Page 87 of And Then Came You

“Do you know what set him off?”

“He accused me of sleeping with Gianni.”

Sam tenses as he clears his throat, and I know just where his mind has flown.

“I haven’t slept with him, or with Damian. He claimed that must be the reason we hadn’t been intimate.”

“Bastard,” Sam whispers, huffing out a breath.

“Can we not talk about it anymore?”

“Of course. It’s over and done.”

“Are you sure I didn’t ruin a date?” I ask the question not out of jealousy, but guilt that I ruined a rousing night of wine and sex he had planned with some local beauty. Fine, there’s jealousy in there, too. But I’m resigned to my station.

“I’m positive. Since our last chat, there hasn’t been anyone.”

I peer up at him, my brow furrowing. “It’s okay. You don’t have to lie to spare my feelings.”

“There hasn’t been anyone. There shouldn’t have been those other women, but I’m superb at fucking up. Repeatedly.”

“Sam, you may be the quintessential ladies’ man and a true heartbreaker, but you’re my hero. So, never speak badly about yourself in front of me again.”

“Yes, ma’am.” His hands caress my broken skin with the softest touch. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

“We aren’t talking about it, remember?”

“Fine,” Sam smirks, as I rest my head on his chest once again. “Change of topic. Since you asked me, I’ll reverse the question. How many men have you slept with since we met?”

I smart at his forward question. After our last phone chat, I’ve no desire to dive back into these waters, especially when it dredges up images of Sam screwing women every which way since Sunday.

The excess of candy is already making me ill. Picturing Sam loving up a beautiful woman is a pain I can live the rest of my life without.

Hopefully, ignoring his question will suffice.

“Lexi? How many?”

Maybe not.

“Tons. I can’t remember all their names.”

“I’m serious.”

“And I seriously don’t want to discuss this with you.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s an embarrassingly low number.”

“I think it’s worse if it were embarrassingly high. How many, Lex?”

I can lie, invent a few people, but what’s the point? It’s not like a rabid sex life will impress Sam, particularly when it’s guaranteed not to compare with his own. He’s likely had more in the last six months than I’ve had… ever. “None. Pitiful, huh?”

He stills beside me, his hand tightening in my hair as his breath catches.

I know it’s been a while, but I didn’t think it was that shocking. It’s not like I have cobwebs down there.

“Hey, I warned you, it was pitifully low.”

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