Sunbeams and Thunderstorms (now published so sample only)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Declan couldn't do it anymore. He'd driven for a few hours in the morning but now he couldn't take her any further. His obsessive need for her continued to gnaw at him. Giving into his temptation appeared more likely with every second he stayed with her. Taking her innocence would make him a worse man than he thought he was.

"I've done something to bother you, haven't I?" Summer tried to initiate a conversation with him over lunch.

"No."

He looked away and damned his fucked up intuition for the billionth time. Why did it always want him to chase after her? What did it expect him to do with her? Was he there to help or what? It all made no sense to him.

Cursing beneath his breath, an epiphany struck him. Declan realised that he had the perfect excuse to make his escape. There was a damn easy way for him to leave her and he knew she would believe him.

"I've got a bit of a problem." He hoped he achieved an appropriate worried expression.

"What is it?"

"Remember how I explained about my intuition?"

"Sure, you said it always leads you to a place in need of rain."

"It's niggling me at the moment. I think I'm going to have to leave earlier than anticipated." The lies spewed from his mouth.

His intuition yanked hard inside of him. The nausea that engulfed him battled with the guilt at his lies. Why was it so determined to keep him next to her?

"I understand, Declan. It's important to do your job. We can stop at the next town and you can leave me there." Her understanding only drove the guilt to dig deeper.

"I'll try and find you a job."

"Stop fussing. I'll be fine on my own. You saved me a lot of hassle and I appreciate the time you've taken to help me." She waved her arm around as if she hadn't a care.

"I don't want to abandon you."

"You have a life beyond me and you should live it."

Her cheery attitude only increased the punch to the gut nausea. The way his stomach roiled in protest made him want to pulverise his intuition. When she continued to insist that he was free to leave her alone, he had to excuse himself for the bathroom.

The contents of his stomach took flight but the nausea didn't abate. He stared into the mirror above the sink with a terrible sense of weakness. Why did this girl have such control over him?

"Leave her the way you've left everything else." He commanded the image he saw in the mirror.

His face paled the second he spoke and the nausea churned through him. With a glare, he grew more determined. His intuition wasn't getting the best of him anytime soon.

"You're leaving before you destroy her life. Do you really think she sees you as the hero instead of the callous bastard you are?"

He groaned as he answered his own question that of course she saw him as the hero. Both times they had met, he had saved her from something. She saw his arsehole self as the hero of her story because his dickhead intuition kept sending him to her!

He had to leave. He had to do it before she discovered the cruel person he was. Declan McCloud was nobodies hero he was the villain instead. Everybody knew that but her.

Giving into the temptation of his obsession with Summer Sunshine Rae would break that sweet innocent girl. He couldn't do that. He wouldn't do that to her.