Shaking his head, at one o’clock in the morning he finally made his way upstairs to his room.
Opening the door, he stopped. There on the edge of his bed sat Rebecca. She was wearing a change of pajamas. They were a simple pink coral color, feminine, delicate, and utterly sexy.
Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and like always, she wore no makeup. One leg was crossed over the other, and her hands were resting on her raised knee. She looked stunning, and he closed the door.
“Bella could have come in here,” he said.
“You and I both know that Bella wouldn’t be here. She stopped visiting her parents’ room when her mother died.”
There was a time he would have flinched at the mention of his deceased wife. As it was, he knew Rebecca wasn’t being cruel, and he was being an ass.
“What is it?” he asked.
She smirked, and then looked down.
Did he see a flash of pain?
“Look, I don’t want to cause a problem here, okay? I’m not a troublemaker.”
“You’re not a teenager, Rebecca. What are you trying to say?”
She sighed. “I enjoyed what we had.”
He paused. “It was a mistake.”
“Have you been practicing that?”
“Think about it, Rebecca. You’re young, and I’m old. I have a daughter the same age as you.”
She nodded. “I know. I’m best friends with her.”
He ran fingers through his hair. “There are plenty of men out there.”
Rebecca stood. “Do you not want me?” she asked.
“It’s better this way.”
She stepped closer to him. “When you were inside me, and you were holding me, it felt to me like you were loving it.” She stopped right in front of him, so close, and all it would take for him was to reach out and pull her close. Damn it. She smelled like vanilla, which he found to be such an enthralling scent. “Do you want me, Jackson?”
“This is not about want.”
“You’ve had women who were younger than me. I’ve seen you with them. Bella hated them, and so did you. I bet you had no problem being with them.” She reached out and touched the button of his shirt.
His cock tightened.
She looked up at him, and he saw a glint of tears in her eyes.
“I understand.” She pulled her hand away. “I’m sorry. I won’t tell Bella. I never would.” She started to walk around him, and he couldn’t let her go, not feeling so sad.
Capturing his hand, he jerked her toward him, tilting her head back with a finger beneath her chin. “I want it to be different.”
“It could be. You’re the one that is stopping this, not me.”
With that, she moved away, and he let her go without saying a word, or fighting for her.
Closing his eyes, he listened to his door close quietly. He had hurt her. Rebecca was all hard ass until you got to know her. She was hurting inside, and she was going to hide it.
Rubbing at his eyes, he walked toward his en suite bathroom.