“It’s over and done. Can we stop talking about her now?” Hunt demanded, sounding irascible.
Adie scooted down the couch behind him and found some space to swing her legs off. Her feet touched the floor and she stood up. Hunt stared at her as she slid her feet into a pair of bright orange heels.
Okay, when they made love she could keep those sexy shoes on...
“What do you want from me, Hunter?” Adie asked, walking over to his desk and sitting on the edge, her legs swinging.
Sex, maybe a couple of laughs, a fun way to end the year. Hunt believed in being upfront and honest, he didn’t want to deal with hurt feelings or confusion. Sometimes, he was convinced that casual sex required more negotiation and emotional awareness than entering into a long-term relationship.
Hunt felt his nerves prickle and the moisture disappeared from his tongue. He felt ridiculous. He was a man in his thirties who had the right to just want some fun. Provided that Adie felt safe and was on board, they could have a great time.
Keep it simple and free of ambiguity.
“I was married once and it didn’t work out.” Okay, that wasn’t where he’d planned to start his explanation and it wasn’t relevant to the present situation. What the actual hell? He never discussed Joni, with anyone. He didn’t like explaining to people that he’d been a fool.
“I’m sorry.” Adie tipped her head to the side, obviously curious. “What happened?”
He wouldn’t tell her. It was his business and not pertinent to this discussion. “She screwed around on me and was addicted to using my credit card.”
God, now his mouth was operating without his brain’s permission.
Adie winced. “She was a shopper.”
That was like saying Usain Bolt was quite quick. Feeling like he had hands squeezing his neck, Hunt yanked his tie down and undid the button holding his collar closed. “I don’t talk about her, about what happened.”
Except that he had just expressed far more than he’d ever expressed before. To anyone. Hunt dismissed that thought and pushed his suit jacket back, his hands on his hips. “She’s not pertinent to what we were talking about.”
“That you have a girlfriend.”
“I told you I ended it! I do not have a goddamn girlfriend! Jesus!” Hunt gripped the bridge of his nose, hoping to squeeze his frustration away.
“Does Griselda live in Manhattan?”
Why was she asking? Did it matter? “She lives in the city but she’s currently on the West Coast, she’ll be there until Christmas. And none of this has anything to do with me wanting to sleep with you!”
Adie’s huge round eyes met his. She put her thumbnail between her teeth and flicked it against her front tooth. Hunt wished she would end the torture and put him out of his misery. It wasn’t difficult, he just required a yes or a no.
“I’m not sure, Hunt,” Adie eventually told him.
Ah, well...Hell.
Adie gripped the desk on either side of her hips and Hunt fought the urge not to go to her. “I presume you are only offering a one night stand or a couple of one night stands, right?”
For some reason, his throat felt thick and tight and he couldn’t force a yes up his throat. So Hunt nodded instead.
“Thought so.” Adie hauled in a deep breath, then another. “Look, this is a pretty difficult time of year for me and sometimes, for complicated reasons I don’t intend to explain, I’ve been known to look for a distraction, for something to help me through the season of love and goodwill to all men. That’s the reason I am here, in Manhattan, during the busiest time of year for me...because I’m hoping to be so busy I can’t think.”
Hunt wanted to know what demons were nipping at her heels. What compelled her to keep herself so busy?
“But I don’t use men to get me out of my head and between the work you’ve given me, my existing clients and trying to meet and sign up new clients, I am slammed.”
Hunt watched her dark eyes and while she wasn’t lying, she wasn’t telling the complete truth either. Man, she fascinated him. On a deeper, darker and more dangerous level—a level he preferred to avoid.
Yet, he couldn’t help thinking that she’d yet to say no.
“Are you saying no?” It was, after all, vital to be clear.
Adie nodded. “I’m saying no.”