Page 21 of A Man After Midnight

“I chose pleasure for us. But we’ve more rooms to explore.”

She huffed. “I want you now.”

He cocked his head. “Why did you come here with me?”

For a moment she didn’t know how to answer him. “I don’t understand. I came here to be with you. I thought…”

Her words trailed off. Confusion swirled through her.

Wren cupped her face tenderly. “Who is Caroline?”

She frowned. “I feel like I’ve fallen into some type of time warp.”

“It’s an easy question. Who. Is. Caroline.”

“I’m … I’m a store manager.”

“Interesting that you would say that, but that’s not what I meant.” He tapped her chest, over her heart. “Deep down, who are you?”

“I don’t know what you mean!” Anger swirled through her. “If you’re asking what do I want in life, I guess I want what everyone else does. Security. Enough money to live comfortably…”

“That’s basic survival, Caroline. That’s not living.”

She blinked. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

“In general, or just to me?”

Her shoulders drooped a little from the interrogation. One moment she’d been having pleasure, and the next the bottom had fallen away, leaving her frustratingly bewildered. “What do you want from me, Wren?”

“I want the Caroline I know is dying to come out,” he said. “I can see such life in your eyes, but you repress yourself so much it’s slowly dimming.”

She pulled away from him. “Repress? I think I’ve been anything but repressed around you.”

He shook his head. “I don’t mean sexually.”

“Sex is all I have, Wren. Anything else hurts too much.”

“You can’t stay numb forever, Caroline. It’s not healthy.”

All the memories and pain that Greg had instilled in her came rushing to the surface, and it took all her strength to tamp them down again. Tears pricked her eyes. Suddenly, the promising evening had turned sour and all she wanted to do was run. She turned on her heel and marched to the door.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I need to leave.”

“Wait.” A hand came down on her arm, halting her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed.”

“No,” she whispered. “You shouldn’t have. You have no right.”

He sighed. “You’re right.”

She turned and their gazes clashed. “This is a vacation fling, isn’t it?”

Silence stretched between them. Wren never broke his gaze as she waited for his answer. “Sure. A fling. I’ll take you back to the hotel.”

“You can stay if you like.”

“I wanted to share this with you, Caroline. Maybe next time.”

She didn’t have the heart to point out the obvious. There wouldn’t be a next time.

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