“I thought I could… But with you… It’s just… I underestimated…”
He’s tongue-tied.
This smooth-talking, Sun-Tzu-reading, control freak is actually at a loss for words, because of me. It should be endearing, but I’m too pissed to be endeared.
“Thanks,” I drawl. “That really clears it up.”
His eyes flash. “Gemma, this isn’t about you — don’t make it. It’s all on me.”
I snort. “Wow.”
“Excuse me?”
“I didn’t think you were the kind of guy who’d use theit’s-not-you-it’s-meline.”
“It’s not a line,” he counters.
“Don’t tell me — you’re alsoworking on yourself. Oh, and you’d like tostill be friends.”
“Gemma.”
“What?” I snap. “It’s not polite to get a girl all hot and bothered with the promise of a night of endless orgasms, and then back out. In fact, it’s downright rude.”
His gaze drops to my mouth as it fires angry words at him, and I see his eyes are dilated with desire and anger and a million other emotions I can’t name.
“Whatever. I never would’ve gone through with it, anyway,” I say, not sure whether my words are true or false. My eyes are smarting again, as inexplicable rejection courses through my system.
It’s not lost on me that I’m more upset about the sexy green-eyed stranger turning me down than I was about breaking up with the only guy I’ve ever attempted to date.
God, what the hell is the matter with me?
(Don’t answer that.)
His eyes are still on my mouth as he reaches blindly to his right and presses a button to activate the intercom. When he speaks, it isn’t to me. “Evan?”
“Sir?”
“It’s time to drop Gemma off, now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Seconds later, I feel the car turn, though I don’t take my eyes off the man mere inches from me.
“If you’re so eager to be rid of me, let me out here,” I snap childishly. “I’ll walk.”
“No.” A flat denial.
“You’re annoying.”
“You already told me that.”
“Well, I meant it.”
“Good,” he says, his tone serious. “It’ll make it easier for me to stay away from you.”
I stare at him for a while, not knowing how to respond to that, until I finally summon courage I didn’t even know I had, and whisper the question haunting my thoughts.
“What if I don’t want you to stay away?”