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It was a bit of a low blow, but it was all I had to really drive the point home. If Ryan wouldn’t take my word, then I had to use his own against him.
“What if my reputation is all off base?” He spat out the word reputation like it tasted bitter on his tongue.
I paused for a moment, pondering his question. Could his reputation be wrong, based on exaggerations and falsehoods, wishful fantasies, or maybe outright lies? I knew better than most people how the truth could be twisted and exaggerated, turned into a story that no longer resembled anything close to reality.
Was that the case here?
No, I’d seen Ryan in action. I’d watched the way he treated women, the way he flirted, and I’d heard what women said about his performance in the bedroom. Those things meant Ryan wasn’t selective when it came to sex and having it. I needed a man who could keep it in his pants, who wanted to only be with me and would be satisfied with that.
“Angel, would you believe me if I told you not to believe everything you hear?”
Ryan’s voice cut through my thoughts, and I looked up to see those gorgeous blue eyes looking down at me.
“You forget that I’ve seen you in action,” I said, my tone far less harsh than it had been a few minutes earlier.
“Things aren’t always how they seem. That’s my job, and I’m really good at it.”
I nodded and gave him a slight smile. “I’m aware.”
“Still not going to give me a chance, are you?”
Ryan sounded so defeated, I almost crumpled on the spot. Instead, I shook my head, afraid I might not be able to form the actual words to resist him again.
“I’m not giving up,” he said.
“You should.”
“I’m not a quitter.”
“And I’m not a pushover.”
He leaned in close, so close that I could breathe in his natural scent. “I never thought you were. You have one hell of a backbone, angel, and one day, you’re going to tell me exactly where it came from.”
I fought back a gasp as Ryan moved to press the button on the elevator, and the doors immediately slid open. He stepped inside, and the doors closed.
It was only then that I released a long breath and looked around, remembering that we weren’t alone. I glanced up and down the empty corridors, thankful that no one had heard our exchange.
Ryan Freaking Fisher drove me crazy and jumbled my emotions into a convoluted, confused mess. He refused to listen, just pushed and pushed and pushed, knowing full well that a woman had only so much strength before she caved. It was like he could smell my weakness like a shark scenting blood.
He seemed to be intrigued by me, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think that it was based in reality, no matter how hot it was. No, Ryan was attracted to me because I kept pushing him away. Guys like him were always drawn to the chase.
But I wasn’t playing a game. I didn’t want him to chase me. I wanted him to leave me alone.
He thought he was interested now, but I could imagine the look on his face the second I told him that I was a single mom. That charming smile would falter ever so slightly, and the sparkle in his gorgeous eyes would dull as the reality of my situation set in. I’d seen it all before, and I couldn’t bear to watch the disappointment transform Ryan’s face.
There was no way in hell a guy like him would be interested in dating a woman with a kid. I had what most men called “baggage,” but I’d never consider my son that. Matson and I were more like a package deal. You wanted me . . . you got a spunky eight-year-old too. You were lucky, not burdened.
It took a special kind of guy to see my situation in that way. And that guy was definitely not Ryan Fisher.
Forcing thoughts of Ryan from my head, I found Grant’s room and stepped inside.
“My angel! You are real. I thought that asshole was lying to me.”
Grant’s unexpected welcome made me laugh out loud as I stepped closer to the side of the bed.
“Hi, Grant. I’m so happy you’re okay.” I smiled, unsure whether I should sit or stand. “You are okay, right?”
“I’m fine. Because of you. You saved my life,” he said, reaching for my hand and planting a kiss on top of it.
