Page 58 of Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort)
“No! I’m not leaving,” she said. “This is ridiculous and—”
“Please, give us a just a moment, man to man,” he said, cutting her off.
She opened her mouth to object, but he gave her a pleading look and she cut herself off. Grabbing his hand, she gave it a little squeeze. She turned to walk toward the rest of her friends, stopping briefly to look at Carlos, trying to read him. A small smile was all she gave him before walking away.
“What’s this really about, Carlos?” Cullen asked when she was finally out of earshot.
“I told you. It's about you treating Lee like any other woman you can just discard.”
“I think we both know that’s not how I’m treating her at all. And even if I was, she’s a strong enough woman to make decisions on her own.”
The two men stood there, silent, for a stretch of time that seemed to drag on. The ball was in Carlos’s court and Cullen would be damned if he said anything else until the other man actually said something worth responding to.
“You don’t love her,” he finally said, breaking the silence.
“But you do.” It wasn’t a question. Cullen could see it written across his face. For all the assurances that Leona had given him that she and Carlos weren’t more than friends who “used each other to scratch an itch,” he could see now that it had been so much more to Carlos.
“That’s not the point,” he snapped, trying to take the focus off him.
“Oh, but I’m thinking it is. You love her, but you think she’s choosing me.”
“You’re just using her to get laid!”
“Kind of like you’ve been doing for the last how many years?” Cullen shot back.
“I have not! I have been there for her, taken care of her, made sure she has whatever she needs.” He inhaled deeply, before letting it out in a long, slow breath.
“Does she know how you feel?”
“No. She was very clear when we started this—she didn’t want a relationship. She wanted to keep feelings out of it, so I did. Because I’d give her pretty much anything she ever wanted.”
“And you just hoped she would change her mind.”
“I hoped she would see everything we could have together. That if I was patient enough, she would change her mind. And I guess I was right, I just wasn’t the one who she changed her mind for,” he shrugged. “She may not want me, but I will not stand by and just let you treat her like she means nothing.”
“She doesn’t mean nothing, Carlos. She means a whole hell of a lot,” Cullen admitted.
“Oh…”
“Indeed.”
“You gonna tell her?”
“That you love her?” Cullen asked. “No, mate. That’s not my place. I figure if you wanted her to know, you would have told her by now.”
Carlos simply nodded in response. “I just want her to be happy.”
“So do I, mate. Just know, I care for her, deeply. My intention here is not to hurt anyone. What is between us, stays with her and me. But she is not a holiday hookup.”
Leona stood on the outside of the large group that was now attempting the “Cupid Shuffle,” led by none other than Dalton. She had tried to join in at one point but wasn’t willing to take her eyes off the two men, still down near the water, long enough to turn as the dance required. They were too far away to be heard over the blaring music and were standing too close to each other for her to try and do any kind of lip reading.
When Carlos finally turned and headed back her way, she tried to make it seem like she hadn’t been watching. His long strides meant that he reached her faster than she could react, which left her wondering for a split second why she had even tried.
“What’s going on, Carlos?” she asked when he was in front of her.
He took both of her hands in his and leaned down, lightly kissing her forehead.
“You deserve the moon and stars, Lee. I just wish I could be the one to give them to you,” he said quietly, only barely loud enough for her to hear over the music. “Just know that, no matter what, you’ll never walk alone and that I wish you love.”
