Don’t fall for it, Jordan. He’s just looking for someone to help him out of this situation. He doesn’t really want you. He’s never been with a woman in his life, and you’re not going to be the one to change him. Niall Kerry isn’t cut out for relationships, and you’ve had enough of men. It’s not worth the effort.
“We’re friends, Niall. Nothing more,” I say, wanting to make myself clear.
He reaches towards my face and tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear. He smiles at me, resting his palm against my cheek.
“You know that’s not true.”
“I need it to be true, or I can’t let you stay here.”
He lets his hand drop, smiling – although the smile has wavered a little.
“I’ll let you believe it, Jordan. But I’m here, in the evening, on your sofa – and you’re naked under that hoodie.”
I feel my face flush violently.
“And I like the fact you’re naked underneath it.”
I let him speak, drawn in by his charm.
“It wasn’t like this with the other women.”
“How was it, then?” I ask, stupidly.
“They wanted to impress me, to sell me this perfect image of themselves. They wanted to give me something that they weren’t – something I didn’t want. It took me twenty years to realise that,” he says, bitterly. “Then I met you.”
My heart slams against my ribs.
“You, and your well-pressed suits, and your glasses, and your neat hair, always pulled back. And this,” he says, smiling. “Your tracksuits, your oversized sweatshirts – and your nipples, which I can see through the fabric, by the way.”
I let his words run gently down my spine.
“And the way you eat, the way you speak, the way you…breathe.”
“Aren’t you taking this a little too far, now?” I say, trying to steer the conversation into a less dangerous direction.
“Definitely not.”
“I’m not what you’re looking for, Kerry.”
“That’s the amazing thing: I never thought I was looking for anything at all. Not until I found you.”
“Seriously, you have to stop this, or…”
“Or what? You won’t let me near you again?”
“E-exactly.”
“Help me,” he says again.
“You know I’ll always be here for Skylar.”
He shakes his head. “Helpme.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Help me work out where I got lost, and why I can’t turn back.”
I smile bitterly. “You can’t turn back because it’s impossible, Niall. What you’ve done, the path you’ve chosen…well, that’s it now. You can’t go back and change it.”
