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Maybe he was right. “You want to go get a drink somewhere?” The second I asked the question, I realized I hadn’t tried to spend time with him once in the last five years. We didn’t even celebrate Christmas together. I just saw him at the casino…and that was it.
“Yeah.” He looked me in the eye, his expression softening. “Let’s do it.”
My men cleared out the few people hanging in the bar so we could have the place to ourselves. I frequented a few establishments in the area, so the businesses always knew how to handle my appearance. I always paid a service charge for the inconvenience they were causing to other customers, and since it was such a handsome price, the owners didn’t care.
We sat at the bar, keeping an empty stool between us. I ordered a scotch. He ordered a Jack and Coke.
The TVs were off, and the music in the background was dimmed to my preference. When I glanced at the time on my watch, I knew Carmen would be returning to the penthouse at any moment. I wondered if she would call me and ask where I was.
Sometimes, she showed her jealousy. Sometimes, she showed her concern. Sometimes, she showed her strong attraction. In every instance, it made me feel more like a man than any other woman had.
Ronan wiped his finger along the rim when he was drinking, his eyes watching his movements.
Now that we were together, we should talk. It seemed like we were starting from the beginning, getting to know each other for the first time. “How’s Giada?”
“That’s over,” he said quickly. “She could throw her legs behind her neck, but the sex went stale pretty quick.”
Sex with Carmen wasn’t remotely close to being stale. It seemed like it’d just started. “Did she take it well?”
“No,” he said with a sigh. “Most of them don’t.”
I drank from my glass. “When you tell them it’s never gonna go anywhere, it seems to make them want you more.”
“Unfortunately. So, what about your woman?” He lifted his gaze and looked at me.
I had told him about the other women I’d screwed, but sharing the details of Carmen’s perfect body seemed wrong. Confiding our intimate moments, like her dirty talk and the way she was so wet for me seemed like a huge invasion of privacy. I never considered myself to be a gentleman, but I wanted to be a gentleman for her. “I’m still seeing her.”
“How long has it been?”
“A month.”
“Wow.” He raised his left eyebrow. “That’s a really long time.”
Not really. But for me, that was practically an eternity. “It’s strange because it seems like it’s only been a week.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
It’d definitely been flying.
“So what is this?” he asked. “You said it was just a fling, but it doesn’t seem like it.”
I wanted to shut down the conversation because this wasn’t a subject I was excited to share. But since I had a lot of making up to do, I had to start somewhere. Carmen wanted to draft that stupid contract to ensure her freedom, so Ronan would have to be aware of the relationship at that point anyway. “It’s more than a fling. But not much more.”
Ronan stared at me like he wanted me to elaborate. “She must be incredible to keep your attention this long.”
“She is incredible.” I blurted out the truth without missing a beat. “One hell of a woman. She tells me off one minute, then she’s all over me the next. She’s got a fiery attitude that makes her innately alluring. She doesn’t put up with bullshit—not even from me.”
Ronan raised an eyebrow as he looked at me.
“What?” I asked, unsure why he was surprised by my words.
“It’s interesting…”
“What?”
“Not once did you describe her physical attributes. All you said was she was an amazing woman because of who she is…” His smile widened. “Definitely seems like more than a fling now.”
I didn’t even notice the way I described her until he pointed it out. “I respect her. I’m not ashamed to admit that. She’s different from the other women I meet. Instead of being obsessed with my money and power, she’s indifferent to it. She’s independent and self-sufficient. She doesn’t need a man for anything because she can provide everything herself. It’s…sexy.”
“That is sexy,” Ronan said in agreement. “I haven’t met a woman like that. Well, besides Mom.”
Our mom had been the same way, hustling to give us a better life. She worked her ass off to make sure we had what we needed. She paid all the bills, got us through school, and she never needed a man for help.
I’d never noticed the similarities until now.
Maybe that was why I was drawn to Carmen so much—because she had my mother’s spirit.
