Page 36 of Modern Romance Collection December 2024 Books 5-8

She swallowed, struggling to contain the inexplicable spurt of exhilaration at the thought she was not the only one who had been overwhelmed.

But how could she convince him her decision to leave so abruptly had nothing to do with her opinion of him and everything to do with her own inexperience? Without creating an even bigger minefield for them to tiptoe through in the days ahead?

‘You said it was just sex,’ she said at last.

His head whipped round, skewering her with a look that could immolate lead. ‘So what?’

But this time, she wasn’t fooled by that furious glare.

‘I assumed that to mean you were not emotionally engaged in the physical intimacy we shared last night. But how can that be so if I hurt your feelings by leaving you unsatisfied?’

Okay? What now?

Travis stared at the woman in front of him, totally speechless for the first time in his life. And not sure now whether to be insulted, or angry... Or simply stunned.

He wanted to hang onto his temper, but it was impossible in the face of that curious expression that seemed as confused as it was forthright.

Hell, not only did he not know what to feel, he didn’t even know what to think. Her careful analysis of last night both vaguely insulting and yet brutally honest at one and the same time.

One minute she’d been accusing him of being a class-A jerk who figured she owed him sex just because he’d given her an orgasm. And the next... Had she just accused him of being a drama queen as well as a jerk?

‘I wasn’t hurt,’ he managed at last. ‘That’s just dumb. Believe me, I know how to handle rejection.’ Even if he hadn’t had to handle it in a long time, and certainly not in the bedroom before now... He had always respected boundaries when it came to sex—simply by never getting too invested in the outcome. Sex was fun, sex was recreational, it wasn’t about emotional engagement for him and it never had been. Because that would make him a chump as well as a jerk.

But even as the denial echoed in his head, he was forced to admit no other woman had ever made him feel like he had as a kid again.

Surely that was just because she was a queen though, and their whole situation was more complicated than any relationship he’d ever had... And he hadn’t even slept with her, yet.

‘I see,’ she said, in that infuriating way she had that made it sound as if she doubted he was being honest with her, or with himself.

‘Listen, I don’t get emotionally engaged when it comes to sex. Or relationships for that matter. And I never look for validation and approval from other people, because my old man taught me that was a mug’s game when I was twelve years old,’ he blurted out, determined to convince himself now, as well as her.

This relationship was no different from all the others he’d had over the years. Maybe their circumstances were a lot weirder. And her status had bothered him more than he’d thought—exposing an inferiority complex he hadn’t even known he had until last night—plus the no-sex rule had added a challenge that he had found impossible to resist once their chemistry had become obvious... But that was it.

The sharp light in her eyes softened though, the curiosity turning to compassion.

‘I thought you didn’t know your father’s identity,’ she said, and he realised he’d said too much.Waytoo much. Because he’d just let slip a piece of information he’d worked hard to keep hidden. Not because he gave a damn what people thought of his origins, but because he’d never wanted to answer any questions about someone who meant nothing to him and had chosen not to be a part of his life. Plus, he hadn’t wanted anyone looking at him the way she was looking at him right now—as if that bastard or his absence had had any impact on him.

Sure, not having a father had been tough at times when he was a kid, because his mom had been forced to work like a dog to keep them clothed and fed. But never having anything given to him on a silver platter had been a blessing in disguise, because it had made him that much more determined to win at all costs and on his own terms.

‘I always knew who he was,’ he said, because denying the truth now would just make it look as if he cared. ‘My mom cleaned his place in Aspen for years.’

He shrugged, uncomfortable now, because she was still looking at him as if any of this mattered, when it never had, not to him anyhow.

‘I think she had some dumb notion that if he knew about me, he’d want to be my dad. Because she was a romantic, who always believed the best in people, even him. And it was easier to kid herself he had loved her once—than face the reality that he’d taken advantage of a seventeen-year-old virgin who had a summer job cleaning his vacation home, while his wife and kids were out of town.’

He stared out of the window, the bitter taste in his mouth when he spoke about his old man annoying him. It was kind of lowering to realise that thinking about his mom’s misguided attempts to rewrite the narrative of his parents’ relationship could still make him mad.

‘As far as he was concerned,’ he added. ‘I was a mistake he’d made that he didn’t want to acknowledge. That upset her, but it was fine by me.’

‘He sounds like a selfish and unpleasant man,’ Isabelle said.

He let out a hollow laugh. ‘Yeah, probably, I never met him,’ he lied easily enough, because he’d given her too much information already.

She frowned. ‘But if you never met him, how did he teach you about rejection when you were only twelve?’

For the love of Mike! Why hadn’t he kept his mouth shut?

‘It’s a long story,’ he growled.

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