“Tom’s such a dick,” he comments, shaking his head. “Forget it.”
But I snort with some gallows humor.
“You know, I dreamed about going out with Matt Callahan, the character Tom played on that hit series Marauder. Nothing in any of those fantasies got played out last night. Not one damn thing. In my dream, we walked along the beach, hand in hand, and then he drew a heart in the sand with his toe before getting on one knee.”
Bruce lets out a bark. “Tom doesn’t go out in the sunlight because it might cause a wrinkle to form. He never goes to the beach at all. In fact, he hates the sand.”
“Nice to know,” I say, laying my head on my knees with a sigh. “But the truth is, I found out I don’t like Tom Benning at all. And I think that meeting you, and spending time with you, was the reason why he was all wrong. Of course, he’s wrong for women in general, they just don’t know that.”
It’s difficult for me to maintain eye contact as I speak, and I can feel my cheeks burning up. I have no idea what’s going through Bruce’s head right now, and that worries me. I could pour out my heart to him, and I’m not sure it will make a difference.
“Oh yeah?” he asks as he holds my gaze.
“Oh yeah,” I echo. “You see, I don’t actually own the heart that beats in my chest anymore.” I’m starting to sound like some cheesy Hallmark card, but I don’t care. I have to tell him exactly how I feel, or I’m going to regret it.
“You don’t?” he asks with a little grin. “May I ask you who does own that heart?”
I nod. “I think you might know him. He’s this tall, muscular, hot as hell guy. He’s got a lot of sexual knowledge, too. He took me nine ways to Sunday, and I loved every last bit of it. And please don’t get me started on the taste of his come. Oh, I could live on that stuff.”
Bruce’s grin deepens as he takes me by the chin, pulling me closer. This simple touch, soft and delicate, is enough to send a shiver through my spine. My heart beats faster as our bodies gravitate together.
“I think I know a guy just like that. But I’m pretty sure he can be a real dick sometimes. Are you sure you want to leave your heart in the hands of someone like that?” he growls.
“He’s not just a dick,” I counter. “If you ask me, sometimes he’s a real son-of-a-bitch. Luckily, when he’s not being a dick or an SOB, he can be pretty badass.” I pause and look into his eyes. My heart beats a little faster as our faces draw closer and closer together. “And I miss that man just as much as I love him.”
Bruce’s breath hitches a little.
“He misses you, too. Just as much as he loves you,” he adds quickly. I blink, smiling through sudden tears.
“You love me?” I ask, my heart swelling.
He nods. “Can you forgive me?” He raises an eyebrow in question.
I’m in such a state of shock that I forget to answer him.
“Do you think you can forgive me, Katie?” he repeats. “So that we can get back to what we were doing before this whole mess happened?” He leans closer, his face practically touching mine at this point.
“Which was what, exactly?” I ask innocently, a naughty glint in my eyes. I know what he’s about to say, but I still want to hear him say it.
Bruce smiles. “Falling in love. Making a life together.”
My eyes widen. Okay, maybe not what I was expecting, after all. I wet my lips, my heart pounding so fast that I’m sure it’s about to beat out of my chest at any moment.
“Um, is that what we were doing?” I ask with a shy smile. “I’d love nothing more than to get back to doing that.” I pause, letting our noses press together in an affectionate manner. “But I still have to ask: why, Bruce? Why did you get cold feet and back away?”
He sighs, rubbing a hand over his face.
“I made a huge mistake, Katie. I thought you were exhibiting strange behavior when it came to your mom, and when you said Meredith was potentially moving in and joining the business, I kind of lost it.”
I look at him, flabbergasted.
“But what behavior? I don’t get it. What did I do?”
He sighs heavily.
“Remember the first day we met, how you had to call your mom to discuss my offer? I was weirded out by that because – well because, it’s an odd thing to do. Business deals get made in boardrooms, and not because someone needs to talk to their mom.”
A flush of understanding dawns on my face.
