Page 63 of Mr. Flirt

“No. There are a lot of things you haven’t mentioned. But I want you to know one thing more than anything. I would never take back a second of my relationship with Bill. I’d let him pour gasoline on my heart a million times if it meant I could be with my daughter.” Danni shook her head and looked toward the bassinet, and I knew in that moment that there truly wasn’t a single moment of Danni’s life that she regretted. Even though her heart was being shredded into a million pieces, she knew she had the best gift ever from a very trying set of circumstances.

Yet, I wasn’t sure I could see life like that. I’d trained myself to be on the lookout for doom and gloom.

The thing with Shep was that he had this superpower over me. He made me spill my guts. He made me sweat. He’d get me all tangled up inside, and that wasn’t a position I was used to being in. Ultimately, he made me feel vulnerable, and I wasn’t accustomed to that sensation.

In the courtroom, it was my job to be anything but vulnerable. I had to have a glacial heart and bones made of steel so that nothing slung my client’s way or mine would make me quiver.

But everything about Shep made me quiver, and I liked it. His kind of vulnerability made me feel like jiggly Jell-O inside that needed to be scooped up and smooshed back together again.

“I told him he could see other people during this little experiment.”

“Yeah? Was he happy about that?”

“Technically, he didn’t seem to think he’d agreed to help me figure out the dating thing in the first place.”

She looked surprised. “Really?”

“But I assured him that he had agreed to it.” I thought about his reaction and how he’d almost seemed offended when I mentioned he could see other people. “And he didn’t seem really interested in seeing anyone else."

She nodded without a word.

“I suppose that’s because he’s a sweet guy and didn’t want to look like he’d won the Lotto.”

A funny look crossed Danni’s features. “Could be.”

I nodded. “Yup.”

“Or he might actually like you.”

I laughed and let out a sigh. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Shep liked me, but that’s only because I’m the shiny new object in his periphery. He’s not a relationship type of person.”

Tension coiled in my belly at the thought.

Danni stared at me. “And neither are you.”

“Exactly. A match made in heaven,” I said flatly, but I didn’t feel like that at all.

“I suggest reading the article,” she added. “Now, are you going to order us that pizza or what?”

I smiled, thinking back to our college days of pizza and cheap wine. I had so much history with Danni. She knew my secrets and fears. She loved me unconditionally, just like I did for her. She was absolutely my best friend.

But what I was feeling toward Shep was my scary secret.

I liked the way he made me feel, and I didn’t want to lose that.

Chapter Twenty-One

Meatloaf is Done

Shep

Let’s be honest. My dating history was treacherous. I wasn’t exactly the guy women wanted to bring home to their parents and best friends. More to the point, I didn’t want to be the guy anyone would ever think of placing me in front of accusing stares as I got grilled by an angry mother and father because I oozed the opposite of monogamous. They did like to show me off when we went out or to their friends’, but that was as deep as it went.

It had happened to me once. I was young, it was awful, and I’d vowed never to be in that position again.

And that had all led me to become a...

Gigolo trainer?

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