“I’m not very good at this.” Nate waved his hand between them. “Relationships, whatever you want to call it. I never meant to make you feel like shit.”
“Well, I do. I feel like you’re using me. Are you? Screwing me until you get a hold of Ginger, and then you’ll screw me over?”
“Hell, no,” he said, shaking his head. Reaching out, he drew his fingers down her upper arm, savoring her soft skin. “You know how this started out...”
“I do.” She sighed. “I’m afraid how it’s going to end.”
He didn’t answer, he couldn’t. She looked at him as if he hung the moon. As if she might care of him.
“I want to help you find my sister,” she murmured. “Not only for your investigation, but I want to make sure she’s safe. I’ll help you as much as I can, but I have my own life to live and the two can’t meet.”
“You don’t want your employer to find out about Ginger.” He totally understood why. The entire situation was a mess.
“Well yes, but my past isn’t so squeaky clean either. It’s best if we keep everything separate.” Now she was so close, she wrapped her arms around his waist, gazing up at him with those big blue eyes.
Only minutes ago, she was furious and now she pressed herself against him.
How could he resist? How could he not give her everything she wanted? He’d be a fool to let her go, after all they’d shared. Not just the sex, which was fucking unbelievable, but they’d grown closer these last few weeks.
“Want to order in Chinese?” Damn, he wanted to please her. He’d concentrated so hard on giving her body pleasure, he’d forgotten everything else. If she was brave enough to take the leap, then he needed to as well.
“I would love to.” She smiled and the sight of it made his head spin. “I’m hungry.”
When she withdrew to head toward the kitchen, he called out her name, making her stop and turn.
“When I said I’m not good at this, I meant it. I need reminders. Like what you said just now.” He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I get so focused on one thing, I lose sight of the little stuff.”
A tiny smile teased the gentle curve of her mouth. “Women like the little stuff. It’s important.”
“I think I’m starting to get that.” He smiled in return.
Janelle pulled a menu out of a drawer in the kitchen and opened it, gesturing for him to come over. “Trust me, when you’re clueless, I’ll remind you. It takes two to make something like…this work.”
He nodded, an unknown emotion threatening to overwhelm him and he turned away.
Her last remark scared him the most.
* * * *
Men. They drove her crazy. They always had.
Janelle had been ready to give Nate an earful, tell him to leave her alone and never, ever come back.
He treated her like a no-name sex object. The sex between them was good, she couldn’t deny it, but the aftermath was what nearly broke her. The moment he left, she always felt cheap.
She hated that.
She’d been so ready to tell him to fuck off when she found him on her front door, especially when he’d alluded she was a liar, the jerk. But one look into his soulful eyes, his sorry expression, and she caved. His admission took her by surprise, and his easy agreement to do what she wanted even more of a shock.
The man was so complex, it made her want to scream. If only their circumstances were different...
But they weren’t. Ignoring the problems didn’t make them go away. Shoving them into a corner made them grow until they overshadowed everything else.
Why did her life always feel like an overacted soap opera?
It had been Nate’s unexpected offer to order takeout that warmed her heart. As if he wanted to please her, help her forget their troubles for at least one night. When he suggested the pay per view movie, she was absurdly thrilled. Even when she realized the movie was terrible, she couldn’t complain while watching it in Nathan’s arms.
“This movie sucks,” he whispered in her ear, tickling her with his too close lips.