Page 110 of Secret Paths

She goes tense.

I regret the words before she even lifts her head.

“That is not a complaint,” I say.

Her eyes narrow, but there is less fight in them than usual. “It sounded like the opening statement for a noble speech.”

“I am trying very hard not to give one.”

“Try harder.”

“I only mean you do not need to shag me to get a hug.”

A flicker of something crosses her face.

Amusement, maybe.

Panic, definitely.

“Good to know,” she says. “Do you have a loyalty card system, or is it hugs on demand?”

“There may be a form.”

“I knew it. Men love paperwork.”

“I work in a bank for another few weeks. I have to maintain standards.”

Her mouth curves, but the smile does not last.

She lowers her head again, her cheek against my chest. “The sex was not exactly a hardship.”

“No.”

“Always so smug.”

“I was aiming for grateful.”

“You missed.”

“Story of my life.”

That earns me a soft huff against my skin.

For a while, we lie there without speaking. The rain taps at the window. Somewhere downstairs, a pipe clicks as the cottage settles into the night.

Mandy’s fingers move once against my ribs.

“I did not want to need anyone,” she says.

I look down at the top of her head.

There are too many things I could say.

Most of them would send her running.

So I choose the safest truth I have.

“I know.”