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“I bet you were a jerk in high school,” Tierra muses.
“I’ve been a bastard for a very long time.”
“Liar.”
“You’d call me something worse?” I grin.
“No. Something better.”
I groan. “Tierra, don’t get me and Brett mixed up. I’m not hiding a secret wound that only love can fix.”
“I’ve got to believe there’s a heart beating behind all that,” she gestures to my broad shoulders and chest, “sex appeal.”
“That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“Shut up.” She smacks me.
I laugh. Flick the indicator.
Fabric rustles against leather as Tierra turns to me. “Fine. I’ll drop it.” She shakes her head. “But when you get tired of your little playboy mansion, call me. I’ll set you up.”
“I don’t think I’ll be making that call anytime soon.” I stop at a red light. Slam on the brakes.
“You scared?”
“Of you?” I pass my gaze over her. “Definitely.”
“No. Of having something real.”
I tighten my fingers on the wheel as Asia fills my mind. Something tells me that woman isn’t the type to play according to my rules. She’s got her head screwed on right. She’s got standards. Expectations. Basically everything I don’t want to deal with.
Or maybe I’m the one who won’t be able to keep the lines drawn. If just one look at her left me frozen in shock, she could do a lot worse given some time.
My lips inch up, thinking of how intelligent she was even when upset. She cut me to the quick in less than a minute and drew out the softest, most vulnerable parts of me.
It felt natural to share my hurt.
To be honest.
I didn’t hide anything. Didn’t try to dress up my scars.
Maybe because I could see how fresh hers were too.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been so real with anyone. Usually, when I meet a woman as gorgeous as Asia, there’s not a lot of talking involved. Not a lot of clothes involved either.
And I like it that way.
The only woman who could draw me into a raw, earnest conversation like that was Shar. We’d spend hours talking about everything—from stupid crap to the complexities of life to her favorite Disney princesses.
But Shar’s gone.
And Asia…
Doesn’t matter.
I’m not ready to join the Happily Ever After parade. The kind of settled, stable man that Asia probably gravitates towards is someone I can’t be.
“You’ve gone quiet,” Tierra muses. “Did I offend you?”
