“You brought the food, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help serve. I’m not some helpless female.”
He leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. “In that case, I’d love a cup of coffee. Black.”
She grinned and took the white carafe off the tray and filled his cup.
“So you’re not a helpless female and I already know you’re not a feminist—”
“How would you know that?” She poured herself coffee and added a small amount of milk, stirring while she awaited his answer.
“Because I took your key, held the door open for you last night and lived to tell about it.”
She laughed. “Think what you want but if you ever step on my rights, you will hear about it.”
He tucked her warning away for later thought. It wasn’t something he could let himself think about and still do his job. “I have no doubt you can stand up for yourself. But back to my original question. You’re not helpless and you’re not a radical feminist,” he said, amending his earlier statement. “Then what are you?”
“In real life?” She ripped o
ff a piece of donut and popped the sugar-laden treat into her mouth. She pointed to her stuffed cheeks and held up one finger.
Stalling. He recognized the tactic. “Yes, in real life. I don’t plan on letting the world intrude but I would like to get to know you a bit.” He lowered his voice. “I’d like you to get to know me, too.” And he meant it, Doug realized.
As much as he could share with her, he wanted to. He’d spent his youth relying on himself, and even after the Houstons had brought him home, he’d been afraid to let them in. It had taken much patience on each of his adoptive parents’ part to gain access to his heart. Yet here was Juliette, a woman he’d just met, a woman who probably possessed information he needed, and Doug found himself wanting to open up as much as he wanted to listen to her in return. He shook his head in frustration, knowing his reasons transcended the charade he’d been forced to play out here on Secret Fantasy. She was getting to him and that put his story and his heart in danger.
The charade he’d willingly begun and needed to continue, his internal editor silently corrected. “I’ll make it easy for you and tell you something about me first. I’m a writer.” He leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his coffee.
She swallowed the last of her donut. “I’m a PR consultant for a pharmaceutical company,” she said. “And I’m single.”
He nearly choked on his coffee.
“I just thought you’d want to know.” She batted her lashes in a deliberate attempt to flirt and have fun.
He grinned. “Same here. I’m single, I mean.”
“Ever married before?”
“Nope.” That she’d delve into personal subjects surprised him and opened the door for questions of his own.
“Ever come close?” She asked before he could toss the question back at her.
Damn, she was good. She knew how to hit a question dead-on and leave him squirming in his seat. The woman had journalistic instincts she knew nothing about. He eyed her closely. She’d settled in, obviously content to eat her breakfast and wait until he decided to answer.
He let out a groan because he wanted to confide in her, yet sharing his secrets was in direct opposition to his goals. Still, he answered her anyway, not glancing away and not hiding his feelings from her curious eyes. “Is it possible to come close if you never intended to marry in the first place?”
“It is if you got caught up in the swing of things.” And Lord knew Juliette could understand that. She’d been so wrapped up in what she thought was reality, she’d been blinded to the truth.
“More like I got involved in a relationship where we each wanted different things only neither one knew it until it was too late.” His heavy sigh settled around her.
“Too late for what?” She leaned forward, needing to hear his answer. Needing to know she wasn’t the only one who could be fooled and betrayed.
His deep gaze locked onto hers. “Too late for someone not to get hurt.” His stare never wavered, his voice was strong and full of remorse.
Juliette let out a breath of air. “I know what that’s like.”
He tipped his head to the side, curiosity and something more in his eyes. “Guess we have that in common at least.”
“Mmm.” She didn’t know what had possessed her to question him on subjects she wanted to avoid herself but, like him, she was glad to see they shared an emotional connection. Glad to see they could relate on a personal level. But she wasn’t ready to divulge more, no matter how close she wanted them to get.
He shifted in his seat. Gearing up for a question in return? Juliette didn’t know but she had to back off. Now, before he turned the tables on her. She wiped her mouth with the napkin and placed it on the table. “So what do you have planned for today?”