“There’s more?”
She looked down at her hands, which now ran up and down her thighs. “I’m not sure.”
“But you think so. Why?”
“It’s complicated,” she said, still not meeting his gaze.
He’d seen her in an interrogation room, and she’d been at turns feisty and scared but she’d always looked him in the eye. He shook his head, beyond confused by her words and demeanor. To the cop in him, she was hiding and avoiding, yet he couldn’t deny there was truth in much of what she said. She just hadn’t said everything.
“Can I ask you something?” Now she met his gaze head-on.
“Sure.”
“What did you mean when you said you overreacted when you found out about Tyler because of your past?”
He blinked, startled by the change in subject. He wanted more information about her ex but sensed she’d told him the truth when she said she didn’t know why Tyler was pushing so hard to get her back. Oh, he didn’t doubt she knew more, but that more wouldn’t change things between them, and he had enough faith in his skills to know he’d get the information eventually. And since Jenna, at least this time he knew better than to invest his heart in any woman, but especially one with secrets. And Nicole had plenty.
They didn’t need full disclosure to have phenomenal sex and a great time together. They just needed enough of an exchange for there to be trust and a sense of comfort, and they could give each other that.
“I was engaged once too,” he told her.
She sucked in a surprised breath.
“What? You can’t imagine someone wanting to marry me?” he joked, because when discussing this part of his life, which he never did, he had to deflect somehow.
“Sam—”
“I’m kidding. But I was engaged. To my high school girlfriend. We stayed together through college, and honest to God I thought my future was set.”
“What happened?” Her blue eyes remained steady on his, full of compassion and curiosity.
Pity, he didn’t want, but so far she seemed far from that emotion. “She dumped me for my best friend,” he said bluntly. “The morning of the wedding.”
Nicole winced.
“And that’s why I reacted so harshly to the news that you broke it off with Tyler. It’s also why I understand where the guy’s coming from, even if he’s a complete pain in the ass,” Sam muttered.
She straightened her shoulders defensively. “Tyler and I hadn’t set a date yet, and I did not and would not cheat.”
“I didn’t say you would.”
“You painted me with that same brush.”
“For a little while,” he allowed. “And I apologized.”
She nodded. “You did. But I sense you’re still holding it against me.”
He shook his head. “No. It’s just that you need to understand what that did to me and my ability to trust—”
“Anyone. You won’t let yourself fully trust anyone.”
He inserted his hands into his pockets, letting her words speak for him.
She sighed. “Okay, now I know. Is there anything else?” she asked.
Sam groaned, knowing he was screwing this up badly. “Just that I don’t want any unrealistic expectations between us.”
Her full lower lip came out in a pout. “What was it I said at the fund-raiser? I’m not looking for complicated or serious myself. So . . . tell me your problem again?”