‘We want different things.’
‘How on earth do you have any idea about what I want?’ he said, struggling to keep a grip on his temper.
‘When I got home on Thursday night, I looked you up online. That’s how I know where you live and what you do. It’s also how I know what you want.’
Will felt like hitting something hard. Like the wall. Because, God, this conversation was infuriating. He shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘What I want with regards to what?’
‘Sex and relationships. You’re keen on the former. Not so much on the latter.’
Oh. Well. That much was true. His aversion to commitment was as well documented as the variety of women that had appeared on his arm over the years. It appeared he’d been right when he’d suspected she’d found out something about him she didn’t like. ‘And what do you want?’ As if he couldn’t guess.
‘Both.’ The tilt of her chin became more defiant. ‘Actually, everything.’
He frowned. ‘Everything?’
‘I’m not interested in an affair,’ she said simply. ‘I’ve been there, done that. I’m nearly thirty-five and I now want more. I want a relationship. Commitment. Security. Ultimately marriage and a family. So I can’t really afford to waste time on something, or someone, that won’t at least give me the chance of having that.’
Oh, crap. Will’s stomach sank even further. So his initial impression of her hadn’t been wrong after all. He might have managed to convince himself that she was the sort of woman who threw inhibition to the wind and herself at random men, but he’d been deluding himself. If he hadn’t been so annoyed he’d have been relieved that his judgement hadn’t gone off the rails as he’d feared.
‘What’s so great about commitment?’ he said.
‘It’s what I want, what I’ve always wanted.’
‘Why?’
‘It’ll give me the security I never had. The family and the roots I never had.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Look, my mother had something of a racy past. She was kind of wild. Mixed with the wrong crowd. When I was twelve she went to jail.’
He stared at her chin sticking up, daring him to be discouraged. But did she really think having a mother who went to jail would deter him? She should hear about some of his ancestors. ‘What for?’
‘Armed robbery. She was involved in a jewellery heist that went wrong. She spent seven years inside.’
‘Sounds intriguing.’
Bella frowned. ‘Yes, well, it wasn’t to me. It was awful. I ended up being shunted from one place to the next, never really being in one place long enough to settle.’
‘What about your father?’
She bit her lip. ‘I have no idea who my father is. Neither does my mother.’
‘Fathers can be overrated,’ Will muttered, his thoughts momentarily derailed by the images of a young Bella trudging forlornly from one place to the next that were now flying around his head and making his chest contract in the strangest way.
‘I agree. But I could have done with one, especially during my teens. On the whole I was well looked after.’ She shrugged. ‘I guess I ended up hating always being on the move and constantly living out of a suitcase. I certainly hated the lack of stability.’
‘Commitment doesn’t necessarily mean stability,’ Will said as the knowledge he held about his ancestors flashed across his mind. ‘Or security.’
‘It does to me. So you see that’s why I had to cancel our date. This … You and me … Whatever it is … would never work.’ Bella shrugged and caught her lower lip with her teeth.
Completely transfixed by her mouth, Will reached forwards, cupped her jaw and ran his thumb over her lip. She let out an involuntary gasp and desire roared through his body. ‘You think?’ he murmured.
‘I know,’ she said sharply, jerking back.
Will dropped his hand before he could slide it to the back of her neck, pull her against him again and make a mockery of her assertion and simply stared at her, his pulse hammering.
Who was she trying to kid? It wouldn’t work? That was the most nonsensical thing he’d ever heard. Of course it would work. They were dynamite together. Totally explosive. Did she even know how rare the kind of chemistry that they shared was? Not to indulge in it, however briefly, would be a crime against nature.
All he had to do was get her to see things his way. Show her that a short-term fling needn’t interfere with her long-term goals. Or his.
Will’s mind raced as desire and need drowned out reason and logic. Oh, he had no doubt it wouldn’t be easy. Bella wasn’t going to change her mind, roll over and hand herself to him on a plate. But that merely added to the challenge, and he’d never been one to shy away from a challenge.