Page 104 of The Dixon Rule

“Don’t you think it’s time you were honest with yourself?” Shane’s question drips with seduction.

I try to scoot away, but he stops me by taking my hand. His fingertips brush against mine.

“You’ve already kissed me thrice,” he continues.

A laugh pops out. “Thrice, huh?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Those dark eyes linger on me, looking me up and down. Is he picturing me naked? I have a feeling he is.

“First time on a dare, second time for the benefit of your ex, third time for the benefit of mine.”

“Doesn’t matter what the motivation was. All that matters is the end result.”

“What was the end result?” I find myself asking.

“It got you wet.”

A bolt of heat spears into me.

I walked right into that one.

I swallow. “No, it didn’t.”

“Dixon, don’t lie to me. You’re better than that. I can tell from your expression that I’m right.” He lets out a ragged groan. “Why do you have to be so stubborn? You want this as much as I do.”

That catches me off-guard. “You want it?”

“Are you kidding? Of course I do.”

My cheeks grow warm in response. “Well, that doesn’t matter because it’s not happening.”

Frustration thickens his voice. “So there’s nothing I can say or do to convince you to go into that bedroom with me? Nothing at all?”

“Nothing,” I answer, pretending my mouth isn’t dryer than cotton. “You’re wasting your time.”

“What if I kissed you?”

“You’d have to ask me first, and I don’t consent.”

“What if I take off my pants?”

“Well, then you’ll be sitting there with no pants on.”

“You’re infuriating.”

“Because I won’t have sex with you?”

“No, because you can’t admit you want to.”

“It’s a new sensation for you, isn’t it? Rejection.”

“I can handle rejection. I can’t handle lies.”

“You lied pretty easily to Lynsey about our fake relationship.”

“You have an answer for everything.”

I let out a breath. “It’s not a good idea. To be honest, half the time I think you’re messing with me anyway. I don’t trust you. You’re all over the place, Lindley. One day you’re a fuckboy, the next day you want a relationship, the day after that you want to be friends with benefits. I can’t trust what you say.”

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