One Foolish Night (Eternal Bachelors Club #4)

“No, Holly—”

She pressed her hand against his heart. “Please, hear me out.”

Paul nodded silently.

“The message you saw on my phone came from Misty, my boss. It was her reaction to my telling her that I was quitting. I sent her my resignation a few minutes before I propositioned you at the reception—because that’s when I realized that I didn’t want to sleep with men for money anymore. I wanted to sleep with a man because I was attracted to him. Because I desired him.” Holly ran her eyes over him. “The night we had together was wonderful. For the first time in a long time, I was free to feel.”

Paul ran a hand through his dark hair. “Oh God, Holly, I’m so sorry. I destroyed all that by the way I treated you.”

“It’s not your fault. Most men would have reacted that way.”

“If I’d known . . . ”

“Had you known, you would have reacted the same way, because my past is still the same. The thing that has changed is my future. But people don’t judge you by your future, they judge you by your past. And my past I can’t change, as much as I want to.”

Paul shook his head and cupped her shoulders with both hands. “But if you quit, then why didn’t you at least tell me when I proposed this . . . this arrangement? Why didn’t you just tell me to go to hell? How could you allow me to drag you back into it?”

“Remember the matchmaking business I was telling you about?”

His forehead furrowed. “The one from your cover story?”

Holly nodded. “The day you called me, the bank had just refused my loan.” The reason why wasn’t exactly something she needed to disclose to Paul. “I was desperate. I wanted to buy the business. I needed the money.”

Realization spread in Paul’s eyes. “Let me guess—the purchase price is two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”

She didn’t even have to nod, but only blinked, then dropped her gaze. “It’s buying me a future. So I figured I’d sell myself one last time.”

Paul released her shoulders and looked past her, out to the ocean, as if he wanted to avoid her. “And the reason you slept with me last night?”

“What are you saying?” Didn’t he know why she’d come to his bed?

He whipped his gaze back to her. “I’m asking you whether you slept with me last night because I’m paying for your time.”

“You know as well as I do that you didn’t pay for that. We agreed that what you paid for was my playing your girlfriend. It didn’t include sex.”

“Damn it, Holly! I asked you a straightforward question: Why did you sleep with me last night?”

She fisted her hands at her hips. “Are you dim-witted or something? Don’t you get it? I slept with you because I’m attracted to you! Idiot!”

A grin spread over his face. “You know that you’re totally sexy when you’re angry.”

Holly huffed, turned back in the direction from which they’d come, and started walking. Paul grabbed her hand and kept pace with her.

“I should never have told you anything.”

“You mean the fact that you quit the escort business or the fact that you find me hot?”

She whipped her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “You’re twisting my words. I didn’t say you’re hot.”

“That’s what I heard. Besides, the way you rode me last night kind of hinted at that.”

Annoyance welled up in her. “Then why did you have to ask me why I slept with you?”

“Because I hate guesswork. I wanted to hear it from your own mouth.”

“Well, now you’ve heard it!” For some reason she felt exposed. Well, not for some unknown reason. She knew very well why she was pissed. While she had exposed her feelings by admitting that she was attracted to him, he had said nothing in return.

Suddenly Paul tugged at her hand and made her turn. She realized that she would have walked past his parents’ house in the dark, had he not guided her to the path that led up to the pool.

When she headed toward the terrace, Paul pulled her in the opposite direction. “What?”

“We’re not done talking. And for this talk, I want some privacy.”

Reluctantly, she let him lead her to the little pool house that stood a few yards away from the pool. He reached up to the ledge over the door and pulled a key from it, then unlocked the door and nudged her inside.

Paul locked the door behind him and leaned against it. A moment later, a low light illuminated the room. Holly had only a moment to glance around and notice that there was a large sectional sofa in one corner, a coffee table in front of it, and a door leading to another room, before Paul began to speak.

“Would you please tell me why you’re suddenly angry?” he asked softly, his eyes full of affection.

Holly blinked, wondering if she simply saw what she wanted to see. She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s nothing.”