I had little interest in dinner, and I felt guilty because he seemed like a great guy who was attracted to me and had no idea I was stuck on a guy who’d lied to me and used me. I considered refusing, but I needed any reason, any hope of getting away from my thoughts about Jason, even if only for a little while.
“Dinner sounds good,” I said.
“Okay.” He sounded excited. “I’ll make the reservations and let you know tomorrow. How’s that?”
“Perfect,” I replied, trying to match his excitement. “Looking forward to seeing you.”
He laughed. “Yeah. Me too.”
Dinner with Zane was a disaster, at least for me. He seemed very into me. He remembered details from the night we’d spent together ages ago and assumed an intimacy between us that just wasn’t there.
He was cute, but I couldn’t even remember the chemistry that had led me to sleep with him all those years ago. All that mattered was that he wasn’t Jason.
“You’re very quiet,” he said in the car as he drove me to my apartment after the meal. “Quiet and intense.”
I smiled and didn’t reply.
“It’s sexy,” he said. “You don’t need to fill every silence with conversation.”
Or maybe I have nothing to say and I just want to go to bed.
I didn’t say that. It would have been cruel, and I had experienced enough of cruelty not to want to dole it out to others. He gave me a heated look, and my stomach curled a bit. I was disgusted with myself for leading him on, and now I wished I’d never agreed to go out to dinner with him.
He parked on the street in front of my apartment and turned to look at me, smiling.
“So, are you going to ask me to come up?”
Just then, outside the window, I saw Amy walk up along the sidewalk and stop at the entrance to the building. I watched as she pushed the door open and went inside then I turned and gave Zane an apologetic smile.
“Not tonight.”
I didn’t want to look at the disappointment on his face, so I opened the door and stepped outside. He followed suit, facing me over the roof the car.
“I’m surprised,” he said. “I kinda had the idea that you were into me.”
I shrugged. “I… Look, dinner was great, but I’m not in a good place right now.”
He chuckled. “You really are a piece of work. Is this what you do to guys who like you—push them around like eager toys?”
I frowned. “You’re taking this way too seriously,” I said. “We had dinner, and now I’m going inside. Good night.”
He rounded the car and met me when I was halfway to the door. He grabbed my hand. “What’s your problem?”
I pulled my hand away from his. “No, what is your problem?” I started to walk away, and he grabbed my hand again.
“You were into me once. If you found me so unattractive after that night, why didn’t you tell me? Why let me waste my time, my calls, dinner?”
“Now you’re being rude,” I said. “I’m sorry I wasted your time. Now, leave me alone.”
“You’re a tease,” he hissed. “A fucking tease.”
“Let go of me,” I said again.
“Admit that you’re a tease.”
“Why don’t you let go of her?”
There was no mistaking Jason’s deep voice, edged with a steely undertone that sent a tingle up my spine. I froze, and so did Zane.