This wasn’t the sort of thing you discussed on a date. She knew it but still, she answered truthfully. “No. I’m not happy.” She raised her head, feeling like a fool. “I’m sorry. This is weird. Not the typical thing to discuss.”
Raymond shook his head. His dark eyes clouded with sympathy. “Actually no. It’s not strange. I completely understand.” He sipped his drink and let out a low sigh. “I’m sort of relieved you said that. You see, Larke, you’re the first woman I’ve been attracted to in a long time. I get how you feel because I’ve been trying to convince myself that I’m over my ex-wife. I’m not.”
“I was an experiment? A test date?” she asked, slightly hurt and feeling her ego disintegrating into ash.
“Not at all,” he rushed out. “You looked so nice and seemed like a genuine person. I wanted to get to know you better. But when we’re both in love with other people…”
Larke shook her head and let out a harsh laugh. What a strange situation. “Are we pathetic or just plain sad?”
Raymond quirked his thick brows. “I’d say both.”
After that revelation, Larke felt more at ease, so much she accepted his invitation to catch a movie the next weekend. As friends. Which was perfect since her only good friend, Riva was on vacation.
Although Chase continued to occupy a secret part of her heart and mind, that didn’t mean she had to live her life around his rejection. In no time at all, she’d be able to think of him as a fond memory. She’d be able to view her naked body and no longer recall every spot on her skin Chase had touched, kissed or licked. Bring herself to orgasm without sighing his name in throes of ecstasy.
Soon.
