“What’s funny?”
“Just you, Lauren. You dodged the question.”
“I don’t date,” I tell him, wondering if he cares, knowingIshouldn’t.
“You’ll have to start if you want a family.”
“I know,” I murmur. “Maybe I will. Maybe I’ll make a dating profile on one of those apps.”
His back tightens like all his muscles are getting ready to expand suddenly.
“You’d do that?” he says. “Put yourself out there for casual hookups and bullshit encounters?”
“Who says they’d all be bullshit?” I almost yell, holding the tat gun clear of his back. “Maybe I’ll find somebody who really cares there.”
“You’ll find somebody who wants to use you and then move on to the next woman.”
I almost laugh, almost say it,Like you did with me.
“I don’t see why you care anyway,” I murmur.
“I….”
This is where he could say it, tell me how he feels, how badly he wants me. But instead, he sighs.
“How much longer for this session?” he asks.
“A while.”
I reach up with my free hand, wiping a tear from my eye, pissed at myself for getting so emotional. It’s like he’s messing with my head.
If it ever happened, then he shouldn’t care who I date.
Not that I want to date anyone except for him.
“Great,” he says, and we continue the rest of the session in silence.
CHAPTERNINE
Silas
I carry the folded table to the door, knowing I have to somehow fix this situation.
I’ve upset my woman with my comments about dating apps, but I couldn’t hold back when I thought about Lauren with another man.
When I commit to her, it will be for life, forever.
Julian’s face flashes up in my mind, his severe frown, his knitted eyebrows.
“How does it feel?” Lauren asks.
She’s back to playing the game, pretending we haven’t gotten heated and haven’t essentially argued.
“It’s fine,” I tell her, aware I’m shirtless, aware Buster hasn’t followed us into the hallway.
We’re here alone.
My woman’s cheeks are flushed as if the emotion is bursting out of her.