across, he couldn’t rest until they were solved.
She didn’t sleep around; that much he knew. Of course this was good news and bad news. Bad news because it’d take him a while to get her into his bed. Good news because he certainly wasn’t planning to share her once he got her.
But would he ever get her? That was the real question. The one disturbing thing he knew for sure was he wouldn’t—couldn’t—give up. Simone had a hold over him that he didn’t like, couldn’t explain and couldn’t ignore.
The logical Alex he’d always known would do the smart thing and leave her alone. This new, smitten Alex couldn’t.
She required someone special. What did that mean?
Rich, handsome and charming alone didn’t do it; her rejection of Romero—assuming she’d really rejected him and wasn’t playing hard to get—had proved that. Same thing with gifts. She’d liked the flowers Romero gave her, but hadn’t gushed the way he’d expected. What more was there?
He turned to Laurel. “You don’t sleep with every man you date, do you?”
Laurel jumped and her eyes widened until he could see the whites all around her pupils. “You really need to work on your segues, Alex.”
“But you don’t do you?” he asked impatiently, sitting on the sofa next to her. “You want men who are special?”
There was a long, careful pause before she spoke. “Usually.”
That shut him up for a minute. If his sister was having one-night stands—even occasionally—he really didn’t need to know. “Well, what does special mean?”
“Different things to different women, Alex.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know!”
She spluttered for a second. Alex nodded encouragingly.
“Well,” she said, blowing out a breath, “he’s got to be sexy, of course.”
So far so good. He was pretty sure Simone thought he was sexy. Every now and then he’d see flashes of interest in her eyes, like that day he’d touched her arm.
“What else?”
“Some women want men with money—”
“No, not that,” he said sharply. “What else?”
“Well, for me, I’d want someone with a similar background and profession.”
His impatience grew. When would she tell him something he didn’t already know? “What else?”
“Intelligence, sense of humor—”
Uh-oh. Goodness knew he had intelligence enough for any six men, but sense of humor could be a problem. People usually didn’t get him, nor did he always get other people’s jokes. Still, he could try to lighten up a little. All was not lost.
“—and of course he has to be trustworthy.”
Alex’s hopes crashed through the floor and probably landed in China.
Trustworthy?
Squeezing his eyes tight shut, he resisted the urge to pound himself in the head with his fist. Great. He’d blown the trustworthy thing with Simone a million times over, hadn’t he? Vowing revenge, setting up the blog to punish her, announcing he had a history of hurting women. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
After a minute, a glimmer of hope appeared. Simone had confided personal information to him twice, hadn’t she? She’d told him she wanted a special man and that she could take care of herself. If she trusted him—even just a tiny bit—he could build on that, couldn’t he?
The crushing weight on his chest eased and he cracked his eyes open to find Laurel watching him with that familiar bemused expression.
“Am I a jerk, Laurel?”
Her faint smile vanished and she threw her hand over her heart. “No!” she cried. “You’re the most wonderful man I know! If only I’d married someone like you! ”
Mollified, he breathed a sigh of relief. His ego, bruised and battered by Simone and the results of his audit so far, began to recover. Still, he knew he was far from perfect.
“But…?”
Laurel hesitated and then pressed a soft hand to his cheek as if she wanted to protect him. “But you’re gruff and abrupt. You daydream and don’t listen. You don’t let people in. You think you know it
She didn’t sleep around; that much he knew. Of course this was good news and bad news. Bad news because it’d take him a while to get her into his bed. Good news because he certainly wasn’t planning to share her once he got her.
But would he ever get her? That was the real question. The one disturbing thing he knew for sure was he wouldn’t—couldn’t—give up. Simone had a hold over him that he didn’t like, couldn’t explain and couldn’t ignore.
The logical Alex he’d always known would do the smart thing and leave her alone. This new, smitten Alex couldn’t.
She required someone special. What did that mean?
Rich, handsome and charming alone didn’t do it; her rejection of Romero—assuming she’d really rejected him and wasn’t playing hard to get—had proved that. Same thing with gifts. She’d liked the flowers Romero gave her, but hadn’t gushed the way he’d expected. What more was there?
He turned to Laurel. “You don’t sleep with every man you date, do you?”
Laurel jumped and her eyes widened until he could see the whites all around her pupils. “You really need to work on your segues, Alex.”
“But you don’t do you?” he asked impatiently, sitting on the sofa next to her. “You want men who are special?”
There was a long, careful pause before she spoke. “Usually.”
That shut him up for a minute. If his sister was having one-night stands—even occasionally—he really didn’t need to know. “Well, what does special mean?”
“Different things to different women, Alex.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know!”
She spluttered for a second. Alex nodded encouragingly.
“Well,” she said, blowing out a breath, “he’s got to be sexy, of course.”
So far so good. He was pretty sure Simone thought he was sexy. Every now and then he’d see flashes of interest in her eyes, like that day he’d touched her arm.
“What else?”
“Some women want men with money—”
“No, not that,” he said sharply. “What else?”
“Well, for me, I’d want someone with a similar background and profession.”
His impatience grew. When would she tell him something he didn’t already know? “What else?”
“Intelligence, sense of humor—”
Uh-oh. Goodness knew he had intelligence enough for any six men, but sense of humor could be a problem. People usually didn’t get him, nor did he always get other people’s jokes. Still, he could try to lighten up a little. All was not lost.
“—and of course he has to be trustworthy.”
Alex’s hopes crashed through the floor and probably landed in China.
Trustworthy?
Squeezing his eyes tight shut, he resisted the urge to pound himself in the head with his fist. Great. He’d blown the trustworthy thing with Simone a million times over, hadn’t he? Vowing revenge, setting up the blog to punish her, announcing he had a history of hurting women. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
After a minute, a glimmer of hope appeared. Simone had confided personal information to him twice, hadn’t she? She’d told him she wanted a special man and that she could take care of herself. If she trusted him—even just a tiny bit—he could build on that, couldn’t he?
The crushing weight on his chest eased and he cracked his eyes open to find Laurel watching him with that familiar bemused expression.
“Am I a jerk, Laurel?”
Her faint smile vanished and she threw her hand over her heart. “No!” she cried. “You’re the most wonderful man I know! If only I’d married someone like you! ”
Mollified, he breathed a sigh of relief. His ego, bruised and battered by Simone and the results of his audit so far, began to recover. Still, he knew he was far from perfect.
“But…?”
Laurel hesitated and then pressed a soft hand to his cheek as if she wanted to protect him. “But you’re gruff and abrupt. You daydream and don’t listen. You don’t let people in. You think you know it
Similar Books
