Page 85 of Beautiful Distraction

“Let me guess, no strings attached?” I can’t believe I’meven considering this when I should be smacking him.

“No strings attached.” His eyes bore into me. His gaze is sopenetrating, I can almost feel him inside my core, and he isn’t even touchingme. “That’s all I’ll ever be able to give you.”

“I don’t even know you,” I say stupidly, like people onlysleep with people after having read their résumé. “I shouldn’t be staying herealone with you.”

“You knew me well enough to let me go down on you,” Kellanremarks.

My jaw drops.

“The way I see it, you don’t need to know me to fuck me,”Kellan says. “So, what do you say? You get the vacation you wanted, and I getto teach you all about sex. Good sex.”

I have no doubt about that. Like my mother once said, guys likehim are the building blocks of the fond memories that keep us all wet andwrithing through years of doomed marriages and monotony.

I sigh.

If I’m to enter something I’ve never experienced before, I needto do it on my own terms.

“Tell me something about you,” I say.

“What do you want to know, Ava?”

“Are you dating anyone?”

“I told you I’m single. I’m a lot of things, but not acheater,” Kellan says.

I stare at him as I try to read his features. His expressionis honest. Suddenly, the million obstacles in my head seem to evaporate. “Good.Because I don’t condone cheating.”

“Because of the ex you told me about?”

I shrug, as though it’s not a big deal when it is. A hugeone. “It’s the past. A long time ago. Doesn’t matter. There were others since.Nothing serious though.”

His eyes narrow slightly, but he doesn’t press the issue,for which I’m grateful. My demons are mine to exorcize.

“Anything else you want to know?” Kellan prompts.

I shrug and look away, as though I’m pondering overpossibilities and choices, when in fact I know exactly what I want to know.“What were you doing in New York?”

I could have asked anything in the world, and yet the onequestion he evaded before is the one I need answered.

Because to fuck him, I need to trust him. I need to trustthat he’s open and honest.

His stance changes instantly. His shoulders are tense as heturns away from me. “Business.”

“What kind of business?” I persist.

“Ava.” His tone is clipped, betraying his hesitation andinner turmoil. I know it’s not my place to ask, and it’s most certainly none ofmy business, but I can’t justnotknowanything about him. I can’t be detached like that. My body might not mind, butmy head doesn’t work that way.

Our gazes meet in a fierce but silent battle. For a splitsecond, his eyes shimmer with stubbornness. Irritation. Even animosity.

I speak first. “I need to be able to trust you.”

He blows out a breath and rakes his fingers through hishair, the tension in his shoulders magnifying. “Let’s just say badinterpersonal decisions. Relationships are great as long as they don’t turnbad. And in the end, all turn to dust.”

Marriage?

Imminent divorce?

I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t.

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