Confessed (Vargas Cartel #3) by Lisa Cardiff

as I hated the Vargas compound and everything it symbolized in my mind, relief zipped through my veins. I was safe here. Nothing would happen to me. Ryker would make sure of it. I cradled my head against his chest, savoring the moment. Savoring our connection. He rocked me back and forth silently. His strong, even heartbeat echoed in my ears, grounding me in the moment and away from the nightmare of the past few days.
    “You should go back to sleep. You need your rest.” His fingertips slid down my sides, and the bed shifted as he stood.
    “Where are you going?”
    “I’ll be in the room next door if you need me.”
    I gasped and held out my hands, reaching for him. “Wait. Don’t leave me. I don’t want to be alone.”
    He tucked my hair behind my ear. “You need your rest,” he repeated.
    “I won’t be able to sleep if you’re not here.”
    “You did just fine without me. I’ll just get in your way.”
    My brows furrowed as my mind scrambled to unravel his words. What was I missing? Something wasn’t right.
    “No.” I shoved the sheets off my body. “Now that you’re here, I’m not letting you go again.”
    “Hattie.” My name came out like a long drawn sigh.
    “Ryker,” I responded in kind, kicking my legs over the side of the bed.
    “When did you become so stubborn?” he mumbled more to himself than me.
    I flipped on the light next to the bed. I searched his eyes for the glow of the affection I’d grown to love, but there was absolutely nothing. A blank void. A mask.
    “What’s going on right now? Why are you running away from me? Did I do something wrong?”
    “No. Of course not,” he said, his voice strained. His gaze bounced everywhere except on me.
    “Then why won’t you look at me?” I grabbed his wrist. He glanced at the A Enrique burned into my arm, and then he looked away like he couldn’t stand the sight of me. I snorted. “You can’t be serious.”
    “What?” he growled, the muscle in his jaw ticking. “I didn’t do anything.”
    “You’re right. You didn’t.” I dropped his arm and stood up. “You don’t have to. It’s written all over your face.” I shook my head. “I get it. Explanations aren’t needed.”
    My legs wobbled from disuse and exhaustion as I walked to the bathroom. I lamented my fate, the last three months, meeting Ryker, dating Evan…everything. At that moment, I hated myself. I hated my life. Why did everyone use me and reject me?
    “You don’t understand anything.”
    “Uh huh. Whatever,” I mumbled.
    “Where are you going?”
    “To the bathroom to shower.” I peeked over my shoulder. He alternated between flexing and curling his hands into tight balls. Obviously, our relationship had run its course—at least in his mind. He made me all these promises, and now he couldn’t even look me in the eyes. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Go back to your room and do whatever you were doing.”
    “No. Wait. I’ll stay. Let me help you.”
    “Not if you’re going look at me like you’re going to be sick.” I didn’t turn around. I kept walking. I didn’t want to see the pity or disgust flashing across his face like a neon sign.
    His arms circled my waist and he dragged me against his chest. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    My body battled with my mind. My body wanted to sink into his embrace and beg him to never let go. My mind wanted to fight him, scream at him, and curse him to hell.
    “The look on your face says it all, but I don’t get it. Even Noah was more compassionate than you, and I’ll probably never see him again. You, on the other hand, can’t run away from me fast enough. You made me all these promises. Promises you have no intention of keeping. Are you going to ship me back to Evan again? Is that what this is about?”
    He spun me around so fast, I felt like I had vertigo. “All this is my fault. I should’ve let you go. I should’ve stayed far away from your engagement party. Look at