Dawson was going to ruin me for any other men. I didn’t want to wake up and have this fairy tale end, but I knew it was too good to be true.
So I told him the truth. I didn’t have anything to lose.
Chapter 10
Dawson
“Men like you aren’t real,” she said.
I scooped up water and drizzled it down her hair while I waited for her to elaborate.
“You dazzle on a Friday night. Then, showjustenough interest to get me hooked by Saturday.” Her tone changed. “ThenSundaycomes and you start texting back slower and slower until you forget to respond altogether. By Monday, you’re a ghost.”
My beautiful girl, Amy, had been burned before.
“I assume you’re speaking figuratively.”
“Yep. I’m speaking about the collective pool of mankind. At least the single ones. It’s my belief that all the good men get married young. Then they’re off the market. That’s why it gets harder and harder to find one as you get older. At this point, I’ve stopped looking for a man. And someone like you? There’s a reason you’re still single, and it can’t be a good one. So tell me the truth. Why hasn’t anyone tied you down yet, Dawson? You’re six feet of sex appeal, and you play the nice guy rolereallywell.I can’t imagine you don’t have women throwing themselves at you.”
I rinsed her hair again while I thought about my response. One of the things I liked about Amy was that she didn’t play games. She just said it like she saw it.
“I’ve been looking for someone who’s the right fit for me. It’s not just about… lust. Your lives have to merge well, too. And I don’t like game-playing. I’ve found that a lot of the women I’ve tried to date wanted to play games. As though that’s more exciting than settling down and having a lifetime commitment to someone. Underneath the jokes, I’m kind of a serious man when you get to know me.”
“And none of those women were willing to reform their game-playing ways for a man like you?”
I chuckled and gently squeezed her hair, getting the last of the shampoo out before moving on to the conditioner.
She moaned as if I were giving her an orgasm. The woman was starved for attention. Poor thing.
“Now that’s where you might run into one of my hangups. I haven’t been very forgiving in the past. If a woman started to show any hints of games, I’d just move on. Like a zero-tolerance policy. But unfortunately, it’s a good way to end up alone in life.”
A thoughtful look crossed her face as I massaged the conditioner into her hair. Then she said, “Maybe you prefer it that way. Like you’re renting a girlfriend for a while without having to make a commitment.”
I snorted. “You might have me confused with someone else. I’ve kind of written off women, just like you’ve written off men. But last night something came over me. I saw you, and I knew I had to get to know you better.”
She met my eyes, and I couldn’t get over this moment. She looked so beautiful and vulnerable in the water, staring up at me.I may have forgotten to keep my eyes shut, and she may have forgotten to reprimand me for that.
I ran my fingers down the pulse points on her neck as she asked, “So you don’t hang out at the Bear Den looking tocatch-and-releasea new woman every week?”
A tiny smile popped up on my lips. “No, ma’am. That was me in my twenties. Not now.”
Amy was absolutely stunning. A goddess before me. It took a valiant effort to keep my eyes from wandering to the naked expanse of her flesh, and I may have stolen a look or two.
Her breasts were two curvy temptations, and the dark hair between her thighs was singing a siren song to me. I wanted toexplorethis woman. My cock was throbbing so hard it was difficult to focus on the conversation.
“So no game-playing. Okay. What else are you looking for in a woman?” she asked.
You.
But saying that would be a good way to chase her off. It was too soon. We hardly knew each other, even though it felt like I’d known her for years.
Amy was drilling down deep. I had the feeling she was working from an invisible checklist to see if I met her parameters. She’d probably think it was funny to know that I had the same kind of list.
“You really want to know?” I asked as I started scooping water to rinse the conditioner out of her hair.
Amy didn’t say anything, silence was her clear response.
So after a moment I said, “My future wife needs to be pragmatic about life. With a healthy dose of fiscal responsibility. I don’t get into that traditional role shit where she sits at home spending my money while I work my ass off. I’m looking for equal contributions. Unless of course there’re children involved. I understand that might change some equations, and we’d haveto have conversations to see what she wanted to do about raising them. But shecan’tbe a spender. That kind of thing drives me nuts. I sound like a nutbag, don’t I? I promise not a Scrooge. I’m okay with spending money, but I like to do it responsibly. If I want something I save up for it. Andnodebt. That’s a tough one these days. Everyone has debt. But I believe in living within your means.”
