Page 67 of Fraud
I was power-hungry and starved to get back everything I was owed and damn well deserved.
So, I took the only plausible out I could fathom.
“I’m not sure I’m ready for a relationship, Kate,” I answered.
I could immediately see the disappointment in her eyes.
“Oh, okay. No, I get it.” She headed for the door.
“Let me explain,” I called out, reaching for her hand. The moment our fingers touched, I felt the sparks that had been surging around us since the moment we met.
Always fire and heat, electricity and chaos.
“It’s not you,” I said lamely, knowing it was the last thing she needed to hear. “I just moved here. I don’t even have a job, let alone a place to stay that doesn’t require a constant strain on my credit card.”
I sighed, knowing every single word I was saying was a lie.
I could have told her the truth. I could have bailed.
But, instead, I’d chosen the one thing that mattered more to me than anything else in this godforsaken world.
Myself.
“What I’m trying to say is, I don’t want to hurt you. A one-night stand, casual fuck buddies—that is where I’m at right now, Kate. If that’s not what you’re looking for, the best I can offer you is friendship.”
It was a long shot but one I was willing to take. If I knew Kate like I thought I did, she’d find it hard to say no.
“Friendship?” she replied.
“For now,” I answered, dangling the idea of hope before her.
I could see indecision in her eyes as those deep green irises met mine.
“I guess I could use a friend,” she agreed. “But we’re talking about normal friends, right? Not the kind that comes with benefits?”
I laughed. “Right.”
I talked her into staying until morning, not liking the idea of her driving home in the wee hours of the morning. But every moment seemed like torture.
Every laugh.
Every accidental brush of her skin against mine set my body on fire.
In that short amount of time, I quickly learned that friendship was just another word for torment.
And, boy, was I about to suffer.
