Page 40 of Playing a Player (Sweet Cravings 1)

"Well, I thought she was really great."

"If you like her so much, you can date her."

I laughed. "You wish."

He laughed too. "Yeah, I wouldn't protest against that."

I rolled my eyes. "You're such a slut, Rory."

"A slut?" He raised his eyebrow at me.

"Oh, don't look at me that way. Guys can be sluts too."

"How does wanting to see two girls make sweet, sweet love make me a slut?"

"Sweet, sweet love?" I scrunched up my nose. "And what would you know about that? You've never made love to anyone in your life."

"You don't really know that much about me, Keira." He leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

"What, you're telling me that you've been in love? I don't even believe you." I so badly wanted to know this information. I was quickly losing my grip on the situation. Especially when he was this close to me on the couch. I swallowed hard. I wanted to know everything about him.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I went out with this girl my first two years of college."

If I had been in a cartoon, my jaw would have dropped to the floor. "So you do date?"

"No, I did date. Huge difference."

"What happened?" I tried not to sound too eager.

"It was a long time ago."

Shit. I needed to know. "It couldn't have been worse than how any of my relationships ended. Seriously, what happened? Maybe a female perspective on the situation is what you need."

"I don't really need another perspective. She cheated on me. End of story."

So that's it. He doesn't trust women. He keeps his distance because he doesn't want to get hurt again. I suddenly felt awkward, sitting there analyzing him. "Sorry, that sucks. It's definitely her loss, though. Because you're awesome to live with," I quickly added.

Rory smiled at me. "Thanks."

"So, be nice to the girls you bring home, but don't talk to them for a long time?" I needed to get out of there. He was sexy, and funny, and broken. I loved dating guys that needed help. It was my weakness.

"That would be great."

"Okay," I said and touched his knee as I stood up. "I'm going to go get some work done. I'll be better behaved next time I meet one of your lady friends." I smiled at him and disappeared into my room.

Chapter 19

It was only 5:30. Emily wouldn't be home from work for at least another hour. I picked up my cell and dialed her home number before I could change my mind.

"Hello?" Jim said after a few rings.

"Hi, Jim, it's Keira."

"Oh, hey. Emily's not home yet. I'll let her know you called."

"Actually, I was hoping to talk to you. I was trying to follow your advice. But I'm worried I'm just going to be put in the friend zone."

Jim laughed. "If you're worried about that, then you're doing it all wrong."

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