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“She did?”
“Yep.” He twisted his lips. “She’s vacationing in Mexico with her boyfriend, Tyler, right now, but she lives ten minutes away.”
She hesitated. “Isn’t there anyone else in your life, besides them?”
He cocked a brow. “Like…?”
“A girlfriend. A best friend. A buddy. A freaking cat.” She finished her drink and set it down. “Heck, anyone.”
“I hate cats. You know that.”
He was right—she did know that. “Okay. What about a girl?”
“There’s no one,” he said, his tone flat. “There was a fiancée a long time ago, but she left when I came home from war.”
She gripped her knees. She needed to know more about him. Understand him better. He said he’d seen things he hadn’t wanted to see. Done things he hadn’t wanted to do. She could only guess he’d meant when he’d been at war, but she wanted to know more.
She wanted to help him…if that was possible. “Why did she leave?”
“Because she didn’t want to deal with a cripple as a fiancé. That’s why.” He stood up, fists balled. “Why are you asking me these questions?”
“Because I care about you. I want to know what happened to change you. What turned you into the man you are today.” She swallowed hard. “How did you meet her?”
He frowned, but didn’t walk away. “I met her at a restaurant. She was a hostess and a model. She told me all the things I wanted to hear, and I thought I loved her.” He shrugged as if he didn’t care, but his stare wasn’t as hard as his tone. “Then I came back and she couldn’t handle the new me. Didn’t want anything to do with the mess I’d become. She left, and I’ve been keeping to myself ever since. It’s better that way.”
Her heart twisted. That was the second time he’d said that. All because some weak-bellied girl hadn’t been able to handle the terror that men like Jake often brought home with them. She’d left him all alone without a second glance. The little bitch.
“Did you love her?”
His fingers flexed on hers. “No. I don’t think I know what love really is,” he admitted, avoiding her gaze. “And I don’t want to, either. I don’t need it. I’m not the loving—or lovable—kind of guy. I think I showed you that earlier.”
She hated this faceless woman for doing this to him. For making him think he didn’t need someone in his life. Now, more than ever, Tara wanted to get him into bed with her. He needed to see that he could still be loved. Could still love.
She ran her thumb over his knuckles. “How long ago was that?”
“A year or so.” He lifted a shoulder. “Why?”
“And have there been…” She broke off, not sure how to ask this question without sounding nosy. “Have there been other women since her?”
He rubbed his jaw and turned away, giving her all the answer she needed without saying a word. “Jesus, Tara. Who the hell asks a guy that kind of question?”
“Me.” She locked in on him. “There hasn’t been anyone, has there?”
“You already know the answer, I’m sure.” He rocked back on his heels. “But if you need to hear it, then no. There hasn’t been anyone else.”
He hadn’t been with anyone for a year? That was a heck of a long time for a man who was as sexy as him. “There’s been no one at all? Not a one-night stand?”
He shook his head.
“…But you’re hot.” She let her lashes drift down. It was time to give in to the undying need to be in his arms. It was time to submit. She toyed with the hem of her shirt. “Really hot.”
He met her stare dead-on. “As I showed you earlier, I’m a bit different in the bed than I am out of it. When I fuck a woman, it has to be my way. Things have to be my way, without reservation, or I’m not interested. I don’t give women control over me. Not anymore. It’s not easy to find women who are willing to do that.”
She moved away slightly. Her whole body responded to his words, volunteering for the role of his lover without a single freaking sound. “That must be hard.”
“You have no idea how hard I—no, it is.”
She turned back to him quickly. “Was that another joke?”
