Page 29 of What I Like About You

“Is there anyone on this resort you haven’t slept with?” she asked sharply.

“What?” he asked, taken aback.

“I just heard you say something to Leona about your night together. After you called her darlin’. And you called Drea sugar earlier. You just have names for everyone, don’t you?”

“Zara, I don’t understand. What did I do?”

“Apparently Leona!”

“Yes, Lee and I spent a night together. Years ago, when I first started working at the resort. There was a lot of rum involved,” he explained. “But we only hooked up the once.”

“And the names? You seem to have a pet name for everyone.” But me, she added in her head.

“Darlin’ and sugar aren’t exactly intimate nicknames. They’re fillers—I use them pretty generously. Lee and Drea are quite often on the receiving end, but it doesn’t mean anything,” he assured her. “You were raised in the south too, I would think you’d understand that. Both our dads call every woman they’ve ever met that.”

“You’ve never called me that.” She knew she was stretching it here, being upset with him over calling someone darlin’. But she couldn’t help it—she was hurt and she wanted him to know it.

“Zara, I will call you whatever you want me to,” he said, looking her straight in the eyes. The amount of emotion in them made her uncomfortable, but she wasn’t going to let him in on that. “Those are throwaway niceties I use to sound charming. You deserve more than that. You deserve to be called by your name.”

Well shit, there he was being sweet again. How did he always know the right thing to say? It didn’t make up for the fact that he hadn’t even acknowledged last night, though. He didn’t get to kiss her and then pretend like nothing happened. He didn’t get to apologize for keeping her in the shadows and then push her right back into them.

“Whatever.”

“No, not whatever, you’re upset.”

“Damn right I’m upset. You don’t get to kiss me last night and then flirt with models the next morning. A lot may have changed in the years we haven’t seen each other, but not that much. I am not that kind of girl!”

Not waiting for a response, she turned and stomped off. She needed a magic muffin and a tequila sunrise, and STAT.