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“She’s beautiful,” she murmured, finally quieting. “Diana. She’s a gorgeous woman.”
“Yeah.”
“So what happened?”
He shrugged. “As much as I tried to convince myself what I was doing didn’t matter, I couldn’t follow through. It did matter and I couldn’t do it. Turns out my body’s not as stupid as my head sometimes.”
“She must’ve been pissed.”
“I’d say that’s a good bet. Probably why she didn’t break her agreement with me and let me hold on to my job. She just wanted to forget the whole night ever happened. She wasn’t the only one, believe me.”
“How mortifying.”
“It wasn’t one of my proudest moments. Not just not getting it up. Trying to get it up in the first place for a woman I couldn’t stand. Knowing I’d hurt you and hating myself for it. And it didn’t stop that night. Afterward, wishing I could take back what I said in my office. Dismissing you that way…” He blew out a breath. “I wanted to make you leave as quickly as possible for your sake, not mine. If I hadn’t had that little burst of conscience, I would’ve slept with you and done whatever I could to make you stay. But that wasn’t fair.”
“It also wasn’t fair to start something with me when you had one foot out the door.”
“No. But I’d agreed to the Sinclairs’ timetable of revealing the new positions.”
“Sounds like you got fucked as much as you did the fucking. If not more.” She held up a hand. “Don’t tell me you deserved it. Spencer, you’re seriously the most contrite bad guy I’ve ever seen.”
“What?”
“You want me to think that you’re such a heartless jerk but you’ve spent all this time in knots. Let me clue you in to something.” She leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “Real bad guys don’t feel guilty.”
“That doesn’t excuse my behavior.”
“Who said it did?”
“I knew you’d walk. I didn’t want you to. So add that to the examples that prove Spencer Galvin’s an asshole.”
“So wait. Now you expect me to be mad because you didn’t want me to leave you? Which I wouldn’t have done, by the way.” She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Your priorities could’ve used some work. So could mine. I kept a running list of guys I wanted to sleep with, even though it wasn’t really about sex. Not just sex,” she acknowledged when he raised a brow. “But I didn’t have the guts to admit what I needed. Then I dumped all my years of emotional angst at your doorstep, even though you were lucky enough not to be privy to most of it. We were together one week. Hardly long enough for me to build us up into some sort of twisted version of Scarlett and Rhett.”
“That week was the best of my life,” he said softly.
“Mine too. But we never got to know each other beyond work and sex. I don’t even know your favorite color.”
“Gray. Yours?”
“Purple. And you didn’t even laugh at that question.”
“Because I get what you mean. It would be smarter to start at the beginning. Go on a few dates, drink coffee, talk. Take it slow.” He cupped her shoulder, stroking his palm over supple leather and wishing it were her skin under his hand instead. “I can’t go slow with you, Kelly.”
“Who’s asking you to?” She reached up to cover his hand with hers. “What happened worked for me. All of it. Not the breakup part, but everything else. Sure, I’d like you to tell me things. I’d appreciate you sharing parts of yourself with me before I have to go for a crowbar or threaten to withhold sex. But we were a work in progress. I was willing to wait to see what developed.”
“I want you in my life.” He kissed her forehead, drawing her so close that her heart beat rapidly against his. “I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
“Including spilling your secrets in a restaurant parking lot.” Her grin came through loud and clear in her voice.
“Yes. And admitting to my many, many faults. Like being too secretive and closed off. And too obsessed with work. And too fixated on getting you naked.”
“That’s one of your best qualities actually.”
“Agreed.” He grinned. “Can I stop now?”
“No, keep going.” She tipped her head sideways and gave him a sexy smile he knew he’d never forget. “I’m liking this conversation.”
“Uh huh.” Another laugh escaped him. “You know, I think this is the longest we’ve actually had a conversation outside of work. Every other time we ended up in bed.”
