Page 43 of Token

“And here I thought we were going to be friends. That’s what we agreed on.”

What else was she going to say when he’d made it clear that he was going to be super busy building his company and wouldn’t have time for a girlfriend? She got that, for him, their time together was all about having fun. No harm, no foul. Because of Aurora, they’d be in touch, so why not make the best of it by going on as friends?

She’d nodded in agreement and assured him that things would be good between them going forward. And she’d meant it...at the time. She hadn’t realized that her sadness and hurt had hardened into anger until his first phone call—that came three weeks after classes started. Seriously, the nerve of him thinking he could call her out of the blue like that. It wasn’t as if her heart had leaped to her throat every time her phone rang in all the days preceding. Or that she’d swallowed down a heartbreak of disappointment when it hadn’t been him. That hadn’t happened.

“Actually, the whole us-being-friends thing was your idea.” If a trip down memory lane meant setting the record straight, she’d act as the stenographer.

“Are you saying you didn’t want to be friends?”

“What I’m saying is after classes started it put things in perspective. What happened between us happened. But it didn’t mean we had to force a friendship that wasn’t there from the beginning. Before, we only ever saw or spoke to each other because of Aurora. I figured we could go back to that.” What would they have to talk about, in any case? Their respective boyfriends and girlfriends? Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.

Nate’s head dipped in a slow nod. “It would have been nice if you told me that’s how you felt.”

“I did when I said you didn’t have to call me anymore.” She’d given him an out and he’d pushed the door open the rest of the way and run through it so fast it made her head spin. He’d never called her again.

He laughed wryly, watching her from the corner of his eye. “Yeah, well, you made it pretty damn clear you didn’t want me calling anymore.”

Kennedy had to bite her tongue to stop herself from saying,You know, for a guy with such a high IQ, you’re not all that bright when it comes to women.

Once again, their conversation was put on hold when Rodney returned with their drinks. He remained another minute while they belatedly perused the menu and ordered their entrées.

Determined to take control of the conversation—and end it once and for all—as soon as Rodney was out of earshot, Kennedy asked, “Why are you bringing this up now?”

Nate stared at her, his expression inscrutable. “Do you realize we haven’t been alone together like this in over ten years?”

Come again?“What is that supposed to mean? And why do you always answer a question with a question?”

“I am answering your question,” he stated calmly. “You want to know why now. The answer is because this is the first time the opportunity presented itself—and when you’re not rushing off to a meeting. Don’t you think it’s time to clear the air?”

There he goes again.

“Clear the air about what?” Now it was her turn to play obtuse. “You’re my best friend’s brother. I’ve always been nice to you, even after...everything. If anyone started acting different, it was you, not me.”

Three months after he’d skillfully (and pleasurably) relieved her of her virginity, the next time they’d seen each other was when Aurora invited her to Thanksgiving at their parents’ apartment in New York. Nate, who’d been traveling a lot at the time, initially said he wouldn’t be able to make it. He’d surprised everyone by arriving a half hour before they sat down to eat, claiming he’d been able to clear his schedule at the last minute. As expected, Aurora and her parents had been overjoyed at his change of plans. Kennedy, on the other hand, would’ve appreciated him giving a girl a heads-up so she could prepare herself for the emotional upheaval of coming face-to-face with him.

In the end, the tumult of emotion had been exclusively on her side. Nate had been unfailingly polite to her. And it had gutted her. The entire evening had gone from one form of torture to another. The catered dinner she’d been looking forward to eating, she’d barely touched. And she hadn’t said more than a few words during the after-dinner chat and drinks. Nate could not have been more remote and cool to her if he’d deliberately set out to make sure she knew how little she meant to him. The only good thing to come out of the evening had been Kennedy’s renewed sense of self-possession and pride, because she wouldn’t allow him to take them from her. She’d made a mistake in getting involved with him, but mistakes were how people learned. No one could ever accuse her of not being a quick study.

“You said you wanted me to go back to just being your friend’s brother and that’s what I did,” he replied, with anI gave you what you asked for, it’s not my fault you didn’t like itglibness.

“What did you expect me to say? You made it very clear you didn’t have time for a girlfriend.” He conveniently kept leaving that part out. “Aurora was my best friend. Of course I wanted us to get along. But clearly I didn’t realize what a little shit you’d been before,” she retorted.

Who did he think he was fooling? He’d wanted to have it both ways. He hadn’t wanted her to be his girlfriend, but he’d been certain she’d be thrilled whenever he deigned to sprinkle some attention her way.

Yeah, she was not that girl and had never been.

Nate studied her, a myriad of emotions flitting across his face. After a long pause, he asked in a seductively quiet voice, “Ever think maybeyouhad no idea what you wanted?”

For several seconds, Kennedy forgot to breathe. When the ability returned, it came in a rush of anger. But as quickly as he sent her blood pressure soaring, she forcibly restrained herself. Allowing him to poke or prod her into losing control of her emotions would give him the upper hand, which was exactly what he wanted.

“Why don’t we drop the subject before I say something I’ll probably regret? Let’s agree to leave the past where it is and concentrate on preserving your company’s reputation.”

Nate’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. After a beat, he said, “Fine, we’ll do it your way. So who were you dating before me?”

“As topics of conversation go, my dating life is off-limits,” she replied crisply.

Nate took a drink of his whiskey before remarking with a little too much smugness, “The operative word iswere. You seem to be forgetting that, for now,I amyour dating life.”

“You’re my fake dating life,” she corrected.

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