Page 95 of He Loves Me Knot

Callum might affect her, but he didn’t have to know that.

The tour operator instructed Liddy to settle her arms around Callum’s waist and then they were off, tearing through the bumpy trail and away from their group. Some of the other members of their party were ahead of them on the trail, but they were nowhere to be seen. The tour company only had four ATVs, which meant they’d all had to take staggered turns.

Mud shot up from the tires as Callum took a sharp turn, and Liddy buried her cheek into his back, shielding her face. “You okay?” Callum called back toward her.

No.

She didn’t want to be enjoying the rush of the ride.

Or how she loved being this close to him.

This close, she could smell his shirt and body wash, which had some manly spice in it that made her want to take a deep breath.

Or that she could feel every ridge of muscle of his taut abs against the backs of her forearms.

But then she visualized him kissing Miranda, and she almost threw up.

I can’t do this.

“Stop!” she called into his ear. Callum slowed, then pulled to the side of the path.

Disentangling herself from him, she hopped off the vehicle and moved away, trying to catch her breath.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” Callum followed her, his face written with concern.

“I’mfine.” She rubbed her temples, trying to clear her thoughts.

“You’re clearly not fine. What hurts?”

“I’m fine,” she repeated, turning away from him.

I will not cry in front of him.

Callum took her elbow. “Liddy, what happened?”

She shook her head, clenching her jaw.

Fuck it.

She turned toward him. “You. You happened, Callum. I know, I know. I brought this upon myself by agreeing to this ridiculous ruse in the first place, but I thought that I’d gotten to know you over the last few days. I shared things with you I’ve never told anyone, and not because I thought we were heading toward a relationship—don’t worry, I know you’re not interested, you made that clear enough—but because we maybe, at least, were being honest with each other. Maybe even becoming friends. And then I find out that this is just the way you are. You screw around with women’s heads and then act like it’s their fault for liking you.”

His eyes narrowed at her. “Because I told you that you were free to go on a date with a man you’re clearly interested in?”

“No, because you kissed Miranda just days ago. She told me all about it.”

He removed his helmet slowly. “Miranda? Miranda Kaster?”

“Yes,thatMiranda. Fuck, Callum, did you think she wouldn’t tell me? That I wouldn’t find out that this is just your . . .I don’t know, sick pattern of behavior?”

Callum crossed his arms.And, dammit, why do his arms look so good when he flexes them like that? Fuck, no. Not going to think about that.

“You mean the woman who threw herself at me when I was stumbling home drunk?”

“That’s not how she tells it.”

“That’s because she was enraged that I turned her down. And, yes, I kissed her,” Callum snapped, his eyes burning with fury. “Or rather, I allowed the kiss to happen after she initiated it. Allowed her to shove her hand down my pants aggressively. Is that what you want to hear? But I stopped it right after that and told her that nothing would ever happen between us.”

Liddy squeezed her eyes shut. No, she didn’t want to hear that. Didn’t want to think of Miranda’s lips on his, her hands on him. “So you’re telling me you had nothing to do with it?”