“Oh, my darlin wee lass”—he lowered his voice—“that’s why we take it off as soon as we get home.”
I gulped, not really wanting to picture him taking anything off. We might have been married, but that was as far as it went between us—for good reason. The last thing I wanted was to fall for him, because I knew exactly where I’d end up if I did. Alone.
“Who hurt you, hen?”
“What?”
“I saw the way your eyes dimmed. Something flashed across your face clear as day, and it wasn’t because of my joke about undressing. Someone hurt you. Who was it?”
I let my guard down and made the mistake of letting a man see my vulnerable pieces. Securing my mask, I pasted a bright smile on my face.
“Who hasn’t?”
“You might think I’m after hurting you, too, but you couldn’t be more wrong.”
As I snatched the bow tie from his hands, I rose onto my tiptoes so I could make sure the silk was perfectly nestled under his collar. I forced my gaze to remain on his throat rather than let myself look at the mouth he’d no doubt be smirking with.
“Do you think you’ll ever forgive me, hen?”
“For what? There’s nothing to forgive.”
“Clearly there is. I mucked everything up bad enough to make you cross with me. To make you drop me the way you have.”
“I didn’t drop you. We weren’t good together.”
“Of course we were. Lass, we were fire. We just never got a chance to burn.”
I scoffed. “Just stop. Pretty words aren’t gonna get you anywhere.”
“They’re not pretty, but they are true.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed and waited for my response.
I kept my focus on the silk between my fingers as I continued tying the bow. “I don’t know how to bethiswith you. To be the woman in your life.”
“Forgive me for saying this because it might seem obvious, but I think the only way you do it is exactly what you’re doing right now.”
I put the finishing touches on the tie and then turned away from him. But he caught me by the elbow and pulled me against his body.
“You don’t get to run off, hen. We have to have a conversation about where we stand and where we’re headed, and I’m not letting you hide just because it’s hard. The two of us have a lot to talk about.”
“No, we don’t. We actually have very little to discuss. I’m going with you to this stupid party, coming home, and we’re going to our separate rooms, and we’re not going—”
“I think you know that’s a lie.”
“It’s not.” My protest sounded hollow even to my own ears. It was weak.
“You want me just like I want you.”
“I don’t... I can’t... just because you’re attractive...” I hated the way I was a spluttering mess under his attention.
“Oh, you do think I’m handsome?”
The scoff I released was neither ladylike nor classy. “Of course I do. I have eyes.”
The asshole smirked and then chuckled. “I’m glad you finally admitted it to yourself.”
“If you don’t shut up, I’m gonna shut you up.”