Beauty's Kiss(24)

“Most admirable,” he said, meaning it, finding everything about Taylor interesting and refreshing. “But you do know that Jane and I were friends before we dated, and we dated briefly as an experiment—an experiment that didn’t work out—but we managed to preserve and protect our relationship, so that we continue to be good friends today.”

“How long were you... together?”

“I don’t know that you could say we were ever truly together.”

“Jane was in love with you!”

He frowned. “I know she says that—”

“You doubt her feelings?”

Troy stifled a sigh. He shouldn’t have ever gone down this path. “No, I don’t,” he said firmly. “But Jane and I only dated for a couple weeks. Two and a half. Three. For a total of five dates. I knew it wasn’t right on date one, but I liked Jane so much. I liked her fire and ambition. She’s a great girl. Smart as a whip. It was easy to spend time with her. But at the end of the day, I didn’t have... romantic… feelings for her.”

Taylor stared at him from across the table, her eyes wide, expression somber. “Then you shouldn’t have slept with her.”

Troy nearly fell off his chair. “What?”

“You should never sleep with a woman you don’t have feelings for.” Taylor’s soft full lips pressed into a hard, uncompromising line. “Women fall in love through making love. It’s a bonding thing for us. Hormones and chemicals and—”

“We never slept together,” he interrupted, his own jaw set, suddenly irritated by the direction their conversation had taken, as well as Taylor’s low opinion of him. “We never had sex. Jane and I had too much history to just jump into bed together.”

For a moment Taylor said nothing, gazing at him intently from behind her big glasses.

For the first time since they’d sat down she seemed to have nothing to say.

Good.

He was fed up with this conversation, as well as having to defend himself. He didn’t even know why he felt compelled to defend himself to a little mouse. Except for some ridiculous reason he wanted her to understand how the relationship with Jane had been. Not how Jane had wanted it to be.

“Not everybody clicks,” he said crisply, battling his impatience and annoyance. “Not every man and woman belongs together.”

He saw a flicker in her wide green-brown eyes and a tiny pulse begin to dance at the base of her throat and he wished to God he could read Taylor’s mind right now and know what she was thinking. Feeling.

Did she truly have no feelings for him at all?

Or was she that protective of Jane?

Or was she simply... scared... that they were so different?

“A relationship can’t go the distance without friendship and mutual respect,” he said, “but there must also be chemistry.”

“Chemistry,” she repeated, before chewing on the inside of her soft lower lip.

He eyed the lip, seeing how her white teeth bit down into the pink plumpness and he wished it was his mouth on hers.

If only to know if they had chemistry.

It would be such a relief if there wasn’t anything between them. It would be the best thing for both of them if he kissed her and he felt nothing... absolutely nothing.

He should kiss her and find out.

Kiss her and be done with this foolishness.

They weren’t meant for each other. Troy didn’t do long distance relationships. Troy didn’t ever intend to live in Montana again.

“You didn’t have chemistry with Jane?” Taylor asked quietly.

“No.”

She fidgeted with the small ceramic saucer. “How did you know?”

“Because when I kissed her I felt...” He shook his head, not wanting to go there, not wanting to expose Jane but he felt caught, trapped. The villain and blackheart.

“Yes?” Taylor prompted, her voice but a whisper.

“Like her cousin or brother.” He hated saying all of this aloud. He wanted to protect Jane then, and now. “She’s smart and witty and perfect... for someone else, that isn’t me.”

He drew a deep breath, feeling awful. He’d disliked breaking the news to Jane eighteen months ago, and didn’t enjoy revisiting the topic now. “I ended it quickly with her. Perhaps that was the most hurtful part. We had a great date the Saturday night before, and she was expecting another great date, but instead over dinner I told her that although I cared for her, it wasn’t going to work. Would it have been easier by text or email or voice mail? Yes. But it wouldn’t have been fair to her. I don’t lead women on. It’s never been my style.”

For a long moment Taylor studied him, her fine arched brows pulled in concentration. “So you could just be friends with me?”