Page 13 of Receiving His Mercy
He admitted that most things annoyed him. Maybe he was turning into a grouchy old man.
That subs ran from.
He’d never noticed it before Clay pointed it out. But a lot of the subs at Whip It did tend to back away from him. At least the ones who weren’t masochists. And he wasn’t even a fucking sadist.
So what did that say about the state of his mind?
He was pretty sure that he didn’t want to know.
“I wouldn’t say you were rattling on.” He forced a smile. “It was interesting stuff.”
“You sure about that?” she asked dryly. “I’d bet that you didn’t hear anything I said.”
“You’d lose that bet,” he said firmly. “I heard what you said.”
She leaned forward. “It’s all right if this isn’t working out. You can just say and we can call it quits. I don’t want to waste either of our time.”
Yeah. She was a seriously smart, nice woman.
“Sorry if I have been off my game. I just . . . I haven’t really done this before.”
“Done what? Dated a stranger?”
“Dated at all,” he said dryly.
Her eyebrows rose and she let out a surprised laugh. “Wow. Okay. I wasn’t expecting that. You’re a date virgin.”
He grimaced. “Don’t think you should really put me and the word virgin into a sentence together.”
She grinned and that perfectness slipped slightly. “Fair enough.”
“Sorry this hasn’t been the best date. I have been told I’m not great company. Sitting around and making small talk isn’t my thing.” He waited for her reaction. The other two dates he’d been on, well, those women hadn’t appreciated his blunt honesty.
Jocelyn’s eyes danced. “Understood.”
“You’re perfect, you know,” he blurted out.
She paused and to his surprise, she stared at him like he’d said something she’d never heard before.
But she had to know how beautiful she was, right?
“I’ve never heard that from a guy at the end of a date,” she said.
“Seriously? You should hear it all the time. You’re perfect. None of this was about you.”
“Right,” she said, still looking slightly confused. “This was a strange date, but you seem like a decent guy. Tell you what, if you decide you want to chance another date, call me. I promise, no small talk. You can choose the activity. You don’t call, no hard feelings. Okay?”
“Yeah, that sounds fair enough.”
She stood and he went to stand, but she waved her hand at him. “Don’t get up. I can see myself out.”
“Are you driving?” He glanced down at the single glass of wine she’d had. “You should get a taxi. I’ll wait with you while one comes.”
“I’ve had one drink, I’ll be fine. I got myself here on my own and I can leave safely on my own. I’ve lived in this city a long time.”
Even though his protective instincts didn’t like letting her walk out into the dark on her own, he knew he couldn’t force himself on her.
Something else that his brothers had drilled into him.
