Page 30 of Good Girl's Bad Lessons

She angled closer. “When did you blow off the last victim? Come on, give me something. You’ll pop my ass cherry. I need some dirt on you for fun.”

He rubbed his forehead, wishing he could run. She folded her arms, the amusement in her close-lipped smile reaching her eyes.

He sighed. “You’re a pain in the ass.”

“That’s what I’ll be saying about you later.” She winked. “What was her name?”

“Linda. A lawyer,” he said, annoyed. Linda’s accomplished firm had represented his interests for a few years, and her experience with him two years prior had taught him never to mix business with pleasure.

“And?” She tilted her head to the side, and the playfulness faded from her expression. She unfolded her arms, staring at him with intent, probably vying for more information. He’d never told anyone but Zaine about dating Linda—not even Marco. He hadn’t wanted his brother to tease him about it or make a big deal, especially since she worked for their company.

“We were together for a few months, but then she wanted to move in with me. At first it sounded practical, so I considered. But then in the end, I wasn’t ready to give her what she ultimately wanted,” he said, using a casual tone on purpose. His gut clenched, memories from the short time frame when he’d considered changing his ways tugging at him.

She’d been quick to ask him for an emotional damage financial compensation, since she could no longer work for him after the breakup. He’d transferred a small fortune to her bank account and had made her sign a confidentiality agreement to make sure their affair wouldn’t bite him in the butt later. If you can’t trust your own lawyer, who can you trust? “It wasn’t a love story, Emma. She got reimbursed because she didn’t want to work for me anymore.”

“Can you blame her? It’s hard to be around the person you want but can’t have.”

“Well, I paid the price.”

“Did you like her? Even a little bit?”

He pursed his lips, thinking of an answer. He’d liked her a lot and loved having her in his life while they were happy and agreeable. “Yes. She was nice.” He scratched the back of his neck, trying to alleviate some of the kinks. “Listen, let’s talk about something else. You’re young and idealistic and think love wins all in the end. It’s a nice idea, but trust me, reality is different.”

She withdrew, her eyebrows furrowing at him. Tension crackled between them. “Just because I’m not bitter like you, there’s no reason to talk down to me.”

“I’m not. You’re very bright and smart. I’m being a realist about what to expect. For instance, you’re twenty-five years old. You have your life ahead of you, so why would you waste it and get married so young?”

“People don’t die when they marry. My parents got married when they were young, and they’d still be together if my father hadn’t died.”

“But we don’t know for sure, do we? We don’t know if you’ll get your dreamy happy ending with a guy who’s too blind to even fuck you right.”

“Screw you, Nico, because I sure as hell won’t be doing you tonight.”

He blinked, trying to make sense of what happened, but she spun on her heel and marched out of the store before he had a chance to exhale.

…

Emma checked her Facebook messages. One from Simon popped onto her screen, and she read it out loud. Hi Emma, hope you’re doing well. When I’m back in the States, we’ll go out to eat, and I’ll tell you all about the people I’ve met.

She touched her phone, outlining the blinking message notification. Then she clenched the cell phone and glanced at the beautiful beach in front of her. She’d taken a cab after storming out of the sex shop, hustling into the first one that stopped for her. Despite her telling him not to follow her, she knew how freaking stubborn Nico could be, and she needed to think.

Why did his dissing her plan hurt her so much? She’d already known his views from the start. They never mattered before—why did they matter now?

Because he’s a good guy. Despite him acting all tough and heartless, she’d seen how he helped Gurdish at the beach. He cared about people, even if he believed voicing his feelings made him weak.

And I care for him. The realization hurt her like a blow to her face. She balked and sat on a bench. Around her, people walked their dogs and tourists took animated pictures of one another. A good-looking woman held a selfie stick and snapped herself making all kinds of duck faces.

None of the bustle surrounding her took away from the truth knotting her stomach. She cared for him. She didn’t love him, of course, that’d be ridiculous. But she’d come to care for him enough to wish for his happiness. To wish for more for him.

Shit.

Hot sex blurred the lines and fogged her brain. That had to be it. Once he disappeared from her life, all would go back to normal. Out of sight, out of mind.

She clicked on Simon’s message. Did he still think of her as a girlfriend, or someone he wanted to chat with when he returned to the U.S.? Either way, he’d contacted her. Had to be a good sign, right?

She typed a replied. Sounds fun. Looking forward to hearing all about it. Am on a work trip. Talk soon.

“Emma!” She heard Nico call her.

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