“Not sure, but you need to put your seat belt on.It’s the law,” I demanded.
“Yes, sir.”
Fuck.Hearing that phrase roll so easily off his tongue—so natural, so smooth—was hard to ignore.It was going to take a lot more than willpower to keep this thing platonic.
Not that I had a choice.
Anything more than the flirting we’d been doing would risk not just my reputation, but the identity I’d built for myself.
The new me was the better me.The new me kept things clean, worked hard, lived for his son, and didn’t drive off in the middle of the night with strange, seductive men.
Still, there was a part of me that felt like a stranger in my own skin.It was a bit like missing a button on a favorite shirt—I kept wearing it but couldn’t help obsessing over the spot where that damn little circle should be.
And with Jamie set to marry Eric, and their opinion of me unchanged, all the effort was starting to feel like a waste of time.
Sean hadn’t taken his eyes off me since we left the subdivision.I kept mine on the road and drove toward the Bay.
“You’re not very talkative.”He shifted in his seat.“Thought that’s what we were doing out here.”
“I said driving.Never said anything about talking.”
“No talking can be fun too.”I caught his grin from the corner of my eye.
Sick of the charade and set on ending it, I turned down the first road that led to the shore and parked.Georgian Bay stretched out ahead of us, frosty and still, not another soul in sight.
“No need to play that game anymore.We’re in private.”
“But it’s so much fun.”The rough drawl of his voice pulled at my resolve.“I like watching you try to hide your interest with that exaggerated show of discomfort.”
My gaze darted to him, but I quickly glanced away again.He was too big.Too brash.And far too tempting.“It’s not exaggerated, and it’s not a show.You make me uncomfortable.”
“Why?Afraid of that side of yourself?Afraid to admit that for a split second you actually considered my offer?”
“It was more than a split second,” I admitted.“But that’s not the reason.”
“Prove it.”
“Yeah, see, that’s the problem.”I squeezed the wheel, the leather biting into my palms.“I’m sick of proving myself.I’m not afraid of who I am, and I’m tired of trying to prove who I’m not.”
He was quiet for a moment, something going tight underneath his easy confidence.“Look, I’m just pushing your buttons.I could tell you were at least curious, and I wanted to see if you’d acknowledge it.No expectations.”
No expectations.Now there was something new.Something I could get used to.
“I’ve worked hard to be someone worthy of an invitation to the Alexanders’.”I kept my eyes on the dark water of the Bay, the horizon blending into cloudy sky.“They don’t know who I used to be.They never met him.But Jamie knows.”
Fuck, she was probably still holding it against me.
“She knows I fucked around with whoever, whenever.She was off having our kid, and I was here, convincing myself it didn’t matter.”My jaw tightened.“It mattered.A lot.”
Sean said nothing but nodded along, like he understood.
“I wish I could be the kind of guy you’re looking for,” I admitted.“But I can’t.Not anymore.”
“I’m not asking you to be someone you’re not.I’m not asking for anything at all.”
The sincerity of his words washed over me, and finally, I relaxed.“Friends?”
Something almost wistful moved across his face.“Friends works.”He turned in his seat and extended his hand across the console.