“Not going to happen,” I mumble, more to myself than to him.
“Now it’s my turn,” Kellan says coolly. “You told me your opinion of me, so it’s only fair that I tell you what I think your problem is.”
My breath catches in my throat.
I so don’t like where this is going.
“I’m not interested in what you think my problem is because I don’t have one.”
“You see, Ava,” Kellan says slowly, “you’re a good girl, which is why I irritate you. I’m the kind of guy you’ve avoided all your life. The kind of guy you’re too scared to fuck because you’re too scared to let go of your inhibitions.”
“That’s not true.” I open my mouth to protest some more. He presses the tip of his index finger against my lips, instantly silencing me.
“Don’t misunderstand me. You enjoy sex, and you look like you’re not half bad at it. But I’ll take you beyond the boring, predictable kind you’re used to. In fact, I can teach you a few things you’ll really enjoy. Things that will make your last orgasm seem like a waste of time. Then you’ll see why bad boys who are ‘too much for you’ always get the girls.”
Coming out of this jerk’s mouth, it all sounds like an insult.
He’s so right about me, I feel a strong need to vehemently deny it. But I can’t because he’d know. Sure, I have experience, but none of my previous partners had a body like his.
They all had been nice guys.
None of them had been arrogant and rich.
Or so fucking self-assured that I might just want to find out if his words carry any truth to them.
I’m about to tell him to fuck off in not so nice words when Kellan releases me, leaving me both breathless and strangely elated at the thought that he wants me.
He hasn’t answered a single one of my questions.
However, he doesn’t need to. It’s not like I’m interested in his life story or in his job. He’s looking for fun. That part’s pretty obvious. And as much as I’m trying to deny it, the truth is I’m into a bit of fun, too.
We might just have something in common.
Except I’m single and he is not. That’s never a good basis for anything.
To get involved with someone like him, someone to whom I feel an intense attraction, even if on a purely physical level, could mean that I might get attached along the way.
While people fuck, they also fall in love.
My world never splits its color into white and black. I always get trapped somewhere in between.
I can easily imagine myself falling in love with him.
And then what?
I’m not sure I want to take the risk of having to face that question.
In the silence of the room, Kellan busies himself around the kitchen. His sexy back is turned on me as he grabs the coffee pot and a tray with waffles, and then returns to the table, placing them in the middle together with a bottle of syrup.
When he sits down again, I can’t bear it any longer.
I need to know.
“How can you flirt with me so openly?” I ask. “You’re in a relationship.”
“I am?” He looks up, surprised. “Wow. I had no idea.”
My eyes narrow on him. “Well, are you?”
“It depends.” He tops up our coffee mugs, taking his sweet time, which annoys me to no end. “If you plan on marrying me, then yes, I’m already in a relationship for life. But if you’re just down for fucking, no, I’m not. Don’t get me wrong. I love relationships, as long as they don’t involve me, or kids. Or to put it another way, the only relationship I have is with my cock. I nurture it. I take good care of it. I teach women like you to have fun.”
Wow.
He sounds like a player, which was pretty much my first impression of him.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, and yet it does.
The news that he’s single is a relief, but it also leaves a burning question in its wake.
“What about the woman in the pic?”
“Which one?” He tilts his head, thinking.
“The one in the living room.” I frown. “Why? Do you have more than one?”
“Guilty as charged. I have keepsakes of all of my trophies,” he says smoothly, one brow raised. “But if we’re talking about the one in the living room, that’s my sister. I’m on the market today, happy to oblige.”
“Today?” I let out a laugh.
Who says that?
“And tomorrow,” he adds. “Obviously I want you to know what you’re getting into, considering that your friend and I talked about you after you went to bed last night.”
A whooshing sound bursts into my head, making it spin.
“Yeah, you keep mentioning that.” A long moment passes during which I consider my next words. “So, what exactly did Mandy say?”