A Convenient Arrangement(8)

He wanted her. Even while he was preparing to duck out of her apartment, like a jerk, he wanted her. He wanted to crawl back under that blanket, spread those white thighs, and climb between her legs. Instead he pulled his jeans up and over his hips, tucked away his sex, and pulled up his zipper.

He turned to Gwen, all milky-white princess meets sex-goddess with lush red hair. Her blue eyes caught and looked deep into his. He dropped his gaze. Her eyes held questions. Too many questions that he didn’t want to answer. He didn’t want to see the disappointment and sadness in her eyes because he couldn’t give her what she wanted. Last night wasn’t the beginning of a relationship, at least not for him. He simply wasn’t that type of guy.

“Thank you,” he said, leaning forward to brush his lips against her forehead.

She pulled her lip beneath her top teeth and tilted her head.

Don’t ask, please don’t talk about this. Leo wanted to pretend this sexy interlude had never happened. Chalk last night up to a New Year’s Eve mistake, a little too much champagne taking them way beyond flirting. He grabbed his jacket and turned toward her bedroom door, hopeful he could escape into the new year without having to talk over the events of last night.

“Just so you know, I hope this won’t be awkward between us.”

Leo stopped, his shoulders slumping. Conversation front and center. He glanced longingly at her front door, just down the hall from where he stood in Gwen’s bedroom. So close and yet…he turned toward Gwen. Paradoxically, at the sight of the thin blanket draping her curves, the urge to rush back to bed, take her into his arms and press his lips to her breast, burst through him again. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“Aubrey is the best friend I’ve made in New York, and I really like Shelly and the rest of your family.”

“I know they all love you.”

“Right, so do you think we could keep this between us? This…mistake?” Gwen’s smile, which hadn’t wavered, took on a rueful cast.

Leo’s heart stopped. Wait? What? Gwen thought sleeping with him was a mistake? Two minutes ago that was exactly what he thought he wanted to hear. But now he stood stunned. “Uh…” His eyebrows creased. He’d braced himself for questions, and recriminations, possibly even tears about what a cad he was, how uncaring and unfeeling. Now he didn’t know what to say. This wasn’t how this conversation was meant to go.

“I was hoping maybe we didn’t have to tell anyone. When we see each other again, could we act like this never happened?”

Leo’s heart lurched in his chest. Gwen didn’t want a relationship with him?

Why wouldn’t she want to be with him?

“I mean,” she twisted a piece of hair between her fingers and then looked up at him through her eyelashes, “I don’t want a relationship right now, and I definitely don’t want to mess up my friendship with Aubrey. Do you think you could do that? Pretend like this didn’t happen?”

“Uh…” Wow. Was he completely off the hook with this one-night stand? This had to be the perfect solution to what he thought had been a terrible mistake. Then what was this squeezing feeling in his chest?

“I mean,” Gwen continued, blinking, “It’s not you, it’s me.” She shifted and stretched her arms up over her head, turning her head to one side.

Kazow! His entire body zinged as the outline of her fabulous body pressed against the blanket. She yawned and snuggled into her pillow.

“You’re a great guy and all, but really, I mean, I’m just not into the idea of a relationship right now.”

“Uh, sure.” Leo finally found his voice, matching his casual tone to hers. He would never have guessed last night would mean so little to Gwen. Hmm, maybe he’d completely misread the type of woman she was? She seemed like a get married and get settled type of girl, not a woman who wanted to play the field. “Yeah, no problem. I’m completely down with playing this like nothing happened.”

But he wasn’t. That was a lie. The minute Leo got what he’d wished for, a get-out-of-jail-free card, he was hurt. Discovering that this, tonight, him buried deep inside Gwen and her whispering his name, meant so little to her that she wanted to pretend for the sake of her friendship with Aubrey that it had never happened, left an empty pit in his stomach. He wasn’t happy that he’d gotten exactly what he wanted.

“Great.” A lazy, sexy smile crossed her face. “You’re the best. I knew I could count on you not to make last night into something it’s not.” She reached down and pulled the duvet up over the blanket to her chin, then fluttered her eyelashes and yawned again. So damned sexy, but also cozily adorable, like a kitten ready to purr. Again Leo fought the urge to climb back into Gwen’s bed. “You can let yourself out, right? I’m not quite ready to start my day.”