“I spent too many years wondering what I did wrong the last time. This time I want closure.”
The anger she’d been stewing in since she’d left his place bubbled up. Why she’d expected new Nate, who lived above a BDSM club and looked like a fitness model, to not be a cheater, she’d never know.
“You told me you were single. I’m not interested in being that girl.”
“What are you talking about? I am single.”
“Bullshit.”
He blinked at her, probably trying to figure out how she’d found out.
“What on earth are you talking about, Leelee?”
The old sadness and feelings of betrayal flared back to life. Here she’d thought she’d worked through it all.
“If you’re about to propose to someone, you’re not fucking single, Sexton. Not by any stretch of the imagination. If you think you are, you need to reconsider whether you’re the marrying kind.”
“What?”
“Oh, and don’t tell a girl you’re single and then bring her back to your place and leave an engagement ring box open on your shelf. That was just shitty planning.”
His mouth opened slightly, and realization lit his eyes.
“Oh. The ring.”
“Yeah, the ring. And don’t try to tell me it was your grandmother’s or something.”
He smiled, which seemed mean and unnecessary. “No. It wasn’t my grandmother’s.”
Pain twisted through her. She couldn’t believe she’d let herself hope for some sort of serious second chance for them to be together.
She’d let him go too easily last time. They’d both been so busy, and he’d been working so many hours, she’d assumed he was sniffing around other girls and cut him loose to roam free. She was going to be gone for years, and he couldn’t ditch his grandmother and follow her to Julliard. He hadn’t really argued with her about it when she’d suggested they end things. Besides, she’d been serious about her studies and Julliard wasn’t exactly a party school. Her professors had given no fucks about students’ long-distance relationships.
She hadn’t realized that when they broke up, she was cutting her anchor. Eventually she’d pulled herself together, but she’d never found anyone else who made her feel the way he did. When she’d come back to town she’d wanted to look him up, but was afraid he’d be happily married with a zillion beautiful kids.
One chance meeting and one night together and she’d let herself dream. Stupid girl. Even now she almost wanted him to tell her a better lie so she could go back to dreaming about a future with him.
He was still fucking smiling.
“Did you try the ring on?”
“What? No! That’s…weird and creepy. Why would I do something like that?”
His mouth twisted in a wry smile and he sighed. “Oh well. I always wondered if it would have fit. After seven years I almost had my answer.”
She blinked at him, and couldn’t quite remember how to close her mouth.
“I’m not sure why you left me the last time, Riley, but I don’t even care anymore. Give me another chance and you won’t be sorry.”
“That ring was for me?”
“From when you were at Julliard. Why do you think I was working so many hours?”
“I thought you were seeing someone else.”
He braced his hand against the door, then stalked into the house. She backed away from the ferocity in his gaze, but he kept following until a wall stopped her. With another man maybe she’d be afraid, but all this was doing was making her heart beat faster and her lower belly clench with arousal.