Page 143 of The Last Good Man

He brings his hand to the root of my neck and rubs the skin beneath his thumb.

“See… We are made for each other. You already care for me.”

“I’m serious, Jax.”

“I’m serious, too.”

“No, you’re not.”

I yank his hand away.

“You’re just tormenting me.”

I suck in a long breath and look down, frustrated,

“Listen. I’ll tell you the truth,” I say, staring down. “I’m sick of dating,” I murmur.

“Then stop.”

I push my eyes up.

“My life is simple and complicated at the same time. I was serious when I said I wasn’t looking for sex. It’s not that I don’t like sex. It’s just that I don’t like the morning after. The guessing game. The ghosting.Thestarting it all over. The sex wasn’t even that good. It can’t be good because I never trust these guys, and other than their dicks, they don’t offer much.”

“Then why are you doing it?”

“Because I wanted to give this thing a try and maybe find someone interested in more than sex.”

“You’re doing it all wrong, baby.”

“And you know that how?’

“Look at the outcome. The man offering you more is not your target. While the ones who are could not care less.”

My lips press into a tight line, quivering with anger.

“That’s not entirely true.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes… You don’t know thattheydon’t care.And just because yousaidyou’d give me more, itdoesn’t mean things would work for us.”

“Let’s give it a try.”

His eyes glint as if he’d planned to bring me to this point, and now he’s waiting for me to bite.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am dead serious.”

I try to imagine going out with Jax London, attending social functions, and taking him home to see my parents, not because I plan to marry him but to give him a taste of what his life would be like with me.

He would be bored out of his mind.

I’m usually bored out of my mind when I do this alone, except maybe when I’m seeing my parents.

But they’re my parents, and I love them.

I always thought I’d find a man who’d fit perfectly into that lifestyle.