He reached out and ran a finger down her cheek and she trembled. And then he was pulling her against him, wrapping his arms around her and crushing his mouth to hers.
With her heart banging crazily against her ribs, Bella clutched at his shirt, melted into him and completely lost herself in the kiss that was hot and devastating and, she had the sensation, filled with everything that he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, say.
But even as that last thought spun through her head Will was drawing back and unwinding himself from her. Without another word he turned on his heel and strode off, head down with his hands thrust deep in his pockets.
Bella stood there, her heart thumping, her stomach churning and her body on fire as she watched him march out of her life.
Her head pounded as questions and hopes and dreams began to bombard her on all sides. Was she really going to leave it like this? To be haunted by that kiss and what it might have meant? Never knowing how Will really felt about her? Never knowing if things might have changed for him, the way they had for her? Never knowing if he was holding back because of what he thought she wanted?
She couldn’t. She had to see … She had to take a chance …
With her blood roaring in her ears, Bella took a deep breath and ran after him. ‘Will, wait.’
Will barely broke his stride.
‘Wait,’ she yelled again, and then he gradually slowed, stopped and turned to face her.
‘What?’ he said, his voice sounding strained and hoarse and his face set.
Light from the street lamp cast shadows across the planes of his face and her heart clutched with longing. Bella swallowed and looked up at him, knowing that her eyes were shimmering with hope but unable to wipe it out. ‘Does this really have to be the end?’
Will’s jaw was tight, but his eyes burned. ‘You know it does.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it’s for the best.’
Bella took a deep breath. She didn’t want platitudes. She wanted honesty, even if he didn’t. ‘I’m not so sure it is.’
He frowned, shook his head faintly as if warning her not to do this, that pursuing this would only lead to heartbreak. Her heartbreak. But now she’d started she couldn’t stop, whatever the probable outcome.
‘The thing is,’ she said, lifting her chin, her blood pounding in her ears as she put her heart in his hands, ‘I’ve fallen in love with you.’
For a moment there was silence. Will blinked. Paled a fraction beneath his tan. ‘I see.’
His voice was totally devoid of emotion and Bella felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. ‘Is that all you have to say?’
‘What else is there?’
She took a deep breath to silence the voice in her head yelling at her to stop. To save herself from more unfathomable anguish. ‘How about telling me that you love me too?’
He froze, and she could see great barriers springing up all round him. ‘I can’t do that.’
‘Why not?’ she said, her voice cracking.
‘I just can’t.’
And never would.
The words remained unspoken, but Bella could see it in his eyes and the pain that scythed through her nearly floored her. Her heart lay crushed and bleeding in his hands and to her horror her throat closed over and tears pricked the backs of her eyes.
She gulped. Fought for dignity as she wondered how he had the power to do this to her. How he could willingly and cold-bloodedly do this to her, because he must know he was destroying her, mustn’t he?
As that knowledge tortured her something inside her leapt up and obliterated her self-control.
‘You know what?’ she said, all the frustration and pain and crushing disappointment hurtling around her in a great mighty seething mass. ‘This aversion to commitment you have is crap.’
Will recoiled as if she’d slapped him in the face. ‘What?’