“Yes. Not mind-blowing sex, or even good sex actually, but I have copulated with members of the opposite sex.”
“How many?” Oh, shit. “Forget I asked that.”
“Why? You wouldn’t want me to ask you the same thing?” she guessed.
He winced. “Something like that.”
“You’re not a man-whore. If you were, you would have taken me up on my offer last night. Regardless of your reasons.”
“You have a lot of faith in a man you barely know.”
“You think you’re the only one who has asked Roman a few subtle questions?”
He wasn’t touching that one. “So, the stupid assholes you’ve had sex with aside, youstill deserve more than a night rolling in the sheets.”
“You won’t have sex with me because I deserve a relationship ?” she asked, sounding really confused and more than a little irritated.
And if that wasn’t too damn adorable, he didn’t know what was. Which was not the way he was supposed to be thinking.
“That’s one of the reasons, yes.”
“Since I’m not expecting anything other than that mind-blowing sex I’ve only ever read about, that particular excuse is voided.” She spoke with a firm certainty that showed she knew how to argue for what she needed.
More than that, she expected him to blow her mind?
Who was he kidding? Blow her mind? If he got his hands on her, he wasn’t going to stop until she was past coherent and right into passing-out-from-pleasure mode.
“You can’t just void a reason because you don’t like it.” He wished he was as sure as he sounded.
“I can void an excuse that is dir
ectly linked to me and my feelings. You don’t get to make choices for me in that regard. No one does.”
He could argue that he got to make choices about his own feelings, but that would be admitting he was experiencing emotions he didn’t usually. He’d rather drop the F-bomb during Sunday dinner at his mother’s when she had the pastor over.
“We don’t even live in the same state,” he reminded her.
“It’s only a six-hour drive from upstate New York to Boston, but I don’t even see how that excuse has any relevance since we both agree you aren’t looking for a relationship.”
“You should be looking for a relationship.”
“Who are you to tell me what I should be looking for?” There was that temper again, flaring in her voice and snapping like molten metal in her grey eyes. “If I want a break in the monotony of my own company, whatever the cost, don’t tell me not to go for it. Because what I deserve is a few lousy hours of not being alone.”
She should have sounded desperate. Another woman saying it would have, but damned if he didn’t find himself agreeing with her instead of pitying her. The fact he was panting to touch her colored his view, he was sure.
Still, he shook his head. “I know you don’t think it matters, but Roman is your older brother and he’s not only my boss, but he’s my friend.”
“He’s your boss?”
Shit. He never let stuff slip. “Yes.”
“Don’t look so discombobulated. I told you, I’m good at finding out what I want to.”
“Is that what this is about? You’re trying to use me to find out more about your brother’s life?”
“I wouldn’t do that.” She jumped up from the table and started wiping down the already clean countertops. “I don’t use people.”
He knew that. He did. It just wasn’t in her nature. She was a sacrifice-not-to-upset-others kind of person.