Page 79 of Don't Bet On It
He smirked, seemingly amused by my frustration. “We’re going to have our vegetables first this morning. We’ll head out to breakfast and talk. Depending on how the conversation goes, we’ll decide on the sex later.”
That sounded like zero fun. “I always hated vegetables.”
He laughed as if I’d said the funniest thing in the world. “Everybody has to grow up sometime, baby.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
He leaned over and kissed my forehead, catching me by surprise with the tender action. “You’ll feel better after breakfast.”
I had my doubts, but he was determined, so I merely nodded. “Breakfast it is.”
WE WENT TO ALEXXA’S, ONE OF MY FAVORITEbreakfast spots. It was on the Strip, so tourists were an issue, but I wasn’t worried about tourists seeing us. Even if they did and managed to place us, they wouldn’t care that we were together.
“So, what’s the deal?” I asked as I sipped my coffee. We’d already ordered. Now, we had nothing to do but stare at one another and contemplate the stupid things we kept doing.
Ronan’s smile was soft when he directed it at me. “Do you want me to ask which deal you’re referring to?”
“Let’s not playthatgame, huh?”
“Fine. We won’t playthatgame.” He licked his lips. “I don’t think I can stay away from you.”
The way he just blurted it out like that threw me. “You don’t?”
“I don’t,” he confirmed. “We’ve tried that, right from the start, and it’s not going well for either of us.”
“Yeah, it’s really not.” I sipped more coffee. “I’m still not in a place where I can be in a relationship.” I meant that. My head was all over the place these days. Sharon’s appearance meant that wouldn’t change. I had to get it together. It would take more than a wish to make that happen, though.
“I’m not in a place where I can be in a relationship either,” he confirmed.
“So what does that mean?”
“It means maybe we should try something new.”
My eyebrows moved toward one another. “Like what?”
“Like … maybe we should keep having sex.”
I blinked, unable to understand what he was getting at. “And then what?”
He smirked at my confusion. “And nothing. I’m not looking for a relationship. Neither are you. We’re obviously attracted to one another. What if we keep doing what we’re doing but without strings attached?”
Reality hit me in the face. “Oh.” I thought about it. “Friends with benefits, essentially.”
“Yes, but I would throw in a few rules.” Ronan was deadly serious. “The first is, to not turn this into a jealousy thing, I suggest we only see each other. The second somebody wants a real relationship with someone else, we end this arrangement and part as friends.”
The server picked that moment to arrive with our food, which I was grateful for. She filled our coffee mugs, checked to see that we didn’t need anything else, and then headed out.
“So we’d be faithful to each other?” I asked as soon as she was gone.
“I don’t want to worry about STDs. I’m a little old for that.”
I was right there with him. “So we’re monogamous but only until it gets to be too much for one or both parties.”
“That’s it in a nutshell,” he agreed. “Do you think you’re up for that?”
I dipped my toast in my egg yolk and took time to really consider it. “I haven’t dated anybody in a long time. This wouldn’t really be like dating, though.”
“It kind of would,” he hedged. “I don’t see any reason we can’t go to dinner and a movie. It’s just… I don’t want too many emotions getting involved. That’s where we’ll find trouble.”
