She’d been staring at me? I didn’t know what to say, so I just stared.
But she didn’t seem unnerved by my silence. That smile was still there.
“I’m divorced.” I spat out the words, having no idea what else to say.
“Oh…” She said it with a nod. “Why would she let go of a hunk like you?”
I didn’t know how to answer that, so I didn’t.
She got out of the chair and walked up to me, her smile still playful. “What’s your name?”
“Deacon.”
“I’m Natalie.”
“Nice to meet you, Natalie.” I pulled my hand out of my pocket to shake hers.
She took it, but instead of giving me a handshake, she just held my hand, her thumb gently brushing over my skin in a flirtatious way. “Tell me about yourself, Deacon.”
My alarm went off at 5:30.
I groaned and reached for it, swiping across the screen to turn off the sound.
Natalie kicked the sheets slightly then rolled over the other way.
I opened my phone and looked through the emails that had piled up in the middle of the night. There was also a text message from my brother.
Told you it was that easy. He’d texted me sometime after I’d left the bar, but I’d been too occupied to pay attention to anything besides the woman I took to my home. I got out of bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, walking into my closet to pull on my workout attire. Once I was dressed, I moved to the other side of my condo, where my private gym was located. With my headphones over my ears, I got on the treadmill and did my warm-up, the city still dark because the sun hadn’t crested the horizon just yet.
I did this every morning, worked out hard for an hour and a half to fulfill my cardiovascular needs, to keep my muscles strong, to keep my blood moving since I’d spend the rest of my day sitting or standing still.
Once I was finished with the workout, I returned to my bedroom, where she was still sleeping, and hopped in the shower. When I stepped out, I got dressed in jeans and a shirt because I intended to be in my lab for the day instead of in my office. By the time I had my coffee at the dining table with my laptop, Natalie woke up.
She came into the room, wearing the outfit she’d had on the night before. She grabbed the pot of coffee and helped herself to the extra mug I’d put out for her. She took a sip as she stood there.
I focused on my laptop.
“Morning.”
I usually ignored people when I was working, but I’d learned that was rude, so I tried to stop. “Morning.”
She took a seat. “What are you working on?”
I really didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to have a long conversation when there was only one thing on my mind. My evening had been focused on her, but now she wasn’t the priority anymore. “I have a lot of work to do today, Natalie. I can have my driver take you home.” I’d told her about my job, and that seemed to impress her, not just because of my net worth.
“Alright, I get it.” She pushed the mug aside.
I detected her annoyance, so I turned to her. “What’s wrong?” I had the worst time reading people. I spoke plainly because it was more efficient, but that wasn’t how other people communicated. They communicated when they didn’t communicate at all. It was the dumbest thing humans did. It was another reason I would never remarry, let alone have a relationship.
“I just hoped for more…”
I raised an eyebrow, not having a clue what that meant.
“Like breakfast?”
“I don’t eat breakfast.”
“Affection?”
“You want to have sex?” I asked.
Her eyes narrowed. “Like a kiss goodbye. A hug. Something like that.”
I stared at her blankly. “I meant everything I said last night. I just got divorced. I only wanted to get laid.”
She chuckled slightly. “Well, at least you’re honest about it.”
I’d thought that was clear. Was that not clear? Ugh, I hated this. If jerking off was better, I would just stick to that. But the sex last night had been great. It was so much better to touch another person, to share the passion, the kisses, and the movements of our bodies. “I’m not very good at this, Natalie. I’m not a people person.”
Her wrath started to subside. “I guess I’m disappointed because I actually like you. A one-night stand is fine, but you’re really sexy, good in bed, interesting… I guess I’m sad I won’t get to see you again.”
I wished my brother were here. “We can see each other again. I just don’t want a relationship.” I spoke my mind, and so far, she seemed to understand without being overly offended.