Page 44 of Sweetheart: Part One

“Favourite animal?”

“Do you really think knowing he has a fondness for monkeys is going to help you convince him?”

“I don’t know. I’m down for anything at this point.”

I felt no more confident than I had before, so I just had to grit my teeth and demand he give me a chance.

LOVE

Vex found me out on the covered patio. It was my favourite place, with a view of the pool and the gardens beyond, mountain facing, and barely any of New Oxford in sight.

She slipped down onto the day bed beside me, admiring the view.

I usually avoided Sweethearts. When they were particularly insistent, I’d taken to just standing and leaving without a word until they got the message.

Yet, I didn’t want to with Vex. It had been hard enough rejecting her the other night. It wasn’t just that I didn’t mind her presence, but I even found myself drawn to her. I’d not approached her—and I wouldn’t, desires notwithstanding—but I certainly had no urge to leave.

We sat in silence for a long while before she said anything. Finally, she lay back on the daybed and fixed me with a curious, upside-down gaze that I couldn’t help meeting.

“When you think of courting a woman, what do you think of?” she asked.

I raised an eyebrow. “Rather direct.”

“I prefer direct,” she said, not looking away even as silence hung between us for a moment. Her silvery-brown hair spread like a glossy web around her head, some tumbling from the daybed to brush the stone below.

“I… don’t know,” I said at last. That was true enough. I hadn’t thought about dating for a long time.

“Is it because you don’t like women?”

I snorted. “No.”

I liked women well enough. I was drawn to her right now. She wore shorts and a loose crop-top, tied up at the waist. It was hard not to sweep my gaze across her whole body.

“Then…?” she prodded.

“I’m busy,” I shrugged. “I don’t have time for dating.”

Once, I’d given that dream effort.

Once, maybe I thought I had a shot. Of course, Ebony had destroyed it, and almost destroyed her.

Almost.

I had tried again once or twice after that. I’d gone on secret dates so Ebony would never know, but over and over, I’d run into the same issues. From my vantage, it was next to impossible to find a woman who wanted me for me.

And it turned out, in romance, I was… vulnerable. My experience with meaningful relationships was sparse. All I’d known before the pack was a mother who’d demanded I choose between her or my brother—a brother with no true capacity for compassion.

The result was that I fell embarrassingly hard and fast. The fallout—having Ebony learn about it, only to prove to me the person I cared for was using me to make strides in the industry—that wasn’t something I was ever willing to risk again.

Relationships were off the table for me.

“That’s not the case for most celebrities I’ve heard of,” Vex said. “Especially ones in the market for Sweethearts.”

“We aren’t like most celebrities.”

“Because of Ebony?”

Did my ears deceive me, or did she almost soundpoutyat that. There was a strange quiet between us, in which I eyed her curiously. “Ebony is… different.”

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