that he's here."
"Am I going to have a problem with him?"
"You will if you think you can make me see you when I've already told you I don't want to see or talk to you."
"I have no beef with your brother—"
"He'll have one with you."
"Then that will be a problem we'll have to settle between us. Make no mistake, Amber, I'm not afraid of your brother."
"Well he damned sure won't be afraid of you either, John."
"I don't want him to be. I just want him to stay the fuck out of our relationship."
"Excuse me? We were stupid enough to have unprotected sex three times. You treated me like a whore and then you walked out on me. We don't have a relationship."
Her words stung…hell. They hurt. She was the last woman I wanted to feel as if I'd treated her like a whore. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Amber. That was not my intention. I don't know how things went so awry. When we met, I wanted to be friends. I'm not sure what the hell happened but I know I do not think of you as easy and I damned sure don't think you're a whore."
I paced the balcony. "I'm aware that I fucked up more than once. I know you were right to insist I behave in a more sexually responsible way. I shouldn't have walked out."
"Why did you?"
I hesitated. If I admitted the truth, she'd know I was in over my head with her. If I didn't, I might find it impossible to repair the damage I'd done. "I felt as if you were using my feelings against me," I admitted.
"By feelings you mean your desire to continue to have unprotected sex?"
"No! That's not what I mean! Why the fuck won't you give me a damn break, Amber? I readily admit I screwed up more than once. I've done the only thing I can, apologize. Why are you so damned determined to emasculate me?"
I heard her catch her breath. "If that's what you think I'm trying to do, you should be glad it's over."
"It's not over."
"It is for me, John."
"Amber—"
And damn if she didn't end the conversation decisively by hanging up on me.
I clipped my phone to my waist and ran my hands through my hair. She'd sounded serious. The thought of not seeing a woman I'd only met two nights earlier again shouldn't have sent me into a near panic.
Fuck, you screwed up, Reddorn. I took several slow, deep breaths. They didn't help. I still felt as if…hell. I wasn't sure what I felt. I just knew I needed to see her to make things right. If I had to go through her brother to do it—so be it.
I turned and found myself facing Shane, who had quietly come out onto the balcony. I stared at him. "How long have you been standing there? Were you listening to my conversation?"
He nodded.
Infuriated, I curled my right hand into a fist.
He reached down to grip my wrist in an effort to keep my hand at my side. "If you're about to hit me, you should also be able to admit that she's important to you, Johnny. And if she is, you need to take a step back, get yourself under control and then regroup.
"Storming over there insisting she see you and forcing a confrontation with her brother isn't going to earn you any points. You're angry and she's probably hurt. You both need a little time to cool off."
I knew he was right but that didn't alleviate the urge to deck him. I jerked my wrist free.
He danced back and held his hands up, palms outward. "Get a damn grip, Johnny. I know you're angry and probably hurt, but you are not decking me."
I took a deep breath and stepped around him.
He again followed me into his living room. "Don't leave angry."
"Fuck off, Shane!"
"John!" He gripped my shoulders and swung me around. "You're behaving like Jonny. Shouldn't that tell you all you need to know about how you really feel about her? Hell, you're probably behaving worse than Jonny would in this situation. If he insisted he felt nothing special for a woman, he'd move the fuck on."
"Shane—"
"Think about what advice you'd give him in this situation and then take it. We both know you'd tie his ass down if he insisted on forcing a confrontation with a
"Am I going to have a problem with him?"
"You will if you think you can make me see you when I've already told you I don't want to see or talk to you."
"I have no beef with your brother—"
"He'll have one with you."
"Then that will be a problem we'll have to settle between us. Make no mistake, Amber, I'm not afraid of your brother."
"Well he damned sure won't be afraid of you either, John."
"I don't want him to be. I just want him to stay the fuck out of our relationship."
"Excuse me? We were stupid enough to have unprotected sex three times. You treated me like a whore and then you walked out on me. We don't have a relationship."
Her words stung…hell. They hurt. She was the last woman I wanted to feel as if I'd treated her like a whore. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Amber. That was not my intention. I don't know how things went so awry. When we met, I wanted to be friends. I'm not sure what the hell happened but I know I do not think of you as easy and I damned sure don't think you're a whore."
I paced the balcony. "I'm aware that I fucked up more than once. I know you were right to insist I behave in a more sexually responsible way. I shouldn't have walked out."
"Why did you?"
I hesitated. If I admitted the truth, she'd know I was in over my head with her. If I didn't, I might find it impossible to repair the damage I'd done. "I felt as if you were using my feelings against me," I admitted.
"By feelings you mean your desire to continue to have unprotected sex?"
"No! That's not what I mean! Why the fuck won't you give me a damn break, Amber? I readily admit I screwed up more than once. I've done the only thing I can, apologize. Why are you so damned determined to emasculate me?"
I heard her catch her breath. "If that's what you think I'm trying to do, you should be glad it's over."
"It's not over."
"It is for me, John."
"Amber—"
And damn if she didn't end the conversation decisively by hanging up on me.
I clipped my phone to my waist and ran my hands through my hair. She'd sounded serious. The thought of not seeing a woman I'd only met two nights earlier again shouldn't have sent me into a near panic.
Fuck, you screwed up, Reddorn. I took several slow, deep breaths. They didn't help. I still felt as if…hell. I wasn't sure what I felt. I just knew I needed to see her to make things right. If I had to go through her brother to do it—so be it.
I turned and found myself facing Shane, who had quietly come out onto the balcony. I stared at him. "How long have you been standing there? Were you listening to my conversation?"
He nodded.
Infuriated, I curled my right hand into a fist.
He reached down to grip my wrist in an effort to keep my hand at my side. "If you're about to hit me, you should also be able to admit that she's important to you, Johnny. And if she is, you need to take a step back, get yourself under control and then regroup.
"Storming over there insisting she see you and forcing a confrontation with her brother isn't going to earn you any points. You're angry and she's probably hurt. You both need a little time to cool off."
I knew he was right but that didn't alleviate the urge to deck him. I jerked my wrist free.
He danced back and held his hands up, palms outward. "Get a damn grip, Johnny. I know you're angry and probably hurt, but you are not decking me."
I took a deep breath and stepped around him.
He again followed me into his living room. "Don't leave angry."
"Fuck off, Shane!"
"John!" He gripped my shoulders and swung me around. "You're behaving like Jonny. Shouldn't that tell you all you need to know about how you really feel about her? Hell, you're probably behaving worse than Jonny would in this situation. If he insisted he felt nothing special for a woman, he'd move the fuck on."
"Shane—"
"Think about what advice you'd give him in this situation and then take it. We both know you'd tie his ass down if he insisted on forcing a confrontation with a
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