Page 166 of Wicked Fantasies

“Your ex-husband—” he began, but she cut him off.

“I don’t want to talk about him.”

“Then I guess you should have left old Voldemort out in the hall rather than dragging him into the bedroom with us,” he said.

“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked angrily. She wasn’t about to go into the dirty details of her decade-long disaster of a marriage. Ethan already knew too much.

“He clearly fucked with your head. Made you feel insignificant, maybe even a little stupid, right?”

She sucked in a painful breath at his astute comments. As always, when faced with a question she couldn’t answer, she merely shrugged.

“He convinced you that men don’t stick around, right?”

“I—” she began, but Ethan cut her off.

“Well, he was a dumbass,” Ethan said hotly. “And you’re a dumbass for believing any of that shit.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said you’re a dumbass.”

“I’m a dumbass,” she repeated louder.

“Yes,” he replied, his voice rising as well.

She rose up on her knees and poked her finger in his chest. “Well, ifI’ma dumbass, then you’re a liar.”

“Liar?”

“Liar. You lied to me. You lied about your intentions. What is this crap about a relationship?” she asked.

“What the hell did you think last night was about?” he asked.

“What I was supposed to think it was about. A one-night stand. You were helping me live that cougar fantasy.” She pulled the sheet up to her neck to cover herself and wondered about the frustration on his face. She knew she hadn’t messed that up. She’d have remembered if he’d even slightly insinuated they were entering into a relationship.

“Fuck,” he muttered. “Yeah, that was what you were supposed to think. Christ, I’ve screwed this up.”

She forced a grin, hating how lost and forlorn he looked, wishing she could put a smile back on his face. “Well, you’ve certainly screwed something, but I don’t think it’s this,” she joked. He looked too intense, too serious. She just wanted her lovely, easygoing Ethan back.

Unfortunately her lame jest missed the mark.

“I’ve been trying to figure out a way to ask you out for weeks, but I knew you’d throw the patient/client thing and the age difference up in my face. When I saw that stupid list of names, that cougar challenge, I latched onto it,” he admitted.

She stared at him, trying to process his comments. His lips were moving, but the words she was hearing simply couldn’t be right. He wanted to date her?Her?

“You wanted to go out with me?” She closed her eyes and groaned at her stupid question.

“Why is that so fucking hard for you to believe, Rachel?” he yelled.

She jumped at his harsh tone, his angry face.

“Look at me,” she said. “I’m too old. I’m divorced. I’m?—”

“Come here,” Ethan said, gripping her upper arm in his large hand and dragging her to the mirror attached to her dressing table. Her attempt to hold on to the sheet failed, and she wanted to crawl under the bed as her naked body came into view. “Tell me what you see.”

She fought against closing her eyes and blocking the image, knowing Ethan wouldn’t allow her even that small escape.

“I see me,” she said, her voice laced with her usual smartass tone.

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