Rough Exile

Besides, he didn’t really mean it. Or if he did now, he’d change his mind once he stopped living in the middle of nowhere with no women around. Just because I was convenient, and he found me attractive, didn’t mean he was in love with me.

And I couldn’t possibly be in love with him.

We froze in place, staring at each other. What was going on behind those dark eyes?

“If you impress your father, you’ll be out in the real world. There’ll be a lot of women to choose from. You shouldn’t settle for me because I’m convenient.”

His brows knit. “Why would I care about other women?”

“You only think you like me as much as you do because you don’t know other women. You haven’t been out meeting people. Did you see how women reacted to you when we were at the club in Saint Petersburg? Or even when we were out shopping? You could have your choice of women.”

“I had my choice of an island full of beautiful, intelligent women. You were the one I wanted.”

“You didn’t even know me then.”

“I watched you with your friend, Lane. I saw when you went to visit Clover. You have a good heart, Delilah. A kind heart.” He put down the carving and grabbed my hand. His was warm and firm. I liked how it felt, and that was a damned dangerous thing. “How many women would have been so patient with me?”

I stared at him, stunned. They hadn’t chosen me only because they liked how I looked?

Silence fell between us again. He broke eye contact first.

“Think on it. We have time yet.”

He left me there.

I stretched out on his bed and leafed through his notebooks.

If anything was going to happen between us today, he would have to initiate it.

He didn’t.