Page 72 of Chasing Sparks

Spinning on my heel, I toss up my hands. “All of this! You can’t play both sides, Ash. It’s not fair, and life doesn’t work that way. You can’t have dinner with a woman who wants to fuck you—if she hasn’t already—and then throw a fit when a man shows me some attention. It’s a two-way street. You want your footloose and fancy-free life? You’d damn well better extend me the same courtesy.”

“Wait a minute, Ori.” Ash’s voice hardens, his jaw clenching. “I didn’t sleep with Casey. I’ve never slept with her.”

“Not for her lack of trying,” I snap, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You want me to lie and say she didn’t offer me a nightcap at her hotel? She did. I declined.”

“Bully for you,” I bite out, my tone razor-sharp. “Must have been difficult to turn her down. But hey, you can take her up on her offer tonight. There’s still time.”

“Will you stop?” He clenches his fists, frustration radiating off him in waves.

“I grew up believing in fairytales. That one day I’d get my happily ever after. I never dreamed I’d fall for a man who won’t even consider the possibility. Or is it you won’t consider it with me? It doesn’t matter, anyway.” I turn toward the bar, my chest tightening with unshed tears. “I’m going back inside. Goodnight, Ash.”

Before I can move, his hand clamps around my arm, pulling me back to him. His gaze burns into mine. “I freaked out, Ori. We have this great thing between us, and I didn’t want to ruin it. I needed to pump the brakes because it felt like everything was moving so fast.”

“Too fast?” A bitter laugh escapes me. “At the rate you’re going, I’ll be collecting social security before you consider the idea of a relationship.”

His face falls, but I press on, the ache in my heart fueling my frustration. “Consider us stopped.”

“All I could think about at that dinner was you,” he says, his voice softening. “And the look on your face when you saw me with Casey. I never want to hurt you, Ori, and the idea that I did—it kills me.”

His words twist like a knife as I draw in a shaky breath. “I hated seeing you with her, but I needed to see it. I neededthat truth to slap me out of my daydream and back into reality. And the reality is, you don’t believe in relationships. You don’t believe in monogamy. You don’t believe in us. Those are all things I need on my end, so here we are, at an impasse. I don’t see there’s much else to say.”

“I told you I didn’t want to like you,” he grumbles. “I’m not built for relationships.”

“Fine. Message received.” My throat tightens as I take a step back. “My mistake was thinking I was an exception to that rule. Can I please go back inside now?”

“Will you stop?” His voice rises, raw and desperate. “I’m trying to say?—”

“Want me to say it for you?” I cut him off, my voice breaking despite my best effort to hold it together. “You’re sorry you don’t feel more for me, but you think I’m a really great person and you’ve enjoyed fucking me.”

“You’re way off.”

Then, to my horror, amid all my anger, the tears come. I bury my face in my hands, releasing a growl of frustration. “What do you want, Ash?”

“You.” His voice is low, steady. “I want you.”

His words hit me like a punch to the chest—so sincere, each syllable wrapped in raw emotion.

Ash crooks a finger under my chin, gently forcing me to meet his gaze. “Nothing happened. I swear it. You’re the only woman I want, Ori.”

Swiping at my tears, I shake my head, trying to regain control of my runaway emotions. “Look, I thought I could handle this casual thing between us, but I can’t. I?—”

Ash slides his hands along my jaw, capturing me in a tender kiss. When he pulls back, his voice is just above a whisper. “I want you. I don’t care what you call it—dating, a relationship,whatever you prefer. I just know I want to call you mine, and I promise I will never take you for granted again.”

Do I believe him? I desperately want to, especially since there’s a softness in his eyes I’ve never seen before.

“But what happens when the next hot chick comes onto you?” I ask, my voice trembling. “Are you going to tell them all no? That’s not your style, Ash. Those wereyourwords.”

“You act like women are always hanging on me.”

I snort, shooting him an incredulous look. “Seriously?”

He exhales sharply, throwing up his hands in mock surrender. “Fine. They can look, but they can’t touch.”

“How long until that gets old for you?”

His sexy smirk makes a comeback as he straddles his bike, motioning for me to climb on behind him. “That depends entirely on you.”

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