Page 47 of Brassy Bigwig

“I also want to thank you for what you did for me at the club last night. If it weren’t for that, there’s a possibility I would have woken up regretting it or feeling used. That’s the last thing I want to feel where you’re concerned.”

“But you told me you regretted getting into bed with me in Greece. Do you still feel that way?”

Do I?

I think about it for a minute before I realize I don’t regret it.

“I’m partly to blame for the mishap that occurred yesterday. I’m not going to sit here and say I deserved it, but I wasn’t honest with you just as much as you weren’t honest with me. I really am sorry I left without saying goodbye and without telling you my real name.”

“Why did you leave?”

Shaking my head slightly, I smile at him, still in disbelief about what occurred in his suite that night.

“The girl you were with that night is not who I am. I morphed into someone who I don’t recognize to this day. While it was wild and freeing, she scares me a little bit.” I turn away from him, thinking about it, ashamed of my behavior all over again. “When I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t believe half of what happened the night before. Not that I didn’t enjoy it. But I was also worried you’d already lost interest or would wake up with regrets. Or worse, you’d think I was just some floozy who will jump into bed easily with anyone she meets.”

I can feel his eyes burning into me, but I still can’t look at him. After a moment, he gets up and squats down in front of my chair. One hand grips my knee, and the other grazes my chin, finally making me lift my gaze.

“Let me be clear about a few things here and now, okay? First, yesterday had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me and the mistakes of my past. Second, I regret nothing about that night with you. Not a damn thing, Chloe. It was the best night of my life. When I woke up and you weren’t there, I felt the closest thing to heartbreak I’ve ever felt before.”

This is what I’ve been looking for. Begging for. A real man who knows what he wants and is mature enough to say exactly what he’s feeling. And fuck, I want to kiss him so bad it hurts. Then the devious gleam in his stare returns, and I fight to swallow the ball of nerves stuck in my throat.

“Third, I believe you are the girl I was with that night. She is the part of you you’re afraid to embrace, but she’s also the part of you that will set you free. Mark my words, I will be meeting her again. I’m going to draw her from you, little by little, for as long as it takes until you need her as much as you need your next breath.”

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