Page 58 of Tempt Me

I chuckled. She was just as persistent with me. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

“I’ve had six dating disasters in two years.”

It was my turn to raise my eyebrows as a dozen or so questions bounced to the front of my brain. “What would you call a dating disaster? Just so I can have the heads up.”

He grinned at me. “I’ve had a few shockers.”

I leaned forward on my elbow, eager to learn a few tips.

“Actually, the biggest problem is how desperate the women are. It’s like all they want to do is get me into bed.”

Oh, God.When I dressed as Memphis, getting a man into bed was exactly what I wanted. I felt as if I’d been punched in the gut, and with the throbbing pain I already had down there, it bloody hurt.

“That’s why I was interested in you, Jane.”

His comment dragged me from the quicksand I’d tumbled into. “Pardon?”

“You’re the first woman I’ve actually had to pursue.”

I scrunched up my nose, not seeing it the same way he did. “You asked me on a date, and I accepted. I didn’t exactly play hard to get.”

“You were certainly harder to get than the other women.”

Jeez, what’s he going to think when he meets Memphis?

Our meals arrived and I used the distraction to stew over his comments. His impressions of those women were exactly what I’d been worried about with my naughty alter-ego. If I wasn’t sure before whether my experiment would help or hinder me in finding a man, then it shifted straight to the negative now. Clayton had just proven my fears.

One thing was for sure—his comments meant we wouldn’t be climbing into bed together tonight. I decided that was a good thing, and not just because I was wearing my nanna knickers either. It seemed right to take this . . . whateverthiswas . . . slowly.

My first mouthful of the perfectly cooked steak smothered in buttery mushroom sauce took me to another world. It was delicious and tender. Having grown up on a farm where the meat was as fresh as it could ever be, I never thought I’d enjoy such perfection again. I was wrong.

“So, you said you’ve been on six dates in two years. What about before that?”

“I’m a single dad. My focus was on Telitha, and we both struggled to get over what Lisa did to us.”

I knew what it was like to struggle over a nasty breakup, so I understood his comment all too well. “So, what’s changed?”

“Telitha is old enough now to go on sleepovers.” He shrugged and a cloud crossed over his eyes. “I’m lonely.”

I could relate to that, too, and I nodded.

“How did you meet Lolita?” he asked.

“We go to the same gym. How about you?”

“Our daughters go to dance class together. Lolita has adopted me as some kind of pet project.”

Of course, Lolita had told me about him going to the dance classes. I laughed at his ‘pet project’ comment. “She’s made me one of her projects too.”

“Oh?” He cocked his head.

“I was an angry woman when I found out my fiancé had cheated on me?—”

“With every woman in your hometown with a vagina,” Clayton finished my sentence. I laughed. I’d forgotten Lolita had filled him in on my disastrous breakup.

“Correct. So, she taught me how a good workout could eliminate some of that anger.”

He bulged his eyes. “You’re game; I’ve seen her work out. She’s obsessed.”

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