“Look, Gray…you haven’t really spared my feelings in the past. Why start now? Just let me have whatever you’re stuttering over.”
He swallowed and turned to look at her. “I know the impression I gave you tonight. And that night in the office. And, hell, however many other times. But I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship.”
“With me, or with anyone? Because you seemed to be doing fine with Brynn.”
“How do you figure? We broke up after a month, and the relationship went nowhere.”
Hmm. A good point.
She moved on.
“If you don’t want a relationship, why invite me along tonight? Why play with my hair? Is this a game?” Her voice broke slightly, but she was beyond caring.
He had the decency to look guilty, but Sophie was hardly mollified. She’d been a gooey, contented mess, and he’d been playing with her?
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…You make me forget sometimes.”
She blinked in confusion. “Forget what?”
“That women like you are all wrong for me.”
“Women like me? Or women like Jessica?”
“Same thing,” he muttered.
Sophie resisted the urge to slam her head on the dashboard. “I knew it! You’re shoving me off because I remind you of your bitch of an ex. That’s junior high territory, Gray. Really ridiculous.”
His expression turned fierce and he turned on her with blazing eyes. “You want the whole story? Here it is…Your crack a minute ago about someone stomping all over my icy little heart was dead-on. Except it wasn’t icy then. And it hurt. So you’ll forgive me if I’m not anxious for a repeat.”
I wouldn’t break your heart, she wanted to beg. But she knew that look. And there was no room for negotiation. She wanted to fight. To insist that he give her a chance. But she couldn’t risk it.
Because he could break her heart too.
“So what now?” she asked, trying to sound calm and mature.
There would be an Oreo-involved breakdown once she got upstairs, but for now she had to hold it together. She didn’t want her messy emotions to get all over his pristine car.
“What do you mean?” he asked warily.
“Well, I mean…I work for you. It’s not like I can just conveniently disappear like any other failed first date. Do I look for another job? Or do we try to pretend this whole thing never happened?”
To her surprise, he gently reached out and took her hand. A jolt of electricity seemed to rip up her arm and, more inconveniently, to all of her lady parts. Sophie bit her lip to keep from throwing herself into his arms and begging him to at least let her be a one-night stand.
Casual sex is not part of your self-respect project, she reminded herself. You deserve to be more than a booty call.
“I’d like it if we could be friends,” Gray said, jolting Sophie out of her horny pep-talk.
Wait, what?
“What?” she asked.
The corner of his mouth turned up slightly. “I know, it’s the oldest line in the book. And not one that I’ve uttered. Ever.”
Sophie let out a horrified laugh. “It’s a really horrible line. And it never works out.”
“It did for you and Will.”
“That was different…”
“How?”
I never wanted to keep Will chained up in my bedroom as a plaything. I never wanted to devote my life to making him smile the way I do with you.
“We were kids when we dated. And it was barely dating,” she said.
“Please, Sophie. You know this isn’t easy for me.”
“Define ‘friends,’” she said warily.
He looked completely confused, and she melted. He probably didn’t know how to define it. Other than Ian, she wasn’t sure he really had any friends.
“I don’t really know,” he said looking embarrassed. “I just was hoping…You make me smile. I don’t want to lose that.”
It was like an arrow to her heart. If she made him smile, why wouldn’t he give her the chance to be more than a friend? And yet she couldn’t refuse him. Not when he was staring at her with confused gray eyes.
He doesn’t even know what he wants, she thought. This is what I get for falling for someone who’s an emotional vault.
“Okay. Friends it is,” she said reluctantly.
His relieved smile reassured her that she’d made the right decision. Somewhere along the line she’d learned to care for this complex man.
She couldn’t just walk away. Even though staying would break her heart.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Brynn Dalton maintained a very a strict list of Do Nots.
Perms. Trans fats. Cubic Zirconia. Tequila. Glitter nail polish. Airplane bathrooms. Casual sex. William Thatcher.
The last two items of her list were completely unrelated, of course. At least, they were supposed to be.
But then that kiss in the car had happened, and Brynn couldn’t seem to separate “Will” from “sex.” And after an uncharacteristic three glasses of Pinot Grigio, it was getting a lot harder to remember why exactly “William Thatcher” and “casual sex” were on her Do Not list at all.
Combining the two wouldn’t be so horrible, would it?
Yes. Yes, it would be very horrible, said her brain.