Page 54 of Help Wanted

“It’s not any pressure. We can go back to work like friends.”

“Shit! You work for me!” He held his hands up to the ceiling as if he just remembered this fact. The pacing became more like laps.

Kenley got out of bed and stepped toward him. She was still naked, and it hurt when his eyes darted away from her body like he was committing a sin by looking at her.

“I know I’m new at this part, but I guess sometimes the guy wants the girl to leave right away. Should I go? Would that be easier?”

“No,” he said quickly. “I don’t want you to leave. God, I’m not going to send you packing after I just…” He gestured toward her body, but still wouldn’t look at her.

“Maybe I should go.” She decided to make the choice for him. He was freaking out. She didn’t want him to invite her to stay out of obligation.

She pulled on her clothes haphazardly while he stood there staring at the floor.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she left the room. She kept going. Only when she was at the end of the dock did she stop. Her hands were shaking so badly she dropped one of her shoes on her bare toe as she fumbled to get it on. The fact that she could barely see through her tears didn’t help matters.

She wiped the tears away before entering the hotel. Keeping her head down, she rode up to her room on the elevator. After fumbling with the stupid card for what felt like forever, she finally got inside her room.

Once inside, she dropped her purse on the table by the door and slid to the floor, letting the tears flow.

It wasn’t about losing her virginity. By this point, she couldn’t have cared less about how special and magical it was supposed to be. She didn’t see it as a precious gift to be given to a deserving soul who would prove himself worthy by beheading dragons and saving the realm. It was just a thing, like getting her ears pierced, or her first hangover.

The thing that hurt was what she’d messed up with Zane. She knew him well enough to know how he would handle this. He would ignore her and keep her at a distance so he wouldn’t have to deal with it. She cursed herself for not driving. Having to go back home in his boat—the boat where they’d been happy for a few moments—would be torture.

She wasn’t sorry she’d picked him. He had been wonderful. If it had been a precious gift, then she was glad she’d given it to him. But now what?

A firm tap on the door behind her interrupted her from her sob fest. She quieted and froze, a defense mechanism usually employed by rabbits when being hunted by a fox. But she wasn’t a rabbit, so it was no surprise when this method didn’t work.

The fox knocked again.

“Kenley, please open the door. I’m not leaving.”

With an exasperated sigh, she stood. For a second she contemplated her appearance—shirt buttoned up crookedly, jeans unzipped, hair mussed, makeup smeared by tears.

What did it matter?

She opened the door and watched his shoulders slump and his face fall in agony.

“Before you even think I’m crying because of what happened, I’m not. I’m glad it happened. Happy even.”

“Yes, you look so happy.”

“I am. I’m just upset about messing things up between us.”

“I’m worried about that too. I didn’t handle it right. I didn’t want you to leave.”

“Well, I did. I’m here now.” She pointed to the very rosy room behind her.

“Right, but it’s not that far. You could come back if you wanted.” He pointed down with a small smile. “Do you want to?”

“Do you want me to?”

He let his head hang forward and then shook it slowly. “We’re not good at this,” he said.

“No. I guess not.” She frowned and looked at his bare feet. How could a guy have sexy feet? It wasn’t fair. Everything about him was sexy. From his muscled arms and shoulders to his bare chest and ripped abs. She had no idea all this was lurking under that scruffy flannel and faded T-shirt.

He put his finger under her chin and nudged her face up so he could look into her eyes.

“Just because we’re not good at this, doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying to work it out.”