Two days later, Sloane woke up alone for the third time since they’d learned Gavin had gone AWOL. A strange emptiness hollowed out her chest. She wanted to be with Ben, but he’d spent all his time beefing up the mountain house’s security and interfacing with the local authorities about Gavin’s disappearance.

Fine by her. Meanwhile, she’d kept busy to avoid answering the requests for interviews from all the e-zines and paparazzi. She’d used the enormous chunk of free time to wrap up her screenplay ahead of her deadline and emailed the finalized document to Trevor Maguire’s production company Tuesday at midnight.

“There’s no reason for me to stay anymore,” she said to herself while washing her hair. “Other than needing Ben’s protection.” She rinsed the suds down the drain and finished washing up.

By the time she’d dressed and gone to the kitchen to grab a granola bar for breakfast, she’d decided to find another way to seek protection. She couldn’t take advantage of Ben’s offer to guard her indefinitely, especially now that they had barely spoken two words to each other unless they’d been talking about Gavin.

“Good morning,” she said when she spotted Ben by the counter drinking coffee. “You sleep well last night?”

“Yes.” He eyed her warily over the brim of his cup. “You?”

“I was out the minute my head hit the pillow.” She moved gingerly by him to nab her preferred flavor bar from a basket on the counter. “Got my screenplay done. Sent it to the movie’s director.”

For a minute, his face lit up but then it dulled again. “Hank called. Gavin took a flight out of Billings yesterday. He’s on his way to New York City.”

Instead of feeling relief, her heart sank. She really didn’t have a reason to stay now. And yet… she wanted to reach out to Ben to see if they even had a chance for more.

She ripped open her bar’s wrapper. “Great. I can book out of here and stay with my folks in Los Angeles until he’s picked up in New York. He’ll be under arrest and I’m in the clear.”

Ben slugged back the last of his coffee and set the cup onto the counter. “You don’t have to leave yet. My sister said you can stay here indefinitely.”

“Funny, I’d hoped you’d have a better reason for me to stay.” Sloane bit into her bar and chewed slowly. She swallowed before she spoke again. “I can’t hole up here forever, Ben. I have a life back in Los Angeles.” Not much of one now, but she’d begun to rebuild from the ground up. Only a matter of time before she did more than land on her feet again.

This time she’d fly.

With or without the gorgeous, grumpy Marine standing across from her.

“Have you heard anything from your commanding officer about the investigation?” she asked after several tense seconds passed between them.

Pain lanced behind her sternum. They’d only known each other for a little over a week, but she’d grown close to him… too close. Still, maybe they could find a way back to understanding each other.

“He contacted me a couple of days ago.” Ben crossed his arms. “While we were in Bozeman. I’m good to go if I choose to deploy.”

“When?” Her heart seemed to crystallize with every slowing beat. Why hadn’t he told her three days ago? Especially after she’d made herself clear about the trust issue? “You can’t stay here any longer. You could lose your chance to go back and make a difference.”

“Maybe.” He glanced to the left and back again. “Maybe not.”

Ben sounded ready to say more, but then he opened his mouth briefly and snapped it shut again without revealing his thoughts. Though they flickered for a second in his eyes… a crack in his strong facade she barely caught before he shuttered his vulnerability and looked away.

Sloane chomped into her granola bar, chewed fast, and barely tasted it as it went down. She thought he cared about her, but clearly, those feelings had passed. Not to mention, she recognized the tell-tale signs of holding back and hedging his bets.

He continued avoiding her gaze. “What are you hiding?” she asked, wanting to step closer to him to bridge the gap between them but needing him to be honest with her before she crossed the divide.

“Nothing you need to worry about.” He pushed away from the counter and closed the distance himself to stand only inches from her. “It doesn’t impact you, Sloane. I’ve already had to prove myself to the top brass in the corps. I’m not about to do it again when it’s not necessary. You said trust is a two-way street. I trust you. But do you or don’t you trust me?”

She opened her mouth. Closed it. Struggled to find the right words to say. Words that would end this standoff. Words that would smooth the hard ridges of hurt away. But her tongue tangled and knotted her ability to speak.

Sloane put the half-eaten bar on the counter, played with her necklace, and stared at his unyielding features. She inhaled a deep breath, counted to ten, and released it slowly. “I trusted you with my life, Ben. But you’re keeping secrets, and I’ve got a lousy track record with men who keep secrets,” she said, not breaking eye contact.

“I’m not Gavin.”

Her heart ached for Ben when she heard his stark tone. “I know you’re not. You’re a good man,” she said. “I love how we connected last weekend and before that too. But ever since I found out you hid your suspicions about Gavin’s motivations from me and I called you out on your decision to do so, you’ve been distancing yourself.”

“Because you refused to understand that I was protecting you. Sparing you more pain.” He tunneled his fingers through his hair. “And there are things you can’t know, Sloane. Things about my job.”

A lump lodged in her throat and pain stabbed behind her breastbone. She cared for Ben more than she’d ever thought possible when he unexpectedly showed up on the deck during her hot tub break. But she had to put herself first or she might repeat her mistakes. “I realize there are world events and situations you can’t reveal to me. I’m good with you following your orders to withhold that information,” she said. “But I need you to understand I've just recently discovered the terrible consequences and damage caused by secrets. Now I need to know if you can promise me to be open and not shut down when I ask you to be honest with me about the things that could impact both our lives.” Mentally, she crossed her fingers and prayed he’d give her the answer she deserved to hear.

A heavy weight settled on Ben’s shoulders as he gazed into Sloane’s eyes, which gleamed with unshed tears. He couldn’t tell her about the unique job offer he had on the table. Not yet. Not until he made his decision. He’d been given the opportunity through top-secret channels. No one could know about his potential next move. Not even his family.

“I can only tell you I may not return to the Marine Corps,” he said after several tense beats of silence.

“Why not?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.” When he’d agreed to consider the position, Sloane hadn’t been in the picture. Even now, he didn’t know where this thing between them was going.

“I see,” she said, her fingers still at her throat, fiddling with her infinity symbol. “So where does that leave us?”

He’d hoped to hang out with her, spend more time getting to know Sloane without her ex-fiancé’s specter hovering in the background. But now he didn’t know what to do. So many things were up in the air. He didn’t know if he’d go forward with the job offer or return to the Marines. Until he made up his mind, he had no concrete future.

She had her career to build. And he had a decision to make without worrying about complications. “We’ve known each other for less than two weeks,” Ben said. “I’d like to be with you, but you don’t trust me even after everything we’ve been through.”

“Can you blame me after what Gavin did?”

“No.” Ben flexed and curled his fingers into a fist and then relaxed his grip. “But you’re pressuring me. Even if we do have a chance to be together, I don’t know if you can handle the stress of being a military wife. Plus, you haven’t completely let the past go and moved on. Hell, part of you is still trying to find a way to save the man when only he can save himself.”

“I know I can’t save him.”

“But you still want to… Deep down you haven’t moved on because you haven’t forgiven yourself for being duped by him.” Ben didn’t back down. “I’m not trying to pull one over on you. I care for you. I want to see where this thing between us will go. But I deserve a woman who trusts me 100 percent.”

She blinked and twin tears rolled down her cheeks. “I can give it to you if you…”

“Earn it.” He cut her off. “I’m not the kind of guy who begs for anyone’s approval. I need a woman who understands that because of my occupation, I won’t be able to share everything. You can’t make unfair demands. Until you’re willing to show me you get that part of my life, we can’t be together.” His stomach tightened. Another reason to accept the position and take his career in a different direction.

Her lips thinned and she stopped playing with her silver chain. She crossed her arms. “This thing between us isn’t going anywhere until we both let down our guards.” She raised her chin. “You came here to figure out what you’re going to do next. The last thing you need is me distracting you.”

No. Fuck no. He didn’t want her to bug out of the house. If they had a few more days together, maybe she’d realize she could trust him. “Sloane.” He clasped her shoulders, wanting to convince her to give them a bit more time to get over this impasse. “You don’t have to go.”

The tip of her nose had turned pink and she sniffed. “I finished my screenplay,” she said. “I don’t belong here. I’m going back to Los Angeles to reclaim my life. I suggest you focus on doing the same.”

He released her shoulders. Part of him wanted to rewind the conversation and give her what she wanted—needed—to hear. But he had to stay strong for them. Otherwise, they’d be settling for less. And he wanted a whole lot more for them.

“I’ll take you to Bozeman once you’ve booked your flights out of here.”

She shook her head. “Not necessary,” she said. “I’ve got my rental to return.”

Her voice sounded stark and raspy. Something lanced sharply behind his breastbone. Fuck. She was slipping away and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. “Sure,” he said. “Just let me know when you’ve arrived safely in Los Angeles.”

“I will.” She gave him a wobbly smile. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I won’t forget it… or you.”

His throat constricted and he tugged the collar of his T-shirt. “Same here.”

She exited the kitchen, making her way down the hallway toward her bedroom. Two hours later, she emerged with her suitcases and laptop pack, said her goodbyes, and insisted on carrying her stuff to her car without his help.

Nope. She didn’t want him to do anything else for her. And he’d let her go without protesting because he was a fucking idiot of epic proportions. Ben finished his third beer and tossed the glass bottle into the recycling bin. He stared through the window beyond the deck and into the black night.

Restless, Ben opened the door and stepped into the frigid air. Wind whipped his body and lashed his face, making him snap out of his mild beer buzz. He turned to look at the hot tub where he’d first met Sloane. Of all the things he’d expected to happen while he bunked at his sister’s place, meeting a sexy and sassy screenwriter with a heart of gold hadn’t been one of them.

Sober, he returned to the living room. Emptiness surrounded him now. He pressed his palm to his chest and tried to fill the space. But he had no clue how to refill the hole. Only Sloane could do that, and he’d made a gargantuan mistake by refusing to yield to her one request.

His cell phone vibrated. A bit late, but better late than never.

I’m sorry things didn’t work out.

Fuck. He’d give anything for a do-over. She’d probably make a great girlfriend… even a wife… given how she’d followed through on her promise to let him know everything had gone right. Maybe she just needed time to adjust to his life.

Let me know when you reach your parents’ place.

Three circles waved into view, but then they disappeared… several seconds passed before he saw them return.

Always the bodyguard, aren’t you? That gig’s over. Maybe if you’re ever in LA for one of your hotshot sister’s premiers, we can hook up.

Hotshot? What the fuck? That sure as hell didn’t sound like anything Sloane would say. He screwed up royally with her if she’d call his sister a hotshot after everything Delaney had done for her.

His gut knotted. And the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Something wasn’t right. Yeah. You pushed away the only woman who’d probably be willing to go the distance with you. That’s what’s wrong.

Hell. He missed her. As he paced aimlessly, his vision blurred and a hot ball of emotion lodged in his throat. This big ass house had been filled with laughter and life only a few days ago in spite of the danger stalking Sloane. Damn it. He swallowed hard, pushing the pain down.

He’d fix this pronto. Go to her… explain as soon as possible. Beg for her forgiveness and a fresh start. He’d take her up on her offer of a hook-up without waiting for an excuse to go to Los Angeles.

Ben stopped in his tracks, his heart suddenly racing. Sloane had told him she usually didn’t hop into the sack with just anyone, but they couldn’t keep their hands off each other once she broke… icy fingers clutched Ben’s heart.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. No way would Sloane dis Delaney. She didn’t have an ounce of mean in her bones. She hadn’t sent the text. Sloane would never write those sentences.

But Gavin would.

Adrenaline spiked along his nerves as he punched her cell phone number into the Find my iPhone feature. The GPS compass hovered into view, revealing a dot close to… shit… damn thing went blank. Fucking cell towers made it impossible to see a damn thing when he needed to in the worst way.

But he’d seen enough to know the general vicinity of her whereabouts.

She’d never arrived in LA.

He jerked on his jacket, climbed into his SUV, and drove down toward the highway while using his hands-free voice system to call Hank. “Sloane’s in trouble,” he said when his friend answered. “I don’t know how, but Gavin’s got her.”

“Where are you now?”

“Heading for the highway. Hope to run into the bastard on the road and stop the motherfucker.” He took an S-curve fast and gunned the engine when the road straightened. “Contact the airline he supposedly flew on. Find out if he got on that plane.”

“Will do.”

“I’ll check her rental company to see if she returned her car when I get there. Touch base with her friend Deirdre to see if she has any clue about where Gavin might have taken Sloane.” He’d make the calls while searching the off-roads. If what he’d seen made sense… maybe he’d stand a chance…

“You’ll find her, Ben.”

“I have to,” he said before ending the call.

Gripping the wheel, Ben cursed himself for being such a world class fool. He’d let her walk away from him and right into danger. She could die before he got to her. He could lose the only woman he loved before he had a chance to make a life with her.