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“Meaning what, exactly?”
“I think we should cool off a bit. Take a step back and see where we are.”
Even as he said the words, he felt a pain in his heart. Being around her without being with her was the last thing he wanted to do. But not being with her at all was unfathomable. There was just something about her. He wanted her in his life.
Her mouth opened in surprise. “Where is this coming from?”
He sighed. “I’ve had several folks warn me about the possible problems.”
“And you hadn’t thought of these possible problems already?”
He shrugged. In reality, he had. In the beginning, he’d very briefly considered that there could be some fallout if he started this casual thing with Jordan. But he’d pushed any concerns far out of his mind, because he’d selfishly wanted her.
“Let me get this straight. Folks, and by folks, you mean friends, like maybe Jared or whoever, think us hooking up is bad for business?” The snark in her voice was unmistakable.
“It doesn’t matter who said it. We work well together as friends and coworkers, Jordan. I just don’t want the sex to interfere with that.” He hated every word that came out of his mouth.
She tilted her head and stared at him. She had that all-business thing going on again. “So the whole casual thing is off. No more sex. Correct?”
His heart fell. It sounded so final to his ears. “I was thinking we could still do that now and then. But we’d need better rules.”
“Are you serious?” she blurted out.
He shrugged. “Why not? We’re having fun and we’re friends. Everybody has rules about their conduct. Rules just keep us from going outside the lines.”
“What rules, exactly?”
Under the weight of her stare, he felt the sweat drip down his back. “Well, like no sleeping over.”
“Oh, right,” she smiled, rocking back in her chair. “Because that would be too intimate. Anything else?”
“No PDA outside of the bedroom.”
“Of course,” she nodded emphatically. “Because PDA gives the wrong impression.”
He didn’t know why, but her being so agreeable gave him the uneasy feeling that he was walking into a trap.
“Go on,” she said, a little too sweetly. “What else?”
He couldn’t meet her eyes. “We don’t do anything together outside Slap Shot or the bedroom. So… no dinners together, or dates.”
“So, in other words, you and I would just be each other’s booty call.” She took a deep breath. He still wasn’t sure if she was about to explode or agree. “Anything else?”
He cleared his throat. “I, um… think that’s about it. So, what do you think?”
“You mean I actually get to have a say in this?”
He frowned. Had he not just asked what she thought? “Of course. So, do you have any thoughts?”
“Oh boy, do I have thoughts,” she said. She stood, and stepped around the desk. “Funny thing, I was planning to talk to you today and end things. I’m over the casual. I can’t do it. Not even with all your rules.” She gave a forced-looking smile. “Especially not with the rules.”
“Wait, what?” He was confused at her confession. And she was breaking up with him?
“I hadn’t planned on starting a proper relationship before now, because I’ve always been so focused on work. I was never the kind of girl who was okay with casual. But since I haven’t had a relationship for so long, I thought I could give it a try. And so I tried it. But I didn’t like it.”
“You didn’t like it?” he repeated. “What didn’t you like about it?” Please don’t say the sex, he thought, then mentally kicked himself.
“I realized that I want a partner in life. I’d like to have someone who would always be there. I want a label. I want all the strings. Eventually, a husband, kids, the house, the dog.” She smiled sadly, and his heart cracked. “We enjoyed being together and working together, we’ve become friends, and I thought we cared about each other. So it seemed like the logical next step would be to have a proper relationship. But you’ve laid out your feelings very well. Apparently, I was wrong. We’re in totally different places.”
