Yeah, she could have. And now I’m pissed. “Why didn’t you? I never would have pushed if I
understood.”
She shrugs, and I have to lean in to hear the whisper of her reply. “I know I’m not what you
expected. For one night, I just wanted to be what you wanted. And I really liked the way you looked
at me in that dress. It was ok…for a little while.”
Hands freezing over her back, I let the water run out as her words and the meaning behind them hit
me. Despite her apology yesterday, there’s been a low hum of anger under my skin all week. I don’t
get angry that often, and never at women. But she’s the only woman who’s ever avoided me. The
woman actually sprinted to the janitor’s closet. I’ve got a little more sympathy for Cara now,
remembering all those times Declan ran away from her.
That shit hurts.
“You’ve had me off balance for a long time,” I admit, scooping up more water and letting it run
over her shoulder.”
“You mean for the whole two weeks we’ve been working together?” She asks with a little snort.
It’s adorable.
“No, I mean for a long time. Months.”
She frowns, tilting her head back to look at me. “I don’t understand.”
“No, I suppose you wouldn’t.” How do I explain it to her? And how much of myself do I want to
give? Looking at her angry skin, I know I’m going to give her all of it…or try, at least. Because I’m
really fucking tired of denying the feelings that rush through me when I’m near her. Or when I see her.
Or when I think about her.
Which is all the time.
“It might surprise you to know I get what I want,” I tell her. She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I know.
Anything I’ve gone after, I’ve gotten. Money, business, women. All of it. So having you turn me down
for so long…even before I knew M. Miller was a woman, was annoying as hell. In most areas of my
life, things come easily. You, Maya Miller, are not easy.”
Slowly, carefully, she spins in the big bathtub, careful to keep her knees up. She settles facing me,
hands on her knees, chin nearly resting on top of them. Everything’s covered, and yet nothing is. I am
veryaware of how much lush, naked woman is in the tub. The lines of pain on her face have
smoothed, so I let my hands drop into my lap, barely considering the damage to my designer tuxedo
