Page 51 of Dating the Rebel
Hell, he couldn’t be completely honest with anyone—not even his own sister. And he loved her more than anything. He loved her so much that he would seriously join this damn dating service if it would get Miranda and her sisters to let Blair and Matteo enjoy their happiness.
“You overheard that meeting,” she murmured. Then she uttered a heavy, weary-sounding sigh.
“They’re right, you know,” he said. “Just let me join the damn service.” Hell, he would pay her enough to take care of her and her sisters. He probably made enough in a week on the professional poker circuit to operate her business for a year.
She sucked in a breath. “You really want to join that badly?”
No. It was the last thing he wanted to do. But he would go out with a couple of gold diggers if it would ensure his sister’s happiness.
He shrugged. “Why do you think I’ve been auditioning for you?”
“Because you love to play games,” she said. “Because you wanted to mess with me for some reason...”
Because he didn’t want her messing with Blair and Teo. And he’d obviously been right to worry about that—abouther.
“We’re not kids anymore, Miranda,” he said. And he was suddenly weary, too.
He’d been having so damn much fun with her. So damn much amazing sex with her...
He’d been getting used to it—to her. Maybe even attached...
Damn...
Something must have gotten in his eyes—because he had to blink. Maybe it was just the red of anger blinding him.
“No, we’re not,” she agreed. “I have a business to run—to try to build. I can’t take a chance on you—on the fact that you have grown up.”
“Damn it, Miranda,” he said. “What do I need to do? Show you a tax return? I’ve got money, and that seems like the only thing your members are really interested in—”
“Not the members I want to keep,” she interjected. “Not the ones I want to sign up. I don’t want to run my mother’s matchmaking business. I don’t want dating to be all about desperation and the fear of being alone.”
“What do you want it to be about?” he wondered.
“Fun,” she said. “It should be fun.”
“Haven’t you had fun with me?” he asked. “Hasn’t every date been fun?”
“Sure, until I caught you going through my purse.”
“I told you that was an accident,” he said. “I don’t need or want your money.”
She snorted. “That’s good—because I don’t have any. So what do you want from me, Grant?”
A strange stillness overcame her after she asked the question, as if she’d frozen into a statue of herself. She didn’t move. She didn’t breathe.
Did she care that much what his answer was?
Her stillness made him freeze. He didn’t know how to answer her, so he asked a question of his own. “What do you want from me, Miranda?”
She stared at him so intently, for such a long time, before replying, “For you to be honest with me...”
He opened his mouth, intending to do just that—to tell her about his initial reason for coming to see her—to warn her not to mess up Blair’s happiness this time. But something kept him from giving her that kind of honesty. Maybe it was just his damn pride. “I have more money than Teo does,” he said. “And I can show you the bank statements to prove it.”
She flinched.
“What?” he asked. “Isn’t that what you want?”
She shook her head. “No...”
