing.”

“Fucking hell, Natalia.” Cash slammed the palm of his hand against the wall, and she jumped. “You are one frustrating woman. Is this because I’m giving you the space to make the right decision?”

She flashed him a sullen look. “Is that how you’re justifying it?”

“Justifying what?”

“Changing your mind.”

“I haven’t changed my fucking mind. But your about-face has come from nowhere. You tell me your job at the paper means everything, and yet now you’re saying you’d give it up like that.” Cash snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Try and see this from my point of view. I’d have you move in tomorrow, but you have to be sure it’s the right decision. I’m trying to do the right thing. The unselfish thing.” He smirked. “Me being unselfish. Imagine that.”

She grimaced. God, she was an idiot. Her face heated with embarrassment. “Good job at least one of us is an adult,” she muttered.

Cash laughed. “Somewhere, Brad’s head is exploding at me being called an adult.” He held his arms out, and she went willingly into them. He kissed the top of her head. “Promise me you’ll think about this properly. It’s a massive step, and I’m well aware you’re the one making all the sacrifices.”

She nodded against his chest. “I promise.”

Cash picked up her suitcase. She glanced around his bedroom suite and must have looked so sad because he cupped her face and kissed her lightly. “Soon be Friday.”

“Liar,” she said.

She was quiet on the drive to the airport. A couple of times, she spotted Cash glancing her way, but Tally kept her gaze firmly out of the window as pain clawed at her insides. She didn’t know how she was going to leave him behind.

Cash pulled into the drop-off area outside Departures and cut the engine. “Sure you don’t want me to fly back with you?”

She shook her head. “It will make it harder at the other end. Plus, you hate flying.”

“I’d fly anywhere if it meant I could be with you.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers tucking into his hair. “I know you would. It’s one of the many things I love about you.”

The words were out before she could stop them. She held her breath, wondering if Cash would notice and, if he did, whether he’d comment. He blinked two or three times in quick succession then hit her with a blazing smile that had her insides turning upside down.

“What other things do you love about me?”

She blew out the breath she’d been holding. Instinct told her Cash wasn’t yet ready to hear she was in love with him. When she finally did tell him, she wanted to be sure he felt the same way. And at the moment, she was far from sure.

“Fishing for compliments? What would your legion of female admirers think of you, Mr Gallagher?”

“That I’d been snagged. Hook, line, and sinker.”

A warm, fuzzy feeling spread to her arms and legs, and her skin prickled. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it was damned close, the second time he’d been that close to admitting his feelings. And right now, she’d take that. She leaned in for a kiss. Cash’s warm lips closed over hers, and she soon forgot where they were until a car sounded its horn.

“You’d better go,” she said, trying to pull away. “You’re holding up the traffic.”

“As if I care,” Cash said, refusing to let her go. He kissed her again, but when the guy behind leaned on his horn for the second time, Cash blew out a terse breath and cursed. When he climbed out of the car, he made a rude hand gesture to the guy, who was waiting to pull into their space, and lifted her suitcase out of the boot. “Call me when you get home.”

“I will.” She pecked him on the cheek and walked away. She knew without turning around that he’d be watching her, but she couldn’t look back. If she did, there was no way she’d find the strength to leave.