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“Oh no, I very much do.” He took a step closer to me. “You see, in the process of showing you Windermere and the estate, my grandmother and her friends will talk and draw conclusions.”
“Absolutely not.” I shook my head. “No way. I’m not being a part of some conspiracy that we’re in a relationship.”
“You are free to deny it as much as you wish.”
“I said no. I know how those fake relationships end. I’m a romance writer.”
He fought back a smile. “It wouldn’t be a fake relationship. It would be an assumption by some crazy old ladies.”
I crossed my arms. “So I have to do the relationship version of Schrodinger’s cat to gain access to your house when I can just go into the public half, see it anyway, and go about my merry business?”
Max shrugged. “There’s also the matter of our mutual attraction.”
I eyed him. “What about it?”
“You’re the one who wrote that library scene. Surely you can figure it out.”
Was he—
Was he proposing that we sleep together?
“Are you proposing that we sleep together?” I asked, bringing my thoughts to my outside voice. “Youjustsaid that you’re single by choice and don’t intend to change that.”
“Ellie, I’m talking about casual sex. I’m not falling hopelessly in love with you.”
“You say that now, but I’ll have you know that I’m very easy to love.”
“I’m sure you are,” he said dryly. “But that’s not part of the offer.”
“I don’t have casual sex.”
Or any sex.
At all.
Wait, why was I arguing?
Ah, yes, because I was a romance writer. I knew how this story ended.
Spoiler alert: it wasn’t with two people parting ways after having nice, casual, no-strings attached sex.
“I think you’re crazy.” I crossed my arms, shifting my weight back and forth between my feet again. “You could barely stand to be around me a couple of days ago, and now you’re suggesting we have a physical relationship? You’ve lost your mind.”
Or I’d lost mine.
I was literally turning down sex.
With a hot guy.
Who was a duke.
It wasliteralwriting material, and here I was.
Insulting him.
Maybe I was a bit more like my heroines than I cared to admit.
Max’s lips twitched. “I’ll see you soon, Ellie.” He turned away and walked towards the front door, and I scurried after him.
