Page 48 of Wild Card

“Your recent assessment gave me two more weeks of therapy. Once I’m not your patient, your time is up.”

“You read my assessment?”

“It’s in my patient file online.”

“But no one actually reads those.”

“I do, especially when it means something to me.”

“You’re a very puzzling man.”

“I prefer intriguing, charming, irresistible, appealing—take your pick or take them all.”

“Adding humble to that list. You know, I had time to think those few minutes, too. Outside your annoying habit of being bossy, you have a penchant for gearing the conversation away from yourself. ”

“You saying you want to know more about me?”

“I may not want to date, but we can still be friends.” She makes her statement with a straight face, but the slight hitch in her voice gives her away.

“Friends?”

“Yes, friends.”

“You fall asleep cuddled to all your friends?”

“Well, no, but once Lucas and I shared a bed?—”

“Shut it, Willow.” Irritation stirs in my gut.

“It was platonic. And technically, I didn’t fall asleep cuddled to you. You moved me.”

“Do you kiss all your friends like that?”

“You kissed me, and it can’t happen again.”

“Keep telling yourself that. Grab the leash and let’s get the beast out before I change my mind. Two damn weeks is a long time.”

“Fine, but it’s your turn to talk and share.”

“I’m an open book, babe. Tell me what you want to know.”

“And we need to set boundaries. No more babe, baby, angel, firefly, or any other pet names. And no touching.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” She does a shit job hiding the disappointment in her tone.

“You want to know about me, here’s lesson one. This is new, and for some fucking reason you are denying what we have happening here. I gave you the two weeks. In that time, I have no problem telling you what you want to hear.”

“Does that mean you’ll agree but really you plan to disregard my wishes?”

“You’re hurling sass and I’m about ten seconds from tackling you to that sofa and showing you how much I like it.”

“Talon, you aren’t tackling me!”

The countdown starts… ten… nine…

“Eight.”

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