Page 21 of No Strings Christmas

‘Yes,’ he agrees with a small nod.

‘I think I need some stress relief.’

His eyes give nothing away. Silence stretches. If he knows where I’m going with this then he’s not going to make it easy for me.

I roll my eyes heavenwards. ‘I have no plans on being here after Christmas. I’m booked to fly to London on the twenty-sixth and nothing will change that. I have things I need to get back for. I have a life in London. And apart from that, I have no intention of getting involved with anyone. I’m happily single and probably always will be.’ I tilt my chin defiantly, daring him to disagree with me, as so many others have in the past.

Instead, he continues to look at me in that silently assessing way of his.

‘But the thing is, I am here for another week and a half.’

He lifts a single brow, still silent, damn him. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound.

‘And I quite like the idea of passing some of the time with you.’

It’s a very lukewarm way to describe what I want to do with him, but I hold fast. Before he can speak, I rush on. ‘If you’re worried I’m going to want more from you, then don’t. I can promise you I’m not interested in anything serious. In fact, that’s the exact opposite of what I want. To be blunt, I like fucking you. And when we’re together I feel happy and relaxed and I need that right now. So I’m suggesting that we extend the limits—but not the essential terms—of what we agreed to.’

‘Are you saying you want me to be your fuck buddy, Jessica Johnson?’ His voice is rich with amusement.

‘Just while I’m here. Ten more days.’

He stands up, his face sombre, his body strong, and it’s as if the world has stopped spinning and my breath no longer needs to escape my body. Everything grinds to a halt. I could hear a butterfly flapping its wings beyond the window, if there were such a creature at this height.

‘You get what my limits are, right?’

‘I just said that, didn’t I?’

‘I want to be clear.’ He moves closer to me, toe to toe. Our bodies touch. Heat spirals through me. ‘I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt anyone.’ He frowns. ‘I’m as opposed to relationships as you claim to be.’

‘Claim to be? Believe me—that’s how I feel.’

‘Fine. So we’re in agreement. Nothing will change my mind there.’

‘Good. I don’t want to. Do you find it so hard to believe I could just be interested in you for a good time?’

He laughs. ‘No. I totally get that.’

‘Because it’s all you want from me, right?’

A muscle throbs low in his jaw and then he nods.

‘Great. So I’m not imagining that the chemistry between us is off the charts?’

He smirks. ‘You could describe it that way.’

‘I mean, I love having sex with you. So how about we just have sex and I blow off steam with you and at the end I’ll fly to England and that’s it? We won’t call each other, we won’t think about each other again. It’s perfect.’

His nod is contemplative. ‘Have you ever had a relationship like that?’

‘I try to avoid relationships of any kind as though my life depends on it.’

He laughs, shaking his head a little.

‘What?’

‘You’re just...too young to be so jaded.’

‘I’m twenty-eight.’

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