12 Inches (A Secret Baby Dark Romance)(22)

“Very funny, Abby,” he takes another step toward me, and I bite my lower lip as I feel my pulse speeding up hastily. I can’t believe that I’ve just woken up and I’m already as wet as an Olympic swimming pool.

“But, really, what was that all about?” I ask again, curiosity creeping over me. I mean, it’s not like we’ve entered a relationship, right? So why is CJ so worried about me spending the night here with Aidan?

“CJ worries,” he tells me. “A lot,” he then adds, exhaling and looking down as if he’s trying to look for the right words. “Look, you know I have a reputation.”

“A man that fucks like you do has to have a reputation,” I blurt out, feeling warm blood rushing to my cheeks. I can’t believe that I’ve just put it out like this, but it’s the truth nonetheless; you can’t become a god between the sheets without getting a reputation along the way, can you? It’s not like I expected him to be a choirboy.

“Well,” he shrugs, “I guess CJ is just worried… She doesn’t want me to fuck this up. Again.”

“Jesus, it’s not like you’re a complete fuck up, Aidan.”

“Yeah, tell that to all the authors and photographers that have me blacklisted,” he says unapologetically, turning away from me and sitting back down on his chair. He props his feet up on the desk and, lacing his arms behind his head, he leans back and sighs.

“Hey, I get it, Aidan. I’m not easy as well,” I say, having no idea about why I feel so comfortable talking openly with him. He just snorts, though, as if I’m telling some kind of joke.

“What? Don’t tell me you’ve ruined your publishing deal because you like cocks too much,” he chuckles. I fold my arms over my chest and stare him down until he realizes I’m being serious.

“It’s not like that. Although you could say I lost my publishing deal because my boyfriend liked women too much,” I say. He narrows his eyes, and I can almost see the gears inside of his head turning. “Sorry, I mean, my ex-boyfriend,” I add, and that easy smile of his returns to his face.

“Some men just can’t keep it in their pants, I guess” he shrugs, but then his smile turns into a wicked grin. “I’m one of these guys, I guess. Although I’d never cheat on a girl. That’s fucked up.”

“It is, but… I guess it was my fault too.”

“Your fault? What did you do to the poor guy, beat him up every day?”

“No, of course not. Who do you think I am?” I blurt out before I even realize that he’s joking. “But perhaps I should have—he totally deserved it. Anyway, I’m not saying that it was my fault. Not exactly. What I mean is that… well, I don’t trust men. In fact, I don’t even like them.”

“You know, you moaned pretty hard for a lesbian, if you don’t mind me saying,” he grins, leaning further back on his chair.#p#分页标题#e#

“I’m not a lesbian, asshole, in case you didn’t notice,” I start tapping my foot against the floor in impatience, but I can’t stop myself now. I’ve started telling him all about this, and now I’ll finish it. “What I mean is that I don’t trust men, and I don’t like them more than I have to. It might sound cold, but I didn’t love Grady, my ex. I just… I don’t know, I tolerated him, I guess.” I stop, trying to look for the right words, but I don’t find any. “I don’t expect much from men, Aidan. Because men will always hurt you.”

“That’s pretty cold, coming from someone who comes up with happy endings for a living,” he says, and this time he isn’t mocking me.

“Yeah, that stuff is fine, but it’s just a fantasy. Escapism. I guess that’s why I became a writer; sometimes I need to escape to a place of my own, one where men aren’t assholes and don’t cheat on the women they pretend to love.”

“Well,” he sits up in his chair, taking his feet off of the desk, “I’d never cheat on a woman, although I’m still an asshole. So I guess I only half-fit that theory of yours.”

“You do, but you’re an alright asshole, I guess,” I smile, taking one step toward him. He goes up to his feet, and my heart starts picking up the pace as his shadow falls over me.

“That’s a pretty big compliment, coming from you,” he grins, closing the distance between us. “So what does this make of us? Damaged goods?”

“Maybe,” I nod, “but who cares? We’re just having fun, right?”