Page 29 of Sexy as Sin
“Because it is. He has to care more about your pleasure than he does about his. Easy-peasy. Job done. And if he’s the right one, you feel the same way about him. But that doesn’t mean you go throwing yourself down like a doormat for him to wipe his feet on, when hedoesn’tcare about you.”
“So if,” Willow said cautiously, “somebody else heard that, somebody who’s... more that way. The way you said. What would he think?”
“He’d want to punch the fella in the nose. At least Colin would. Jace, too. Even Rafe. They all would.”
Willow had to laugh. “He did try. He was a bit incapacitated, though.”
Her aunt looked at her sharply. “Drunk? Not a good sign, either.”
“No. Not drunk. He’s... it’s complicated. I’m pretty sure I’m an idiot.”
“No,” Fiona said. “You’re pretty sure you want this other bloke, and that’s what this visit’s really all about. Not about what the wanker said, but about what somebody else heard. What he thinks. What he feels. Am I right?”
“Maybe.” Even saying the word felt naked. Vulnerable. “Probably. He’s... too much like what I want. Too much to ask for. And not available, not really. Not married,” she hurried to say. “Not entangled. But not available to me. I don’t think so.”
“Mm,” Fiona said. “It looks like a rough go. Obstacles, maybe. And after what the other fella said, you’re thinking more about that. About looking stupid, and looking... what was the word? Pathetic?”
“Yeah.” Willow tried to get some steadiness back, and failed. “That’s the word. I don’t want to be pathetic.”
“Who does?” Her aunt considered a moment. “Well, then, think about this. You could see how he overcomes the obstacles. Let him slay some dragons for you. See how much he wants to do it. That could give you your answer.”
She hadn’t come. It was five o’clock, and then it was seven, and she hadn’t come by. Hadn’t even answered his text.
It had taken him four tries to get right, to his own disgust. He tried to remember exactly what he’d said to her last night, but he couldn’t. He remembered what the other guy had said, though. That couldn’t have felt good.
He’d typed and erased, typed and erased, and finally just typed,How are you doing today? That was too much crazy,hitSend,and hoped for the best. He didn’t want to text about this. He wanted totalkabout it, or, better yet, to have her here and show her what he thought. Somehow.
She’d said it was her day off. Hadn’t she? He thought so. She was doing something else today, living her life, and he had work to do anyway. His conference call, and everything that had come out of it. Calls and emails, spreadsheets to analyze and investors to convince. It was an effort to focus through the pain and the medication, and he’d had to take a couple naps in there, but he put in a decent day.
He’d talk to Willow when he saw her. You couldn’t ignore words like that. They would’ve hurt a sensitive woman, and she was that. He needed to do something about it.
Except that she didn’t come.
Finally, at seven-thirty, he abandoned the whole texting thing and called her. Four rings, then voicemail. He marshaled his thoughts and prepared to leave a message. Not a jokey message, and not an offhand one. He needed to get this right.
While he was thinking it, the beeping started, and the screen lit up. Incoming call. He punched on through, feeling more breathless than he had after two rounds of the corridors on the crutches. “Hey,” he said, reasonably casually. “How are you?”
“I’m good,” she said, with all the reserve she hadn’t shown last night. “How are you coming along?”
“Great. Did you have a day off today? I realized I couldn’t remember exactly.”
“Yes. I went to visit my aunt.”
Well, this was going brilliantly. Forget the complications. Time to go for it. Cautiously. You never wanted to rush a woman. “That sounds good,” he said, “except that I missed seeing you. Here’s the reason I’m calling. I’m doing so well, apparently, that I get sprung from here a day early, which means I’m going home tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Silence for a long moment, and she said, “I’ll wish you well, then,” with more constraint than ever.
“Wait. What?”
“Temporary companionship. That was the arrangement, right? Thanks for helping with the shark, and with the event. If you come back for one of your meetings, maybe I’ll see you. You won’t be at the beach, of course, so probably not. Meanwhile, if the firm needs somebody to do another party, or even just a working lunch, you might recommend me. I do a good line in directors’ meetings.”
“Wait,” he said. “Willow.” Shecouldn’treally feel this way. Could she? “I’m confused. You’re making me think that all of this was the goodness of your heart. I’m not doubting the goodness of your heart, but I thought there was something else going on.”
“You don’t live here.” This time, he could swear she sounded... sad. “However I felt, you’re not going to be here for me to feel it anymore.” A breath hauled in, then, he could swear. Too honest. Too vulnerable again.
“I am, though. I’m going home... well, out of here, anyway, to a place I found online. Single-story, is the idea.” He was about to tell her he was booked in for a week, then changed his mind. “For three weeks. Seems I need a whole lot of follow-up care with this thing to make sure it’s healing right, and I might as well start it out here. My surgeon may be hot, but she’s also very good. Plus, physical therapy that comes to you as part of the package deal.” Sounded absolutely plausible. He could make it work.
“Uh... what? You’ve got a whole company back in the States to look after. And, yes, I looked it up online.”
