Page 20 of Taming the Beast (Fairy Tales of New York)

“What?” he muttered, lifting the phone to his ear and concentrating on the ringtone instead of her.

“Do you ever think of me?”

“In what context?” He started drumming his fingers on the desk.

“In the hot and naked context.”

Seb went still. The drumming stopped. He cut the call. Right. Well. There was a question. Did he think about her hot, naked and in his arms? Panting and pleading and begging him to do to her all the things he shouldn’t want to do to her? “No.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Is it? Why?”

“Because I’ve been thinking about you in the hot and naked context a lot lately.”

“I thought you hated me,” he said, his temperature rocketing. “Didn’t you once call me a wallowing coward?”

Her eyes clouded for a moment. “You remembered.”

“It’s not something I’m likely to forget.”

“No. I guess not. But maybe you’re not the only one who’s reassessed.” She tilted her head, her gaze too damn shrewd. “I think you wanted me back then, Seb. I think you still do. Maybe as much as I want you.”

A bolt of desire shot through him but he ruthlessly stamped it down. “You’re mistaken.”

“You’re very keen to get rid of me.”

“It’s late. I’m tired.”

“So take me to bed.”

Seb nearly fell off his chair. Yes, yes, yes. “No.”

“The speed and certainty of your answer suggests you’ve thought about it.”

“It hasn’t crossed my mind once.”

“Really?”

“Really.” And technically that was correct because it had crossed his mind a hundred times, but that didn’t matter. “But even if it had my answer would still be no.”

“Why?”

“Because my fledgling relationship with Zelda is too fragile.” True.

Mercy’s eyebrows rose. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Everything. If you and I got involved I’d end up hurting you. Zelda would hate me all over again for that and that is not going to happen.” Again, true.

“What makes you think you’d hurt me?”

“It’s what I do. You know that. I know that. Everyone knows that. So forget it, Mercedes. There is no way in hell you and I are going to have sex again. Hypothetically speaking or not.” And disappointingly, even more true.

She looked at him for a long while and he could practically see the cogs of her brain whirring, so expressive were her eyes. “I really think you’re overthinking this, Seb.”

“I don’t.”

“I’m not looking for anything permanent,” she said, getting up from her seat and walking slowly towards him. “I don’t want

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