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Her expression remained totally blank. “And how are you planning to do that?”
He sipped his coffee. “I’ve got a map. A treasure map.”
He expected her to laugh in his face, but actually she smiled excitedly. “That sounds cool.” Her stern posture softened and she smiled into his eyes. “Look, what you did just now – saving the day – it was a bit of a shock, but most people wouldn’t ever dare to do anything like that. You’re a hero, Jake.”
“Nah, not really... Do you think so?”
She laughed. “Yes. And your treasure map sounds fun. I wish you luck with it.”
“Thanks.”
They shared a smile. He wanted to tell her more, to open up to her – she really seemed to understand him. But how could he tell her everything? That he’d been spying on her for his brothers. He felt like a slimeball.
She leaned forward. “Jake, you know when we kissed last night…”
“Jesus, how could I forget?”
“You seemed so tender… passionate. Gentle yet strong. It made me tingle all over.”
He laughed. “It made me more than tingle, Astrid.”
She bit her lip, making her look adorable. “If two people are very lonely, and just want to take comfort in each other’s arms, there’s nothing wrong with that. Is there?”
He gazed sadly at her. He was desperate to take her up on this suggestion – to carry her off into the sunset and make love to her all night. Even just once, to know what it was like. But there was no way… “Astrid, I’ve gotta be honest with you. I can’t give you what you’re looking for.”
Her expression morphed to disappointed. “You don’t know what I’m looking for.”
“You’re a nice girl. You want commitment. A dependable, reliable guy who can give you his all. But I can’t. That’s not what I’m about. There’s too much…” He shook his head.
“Too much what?”
“Bullshit.”
“Don’t you think you deserve to be happy?”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.”
He rubbed his brow. “I’m sorry… I can’t.”
She hardened her posture. “Okay. Message received.” She stood up. “I guess I’d better get going.”
“Sure, okay.”
“Thanks for the coffee.”
“No problem.”
“And for saving the day.”
He shrugged. “Just doing what I was trained to do…”
She gazed at him and opened her mouth to speak, but then she closed it again. Jake wanted to tell her how much he liked her, but how could he? He wasn’t the right guy for her. She was perfect. That was the problem. With his lifestyle and background, he’d only end up hurting her. She was too sweet. Too lovely.
He opened his mouth to say goodbye, but she suddenly leaned forward, threw her arms around him, and kissed him passionately on the lips – taking him by surprise and jolting him back to that gorgeous place she’d sent him to last night.
She stood back and studied him for a moment, then she walked away, pushing through the crowd, biting back the tears.
