Chapter One
“The guys will be back soon,” Jake said, his hands canvassing my body. Hungrily. Greedily.
I smirked, fumbling with the button to his fly. “Then we better hurry.”
He was fit, and boy did he know how to fuck. He was a little younger than my usual, but hey, I didn’t discriminate. As long as he was over eighteen, not in a relationship, and not looking for one, it was all good.
“Or…” He took my hands, linking our fingers together, lifting them higher, away from where I wanted them. “You could come to my place tonight. Dinner?”
His expression was hopeful, too hopeful. I was beginning to think he’d gotten the wrong impression about what this was.
I trailed a finger down his bare chest, delighting in the way his nipples puckered. He really did have a nice body, even if he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. “What’s on the menu?”
“Well, I was thinking we’d drink some wine. I’d cook for you.”
This was all sounding good. I liked wine and hot men who cooked. Especially hot men who cooked and gave me orgasms. I could totally get behind this.
He stepped closer, grabbing my hips. “You could spend the night.”
And then he had to go and ruin it.
It was as if someone had doused me with a bucket of ice water.Spend the night?He’d clearly forgotten who he was talking to.
“Jake, sweetie.” I smiled, giving his chest a tap. “I don’t do sleepovers. You know that.”
“I thought maybe you’d make an exception—for me.” He blinked at me with those gorgeous green eyes, and just the thought of spending the night with him—with any man—had my heart squeezing in my chest.
I backed away a few inches. “I don’t make exceptions. I thought you realized by now that this is just sex. No strings. No feelings.”
He held my hands in his, his eyes full of hope. “Maybe it started out that way, but I want more.”
I let out a deep breath.Why?Why did they always have to go and catch feelings? Feelings ruined everything.
“It sounds like we want different things. But hey, it was fun while it lasted.” I gave him a flirty smirk, hoping he would focus on that instead of the fact that I’d just shut him down.
A look of pain flashed across his face. “So, that’s it? You’re really going to end this?”
“Yes, Jake,” I said, trying not to let my irritation show. I’d never been anything but upfront with him. I distinctly remembered telling him I didn’t date or do relationships. “This was just sex, and you said you were okay with it. More than okay, if I remember correctly.”
I smoothed down my skirt, then checked my lipstick in the small mirror I carried in my purse.
“I have a good job and a promising future. I could make you happy.” Other women might have been swayed by those arguments, but not me.
“You did—with multiple orgasms.” I turned on my heel, ready to walk away.
“You think you can replace me so easily?” he called.
And now he was just getting on my nerves. This was over; he needed to accept that. Better to rip off the Band-Aid now than have him holding out hope for something that would never happen. I’d learned that lesson the hard way.
Which was why I spun, looked him in the eye, and said, “I know I can.”
“Wow.” He stumbled backward as if I’d struck him. But when he recovered, there was a fire in his eyes. “Coldhearted bitch,” he spat.
I’d rather be coldhearted than brokenhearted, I thought as I heard the sound of approaching voices. His sneer only increased my resolve—what a punk. I turned on my heel, my head held high as I stepped over a two-by-four.
“Cock-sucking slut,” he called as a few of his coworkers came into view.
“I didn’t see you complaining when I was sucking your cock.” I threw over my shoulder with absolutely no remorse or shame.
