Page 450 of His Virgin Romance Series

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“We’re past the point of personal now, man,” I pointed out. “What’s the question?”

“How do you feel about Brie?” Ben asked curiously.

I paused for a moment. “She’s… Well… I like her. I’ve always liked Brie.”

“That doesn’t say very much,” he said. “I’m asking you what your feelings towards her are?”

I sat back in my chair, feeling a headache come on. It felt like there was a throbbing at the back of my head. “It’s complicated,” I said at last. “I’ve known Brie since I was eighteen and she was fourteen. In some ways, I’ve watched her grow up.”

“She’s not fourteen anymore,” Ben pointed out. “Why are you so hung up on the girl she used to be?”

“It’s not that,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s me… I’m not sure I’m the kind of guy who can commit to one woman. And even if I could, I have no idea how I’d be in a relationship. I’m more likely to ignore her after the first few months. I just don’t want to attempt something I know I’m not going to be good at…not with Brie.”

“So you’re trying to protect her from yourself?”

“Yes,” I said. “She’s special, and I don’t want to hurt her. And not just because of Jason. Because she’s a good person, she’s a kind person, and she deserves to be happy.”

Ben looked at me carefully for a while. “I feel like there’s history between you two.”

I bit my lip. “I wouldn’t call it history,” I clarified. “But we did kiss one night six years ago.”

“And, have you thought about that kiss in the past six years?”

“More often than you would believe,” I admitted.

He raised an eyebrow. “I think that means something.”

“It means I’ve idealized the whole thing,” I said. “That kiss was a mistake, just like last night was a mistake.”

“You’re saying it wasn’t any good?”

“Please,” I scoffed. “The sex was amazing…probably the best sex I’ve ever had, actually. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m saying that crossing that line with Brie was a mistake. We should have just stayed friends.”

“I wasn’t aware you were friends with Brie.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on,” he laughed. “She’s been here more than two weeks, and you’ve barely spoken to her. You haven’t even had a meal with her. Apart from that one conversation the day she arrived, when did you make the attempt to welcome her to your resort?”

“I was busy,” I said.

“Wouldn’t you have carved out the time for Jason?”

“Yes…”

“But not for Brie?”

“Brie’s different,” I said lamely.

“Brie’s different because you want to sleep with her,” he said bluntly. “Which is not a problem you face with Jason.”

I wanted to deny it, but even I couldn’t make myself lie that blatantly. “If you have a point, I suggest you get to it fast.”

“You’ve been wanting to sleep with Brie for years,” Ben said. “Probably since that first kiss, probably since before that kiss. When she showed up here, older and more confident, you were immediately attracted to her, so you decided to keep your distance. Except you didn’t do a great job of staying away from her. So you finally slept with her after years of thinking about it. I guess my question is, is the interest in Brie gone now? Was she just an itch that needed to be scratched?”

I had never considered that before. I thought about it, but my mind couldn’t seem to settle. Was that the real reason I had snuck out of Brie’s suite this morning? Was protecting her just an excuse, or was it the more convenient way out? At this moment, I wasn’t quite sure.

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