Page 67 of Planned Seduction
“Picture it, me sitting with Vicky, telling her every time I saw you I got so horny all I could think about was screwing you. Does that sound like me? Does it?”
Amy stared at him, aghast.
He silently counted to ten, forcing himself to calm down. “Damn it, I told her she inspired me to change my life, to change my ways. I told her that her strength and will to live and enjoy life made me want to live my life to the fullest, and that I could only do that with you.” His chest filled with despair. “A ten-year-old can understand my feelings for you. Why can’t you?”
Her eyes burned bright with tears. Still, he could see the resolve on her face. She was slipping through his fingers.
“We’ve been friends for seventeen years,” he told her. “It’s not enough anymore. I love you and I want more. I want it all. I want to be your lover, your confidant, and your partner. I want you. All of you.”
“Please, don’t say things like that.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I know how emotional you were with Vicky. I know how involved you got, and I’m sure she inspired you. But you’re not being realistic. I don’t think you love me. I think you like the idea of it, though. I know you. You’ll grow bored and move on, and I can’t risk getting more involved with you.”
“You think I’m a risk?” He nodded as realization dawned. Her past was coming back to haunt them. “You’re equating me with Simon. You’re convinced I’ll hurt you like he did.”
“I think you’ll leave. You always do.”
He narrowed his eyes, reluctant to bring her father into the argument but knowing he had no choice. “I’m not your father, either. You’re not your mother. Our relationship is different.” He kept his tone gentle. “I understand you’ve been hurt before. But I’m different. You know that. You know me. I’m the guy you’ve counted on your whole life. The one who’s been there for you when those men weren’t. Bloody hell, you came to me for support when Simon cheated, you came to me for sympathy when your dad left. I was there. I’ll always be there for you.”
Amy was crying openly now. “As my friend. You were there as my friend. I could trust you then.” She wiped her nose on her arm. “But it’s different now.”
“Because we’re sleeping together? You trust me less because I’m your friend and your lover?”
“You leave your lovers, Dan.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You are. On Monday. With Janine.”
“Son of a bitch.” He slapped his leg. “You think I’m going to sleep with her.”
Her flushed cheeks turned even pinker.
“What the hell kind of trust do you have in me, anyway?”
“I trust you completely. And I know you’d never sleep with her while you’re sleeping with me.” She took a shuddery breath. “But I hate the idea that you might want to and can’t because I’m here, stopping you.”
Daniel stared at her, at a loss. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Your future. Your freedom.”
“My future’s with you, and I don’t want my freedom.”
“Maybe not now. But you will. Soon, and I won’t be the one to tie you down or place restrictions on you.”
“Jesus, Morgan, loving you is hardly restrictive. This is the most liberated I’ve felt in years.”
“I’ve had fun, too. It’s been good. But you’re moving on now. You’re away traveling for a month. The last thing you need is someone tying you down, limiting what you can do and who you can do it with.”
“I’m not interested in Janine. I have no intention or desire to sleep with her. The only woman I want is you.”
“It’s not about Janine. It’s about you. And me. Your need to dodge commitment, and my fear you’ll leave me. I can’t live like that. I can’t wake up every morning wondering if today’s the day you’re going to decide you’ve had enough and move on.”
“I’m not moving on. You’re it for me, Morgan. The only woman I want.”
“For now. But soon you’ll have had enough.” She held up her hands, as though trying to placate him. “Which is cool. I understand how you work. I know commitment’s not your thing. But it’ll be easier to end things before we get too…tangled up emotionally to go back to being friends.”
“I can’t go back. I won’t. I don’t want to be your friend.”
Amy jerked her head like she’d just been slapped.
