Things never turned out well when a woman started the conversation with we need to talk . Still, she was
right. He dropped his hands. “Are you hungry?”
She shook her head. “Not really.”
He stared at her, trying to read her expression. She’d been so easy to read before. Now, he couldn’t tell
what she was thinking or feeling. Already she seemed withdrawn.
“Okay, let’s talk then.” He led her to the couch—the same couch they’d watched the video on. The
same couch he’d made her come on. Jeremy could see her face heat, letting him know she was thinking
of it, too. When she sat down, legs primly crossed, she didn’t touch him. Another bad sign.
“I care about you, Jay. I know I’m supposed to be nonchalant about this and all, but I care about you.”
She looked at him, searching his face, probably trying to get a read on him. He kept his emotions well
hidden and she went on. “If this isn’t what you want, if I’m not what you want, then please say so now
and I’ll go. But I can’t keep going, pretending this is just sex, because for me, it’s much more.”
He reached for her hand, twined his fingers through hers and said softly, “Baby, I care for you, too, but I
don’t think you really know what you’re feeling right now. I’m the first guy to treat you decently and I
think you may be latching onto that. We need to take a few days to think things through.”
Haley paled and Jeremy had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Without waiting or saying
another word, she yanked her hand from his and ran for the door.
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“Haley, wait!” He took off after her and caught her just as she reached the screen door. He grabbed her
by the waist and flung her around to face him. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t need you to let me down gently!” she yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks unchecked. “If
you don’t care about me, fine, just say so. I’m a grown woman, I can take it. Believe me, I’ve been
through much worse.”
He was making a huge mess of everything. Jeremy took her face in his hands and wiped her tears away.
“I do care, baby. It’s not that.”
Her voice quivered. “Then why are you sending me away? Because that’s what you’re doing. I can feel
it.”
He pulled her against his chest and held her tight. Her sobs increased and he wanted to make them stop.
Every tear felt like another cut to his heart. “Please, don’t cry, you’re killing me,” Jeremy pleaded,
meaning every word. “And I’m not sending you away, never that. I just think you may need time to think