Page 7 (1/2)

"Why did you do it?" he asked "Why did you sleep with me? I made the rules very clear and you’re not that kind of wohed "Slutty, you mean? I know I’ve never done that before I uy and ju into bed with him…not ever I think it was the blood loss My brain wasn’t working right"

That earned her a smile, which, unfortunately, faded quickly "You weren’t slutty I still want to knohy you did it"

"Do I confuse you?" she asked, hoping that was it because confusing and intriguing weren’t all that different

"A little I know there’son than I can see"

Yeah!

He waited expectantly She shifted, then folded her ar," she said

"I won’t laugh"

She drew in a deep breath He’d been honest about what he wanted and didn’t want, so maybe she should be honest about why she’d done it…

"You wantedwith you e was how uy who’s interested?"

She laughed "No Well, probably not I don’t know Guys don’t want me"

"You’ve said that before and it’s crap Of course they do Look in the e, but not psycho"

Compliments? Compliments before he’d even had cookies? She wanted to bask in the moment, but he looked iuys confide in, the one they tell their troubles to I fix theo out and fall in love with so, then a couple of years ago I was at a party I heard a group of guys talking They were pretty drunk and going on about which of the girls at the party they’d like to sleep with When they got to ht I eet, but I wasn’t the kind of girl they wanted to…you know"

That was the easy part She looked out theover the sink and steeled herself to tell the rest "I’d gone out with one of the guys and we’d…been together He’d kind of been ht ere in love, but then he broke up with ht he said he’d slept withway it had at first, but enough to uy I ith said all the right things, but after the first time, he was never very interested in sex He said it was me, that he’d never had any problems with other women"

"It wasn’t you," Kane said flatly

"You don’t know that"

"Willow, I’ve seen you nad I’ve touched you everywhere possible I’ve kissed you and tasted you and watched you come apart in ood Better than good She felt her battered ego heal a little

"But those guys, the things they said…"

Kane shook his head "You’re cos simple You scare them off Or you take care of the wrong with you"

"But…"

He cut her off with a look "Did I fake it?"

She smiled "No You were very clear about what you wanted"

"What did I want?"

"Me?" The single word cao You’re fine"

Just then the oven dinged She put in the pan of cookies and set the tiht But he’d been clear about that, too One night She decided not to push her luck and instead changed the subject

"How’s Todd?" she asked

"Why do you want to know?"

"Justconversation Does he knoas here?"

"I told hihed "Was he scared?"

"No"

"Couldn’t you have told him I was really scary?"

"No"

"Typical I think he’s safe Julie and Ryan are so happy together, and he wasn’t able to break the hi"

"Any plans to date him?" Kane asked

"What?"

"I know about the million-dollar offer on the table"

Ah, yes It was rand woman I don’t knohy she made that ridiculous statement, but noe all have to deal with it I’ someone forin love That my soul mate is my destiny Money doesn’t matter"

He shook his head "Money always matters"

"That’s cynical and sad"

"That’s realistic"

"You’ve never been married, have you?"

"I don’t do relationships, reic "You have to connect to someone"

"Why?"

"It’s how people are We are the sum of our experiences, our relationships You can’t tellon your own"

"I am, but you won’t believe me"