He wasn’t far from the villa when his cell began to ring. Swiping his thumb over the screen, he accepted the call without looking to see who it was, praying he’d hear Autumn’s voice on the other end. “Hello?”
“Thanks for calling me back, asshole.”
“Not now, Connor. I don’t have time for this shit.”
“Maybe you should make some. I don’t know what the hell is going on with you, but I came home to a sobbing redhead and you were just gone—”
“You were at the house when Autumn was there?”
“Yeah. She’s really upset.”
“How long ago? Did she say anything? Do you know where she went?”
“About an hour ago and back to her villa.”
Balen turned down the street, taking the corner a bit too fast. The wheels screeched and the back end fishtailed when he gave the engine gas. The sense of urgency bearing down on him was reaching panic levels. It gutted him to hear she’d been crying, to know he was the cause of it. “Did she say anything else?”
“Yeah, she told me to tell you goodbye.”
“I gotta go.” Balen disconnected the call and tossed the cell onto the seat. Her villa was the last one on the right. He jumped the curb, cutting it short as he brought the Jeep to a haphazard stop in the driveway. Killing the engine, he hopped out and ran across the yard, praying he wasn’t too late. With each step, the invisible band around his chest grew tighter, the impending doom of their inevitable conclusion sucking the oxygen out of the air. God, he didn’t want to lose her. Not like this… His lungs burned, his heart crashing against his chest as he fought the rise of panic trying to grab hold of him.
“Autumn!” he called her name as his feet hit the porch. He spotted his duffle bag outside the door, sitting beside his surfboard. He tried to open the door but it was locked. “Autumn!” he yelled, pounding his fist against it. “Autumn, open the door!”
No answer.
Was he too late? Was she already gone or just avoiding him? If there was any chance she was in there, Balen wasn’t leaving. Muttering a curse, he took a step back and then slammed his shoulder into the door. The wood frame splintered and the door swung open as he charged inside. “Autumn!”
He raced down the hall to her bedroom and didn’t even bother knocking before throwing the door open. His rioting heart came to a crashing stop. He was too late… The room was empty, her luggage gone. And lying in the trashcan beside the bed was her scrapbook—Best Friends Guide to Having Fun.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“I don’t care what it costs. I need to be on the next plane out of here.”
The woman behind the counter raised an unimpressed brow at Autumn, clearly not appreciating the urgency of the situation, and pointed out the window to the plane jetting down the runway. “You just missed it.”
“Shit.” Wasn’t that just her luck? “When will the next one be leaving?”
“Where do you want to go?”
Anywhere but here. “The United States.”
“Let me check.”
The woman went to work on her computer, her nails clicking over the keys. As Autumn waited for good news, her cell started vibrating in her purse again. It’d been going off every few minutes for the last half-hour. She would have shut it down completely, but she needed the GPS to find her way back to the airport. Ignoring the phone, she gave the woman behind the counter her full attention.
“We have another flight departing in a few hours, but there are no seats currently available. If you don’t mind flying on stand-by—”
“That’s fine.” Autumn cut her off. “Please put me on the list.”
The woman took Autumn’s information and entered it in the computer. Before she finished typing, Autumn’s phone started ringing again. The lady glanced up at her over the top of the computer and gave her the brow again. “You can get that if you’d like. I’m going to be a few minutes here.”
She reached into her purse and pulled out her cell, powering it off mid-ring. She didn’t want to see Balen and she sure as hell didn’t want to talk to him—there wasn’t anything left to say. He lied to her and his betrayal cut deep. Surprisingly, it was worse than what she’d experienced with Alex. And that had been awful...but in a completely different way.
She’d given her heart to a man she didn’t even know, who’d pretended to be someone else—someone who’d lied to and used her. He’d let her fall in love with an illusion, and maybe that was the worst betrayal of all, because even if she could find it in her heart to forgive him, the man she’d fallen in love with simply didn’t exist. It was all a lie…
“It looks like you already have a flight booked for this evening.”
“I know that, but I need to leave sooner.”
“We can’t refund your ticket.”
“That’s fine. I still need to leave as soon as possible.”
The lady went back to typing away on her keyboard. “All right, we’re almost finished here. If I could just get your credit card…”
Autumn handed over her plastic and waited for the woman to process her ticket.
“The card holds your spot to travel on stand-by, but you will only be charged if a seat becomes available. We’ll announce your name once the flight roster is confirmed, or you can certainly check back with me any—”
“Autumn!”
She tensed but did not turn around at hearing her name shouted across the airport.
“Goddammit, Autumn. Are you seriously doing this?” His voice was getting closer. Tension spiked the air. She could feel several curious eyes turning her direction. She closed hers, praying Balen wouldn’t make a scene, but it was probably a little late for that. His tone was sharp—angry—as he approached. Well, he wasn’t the only one. Why was he even here? The ruse was up. Apologies weren’t going to mend this and seeing him would only tear her heart out more.
Autumn turned the opposite direction of his echoing steps, hoping to get lost in the crowd. Keeping her gaze fixed on the empty chair in the corner of the waiting area, she headed in that direction, but only made it about ten steps before Balen grabbed her arm, spinning her back around to face him. “Are you going to run out on me without even giving me a chance to explain?”
Autumn had to crane her neck back to see his face as he towered over her. The anger blazing in his eyes might have alarmed her if she wasn’t already so hurt and furious. What a self-righteous asshole. Were they really going to do this in the airport? Jerry Springer style? Apparently so...
“Explain what, Balen? That you’re not who you pretended to be? That you lied to me! I already know everything! I read the BuzzFeed article.”
“What article?” He sounded surprised and then recognition must have dawned. “Christ…” Balen cursed and dragged his hand through his hair. His anger was evident, but there was desperation in his voice she’d never heard before. “Autumn, it’s BuzzFeed. You know that shit is fake news—”
“So you’re telling me you’re not a famous surfer?” she interrupted, cutting him off because she didn’t want to hear it. Enough of the lies already. “Are you going to stand there and tell me there isn’t a sex tape? That sponsors didn’t drop you? And you weren’t told to clean up your act or you wouldn’t be participating and the Titans of Mavericks competition next week?”
“Fuck…” he growled, exhaling a breath. But he didn’t deny it.
“Admit it, Balen. You used me. You were trying to clean up your image before you tanked your career, and you used me to do it. I—”
“You know what? Fine. You want me to admit it? Yes. I made a lot of bad decisions I’m not proud of. If I could take them back, I would. But that’s not who I am, Autumn. Not anymore. And that’s not what this is.”
“Oh, I know what this is. It’s a lie you perpetuated trying to save your career.”
“How can you stand there and be so goddamn self-righteous? Maybe I was using you at first. But it’s not like you weren’t using me too. Or have you co
nveniently forgotten about your whole one and done stunt? You came onto me that night, remember? Of course you don’t. How convenient. You were drunk. But that doesn’t matter, does it? It’s all right for you to make stupid mistakes. As long as you can still crucify me for mine.”
“Don’t you dare pretend to be the victim here! You lied to me! I don’t even know who you are!” Tears clogged her throat, building behind her eyes. “The man I thought I knew, the man I thought I was falling for, doesn’t even exist! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?” He winced as her voice cracked. Anger faded to regret, relaxing the hard angles of a face that was so handsome it physically hurt to look at. “I confided in you.” Her vision blurred with unshed tears. “I told you stuff that I’ve never told anyone. And you know what I got in return? Lies. You want to know the truth? If I’d had any idea who you really were, I never would have given you a second thought.”
He flinched as if she’d struck him, and then just as fast, anger reignited in that golden-flecked glare. A muscle in his jaw ticked as he ground his molars. “Are you really so sure about that? Maybe that Balen Kroft can give you what you need.”
Confusion made her falter a moment. At her questioning look, Balen shook his head, his caustic grunt echoing cynicism and anger. What the hell did he have to be mad about?
“I heard you talking to your friend this morning. I’m just sayin’…maybe I’m not the only one who wasn’t what they appeared to be.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You told Summer you couldn’t be with somebody like me because I couldn’t give you what you need. What do you need, huh? A big house on the beach? I’ve got that. A fancy car to drive around in? Got that too.”
“I wasn’t talking about money, you asshole! I meant emotionally! Only an idiot would fall in love with someone who doesn’t love them back.”
“Are you really so sure about that?”
“You told me you don’t believe in love,” she challenged.
“And it never once occurred to you that maybe my feelings had changed?”
Autumn’s sharp laugh was bitter and jaded. How dare he do this to her now? “No, Balen, it hadn’t. And do you want to know why? Because you’ve had multiple opportunities to tell me how you felt. To ask me to stay. And you didn’t. Call me old fashioned, but I think a girl shouldn’t have to discover someone loves her through a BuzzFeed article written two days after they met! Kinda ruins the credibility. At least now I know why you took all those pictures of us. Smart. We really did look like the perfect couple.”
“What are you talking about? What pictures?”
“Balen, enough of the lying. They’re all there on the internet. Look at them yourself. They had to come from you because I certainly didn’t give them to anyone.”
He seemed to think about that a moment. Maybe weighing his odds in trying to deny it again. Instead, he barked a nasty curse.
“You want to know what I really think? I think Monica broke you and you never picked up the pieces.”
At the mention of her name, anger reignited in his eyes, those golden flecks turning molten. “You’re one to talk, Autumn. Two fucking years you let some asshole hold you back from living. You punish yourself for something that was never your fault by refusing to let anyone else get close to you. You keep people away by not having sex, and I keep people away by having a lot of it. How are you really any different from me? Huh?”
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she forced out the words, praying her voice wouldn’t fail her. “Because with you, I was willing to try—”
“Goddammit!” he hissed in frustration, jacking his hands through his hair.
“I told you before that trust and honesty meant everything to me. I don’t even know who you are.”
“If you honestly believe that, Autumn, then you haven’t been paying very close attention.”
Words failed her. She stood there in stunned silence, watching as Balen turned around and walked away. He left. He just…left. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised, and yet she dumbly stood there waiting for the numbness to come and wash over her like the blessed balm it had been when Alex had walked out. But it never came. She was left feeling raw and wounded, and…completely broken. God help her, this hurt so much more than the last time.
She’d known Balen only a fraction of the time she had Alex. And yet, they’d shared a connection she’d never felt with anyone else. Lies…she reminded herself when the pain swelled up, threatening to swallow her. You can’t love someone who never existed. This man walking away was the real Balen Kroft, international surfing champion. He was rich, famous, and he could have had any woman he wanted. He sure as hell didn’t need her. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He had needed her, and she’d served her purpose.
Really, what did it matter now anyway? This was just one more example of why she couldn’t trust her judgment when it came to men. Her vacation was done and she and Balen were officially over. But despite her anger and bitterness, Autumn knew when she got on that plane she’d be leaving her heart in Cyprus.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“What the fuck did Bradford do?” Balen demanded, as he stood at the island in his kitchen, speed-reading through the newest BuzzFeed article—a full disclosure interview with his agent, Bradford Billings. Make that ex-agent, because Balen was firing his ass ASAP.
Connor opened the fridge and cracked open a beer, taking a sip before responding. “It’s called damage control, Balen. We’ve gotten pretty good at it lately. Don’t be pissed at him. We’re saving your career. In fact, a thank you might even be in order.”
“Thank you? You’re kidding me, right? I just lost the best thing that ever happened to me because you two used her for goddamn media propaganda.”
“Hey, you’re the asshole that didn’t tell her who you are—that’s on you.” He pointed his beer at Balen and scowled. “You’ve got nobody to blame for that poor decision-making but yourself. And FYI, that night you went out with Autumn, someone took a picture of you two together at dinner. And then a fuck-load more of you two on the beach.”
“Shit.” Balen slammed the lid of the laptop closed and started pacing. He hadn’t seen anyone following them. Then again, he’d been so focused on Autumn, a goddamn hurricane could have blown in and he probably wouldn’t have noticed.
“After your little sex tape debacle, I thought you would have learned your lesson about PDA. But obviously not. Someone sold the pictures of you and Autumn getting it on to BuzzFeed. They contacted Bradford and told him that if he didn’t give them a full-disclosure interview, they were going to run the pictures and their version of the story—as is. Bradford did the interview, and in place of those compromising photos I provided them with others of you and Autumn. I did it to save your ass, man.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me any of this?”
“A—it’s my job to take care of this shit. B—you haven’t been around. And C—what’s the point? It doesn’t do any good talking to you. Days after your sex tape is released, pictures are popping up of you crawling between some other girl’s legs. We had to spin this story, turn Autumn into more than just another fuck.”
“Dammit, she is more than just another fuck.”
“And yet she wasn’t important enough for you to tell her the truth about who you are. Interesting.”
“Don’t you judge me!” he growled spinning around to his brother, needing to take his anger out on someone other than himself. “You have no idea what it’s like being used every goddamn day like some piece of meat.”
Conner’s brow arched as he gave Balen an unsympathetic grunt before taking a long pull from his beer. “They’re only buyin’ cuz you’re sellin’, man. I don’t feel sorry for you. I do, however, feel sympathetic for the woman I found crying her eyes out in the goddamn hallway today. You got to get your shit together.”
“Where did you get those pictures?” Balen demanded, changing the subject, because Connor tel
ling him to get his shit together wasn’t anything he didn’t already know.
His brother shrugged, seeming wholeheartedly unimpressed by Balen’s anger. Perhaps that was because Connor was brewing some of his own. He knew that look. Connor was disappointed in him and clearly pissed to have gotten caught in the middle of what happened. “Off your Cloud, where do you think? I’m your publicist, your brother, and your best friend. You think I don’t have access to your accounts? Look, I’m sorry this blew up in your face. But when Bradford called me about BuzzFeed, we talked it over and agreed the best way to play this out and start fixing your image was to give them the story that you’d fallen in love with Autumn, and you were turning your life around. How the hell was I supposed to know you actually were falling in love with her? This was just supposed to be damage control, and it’s working. Sex Wax is reconsidering withdrawing their sponsorship, your spot in the invitationals is secure. Look, if you want me to talk to her…”
“God, no. It’ll only make things worse. There isn’t anything you can say to make this better.”
“Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean you can’t.”
Balen sat in the chair and braced his forearms against his knees, dropping his head into his hands. Connor didn’t understand. He hadn’t seen that look in her eyes. The one that told him it was over, that he’d broken her trust—and her heart—and he wasn’t getting another chance to earn either one of them back. “Trust me, I’m the last person she wants to see right now.”
One and Done (Island of Love Book 1) Page 24
