Page 65 of Modern Romance Collection May 2024 Books 1-4

Erin nodded. She felt a little sad. ‘I think she’s realising, since losing your brother and your nephew, that maybe she’s been given a second chance. It’s a good thing, Ajax.’

‘If she means what she says,’ he said tautly.

Erin appreciated the irony that Ajax now felt the same fears she had regarding him.

‘Maybe you should go and talk to your mother. I’m going to try and put Ashling down for a nap, or else she’ll be crabby for Damia later.’

Ajax said, ‘Last night—’

She cut him off. ‘It was just sex, Ajax. Nothing more. I agree—we need to let this run its course.’

He looked at her for a long moment and then said, ‘This conversation isn’t over.’

He left the nursery.

Hours later, Ajax waited for Erin in the hall. He felt restless and irritable. She’d managed to successfully avoid him all day—taking Ashling on an excursion to the village, according to Damia.

He would have gone after her, but his mother had waylaid him and said, ‘Don’t do what we did, Ajax, live half-lives. You deserve more, and you can have that with Erin. I’ve seen the way she looks at you...’

Ajax still couldn’t understand what his mother meant. Erin only ever looked at him warily, or with barely concealed amusement. Like when he’d been exhibiting his pathetic range of culinary skills last night. Culinary skills inspired by her, even though he’d let her go.

Erin’s voice came back to him.‘You dumped me.’He winced. He had dumped her—unceremoniously. Because she’d got too close.

‘I’ve seen the way she looks at you.’

Ajax shook his head at himself. His mother was obviously going through some sort of life crisis and was seeing things all over the place.

Erin wanted him at a distance, but she would kill him in the process if last night was anything to go by.

A question formed in his head. If Erin had got too close for comfort before, then where was she now? After all, he’d been prepared to make a lifetime commitment to her. Obviously both being aware that it would be based on companionability and chemistry. Nothing more.

‘Youdeserve more.’

But he didn’t want more. He didn’t want to risk that awful devastation all over again. The loss of someone he—

He heard a sound and turned to see Erin at the top of the stairs. And in that moment—in a heartbeat—he knew that it was all too late.

He’d been fooling himself...living in denial. The one thing he’d promised would never happen again had crept up on him and happened before he could stop it, and he realised now that it had happened even before that second night with Erin.

It was the reason he hadn’t slept with anyone else.

It was the reason it had taken him so long to go after her.

Because he’dknown. Deep down.

Erin looked worried. ‘Is the dress okay? It’s too short, isn’t it? Maybe it’s meant to be evening-length, but you did say cocktail.’

Ajax barely took in the dress—it fell to mid-calf and it was strapless and figure-hugging. Not that he needed a reminder of Erin’s figure. All he had to do was close his eyes and he was there, under her, as she slid on top of him.

‘It’s fine. You look amazing... We should go.’

She still looked a bit concerned, but she came down the stairs towards him and panic rose up, making his skin feel tight. He swallowed it down. When Erin got to him her scent tickled his nostrils. Fresh and light. Nothing complicated. Like her. Straight. When what he was feeling right now was anything but straight. It was a maelstrom.

She frowned. ‘What is it? You’re looking at me like I’ve done something wrong.’

She had—and she had no idea. She’d upended Ajax’s world and it would never be the same again. She’d made a mockery of his notion that he could control everything. That he could protect himself.

But now was not the time or the place to spill his guts.

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