“Rachel, I want to apologize for the way I acted the night of Mrs. Langley’s party.”
It took Rachel a second for his apology to set in, then another to get the meaning of what he was saying.
“I’d like us to start over, maybe go to a movie or out to dinner.”
She quit watering the plants. “Why?”
Cash cleared his throat. Was he pretending to be unsure of himself? Rachel didn’t think Cash had ever felt unsure of himself.
“Why do most people go on dates?”
“I know why most people go on dates, but you don’t. You pick the girl up, drive her to one of your spots, have sex with her, and then bring her home. It’s the same thing you always do.”
“That’s not true. I’ve—” Cash denied.#p#分页标题#e#
“Name one woman you’ve bought a burger for? A steak dinner? You can’t, can you?”
Cash’s mouth snapped shut.
“I didn’t think so. The most you’ve treated your women to is a picnic lunch Mag packed for you. I don’t even know why I called them your women; you’ve never laid claim to a woman, yet you’ve taken more than your fair share,” she said with a mocking voice.
“You have a really low opinion of me, don’t you?” Cash’s eyes searched hers.
Rachel gave him her honest answer. “I don’t have any opinion of you at all.”
He winced at her reply.
Once upon a time, she would have jumped at the thought of dating Cash, thinking she could be the one to change the bad-boy biker. Now, she felt nothing; absolutely nothing.
“I’m not a bad guy.”
“No, you’re not,” Rachel agreed. “You’re just not the guy for me.”
“How do you know if you don’t give me a chance?”
“I don’t need to stick my hand in a fire to know it’s going to hurt like hell,” Rachel replied mockingly.
Cash picked up a tendril of her hair that had escaped her ponytail, pulling it taut. “Sometimes, the best way to fight fire is with fire.”
She shivered at the warning in his voice. He was telling her that he couldn’t forget them having sex any easier than she could. Her nipples tightened under her t-shirt while she masked her reaction.
“And sometimes, the best thing to do is just pour a bucket of water over it.”
* * *
Cash stood, looking down at Rachel, his throat tightening. The young girl who had been in the background of his life for years was gone. Now, in her place, was a beautiful woman who stared at him with revulsion in her eyes. He had fallen off the pedestal she had placed him on, and there was no redeeming himself in her eyes.
She had excused his behavior as sowing his wild oats until he had taken her. Now, she saw herself as another woman he had used. Her witnessing him with Cheryl and Bliss had made her feel as if he had thought of her as one more conquest.
He turned away for a moment, staring down at one of the plants blindly. She had never been obvious about her feelings; she was too cautious for that. It had been the furtive, secret glances that had given her away.
He didn’t have to worry about protecting her from the lifestyle he led; she wouldn’t let him touch her now if he was the last man on earth. He had a big hill to get over with her, but he had come to realize she was worth it.
Cash liked that she didn’t take any of his shit, that she had a sexy as hell body, and she didn’t know it because she was more used to walking through the mountains than onto a dance floor. When he had fucked her, he had felt as if he was burning alive. He had been trying to recapture that same fire with numerous women since then. It was time to face what his body had been telling him all along and get to know the woman who had him by the balls.
He had faced insurmountable problems before. Hadn’t the past few months proven that? His doctors had told him he wouldn’t walk again, and he had proven them wrong. He would prove her wrong. He was the guy for her.
Rachel set down the watering can before going to the end of the row where she began potting the seedlings, ignoring his presence. He might as well have been invisible for all the notice she took of him. He was used to the shoe being on the other foot. He didn’t know which bothered him more: the fact she didn’t care he was there, or the disdain in her face when she realized he was.
At a loss, he retreated to his bedroom. He tired easily and needed to be around the exercise equipment at the clubhouse, but he had wanted to spend the night here after coming to his decision. Finding out she hadn’t ignored his accident had been a game changer for him.#p#分页标题#e#
When he had regained consciousness and Shade had told him Rachel had returned to town, he had been relieved. It had taken away the worry that he would be responsible if she had become hurt. Rachel was a country girl. She’d had a difficult time remaining away from home just to go to college; how would she survive in the real world? Not only had she survived, but she had outsmarted her brothers and him.